Chapter 16: The Sandwich

Mr. James' question hit Maya like a sledgehammer, causing her to stutter as she tried to come up with an excuse.

"Oh, yeah. This is Lily. What are you doing here? I thought you were busy at work?" Maya redirected the question towards Lily, hoping to shift the focus away from herself.

Lily didn't have a convincing lie to tell, as she had simply followed Maya's instructions. Now Maya was putting the spotlight on her.

"Well... I guess work wasn't as busy as I expected. I actually finished up a few moments ago and decided to hang out here. That's what I was about to do," Lily explained, gesturing towards her meal.

"Well... we'll see. I hope we're included in that meal?" Maya playfully asked, attempting to steer the conversation away from the topic of a thief.

"So... Lily, right? Why were you hiding and not coming out when we called?" Mr. James inquired. Lily froze, realizing she was running out of excuses. Maya, noticing Lily's predicament, jumped in to assist.

"Who wouldn't hide? I