"Miss Sullivan, since there's no one else around, and his other hand's still good, maybe we should—"
The men cracked their knuckles, looking me up and down with obvious intent.
CRACK.
Christina's foot slammed into the man's knee, dropping him instantly.
"Say another word, and you'll lose that leg."
The man caught the look in her eyes and started slapping himself.
"I was out of line! I'm sorry! I deserve it!"
Christina glanced down at me.
"I'm going to Lake Evermist with Myron for a week. I expect you won't say anything you shouldn't to my parents."
A week?
That would take us right up to the exam.
A stack of photos landed at my feet. One of the men leered down at me.
"Here. Keep a copy for yourself. Damn, you're pretty photogenic."
Rain began to fall. Soon I was alone in the alley.
With trembling hands, I picked up the photos. Every instinct screamed at me to tear them apart.
But I stopped myself.
No... I couldn't destroy them.
This was evidence.
No matter how much I wanted to pretend this never happened, I had to keep them.
Gritting my teeth, I staggered to my feet, clutching the photos as I stumbled out of the alley.