Convergence - The Last Science #2.2 - Heroes and Villains

B2: Chapter 30 - Four Days Later - VIII

  "What are you doing here?" Jeremy asked, after he finally got her alone for a bit.

  "Oh, like I wasn't friends with her?" snapped Meg, rubbing her wrist. "You didn't have to pull me over here."

  "Thought you weren't getting involved."

  "For your information," she said haughtily, "Hailey invited me. They used to come over to our place all the time. And do you know how hard it was to convince my parents that I had to skip school and come out to the city on a Thursday?"

  "Go home. You shouldn't be here."

  "Why not?"

  Because everybody here is at serious risk of gettin' murdered lately... "You're too young."

  "Oh, puh-leeze." Meg pointed over at the elf-girl with the hawk, talking with Rika in the last row of pews. "She's like twelve. I'm sixteen."

  "She's awakened. She doesn't got a choice."

  "Yeah, and I'm choosing stay." Meg took a step back from him. "Look, Mr. Agent Ashe, I'm here because my brother isn't. He went out with them every night for months and he's not around to say goodbye, so I gotta do it. Okay? So deal with it."

  Well... fuck. Jeremy shook his head, dismayed. "On your own fuckin' head."

  "Yeah, no shit," she grumbled, walking away.

  Jeremy turned around, meaning to go back to his sister, maybe figure out what was taking so long—and found himself face-to-face with Stephanie Winscombe.

  "Uhh..." he started.

  "Mr. Ashe?"

  "Mrs. Winscombe."

  She nodded. "This is my ex-husband, Chris."

  Jeremy shook the offered hands, feeling a bit of whiplash in the shift of conversation. From a fuckin' high schooler to Hailey's upper-class mom. Shit, I'm probably gonna be talkin' to the twelve-year-old here in a minute.

  "I understand you're friends with my daughter now."

  "Somethin' like that, yeah." Jeremy shrugged. "We've helped each other out of a few tight spots."

  "Don't be so modest, Mr. Ashe. You two fought together. You saved her life in October, unless I'm mistaken."

  He blinked a few times. "She told you about that?"

  Stephanie nodded. "I wanted you to know: if you need anything, please call. I can't ever thank you enough."

  "Really," added Chris. "Hailey's very precious to us both. If she..." He choked up slightly.

  Stephanie rubbed his shoulder, glancing back at Jeremy. "As I said. Anything."

  Jeremy nodded. "Thanks." He glanced around. "Honestly, I'm just wonderin' where the hell she is now..."

  Stephanie glanced up, toward the ceiling. "I think she's still trying to figure out what to say." Her voice softened, which was very different from the Stephanie Winscombe Jeremy had dealt with for months. "I can't imagine what she's going through right now..."

  Chris put an arm around her shoulder. "None of us can, Steph."

  Jeremy looked up too, at the empty ceiling above them. "Is she—"

  "She'll come down when she's ready," said Stephanie.