Page 26 of Creeping Beautiful

Let’s stick to one question at a time, OK? That will keep things on track.

Because you have to leave. You’re in a hurry. Adam called you here to talk sense into me and make me behave.

That’s… not actually true, Indie. McKay called me. And he’s just worried about you. We all want you to be successful and that means you have to listen to Adam and McKay because one day you’ll be doing things that are dangerous and if you don’t do as you’re told, bad things will happen.

Bad things? Like… I’ll be put in a cage again?

No. That’s never gonna happen again. That’s all over now. You’re Adam’s.

No one asked me if I wanted to be Adam’s. Maybe I want to be McKay’s?

McKay didn’t pay for you. Adam did.

So?

McKay works for Adam. And now you work for Adam.

Do you work for Adam too?

No.

Then why are you here?

I just told… never mind. Do you want to know how I got Adam to buy you and why I did it or not?

I do.

OK. Then I’ll tell you. But don’t interrupt me again.

Bossy.

I was in the pavilion—don’t interrupt me.

I was just gonna ask where that was. That’s all. I need to picture it in my head.

It’s… the place where the auction was. On the top of the hill on the island. Maybe you saw it when they brought you in by boat?

Oh. Yeah. OK. I did see it. Go on.

Girl. You tire me out.

Are you gonna talk? Or just whine like a baby?

We were in the pavilion. Adam came back first from the tour and—

Yeah, he was the first to come see me.

Indie Anna.

Sorry. I’ll zip it.

OK. So… as I was saying. Adam came back first because my grandfather took him out on the tour in his personal truck. And by that time the place was all set up for the auction. There were a ton of people there waiting for everyone to come back and get things started. All men, of course. Everyone was drinking and there was a little string quartet in the corner playing soothing music.

Adam was there off to the side. By himself. Adam is like me. He’s a little bit older, but we’re cut from the same cloth. Both of our fathers died doing a job five years ago.

Don’t you dare interrupt me. I’m not talking about that tonight. I only mention it because I’m making a point that we’re the new generation of Company kids and… I’ve noticed that all the other kids my age, and Adam’s age, we’re not as committed as the generation that came before us. We like the money and the privilege, but the price is high. We understand this and the world has changed so we’re not as comfortable with it as… say… our parents were.

We’re looking to make changes and I had heard that Adam was involved with something regarding this change a few years earlier. And to me, that meant that he was not there to buy you for the wrong reasons.