[Legacy of a Martyr #2] Liberation from the Masquerades (A Key Keepers novel)

Episode 82: A Divine Encounter

Becca came into my room with a sheet of paper in hand.

She sighed. "I know we have bigger concerns on our hands with Alain evolving again, but this typo-ful paper is driving me crazy, and I can't think..."

I raised my eyebrows. Did my sister just say her paper was typo-ful? Was that even a word?

"Yes, I just said typo-ful..." My sister rolled her eyes. "I don't care if that's actually a word or not. I said it, so deal with it."

Okay then... Maybe she was just unusually tired today... Tired people generally made more mistakes.

"I can't even fix these mistakes, either, because I'm out of White-Out." She sighed. "I could just go to the store and get more, but I should probably give Tiana a break. I'm pretty sure the prince is asleep, so he should be fine."

I got up. "I'll go to the store. You should stay with your fiancé." I gave her a smile. "I could use the air, anyway. Feels like I've been home too much. Plus, we didn't really get to go scouting because of what happened."

Becca turned her back. "If you need to go shopping, don't let me stop you. I'm going to relieve the princess."

***

This seemed like a good time to do it. I didn't think I'd be gone that long, but Duke was good at getting people to switch off if need be.

She might have seemed annoyed when I talked to her just now, but I knew my sister would be over the moon if I got the White-Out for her. She probably went through just as much White-Out as paper if not more.

It'd be an easy thing to get, so it wasn't a problem. I'd done it a few times when she hadn't been feeling great. The look on her face was reward enough for me.

That said, a simple shopping run usually wasn't a simple shopping run. Sometimes, it was because we had seven mouths to feed, and Duke and I could eat a lot in a single meal many days. Other times we ran into Jake and Seb or Chastity. Knowing that Alain met her on Earth so long ago, it was crazy to think she was actually Ai's long-lost sister. And still, there were times where someone would text saying we needed to pick up something else.

This time, I was able to get in and out of the store without a hitch. I got Becca two packs of "correction tape", so she wouldn't have to buy more so soon.

I was in for a bit of a surprise, though...

A girl with golden hair caught my eye. Where had I seen her before? My eyes got big. Could she really be...?

When she stopped in front of a flower shop, I caught up to her and tapped her shoulder.

Sweat beaded my brow. I gasped for breath. "Excuse me, Miss?"

"Yes?" She was soft-spoken. There was a warmth to her voice, too.

It was deeper, but its qualities hadn't changed.