Page 125 of Forget Me Not

The cruel indifference that the whole department fostered… There had always been jokes. The system had never been what they promised with each diversity or sensitivity training. But Calvin was right. Something had changed, made it worse, or just more obvious. Let them abandon even the pretense of shame or giving a shit.

The backlash. That’s what he suspected Cal would say. Humans demanding the right to marry who they pleased. The fear of some dragon up north who hadn’t let himself be hunted. Protests over wrongful arrests, wrongfuldeaths. Human children who had more in common with pixies than their parents were comfortable admitting. An imp in the capitol building. Any one of those things. Countless other possibilities.

“Obviously,” Ray took his gaze off Penn, “I can’t go back there.”

“Obviously,” Penn agreed, then moved. Ray turned to her to see leaning on her elbow again, looking bored despite the elevated rate of her pulse. “And it’s not like I’m staying without you, in case that wasn’t clear.” She paused in the middle of pretending to scroll through her phone. “We can get you a psych eval, so you can retire out—no, they will use that to discredit you later. And anyway, why should they get the benefit of a cover story? Calvin might have given them one to protect his fairy but that wouldn’t work this time. I mean, for one thing, no one is going to believe you have heart problems.”

“Penelope.”

Penn looked up, expression serious. “I joke in dark times.” She put her phone down. “Our stupidity or naivety and complicity… we can discuss that later. How we leave: also a strategy session for another time. Right now, we are just getting through this. The future, that comes later—oh, that sounds like a terrible slogan. I take that back.”

The future.

Ray looked at her, equally serious. “If something happens...”

She didn’t hesitate. “I’ll watch out for him.”

Ray nodded his gratitude. But that wasn’t entirely what he’d meant. “You have to keep him away from me if I go feral.”

Penn was visibly shocked. “That’s not going to happen.”

Ray shook his head. “If that happens, you have to keep him away from me. I… past me, told him to do the opposite. But this time, it’s different. Hold him back, Penn.” Ray exhaled, long and weary. “But otherwise, yes, he’s taken care of.”

Penn’s grin returned, a little mean. “Yeahhe is.” She watched Ray for another moment, possibly judging how much he wanted what he’d just asked for. But then she made an exaggerated sad face. “Shame you don’t get a honeymoon. I feel like that concept haswerewritten all over it. Although you did havesomefun today apparently.”

“We never did go up north,” Ray reflected. “A comment Cal made,” he explained to Penn when she frowned. “He says we kept making plans to go visit a were refuge. I’d never been. It doesn’t matter much now.”

“Later, Ray,” Penn reminded him. “This first.”

A loud burst of static made them both twitch and then someone was speaking into a microphone, apologizing, introducing a band.

“The music.” Ray had almost forgotten. He put the earplugs back in and ignored Penn’s snort of amusement. His head already hurt. He didn’t need the extra noise.

Earplugs did not stop bass. It thumped through the room, through Ray’s chest, making him grit his teeth.

Penn grimaced, then gave him a sympathetic look. “That can’t feel good,” she said, muffled but audible. She got up. “Come on. We’ll go sit in my car or something. I’m blocks away. I’ll even text the others for you so they won’t freak out.”

Ray got up, first just to get out of that chair, and then to follow, pausing only when Penn went toward the back of Rainbow Wings. But she seemed to know her way around and she was smart; if anyone planning somethinghadwatched them go in the front, the back door would be the better exit.

Penn texted as she walked, not stumbling even once. But when she was done and her phone was in her jacket, she moved to be slightly in front of Ray and kept to that guard position as they walked.

“Who did you text?” Ray asked, probably louder than he needed to.

“Calvin,” Penn tossed over her shoulder.

“Since when do you and Calvin text?”

“Since someone chose this method to kill you, Ray.” Penn didn’t even look back. They came around several buildings, turned through an alley, then were on the sidewalk again. “We have a group chat. Though, yes, Benny had to show him how to use it. Benny deserves an award… but I guess you gave him a reward anyway.”

Ray chose to ignore that remark like he’d ignored the last one. “Is his girlfriend here yet?” He glanced around toward the crowd heading in to the event, converging at the entrance, which wasn’t far from Rainbow Wings.

Penn shrugged. “No idea. The two Musketeers are too busy scheming and helping Calvin to answer right now.”

She took them to the corner and waited for the light to change despite the blocked-off traffic, then seemed to realize it and gave Ray an apologetic glance before stepping into the crosswalk.

Most of those in the area were focused on the block party or heading in that direction. No one paid Ray or Penn any attention, but the bass was still palpable. A lot of the businesses were lit up, maybe keeping later hours to get some of the customer spillover from the party, or showing solidarity.

It wasn’t too cold yet. A nice night, like it had been a lovely day. Ray wondered if he would have noticed before all of this.

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