Rito stepped into the hotel’s lobby, smiled at the receptionist, and headed for her room, forgoing the elevators to take the stairs two at a time.

Spending the night at Milli’s probably hadn’t been the most prudent decision, but she couldn’t bring herself to regret it. Milli was fun and interesting, but more importantly, she made Rito feel comfortable and understood in a way nobody outside of her family ever had.

Milli came from a prominent political family with its own baggage. And while Rito’s brother certainly had never tried to have her shot dead, with Milli, she could talk about things that to anyone else would’ve sounded strange or pompous. With Milli, she didn’t need to fear being judged or misinterpreted. With her, just for a little while, Rito could be herself.

Preoccupied with her own thoughts, by the time she noticed Abhijat rushing down the stairs, it was too late. They collided headfirst, Rito’s head bumping painfully into his shoulder.

“God, slow down,” she winced, taking a step back. “Where’re you off to in such a rush?”

Abhijat huffed, reaching out automatically to steady her. “The more pertinent question here, is where’ve you been all night?”

“I was with Milli. I spent the night at her place. Didn’t Jehan tell you? I’d asked him to tell you.”

Abhijat frowned, his lips pressed together into a thin line. “Listen to me Rito, you have to be careful around here. You can’t be wandering around alone like that, not in Manganic.”

Rito bristled. “I’m not a child–”

“I don’t care!” He clutched her shoulders, forcing her to look at him.

The fear in his eyes made her swallow the sharp retort that had bubbled to her lips. What the hell?

After a second, Abhijat looked away, let go of her and took a hesitant step back. “I’m sorry – I.” He swallowed, shook his head. “I know you won’t believe me, but things aren’t what they seem to be around here. You-you might be in danger.”

He raised a hand, forestalling the questions that were clamoring to spill out of Rito’s lips. “I know what this looks like to you. And I wish I could tell you everything, I do. But I can’t. It’s better if…” He sighed. “It doesn’t matter. But you have to promise me you’ll be safe, okay? You can’t trust anybody here. Not Fasih, not the Maralanese, not even the Havals or the other Naijani delegates.”

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“What? Why? Look, Abhi, calm down, okay? What’s going on here? Did Jehan say something to you about Milli and her mother?”

Abhijat laughed, the sound bitter and completely devoid of humor. “Jehan not saying what he should’ve said to me – to us – is precisely the problem here. All this time, he could’ve just said – but that doesn’t matter now. Nothing does, except that he’s been feeding us a string of lies. I don’t know why I’m surprised, really.” He sighed, a tinge of exhaustion creeping into his voice. “There’s nothing for it now. He’s made his move. He’s left me with no choice but to–”

“Abhi,” Rito cut him off, taking a hold of his arm and digging her fingers into the fabric of his shirt. “Look, I don’t know what he said to you that’s set you off like this, but you have to get a hold of yourself. I know Jehan isn’t the most trustworthy person on earth, and I daresay he’s told his share of lies. But he’s…” She bit her lip. She couldn’t believe she was about to say this. “He’s not as bad as you think he is. He-he had his reasons for doing what he did–”

“And I have mine.” He put a hand over hers, his tone almost gentle when he continued. “You know nothing about what he’s done...what he’s willing to do for personal gain. And you don’t need to. Just…if anything happens – if something goes wrong here, catch the first flight back to Qayit, okay? Go home, take care of Maa and Papa. They’ll need you.”

A chill ran down Rito’s spine. “Abhi, what’re you talking about? I don’t–”

“And no matter what, always remember that I love you, okay?” He pulled her into a hug. “Take care of yourself. And don’t do anything stupid.”

“Abhi–” She clutched at him, refusing to let him pull away. Her voice sounded desperate, even to her own ears. “What’s the matter? Why’re you acting like this? Just tell me what it is. How can I help you if you don’t tell me what’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing,” he said, pulling away gently, though his hands remained on her shoulders, steadying her. “Really, it’s nothing. I was just–” he shook his head. “Be careful. And don’t trust anything Fasih or his friends say. If anything happens, just go back home, okay? Go back to Qayit. I’ll handle the rest.” He took a step back. “I-I have to go. There’s a meeting. We’ll be late–”

Rito grabbed him by the wrist. “Okay. Alright, fine. We’ll talk about this later, once you get back.” She smiled hesitantly. “I’ll see you in the evening?”

He nodded jerkily and looked away. “Yeah. Yeah, you will.” A quick smile – which he probably thought was reassuring – and then he was down the stairs and out of the lobby before Rito could think to ask him when he would be back.

Her phone pinged, and she slid it out of her pocket with shaking hands.

A message from Milli. At any other time, it would’ve made her heart flutter. But there was a cold weight in her gut that made her feel off-balance, disoriented. Scared.

Tamping down on that growing sense of dread, Rito clicked on the notification icon. They’d exchanged numbers before she left the house earlier that morning, but she hadn’t expected a message so soon. The messaging app flicked obediently open, and Rito clicked on Milli’s name.

She frowned. There was no text, just the picture of a black cat. A black cat that wasn’t Eri. Why would she just…Milli’s words rang suddenly in Rito’s ears–

“They say if you see a black cat, death is close by.”

Rito gripped the ornate wood banister, her knuckles white. She forced herself to breathe past the ringing in her ears. Then, she turned around and darted down the stairs, banging the majestic double doors on her way out of the lobby.