It looked like a beta wanting to go to the Polluted Zone wasn't such a big deal after all. Now that they'd heard someone wanted to go, they were glad to help.
In the end, all they asked was to go with Kestrel.
Before she knew it, Kestrel was pulled into a jeep. The vehicle zoomed down the road, her exclusive fancy cushion under her butt.
"That cushion has the smell of a little girl on it," one of Kestrel's tendrils said.
Somewhere in town, in a comfy little house, a young girl was making a face, talking to her mom, who was washing dishes by the sink, "
"Will my doll really never come back?" The little girl asked with a whimper in her voice.
The mother sighed, dried her hands on her apron, and squatted down in front of the girl.
The child had been upset for two whole days because her only doll was taken away by her father.
"Yes, Olivia," the mother said softly. "As I've told you, your doll has been disassembled to help Uncle Raymond."
