Chapter 12: The Pen

Leonie's POV

On Saturday I came to the lab early, with the green notebook and a thermos of coffee.

Kellan had driven me to the door.

He had held my hand across the car console the whole way, and he had not said what he needed to tell me.

I had not asked.

I knew it was about my sister, and I knew he was waiting until I was ready.

I was not ready.

I had one more day, and then another one.

Inside, Dr. Wheelock was bent over the machine with his sleeves pushed up, and Mrs. Wheelock was labeling tubes.

"Eleven out of twelve," Dr. Wheelock said, without looking up. "The wash order holds on eleven out of twelve."

"What went wrong with the twelfth?"

"I dropped it."

Mrs. Wheelock snorted.

I sat on a stool at the end of the bench and put my bag at my feet.

The orange pen case was inside it, in the front pocket, where I had put it every morning since the lawn.

Then the bell rang.

Daphne stood in the doorway with a white paper bag.

"Pastries," she said, brightly. "I thought I should bring something. I behaved badly last week."

Dr. Wheelock looked at me.

I gave him a small nod.

I had to keep her close enough to hear her.

She put the bag on the bench and chose a stool across from mine, and Mrs. Wheelock took a croissant out of politeness.

"I wanted to say I'm sorry," Daphne said to me.

"You've got a talent, Leonie. I should have seen it. I can be hard on you."

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