Page 59 of Small Sacrifices

And not in a"we're in California and we care about the environment, so we don't have a lawn we need to water"kind of way. Definitely in the"nothing grows here because pesticides"way. There are weeds. There are also larger plants, like bushes and trees. But mostly, there's just bare dirt. Even if Reid didn't know about the things that have been connected to this piece of land over the past few weeks, he'd be suspicious. It just doesn't look right.

How could any surveyor have looked at this and thought it was fine to build a school on this land? Even if the results came back clear—looking atthis,how could anyone have trusted them?

Contrasted with the colorful building, it looks absurd. The thing seems almost modular, a jumble of cuboids and cubes in a mix of primary colors and varying shades of gray. Like it was designed by a toddler with building blocks instead of an architect with a degree.

The school is entirely too colorful for its barren surroundings, only drawing more attention to the fact that there's a complete dearth of color all around. Whoever came up with that idea must have been disappointed with how their vision turned out even before any of this happened.

"D'you maybe wanna get out?" Everett asks.

Only then does Reid realize that he's just been glued to the window, staring, when he could have ventured out to take a closer look. But leaving the car doesn't make it better. There's the yellow caution tape cordoning off the newly erected playground. A little phalanx of teddy bears guards the front door, next to it is of a picture of Robin."Goodbye, Robbie,"it says under the picture in a child's shaky handwriting."We'll miss you."

Reid doesn't even try to fight the tears that well up in his eyes. The reminder washes over him like a scalding hot wave.A child died.Dozens of children were harmed and are still suffering, but one of themdied.Yet, children still attend this school. They were here mere hours ago, trying to learn and laying down plushies for their dead friend.

Jail is too good for the people who are responsible for this. And Governor Mackenzie is holding the town hall meeting right now, probably lying to those people as well. Like someone would do if they definitely weren't responsible for any part in this.

"Well, that's creepy," Everett says way too suddenly and way too close to Reid's ear. It makes him jump about a foot in the air.

Wonder upon wonders, they discover the gate isn't locked. Everett walks in like he owns the place. Reid just stares after him. The gate has a lock. Why on Earth aren't they using it to keep people out of their playground that they've already provenpoisons people?

He's worried about surveillance cameras. But he can't see any, so after a moment, he follows Everett onto the grounds. There isn't really much to see there. Even behind the building, vegetation is sparse. The only things growing on the grounds look like landscaping features—the kind of bushes and trees that are planted deliberately, when they're already of a certain size. And even they look kind of spindly, in Reid's opinion.

To be fair, a lot of the ground is covered by astroturf. Reid can imagine that a parent might look at that and think it's a good thing. But that wouldn't have been the case back when Agrifarm donated this place. Right?

When Everett comes to a stop next to the now-infamous playground, Reid steps up next to him. For a moment, they both just stare down at the mulch under the brand-new recreational equipment. In some places, it's pushed to the side and the bare earth is exposed. Bare earth that, they now know, is heavily contaminated. The silence feels heavy.

"Everything about this feels wrong." Everett's voice sounds hoarse. "Are you going to tell me that's all in hindsight?"

A few weeks ago, Reid would have. Hell, even justoneweek ago. But now... now his throat is so tight that he almost can't speak. The memory of one little lie is vivid in his mind.

"No."

Immediately, he feels Everett's eyes on his face. "No?" he asks. It sounds almost demanding.

Reid nods. "Your father is an intelligent man. If it looked like this back then... He should have known." It feels wrong to say it out loud, especially to Everett. Strangely, when Red chances a look, Everett looks relieved. Not that that expression lasts long.

"It did. I found some pictures on his computer. When he accepted the donation, this looked like a complete wasteland," Everett says. His voice is all angles and sharp bitterness.

"You went on his computer?" That's further than Reid thought he might go. Suspicions and a poor opinion are one thing, but this?

Everett shrugs like it's nothing. "He gave me an old laptop a few years ago. Not my fault that he didn't clear the memory."

Ah. "So you think..."

"I think that this is more than just negligence. Not that I can prove it." He sounds cold. When Reid turns to him, he's standingas stiff as a board, his hands balled into fists at his sides. His eyes are trained on the dark earth beneath the jungle gym.

Reid wants to reach out to him. But when he's this angry, touch just magnifies that. So he keeps his hands to himself and shifts in place.

"I'm sorry," he says. It feels inadequate. Reid isn't doing well, and he's just discovering that his role model isn't who he thought he was. But this is Everett'sfather.While it seems that they haven't been seeing eye to eye in quite some time, that has to be difficult.

"You know, I knew he was a fraud. But this... I never thought he'd be willing to take that kind of risk with so many lives. I mostly just thought he was an asshole."

For a moment, they sit in silence, just breathing next to each other. Reid forces himself to stay silent, sensing that Everett isn't finished yet. It doesn't take long before Everett finally speaks up.

"It's scary," he says, his voice carrying a weight of casual dread. "The things he's willing to do to get what he wants. I thought at least children would be safe. You know, other people's."

Reid doesn't know, but the words make something cold pang in his chest.Other people's?"No matter what he knew, I'm sure he didn't expectthis."

"Yeah," Everett says. He sounds hollow, which only makes Reid want to reach out more. Instead, he tugs his sleeves over his fingers and presses until he feels the ribbed knit of the cuff bite into his skin.

---