Bullies

The rest of the week Serenica had to run around, doing everything Blackbones asked her to do, telling everyone the exact things he wanted her to say, and only occasionally stopping in a tea house or a coffee shop to do something about her homework. When the weekend rolled around, she was too exhausted to think, let alone drink. The Admiral would have been grateful for that.

Most of the people she had talked with had been highly skeptical about the possibility of an earthquake. Serenica couldn't blame them. Neul was simply the kind of stable area with no unexpected seismic hiccups recorded for ten generations or so.

Blackbones was just as frustrated with the results. The supposed third had shrunk down to a fifth at best. He complained about a lack of respect for the elders, but Serenica thought it was more about a lack of respect for anyone.