3
Lost in a Crowd
April bit her lip as she watched her mother move about the room, dressing to go out. She moved slowly, each motion deliberate, but April saw the pain in the tight line of her mouth.
“Maybe I should go out instead,” April said. She was feeling pretty wrecked herself, but nowhere near as bad as her mother looked.
“No. You are gifted, but sales is not your gift,” Melena said, brushing out the long waves of her hair.
“I did OK the last few weeks,” April said. She hadn’t particularly enjoyed it—talking with strangers always stressed her out, and trying to haggle with them to get the most out of every one of their possessions had really taxed her—but now that she was looking at the prospect of being cloistered again like she had been as a child, she missed the freedom, sca
