A Black Suit—the compound’s security team—showed up forty minutes later to take Ayn to school. “I thought you said I could do whatever I wanted,” she snapped. She hadn’t intended to stay home, but she resented Lettie presuming that she would. She wasn’t stupid, she knew she could fail her dad.

Lettie didn’t try to hide her disdain when she answered. “You can make your own decisions when you prove yourself worthy of trust. Your behavior of late has not shown me that you care about anything outside yourself—certainly not your father, who is working himself ragged for the betterment of us all. It’s too bad his daughter hasn’t learned to live with the same priorities.”

Ayn opened her mouth to answer, but thought better of it. Instead, she turned and walked to the door with Zoe at her heels. At the door, she bent down and whispered into the beastie’s ear. “I’ll be back after school, Zoe. Stay away from Lettie. Okay?” She held the beastie’s face in her hands. Zoe looked back at her with golden eyes, licking her lips and whining.

“You’re going to be late,” Lettie said.

Ayn hugged the beastie’s neck. “Be good,” she said and slipped outside.