Rhayne's eyes are still wet.
She's holding something in, visibly shaken, and I can't tell if what she's swallowing is fear or relief.
"I never went back to Earth after my first dive."
She speaks haltingly, the words coming out one careful piece at a time.
She turns her head toward the window, like she's searching for words in the open ocean sky and finding a small comfort just looking at it.
"That was almost three years ago."
The first tear falls. Slow, but heavy.
I have a hundred questions for her, mostly about the spy thing, but I let her talk in her own rhythm. I brush the tear away with the back of my index finger.
It's the only support I can offer her in this moment without breaking the thread she's pulling on.
She continues.
"I'm an orphan. Like Lola. My parents were Divers. They died in Thirstfall."
More tears come. While she gathers herself to keep going, I let myself sit with what she's telling me, trying to understand her side from the inside out.
