Harriet and George returned claiming they had accomplished whatever mission they had been attempting, but did not elaborate. Harriet seemed to take a liking to Arena, but Arena thought ‘Cyclone’ was a better codename for Harriet than herself. Harriet was overwhelming in every sense. Nobody could get a word in edgewise while she was around, and Arena began to understand why George was so quiet. When he did speak, he was concise and a bit sharp, probably from years of trying to talk over her.

This night, Arena was stabbing a spear of asparagus with her fork when she sensed someone staring at her. She figured it was Sterling. He rarely approached her unless for a specific reason. Arena spent most of her time with Nate and Lorna and was beginning to grow comfortable with both of them. They both liked to joke and tease, and eating meals with them became the highlight of her day. Sterling never sat with them, though Lorna tried to invite him on occasion.

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“So I told him I was actually the daughter of the President, and the idiot actually believed me!” Lorna often told them stories of her training. Arena sometimes found her stories hard to believe, but seeing as Lorna seemed to be unconcerned with any standard of normality, they were probably true.

Lorna’s handheld beeped. “Oh! I'm supposed to be a on a vidcall with the CIA lab in ten minutes. I’d better go! By the way, Arena, you’re with Sterling tonight.”

Lorna hurried off, and as Arena watched her go, she glanced over at Sterling, who was still staring at her. He abruptly got up and left.