You act quiet because you think it makes people nervous. No, Naomi said. We're trying to go home. Ryan laughed. Connor glanced down the corridor.
Ryan, come on. Ryan ignored him. He reached out and tapped two fingers against the volunteer badge, still clipped to Naomi's shirt. Ruth's kitchen. His voice carried a deliberate amusement.
That figures. Naomi lowered her eyes briefly to his hand, then raised them again. Don't touch me. No anger, no threat, just a boundary. Ryan's face changed only slightly, but Naomi saw it.
He had expected embarrassment, maybe fear, maybe Nia shouting, "Anything he could use." Her calm disappointed him. Behind Ryan, Jake adjusted the camera. "Go ahead," Ryan said softly. "Say it again."
Naomi looked directly at Jake's phone. For half a second, she understood exactly what they wanted. Not a conversation, a clip, a reaction, a few seconds stripped of everything that came before. Something that could be posted, forwarded, shown to the right office by Monday morning. She had seen that trick before, not with phones, not like this.
But she knew what it felt like when somebody with more money, more influence, or a louder voice decided they needed you to become the person they had already described. Naomi's fingers brushed the strap of her gym bag. A tiny bronze pin attached near the zipper shifted beneath her hand. A heron with its wings half open. Old, scratched, nearly dull from years of use.
Nia saw Naomi touch it. Her shoulders lowered half an inch. Ryan noticed none of it. He stepped sideways when Naomi tried to pass. She stopped again.
Ryan, that came from Connor. More urgent now. She asked you to move. Ryan looked back. What?
You scared? Connor's face hardened. No, I just think this is stupid. Jake snorted without lowering the phone. Ryan turned back toward the twins.
You hear that? Connor thinks I should let you leave. That would be a good idea, Nia said. Naomi glanced at her. Nia immediately pressed her lips together.
Ryan laughed. There she is. His eyes settled on Nia, the angry one. Naomi saw the trap closing. She stepped between them.
We're done here. Ryan put his palm against Naomi's shoulder and shoved. Her shoe slid several inches across the polished concrete. Nia moved instantly. Naomi caught her wrist.
Not hard, just enough. Their eyes met. Naomi shook her head once. No. Nia's breathing came faster. Ryan stared at Naomi.
Something flickered in his expression. Confusion. She had not stumbled the way he expected. Her balance had shifted smoothly, almost silently, one foot settling behind the other. Natural, controlled.
Ryan didn't understand what he had seen. Jake didn't either. But Connor did notice something. His smile, already weak, disappeared entirely. Naomi released Nia.
Don't do that again. Ryan's cheeks reened. What? You heard me. There was still no aggression in Naomi's voice.