ya

her new job and how happy her m

till feel like a dream to her, Apex is one the multimillion-dollar automation comp

nally she would be able to pay for her mother's

t in front of her ho

si

red, Maya went straight to the chair adjacent to her

Mo

iew, Maya? Just tell

thin

will land a very nice one s

ight

he restaurant for now

ursting into laughter whil

post," she said excited

am so happy Maya, t

lly part of the executive board," she said while she

howed the pictures

all over the business news, the on

's th

weater and needles forgotten in her lap. "Executive boa

onestly. I still

Her mom reached over

ould've been s

y it always did whenever her dad came up, but sh

ad every few seconds like the news kept surprising her all o

real dinner tonight, I will go

n't have to,

down, relax, call your friends, do

abbing her cardigan of

't be

to make a whole

eady at the door, purse over her s

n executive. I'm allowed t

m disappeared out the front door, the so

felt quiet, sh

ded to her room, flopping face first onto

lmost two years now, some anonymous writing forum where she and a stranger she

they were somewhere in Thailand, always awake at hours that m

s spilling out before sh

going to believe

: you go

worse. i

s worse than ge

company. I still don't

ckering on and off a few times like the person on

Thai

things to the right people. i'll tel

so how d

edddd. I will talk

ped her phone and

Mor

framed photo of her and her mom tucked in the cor

en Sienna knocked once and let herse

tlin

ing

al from Winster Automations and Airline. They're not bac

open, scanning

the de

that actually convinces them to s

ee d

repeated, already h

then the pizza box on her desk went from full to half empty without her really noticing, slice after slice disappearing w

had gone qu

e heard

lling, coming from

izza halfway

a c

a second, waitin

did

se to human, something wild and furious and definitely not

to her from the tour. That'

of pretending to focus on the proposal before another crash sent something clattering, and this

d she knew it was stupid even as she thought it, bu

stoo

king up speed with every floor, the growling getting louder the higher she climbed

e top floor an

omething had dragged itself across the ground. Maya's stomach turned. Whoever, whatever, had l

nts weren't a

ut in a way no hum

call the cops, to do literally anything except walk toward a trail of animal blood on

ind that door, low and heavy and shaking wi

handle before she let

open

fr

completely naked, his back to her, muscles tensed in

ad toward the so

as V

's brain simply refused t

yes locked

red, glowing faint

e growle