Chapter 86 : Exposed

THEO. “You can both sleep here,” Overseer Finnegan says as she lays out sleeping bags on the floor. We’re still in the backrooms, but the day has now passed and was spent planning for the next mission, which is to go to the Human world and talk to Livia without getting seen. It was a long process with no promise of success, but it was still worth a try. “I’m sorry I can’t find better accommodations for you,” the Overseer says as we finish laying out the sleeping bags and the covers. “I really want to do more things for you, but I can’t risk you getting seen.” “We completely understand,” Maxine says, and I show my support with a smile. “Thank you.” With that, she leaves and turns off all the lights. Maxine and I crawl into our sleeping bags, and when we find that we’re too far away from each other, we start to scooch like a pair of caterpillars. It’s so absurd that we end up laughing, and that feels almost embarrassingly good. Laughing, let alone smiling, feels like a privilege for