In the town office, Adrian’s secretary laid out the morning’s files for signing. As Adrian’s pen scratched across the final parchment, he asked abruptly, without looking up:

"Do you have siblings?"

The secretary blinked, surprised by the personal turn. "Yes, sir. I’m the fifth of six. My older brothers and sisters already have children of their own."

Adrian paused, tapping his pen against the desk. "If you made a mistake—say, you offended a niece or a young female relative—how would you go about making amends? How do you... appease them?"

The secretary hid a knowing smile. A niece? He means Evelyn. "Well, sir, young women are simple enough to please. A fine dress, perhaps, or some high-quality sweets. Something to show you’ve been thinking of them."

Adrian leaned back, his expression unreadable. At home, he was hardly the "favorite uncle" type. In truth, he lacked the common touch with everyone, regardless of age. He had never had to "appease" a child in his life; usually, a single stern glance was enough to restore order. But Evelyn was different. She was the first person to meet his coldness with a silence of her own, cutting off his meals and his company for days on end.

Back in Red Wolf Valley, the late summer harvest was in full swing. The fields were heavy with vegetables that needed picking before they turned woody and bitter.

Since Evelyn held no land of her own, she spent her free hours helping the local families she’d befriended. In exchange, she returned home with baskets overflowing with eggplant, cucumbers, and pole beans. The soil here was miraculous, yielding crops far more bountiful than anything she’d seen in the city. She meticulously sorted her share, tucking the best specimens away in her "space" to ensure she wouldn't go hungry when the winter frost hit.

As the sun began to dip, Evelyn walked back from the fields with her new circle of friends. From a distance, Seraphina watched them. The rural sun had been unkind to Seraphina; her skin was sallow and scorched. But Evelyn... Evelyn seemed to glow. Even covered in dust, she possessed a startling, luminous pallor.

How? Seraphina thought, her teeth aching with envy. How does she stay so fair? How did she find friends here while I rot?

"Evelyn!" Seraphina called out, her voice sharp with desperation.

Evelyn didn't even turn. She continued her conversation with Tess and Maida as if the wind had merely whistled.

"Evelyn, I’m talking to you!" Seraphina hurried forward, catching Evelyn’s sleeve.

Tess stepped in immediately, her knuckles white as she made a fist. "She clearly doesn't want to talk to you. You keep sniffing around like a stray dog. You looking for a beating?"

Seraphina recoiled, her eyes wide and watery. "Evelyn, please... I just wanted to ask if you found a wallet yesterday?"

Evelyn looked at her with a flat, dead stare. "No."

"Are you sure?" Seraphina pressed, her voice trembling with false hesitation. "I was coming back from town yesterday and passed the spot where you were working. I was so tired I had to set my things down for a moment. Julian had to come help me carry them home later... and well..."

"Spit it out," Tess snapped. "You’re stuttering like a leaky faucet."

Seraphina flushed crimson. "The bags were fine, but the wallet inside was gone!"

Evelyn arched a brow, her voice dripping with disdain. "Are you suggesting I’m a thief?"

"Oh, no! No," Seraphina shook her head frantically. "But I know your family is in trouble. I know you didn't bring much with you when you came here... so if you did happen to find it, please... could you just give it back? No questions asked."

The implication hung in the air like a foul odor. Tess and the others weren't fools; Seraphina was painting Evelyn as a desperate beggar who would stoop to stealing from a "friend."

"Who do you think you’re talking to?" Tess growled, giving Seraphina a hard shove that sent the girl tumbling into the dirt.

Nearby, Caleb saw the fall and saw red. He lunged forward, his boot catching Tess in the side. Tess staggered back, losing her footing and hitting the ground hard.

Evelyn didn't hesitate. Tess was the first person here to treat her like a human being, and Evelyn protected her own. Before Caleb could gloat, Evelyn’s foot connected squarely with his groin.

Caleb collapsed instantly, clutching himself, his face turning a violent shade of purple as the veins stood out on his forehead. "You... you’d strike your own brother for a stranger?"

"That 'stranger' believed in me and stood up for me when I was slandered," Evelyn said, her voice like iron. "She’s my best friend. You? You’re just a mistake of birth."

Tess scrambled up, her eyes shining with pride at Evelyn’s words.

Seraphina, seeing the tide turn, dropped her fragile act. "I wanted to give you a way out, Evelyn. But since you’re so heartless, I’ll say it plainly: give me back the wallet you took yesterday."

"You’re full of it!" Maida chimed in. "Where's your proof? You have any witnesses? One more lie and we’ll send you back to the labor farm to break rocks!"

"We have proof!" Seraphina cried. "Dominic saw it! He saw Evelyn take the wallet with his own eyes!"

Evelyn felt a chill of realization. It wasn't just Seraphina’s word; her own brother was willing to bear false witness against her.

Evelyn stepped forward and delivered a stinging slap across Seraphina’s cheek. "Your skin is getting thick out here," Evelyn remarked, shaking out her hand. "It actually hurts my palm to hit you."

"Evelyn! Stop it!" Caleb managed to wheeze from the ground.

Evelyn turned and slapped him too. "I can go all day, Caleb."

Seraphina touched her bruised face, her eyes flashing with a sudden, naked hatred. She moved to strike back, but Tess and Maida stepped forward like twin towers, their expressions daring her to try.

Seraphina retreated, trembling with humiliation. "Don't blame me when I go to the authorities, Evelyn."

"Go!" Evelyn challenged, crossing her arms. "Go right now. If you don't, you're a coward."

Caleb leaned on Seraphina as they limped away. "Don't waste your breath on her anymore, Sister Seraphina. People like her belong in the labor camps."

Evelyn hurried home. The lock on her door looked untouched, but as she entered, she noticed the faint disturbance on the windowsill. Someone had been inside.

She wasn't worried about her secrets—anything of value was tucked away in her dimensional space—but she knew the game Seraphina was playing. She began a systematic search of the room.

She found it inside the cupboard by the heated brick bed: a corduroy wallet. It was an exact match for the one Sophia had given her before she left the city.

She flipped it open. Inside was over a hundred dollars in cash and a thick stack of ration coupons. The trap was set, baited with enough evidence to ruin her life.