Lore

by Alexandra Bracken

Not now, she thought, the words spiraling, screaming, not now— she had to keep it together. The pressure was building in her again, the strain of it turning her brittle. Lore couldn’t find her way out of the darkness growing around her. “Have you ever heard the one about the turtles on Broadway?” The words struck her mind like a torch in the dark, sudden and bright, interrupting her thoughts. “Have I … what?” she asked, blinking to clear her vision. “The turtle show on Broadway,” Castor said softly. Lore still didn’t understand. “No—what are you talking about?” “Really?” he said, his gaze still intent on her. “Because it was a shell-out.” The pressure receded, easing out of her shoulders and chest until she could take a deep enough breath to snort.