Drawing the Line

My voice comes out soft, calm, even polite. Still, the smile I keep on my lips makes Petra's mask crack just a little. I see it in the stiffness of her jaw and the way the light fades from her eyes for a brief moment.

"I was telling Lyria that I want to be her friend, but she turned me down. Tell her I'm nice, Lorcan. If you tell her... maybe she'll give me a chance."

She calls me Lyria again.

It'