Faith turned off her phone flashlight and inched as close as she dared to the door, in an effort to hear better:547Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3IF1TS6QDn
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"Pops and I are trying to make this part of the city bearable to live in for these people who fear for their lives every day," the female voice said. "We're trying to do what half of the police force here have refused to do for as long as I can remember. You're my brother! Why aren't you helping us, instead of making all of this harder?"547Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡStXet77BZt
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"I'm your adoptive brother, Nayla," Aaron corrected her stiffly. "Pops only ever adopted us so he could raise mini versions of himself to be his helpers in this whole mission to 'make the city a safer place.' He never wanted actual kids."547Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4GVA4225Bh
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"He loved us like his own and did the best he could, and you know that! Please, just come home. Stop all this..."547Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvijIUH0gMM
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"Oh come on, Nayla...are you really trying the crying thing on me? You know that's not gonna work. Look, I know this isn't what you wanna hear, but I've made my decision. You need to quit worrying about me, alright?"547Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKRlgLB34Mi
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"I ain't worried about you!" Nayla snapped. "I'm worried that the next one that comes in here and can't pay you back might be one of my friends or something! And your girlfriend--does she even know everything that goes on here? Have you thought about what could happen to her if you're not careful?"547Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXbwdSddDNA
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Aaron said nothing in response.547Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqOBJM5vGnb
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"Oh, that's right. You've thought about it, you just don't care."547Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLSivrzvNoe
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"Nayla--"
"Get the help you need, Aaron. That's all I know to tell you."547Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8ViXUOQmSx
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Aaron laughed a humorless laugh. "If I got the kind of help you're talking about at this point, it'd probably be from a prison cell. And that ain't happening. Not to me."
The sound of a smaller piece of furniture being toppled--perhaps the chair Faith had sat in last week--could be heard.
"That's it. Get out. If you don't, I'm callin' Keith."
"Don't even bother... I'm done. I'm just done."
"Remember our agreement--I don't tell Keith about you and the others' vigilante escapades around the city, and you leave my business alone. All of you."547Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbCznRGwKim
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Faith was shaking at this point. Without warning, the door flung open, and before Faith could think to disappear into the shadows, a dark-skinned girl with blue dyed hair stormed out, slamming the door behind her and pushing past Faith as she raced back down the hall. A door slam from the front entrance that made the entire building shake followed soon after.
Faith took that as a cue to make an exit of her own, back to Sheena. 547Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8hLQ6QTWgd
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"Hey, Ms. Salter..." came Levi's voice behind her as she re-entered the front area.547Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVwOPrwg4vE
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"What?" Faith asked, slowly turning around to look at him.547Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM7bbRkB1Iq
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"Everything okay?" Faith wasn't sure, but his voice seemed to have an edge to it. Did he know she had been listening in on Aaron and that girl that was apparently his sister?547Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhEEwF3JgJI
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Faith put on the best annoyed face she could, given the circumstances. "What's a guy I hardly know doing asking me about my trip to the restroom? None of your business." 547Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8vrWARvaf3
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"Well, it's just that you were gone a long time and-- Never mind. Sorry."
Sheena was visibly shaken from what she'd probably just witnessed a glimpse of. "Levi, who was that? One of his exes maybe?" She now looked visibly uncomfortable as she slowly chewed on her last bite of ice cream cone.
"...I think I need to go talk to Aaron. Excuse me." Sheena started to rush down the hall, but Levi blocked it as best he could, given his smaller frame.
"That's really not a good idea right now, Sheena. You can call him later and let him explain. Your friend really looks like she wants to get going, which I think is the best thing right now."
"I don't understand, though. Who was that girl and why was she so upset...?"
"Sheena... I really think we should go." Faith placed her hand on the door, looking in her direction but not meeting her eyes. Even though she had no part in whatever just took place, she felt guilty, like she'd heard something she shouldn't have--which technically was the case. Then again, if she hadn't, she might have stayed up all night thinking of much worse possibilities and scenarios than what it apparently was.
"Sheena, I'm sorry," Faith said quietly as she unlocked the car door and Sheena silently walked past her and into the front passenger seat. She must have been angry enough to not feel as threatened as they both had when they first arrived.547Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8iWDeXTuRE
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"What are you sorry for?!" Sheena suddenly snapped, whipping around to glare at her, though she looked as if she regretted her brash response as soon as she'd made it.
