38

Artemisia

As I step into the office, my heart stops.

Cayden has his face buried in his hands, and I feel so much desperation at seeing him like this, that I could cry.

I would like to step around the desk and hug him, but that would hardly be appropriate.

“Please take a seat,” he says with an exhausted sigh, and I sit down, keeping silent.

As he passes a hand over his face, it looks like he is about to think about how to start the conversation. I give him time to come up with something, but as he still doesn’t say anything, I decide to speak first. “What is happening, Cayden? What are you all keeping from me?”

“I’m sorry, Missy. But I can’t talk to you about that now. Not yet. Unfortunately, it’s not my place to do so.” He says calmly, worry flashing in his eyes. “Fynn has to make a difficult decision, but I’ll see that he won’t have you hanging for too long. He can’t play with you without taking responsibility for what he will cause.”

His worry transmits to me as his encoded spe