Chapter 18
Alyna didn’t know how long she had been standing in the alley next to her complex, staring at the trash cans. It was late in the morning. She was supposed to have finished her morning training and been headed to work by now. But she hadn’t practiced today, and she hadn’t yet gotten ready for work.
“The cat hasn’t come back?” Sam asked from behind her.
She turned toward him. Sam was more mature than she would have thought for a teenager who picked pockets for a living. She guessed because he’d been living in tough conditions he was more street smart than most teens she had known. She shook her head.
“I told you, the cat died. It can’t come back.”
“Then what you are waiting here for?”
“An explanation. You touched the cat, right? It was real?”
Sam scratched his head. “Yes. S
