The girl at the door blinked, then smiled again, the expression flawless. "There are no wrong people. Only those who haven't accepted their place yet."
A small silence fell.
Zubair felt the weight of the rifle in his hands and the absurdity of it—aiming metal at smiles and pressed collars. He didn't trust anything that clean.
The girl closed her binder, tucking it under her arm. "We won't keep you. You've had a long journey, I can tell."
Lachlan gave a single nod. "That's one way to put it."
"We'll come back at nightfall," the man added pleasantly. "There's always time to change your mind before the darkness comes."
Before anyone could reply, they turned together and walked away down the dirt path.
Their steps made no sound.
Lachlan stared after them until they vanished beyond the fence. "Did anyone else catch that? They didn't leave footprints."
Elias moved to the window, scanning the yard. Nothing. The grass lay unbent, the dust unstirred.
