“Why do you look like someone just snuck tapeworms into your spaghetti bowl?” Peri’s sharp tone pierced the quiet room. He had gotten used to her sudden appearances and didn’t jump at her intrusion. Rather he became mildly annoyed at her willingness to sneak up on an unpredictable beast.
He could retort at her descriptive and disturbing question, but he didn’t make a habit of engaging others in meaningless conversation. Instead, he simply answered the real question she was asking, what was wrong?
“Something isn’t right with Jewel.”
“You’re a little slow on the uptake if you are just now figuring that out.”
He ignored her sarcasm because ultimately, he knew that Peri cared, no matter how flippant she sounded. “I just saw myself in her mind’s eye, but she should not have known what I loo