You know what? I'm sorry that you have such a shallow taste in men. I'm sorry that you can't get a clue. I'm sorry that you'll never make anything meaningful of yourself at the rate you're going. Faith exhaled, giving herself ten seconds before saying anything out loud. "...I'm sorry that Aaron isn't being as open with you as it sounds like he should be. I only saw a glimpse of it myself, but...whatever it was, I hope you two can safely work it out." Maybe if she allowed Sheena to continue believing that the girl back there was an ex of his instead of his sister, Faith mused, Sheena would be inclined to leave him sooner rather than later.
"Y--yeah...me too. And I didn't mean to blow up like that, just now. I guess I'm just overreacting."
Faith shrugged. "I mean, Rowan drives me up the wall sometimes, so I know I've probably snapped at you a couple of times over my guy troubles."
"Yeah... How are you guys, by the way? I keep talking about me and Aaron whenever we meet up, but I keep forgetting to ask how Rowan's been with that arm and everything."
"He's doing better physically, but he still has his bad days mentally speaking," Faith sighed. "I just hope he's doing better now than when I left him earlier."
Fortunately, Rowan did seem to be in better spirits when Faith returned home. "So, how're your parents?" he asked from his room.547Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9a6o9Joqn2
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"Well...it was a bit hectic tonight, but eventually things calmed down," Faith said carefully. 547Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLwW96nh84y
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Rowan snorted. "What's that supposed to mean?"547Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAR3Co5EDu6
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"I caught them at a busy time...but they were glad to see me nonetheless."547Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxYMbr0eZVX
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"Oh. That's good."
"Yeah."
She'd almost made it to her room further down the hallway to put away the makeup Sheena gave her before Rowan asked the dreaded question once again: "Faith, are you sure nothing's wrong?"
Well, maybe I can tell him a small part of it... "Sheena's having some troubles with a new boyfriend. I want to help her, but I've just been so busy that I don't really have the energy for much else."
"Oh...is it that Galanos guy?"
"It might be, but I'm not sure. The girl has had so many boyfriends over the years I can never keep track of who's who anymore."
Rowan laughed. "That's true. But anyway, I know you've been doing a lot of overtime because of me, and...you shouldn't have to be one of those people who slave their whole lives away just to see how many pieces of green paper they can make just for the sake of impressing people. And I just want you to know that you don't have to keep doing all of that for me."547Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6lH0rEJNKV
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Yeah, you wouldn't be saying that if we ended up having to move back with our families--or worse. "I'm not sure where that's coming from, but I'm doing it for both of us--not just you, you know. And in some situations...well, there's no choice but to make an impression on others. Sometimes it protects you."
"Who would you need to try to impress, though? You already have me and Sherm and Sheena, and your family's started being nicer to you."
How she wished that last part were actually the case. "Well, just don't worry about it, Rowan. I've got it under control."
"I'm not worried, though. You remember those guys that Chance and I found when we were still with your parents, that were sort of like bodyguards when you and your parents were too busy?"
Faith sighed. She wasn't in the mood for this conversation. Was she ever, though? "What about them, Rowan?"
"One of them offered me a chance to make some money, and I think I'm gonna go for it."
Faith already knew what her answer to that would be, but first she asked, "So, what's the job supposed to be?"
"Boxing things up, delivery, that sort of thing."
"No. Not in this universe or any other. I didn't know then what I know now--that those people were all a bunch of gangster wannabes, and I get the feeling that you've already helped them with things like you mentioned just now in return for their protection. I'm guessing the broken arm was not at all related to any of that, right?"
"Are you serious right now, Faith?" Rowan rolled his eyes.
"I'm not telling you again. If you can't find something legitimate that you can do, don't do anything at all."
"But I need a job, Faith. I feel bad, with you always having to manage everything."
"Your job right now is getting better and keeping yourself in one piece, which for some reason has been really challenging for you, and I don't even know why."
At first, Rowan returned the glare that Faith was giving him, but finally he let out a sigh and said, "You're right. I should know better."
"...Good." Relieved that this didn't turn into a full-blown argument like she'd feared it might, Faith walked over to ruffle his hair before once again heading to her room to mentally kick herself for how much of a hypocrite she was being right now (and as much as Sheena's charity made her uncomfortable, maybe try on some of that makeup to see how it looked).
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