Chapter 4

I needed another way out, another ally.

I stood up, feigning a need to stretch my legs, my eyes scanning the small casita. "Just need some air."

K watched me, still smirking. Richard and Linda exchanged a look. They thought I was stalling, but harmless.

I walked towards the open doorway, looking out at the festival grounds in the distance. People milled about, unaware of the drama unfolding in this small, rented box.

Then I saw her. A small girl, maybe ten or eleven, diligently collecting cans and plastic bottles from overflowing bins near the casita. Sofia.

In my first life, in that trailer, a girl had snuck me water. A small, dark-haired girl. It had to be her. The memory was hazy with pain, but the kindness... I remembered the kindness.

"Hey," I said, stepping outside. I fumbled in my pockets, pulling out a couple of energy bars I'd stashed. "You look like you're working hard."

She looked up, startled, her eyes wide.

I offered her the bars. "Para ti." For you.

She hesitated, then took them with a shy "Gracias."

I kept my voice low, glancing back at the casita. K was still visible, but not paying close attention. Richard and Linda were murmuring to each other.

"Necesito ayuda," I whispered, my Spanish broken, learned in agony and desperation in that other life. Help me. "My parents... they are not themselves."

Sofia's eyes flickered with understanding, or maybe just fear.

"My grandmother," I said, thinking fast, "she is sick. I can pay for treatment. Mucho dinero. If you help me."

I didn't know if she understood the bribe, or the desperation. But I saw a spark in her eyes. She knew this place, these people. She knew how to be invisible.

She nodded, a tiny, almost imperceptible movement. Then she quickly went back to her cans, stuffing the bars into her pocket.

K's voice called from inside. "Alex! Stop wasting time!"

I turned back, a small seed of hope planted. Maybe K's overconfidence would be his undoing. He allowed Chloe to be called. He didn't see a little girl collecting trash as a threat.