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There’s something about Trucy.
There’s always something about Trucy, what with her magical panties, and card tricks, and flying doves, but looking past all her silliness, there was a strangeness Athena Cykes couldn’t unravel no matter how much she ran diagnostics over with Widget.
Trucy was smiling, but Athena couldn’t feel an ounce of happiness in her.
“I’m pretty lucky that I got Polly to come to my rescue, right?” she says, sitting across from Athena. Her voice crackled slightly from the little microphone she was speaking into. That could’ve been the reason why Trucy’s words seemed to waver. “And I have you, too, Athena!”
Praise – especially praise from Trucy – would’ve made Athena melt. But despite the warm words, Trucy felt as cold as ice. It made her shiver.
“Yeah!” Athena nodded, pumping her fist. She felt Widget turn light purple. “Don’t worry about a thing. I know you’re too gentle to hurt anyone, not even by accident!”
Trucy giggled at that, soft and distant. Athena would’ve felt the urge to grab her and pull her into a hug had they not been separated by plexiglass. “Thanks, Athena. You always know how to make me feel better.”
And Athena felt horrible, because Trucy’s heart was screaming out to her that she wasn’t.
“Did Daddy call you back?”
Athena registered a yearning in Trucy’s voice in complete contraction to her blasé demeaner.
“Um…” She had called Mr. Wright immediately after finding out that Trucy had been arrested. The man was out in another country, visiting a friend, doing God knows what. Athena looked to the floor. “Yeah, I did. And he told me that he has total faith in Apollo and I getting you a not guilty!”
“That’s great!” Trucy exclaimed, pressing her digits together. Athena heard frustration in it. “Did he tell you when he’d call me back?”
“Soon! I’m sure!” It wasn’t a lie, because Athena wasn’t a liar. She believed that Mr. Wright had enough care for his daughter to simply pick up the phone. Didn’t he?
The younger girl pouted, finally allowing her expression to be anything less than pleasant. “He better! You know how embarrassing it is to get one phone call, and the person you call doesn’t even pick up?”
Athena wasn’t sure what to say. Years of schoolwork didn’t prepare her for the real, thinly-veiled feelings in front of her.
Mr. Wright called Trucy a good kid, a real mature one. He reassured Athena that she would be okay.
“But, well, I don’t really mind. He’s probably busy, right? I can’t expect him to drop everything for me.”
Athena stared in Trucy’s face and wondered in what definition of the word could be possibly be considered okay.
The clock chimed. Visiting hours were over. The guard began leading Trucy away.
“Bye, Athena!” Trucy waved to her, and the walls to her heart were brought back up. “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”
Athena clamped a hand over Widget before he could say anything.
“Y– Yeah.”