Chapter 9: 09

"That was very—" Tori shook her head, as if trying to shake off Astra's effect on her. "That was nice. To catch up. With people I used to know."

Maxine smirked and placed a hand on Tori's back to push her forward. The day outside was crisp and clear, and it was a pleasure to be out in it. She breathed in the fresh air and made quiet conversation until they made their way back to her flat, her little polished stone box that was all hers.

Tori's eyes grew wide as she stepped over the threshold, undoubtedly noting all the shining surfaces and many empty bottles collecting on the kitchen island.

"Your shoe, madam," Maxine said, pointing toward the slightly battered pink high heel sitting incongruous in her shoe rack, surrounded as it was by various pairs of black and brown boots.

"Oh, you didn't have to. I'm a little embarrassed about these shoes. They're so loud and over the top. I should probably not wear them."

"Why not? They're just shoes," Maxine said.

Tori picked up her shoe delicately, her face flushing pink.

"It would be nice to see you all again. Becky doesn't think that I should... I want to say, you probably get the wrong impression of her, but she's nice, really. She just wants the best for me. She knows what all this stuff did to me."

"Sure, sure," Maxine said, "she just doesn't understand that you can't stop being who you are. I don't have that problem but I don't have to live with her."

"It's... It's not like that! She knows what it cost me to be like this."

"And so she negs you about it at every opportunity."

"No," Tori said, eyes fierce. "She knows me. She knows my day to day life. And she knows what it's done to me to be tortured like that. You don't know me. You knew who I was when I was 14. That's not the same."

"So what if it's not the same. I want to be your friend again, and I think that means telling you when your partner's being a dick."

Tori clenched her fist, her thin hand turning red, then inhaled loudly. She closed her eyes as she breathed in. "If you knew what it was like. Every day holding myself inside, worried those men who captured me would come back..."

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"They won't. They're dead."

"How do you know?" Tori asked.

"Because I hunted them all down and killed them. Don't worry, there's nothing to fear," Maxine said.

"What?" Tori asked, looking up.

Maxine scoffed. "You were my first real friend. I wasn't going to let people who mutilated you get away with it. Don't worry, I don't make a habit of revenge killings. Mr Temple may have taught me how to shoot, but now I only use that skill in a fully legal way for my job."

"As a civil servant..."

Maxine nodded.

"I need to go home," Tori mumbled. Her eyes were wet, her hands shaking.

"I can call you a taxi."

"No! I have a, I have an app. I have... I'll go."

She stumbled out.

Maxine watched her leave, thinking maybe she should stop her or explain. But what was to explain? It was how it was.

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