✓ cynicism - an inclination to believe that people are motivated purely by self-interest:

WYLAN DIDN'T LIKE BEING WRONG. But he wasn't wrong very often, so making such a blunderous error in a mission that'd bring him a million units was the most humiliating thing in the world. Drugging the other girl was probably not the best idea, considering how eager she was to attack him. Here he was, staring at two girls strapped to chairs—one Axelle Henderson, his real target, and the other was some orphan with filthy clothes that looked like they were used to clean the bathrooms.

In other words, this was bad. If any Verid caught a whiff of this place, Wylan wouldn't like to think about the consequences.

The filthy girl stirred, the effects of the drug wearing off. She groaned, trying to remove the restraints and gave up when she realized she was trapped.

"Jessie," Wylan said, and the girl caught sight of him. Anger flaring in her eyes, she moved to haul herself out of the chair, and the sharp metal grazed against her ankle, scraping it.

Jessie moved swiftly and with a blink, the restraint around the girl's mouth was gone.

"You... who the hell are you? I've to get home, asshole," she said, wheezing, taking large gulps of air.

"Calm down, girl. You'll get home soon."

Axelle Henderson stirred. This girl, on the other hand, had zero survival instinct. She actually fell asleep. Wylan hadn't seen anyone like her, but he was grateful that she was cooperative.

"There's another girl here? Oh my god. Are you going to sell us to somebody? I swear I'll actually kill you!" The filthy girl glared Wylan down and he was concerned. She looked like she would actually kill him, if given the chance.

Maybe she needs to be strapped for longer, he thought.

Wylan sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Listen. You're not going anywhere until I say so."

The girl's jaw clenched. "You're seriously delusional if you think I'm staying here. Let me go now, or I'll—"

"You'll what?" he interrupted, glancing at her restraints. "You're in no position to make threats."

Her scowl deepened, but she seemed to realize the truth in his words and lapsed into silence, staring at him as if she was trying to set him on fire. Wylan's gaze flickered to Axelle, still slumped against her restraints, her breathing calm and oblivious to the situation she was in. Part of him envied her—this girl had a talent for tuning out reality.

He cleared his throat, "What's your name, anyway?"

"Why would I tell you that?" she said, turning her head away from him as if he was a disgusting pile of rubbish.

"I could keep calling you girl, but I'm not sure if you'd prefer that."

"Do you know her name?" she asked, pointing to Axelle.

"Yes, I do, actually."

She hesitated and a few seconds later, sighed. "I'm Keela."

Wylan knew she was lying. After being around crooks for so long, it became easy to determine the lies that come from people's mouths. Usually, there would be nervous looks or fidgeting and sometimes, aversion to eye contact, which this girl would do, even if she wasn't lying.

But, she was lying.

"Are you going to tell me yours or what?"

Wylan replied without thinking. "Will..an," he said, using part of his real name in combination with the fake name he gave Axelle.

Keela chuckled. "Your name is villain? How oddly fitting."

Wylan rolled his eyes. He shouldn't have asked Jessie to remove the restraints. "It's Willan, not 'villain.'"

"Right." She smirked. "Cause there's so much difference."

"Look, you're here because I thought you were who I was looking for. I don't exactly make a habit of kidnapping random people."

"Doesn't sound like you make a habit of planning well, either," she shot back. "What's this even about, anyway? Who is she?"

She nodded toward Axelle, who was now blinking herself fully awake, her expression one of groggy confusion. Wylan glanced at Axelle, briefly weighing his options.

"You don't need to know that, little girl," Jessie said from beside Wylan.

"So that's a no. You don't actually have a plan, do you?" Keela leaned forward as much as her restraints would allow, eyes narrowing. "You kidnapped two girls, dragged us here, and you don't even know what you're doing. It's actually kind of pathetic. And, also...what the hell is that thing?"

Wylan clenched his jaw. "I know exactly what I'm doing. And if you would just—"

"Listen to you?" She laughed. "Not happening, Willan. Not until you tell me why the hell you have me here. The only thing worth any value I have is a block of meat."

He knew that, of course. Jessie already scanned her. The silence that followed was comforting but strangely awkward. For the first time, Axelle reacted, her eyes darting from him to Keela. She seemed to finally grasp that she was in trouble. "W-Will?" she stammered, looking around the room. "What's... going on?"

"You're kidnapped," Wylan said. "Currently safe, but I'm not sure about the future."

"Safe?" Keela scoffed. "You have us tied up in some hole, and you think she's 'safe'? You're either clueless or completely out of your mind. I'm betting it's a combination of both."

Wylan leveled a glare at Keela. "Axelle is here for a very specific reason. You just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"So why not just let me go, then?" she challenged, her chin raised defiantly.

He hesitated. If it were that simple, he would have done it by now. But something about Keela's presence complicated things in a way he couldn't put his finger on. And then, of course, there were the Verids to consider. If Keela was evil enough, which he suspected she was, he would be arrested for kidnapping the daughter of a higher official.

