Seraphina’s POV
The snow looks untouched
But I know better now
Nothing here is untouched
Not the air
Not the silence
Not me
After the call last night, Claudia doubled the perimeter without telling me she was doing it
I noticed anyway
Two additional guards near the west ridge
A vehicle repositioned closer to the lower gate
Infrared sweep every hour instead of every three
They think I do not see the changes
They forget I have nothing to do here but observe
I stand in the east corridor watching the monitors flicker softly in the dim light
Claudia enters quietly
“He contacted you,” she says
It is not a question
“Yes”
She studies my face carefully
“And”
“And he did not tell me everything”
Her expression does not change
“He rarely does”
“I am not one of his men,” I reply
