"So, uh… my old man said you were once in the NSA. How'd you manage that?"
Talia gave a dismissive sound at the back of her throat, and for a few seconds, it almost seemed like she was not going to respond to James at all. But after a while, she spoke up.
"My grandad used to be the chairman of the NSA."
James' eyes lit up!
"Oh, that's cool! Why aren't you still over there? It's gotta be more fun than being in this stupid school!"
Talia felt a jolt of sadness pass through her heart once James asked her that question. She gritted her teeth tightly while squeezing her school uniform to prevent the tears that she knew wanted to come out. Once she was sure that she wasn't going to cry, she answered in a hard voice that took all the wind out of James's sails.
"My grandfather died. An anima killed him."
"O-Oh… sorry about that."
