Task shuffled, uncomfortable. He had made few friends in his time. In fact, he could count the number of humans he’d ever liked on one hand, even without the thumb. Ever since his first master had shown him the true face of humanity, barely a year awoken, he had known the cost and danger of making friends. And this girl—this skinny, grubby girl—was far too familiar for his liking. ‘Are you scared of me?’ The girl snorted. ‘I don’t get scared. Mam thinks the Architect forgot that part when he built me. Fear, that is.’
