Norah picked Abby up out front of her barracks and drove them toward town. During the ride, Norah filled the space with chatter about her job, rattling on about equipment malfunctions and the latest round of testing they were running. Her voice rose and fell in an easy rhythm, familiar and comforting.
Abby half-listened, nodding when it seemed appropriate, but her thoughts kept slipping away. Joe. Her father. The discipline she’d be forced to face in front of the elders. Each worry pressed heavier than the last, until it felt like her chest was packed too tight to breathe.
Marli had begged her to check on Joe before leaving the compound, insisting that something was wrong. That Joe needed them. But Abby had shaken her off. She’d known it was pointless. The first thing Arnie would have do
