Page 23 of Falcon’s Forever

The colour drains from Emily’s face. “Is it them?”

“We don’t know,” I repeat, keeping my voice steady.

Emily grips the edge of the doorframe. “Do you think it is?”

"I think guessing won't help us," I say, and it sounds calmer than I feel, which is exactly the trick and exactly the problem.

Maya wanders in behind her carrying a bowl of popcorn, apparently having decided we're having some kind of crisis and crisis requires snacks. "What's going on?"

Emily fills her in. Maya stops chewing halfway through, and for a second all three of them are looking at me the way they always do when something goes sideways.

Cara knows what to do. Cara stays calm. Cara survived.

As if survival came with a manual. It doesn’t. Most of the time, I’m making it up as I go, just like everyone else is.

“Okay,” I say, pulling out a chair. “Everybody sit down.”

Maya looks longingly at the bowl in her hands. “Can I bring the popcorn?”

“Yes,” I tell her, gesturing toward the table.

“Good.” Maya carries the bowl over. “I panic better with snacks.”

Emily lets out a shaky laugh, and that feels like a small win. We gather around the table, leaving the phone in the middle where everyone can see it.

“We are not going to be hiding information,” I tell them. “If they send another update, we read it together.”

Sarah pulls her blanket tighter around her shoulders. “What if it’s bad?”

“Then we deal with the bad,” I assure her.

Her gaze shifts toward the window again. “What if they come through the gates?”

“They won’t,” I reply too quickly.

Sarah looks straight at me, catching the certainty I don’t actually feel. “So you do think we’re safe?”

I take a slow breath before answering. This is where people usually get it wrong. They promise that nothing bad will ever happen because they want the fear to disappear that badly. I won’t do that to them.

“I think we’re protected,” I explain. “That’s different from promising that nothing can happen.”

Maya places the popcorn in the centre of the table. “That’s depressing.”

“It’s honest,” I tell her.

Emily nods slowly. “I’d rather have honesty.”

“Me too,” Sarah adds, loosening her grip on the blanket.

The phone buzzes again, and every one of us stiffens.

Security Phone:

Patrol doubled. No movement from vehicle. Additional cameras active. No change to lockdown.

Sarah reaches for the phone herself this time, then hesitates with her hand hovering above it. “Can I?”

I nod and pass it to her. Sarah reads the message before handing the phone to Emily, who passes it to Maya.