Imperfect

by Tina Chan

  “We ordered your lunch,” Troop said, spotting Kristi walk through the doors of The Last Supper. “Hope you like chicken potpie.”

  “That works.”

  Kristi had barely sat down when the waitress brought over four plates of piping hot chicken potpie and a pot of tea. Everyone was silent for a few minutes, occupied with the food.

  Troop finished his pie in record time; dehydrated food gets boring after a while. He moved onto his buttered rolls next.

  A stout woman came over to check on them. She had a dogged look, light brown hair pulled into a tight bun and a stance that suggested she took no nonsense. Her name was Syra and she was the owner of The Last Supper.

  “Everything to your satisfaction?” she inquired.

  “Yes, thank you,” Troop said.

  “Have I met you before?” Kristi asked. “You seem very familiar.”

  “I don’t believe I have had the pleasure of meeting you yet.”

  “Never mind,” said Kristi. “There was someone I met who looked like you; she owned a bookstore with a very nice fireplace.”

  Troop wondered why Kristi had emphasized the word.

  A knowing grin split onto the Syra’s face. “Ah, I have a sister who does though.”

  Then he remembered that Syra’s sister ran a safe house for members of the Company.

  “Tell her I said thanks,” said Kristi.

  The woman nodded then left to attend a cluster of customers that just entered The Last Supper.

  “The whole family is part of the Revealers,” Troop told Kristi in a low voice to avoid being overheard.

  “Why are you sharing this information with me?” she asked. “Bad things can happen if this information gets into the wrong hands.”

  “I trust you not to give the information out freely.”

  “That’s a lot of trust to put on someone who you have barely known for a couple of weeks.”

  “I trust my instincts.”

  For some reason, Troop had expected Chelsa to be the most talkative and vivacious member of the group. However, he was soon proved wrong. Jaiden seemed to be the only person who could coax the ghost of a smile out of her.

  Ghost, the leopard, seemed to share his owner’s sudden mood change and would often disappear for long stretches of time. Not that I mind if Ghost leaves for a while. Troop found the creature’s intelligence to be unnerving.

  “Aren’t you happy we’re getting closer to finding Finn?” Troop asked Chelsa. “Less than fifty miles left—and we haven’t seen any bandits or met any other trouble along the way.”

  “Yeah, I guess,” she replied. She sounded a bit gloomy, if not downright depressed. “I’ve just been thinking a lot.”

  “How does thinking make you morose?”

  Chelsa shook her head. “It doesn’t matter.”

  He knew she was lying, thanks to Darrel’s advice. If a girl says something doesn’t matter, then it probably does.

  “Well, here’s some good news that might cheer you up: we should reach Oppidum in two days at most,” said Kristi.

  Chelsa didn’t react with joy to that bit of news; instead, she appeared even more somber.

  chapter twenty-nine

  [ Kristi ]