"You're not going anywhere until I figure out what to do with you," he finally said.

Keela's lips twisted into a smirk. "So, in other words, you have no plan. Just admit it. This whole 'mission' is a disaster. Can you at least send the meat to the Shnoc? It's just around the corner, if I'm correct in my assumptions of where we are."

"You talk too much, you know that?" He turned to her, narrowing his eyes. "But yes, Jessie can deliver it to the Shnoc, Ms. Savior. You're not helping your case. How do you know where we are?"

"I practically live here. I know everything," she said and Wylan decided to give up on questioning this girl.

"Don't annoy me," he said.

"Not interested in playing nice with a guy whose name is practically 'villain.'"

Axelle, who had been quiet during their exchange, suddenly spoke up, her voice trembling. It almost made him feel sorry for the girl.

Almost.

"Will...please let us go. I-I didn't mean to cause any trouble. I just needed to find the Town Hall, but the Verids just left me. I didn't know—" She started quietly sobbing, making Jessie's slit eyes lit up in alarm.

Wylan clenched his fists, feeling a pang of guilt he hadn't expected. Axelle was his ticket to the million units, his chance at finally escaping to the West. But in that moment, she looked fragile, afraid—nothing like the strategic target he'd had in mind when he took this job.

He inhaled sharply, reining in his emotions. "Axelle, I can't let you go. This is my job."

"What job? A kidnapper?" Keela demanded. "This whole thing is ridiculous. Just let us go, and we'll forget it ever happened."

"You know, at this current moment, there's a higher chance of me letting Axelle go instead of you?"

Keela seemed to falter at that, her brows knitting together as she searched his face. "I thought she was your main target, and I was just collateral damage?"

"For someone from an orphanage, you sure talk too much."

"Do you realize you just kidnapped me for no reason and you're still ordering me around? Have a bit of shame, asshole."

Wylan sighed, his palm running over his forehead. This girl was already getting on his nerves, and he knew it was time to stop playing nice.

"Okay, that's enough!" he screamed, his voice scaring Axelle who flinched at the sound and cowered in her chair. He felt bad, especially after seeing the tears well up in her eyes, but if he wanted Keela to listen, he had to do this. "You're going to listen to me, or I swear, I'll shoot you right now." He pointed to the stunner beside Jessie and Keela blinked, her caramel brown eyes darkening as she continued her rage stare at him and Jessie.

"Fine, I'll shut up if you make a deal with me," Keela said, her gaze fixated on the stunner.

"You're in no position to make a deal with me," Wylan said as he typed away at his VeriPad. Whoever wanted Axelle Henderson better show up soon, or he was going to go crazy if he spent more time with these two crazy girls.

"I actually am. When whoever shows up to take Axelle for whatever reason, you need me to be quiet. Right?"

Wylan didn't answer.

"My deal for you. Send food that lasts a month and a half to the Shnoc and it has to be enough for fifty people, and I won't say anything about this. Okay? Oh, and you can't tell the Verids that I stole food this morning."

Jessie piped up from beside him. "I think it's a good deal, Wylan. It'd be easier to get her out of our sights after."

"Okay, rude..." Keela muttered.

"Fine." Wylan grumbled, aggressively typing at his VeriPad. The update just came along and he was stuck with these two for another three hours.

For Malakar's sake.

"Can you do it now?" Keela asked, her tone softening for the first time all evening. "The kids are probably waiting for me to bring them food. Some of them are like, sick and all."

"Jessie, can you­­­­­­ handle that?" Wylan didn't look from his VeriPad, but his voice had lost its edge, replaced by something almost resigned. Jessie whirred before she disappeared through a door at the back of the dim room. Wylan knew Jessie would handle it swiftly; she was efficient and, unlike him, seemed to enjoy Keela's endless demands. Maybe because they were very similar in personality.

The silence that followed was too tense, filled with the faint hum of the distant machinery and the soft rattling of Keela's restraints as she shifted in her chair. Keela's eyes stayed locked on him, unblinking, her jaw set stubbornly. Wylan couldn't hate the girl, albeit finding her annoying. Her look was something he knew all too well—fierce determination. It was the look of someone who didn't just survive but, defied, challenged and endured. It was the very spirit he once had before a string of bad decisions and harsher truths broke it down.

He saw his younger self in her.

"Look, Keela," he finally said, "you're here because I can't afford loose ends. But let's get one thing clear—you don't want to be here, and I don't particularly want you here either. So, please shut up and you can go when this is finished."

Keela's brow quirked, but she stayed silent, her gaze unwavering.

"Axelle, on the other hand," he continued, glancing at the girl who was now watching him with fear, "she's...she's different."

Keela scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Different? Right. She's your paycheck, isn't she?"

Wylan didn't answer, his eyes drifting to Axelle for a moment too long. Her wide, glassy eyes held onto his, her entire body trembling. She had the soft, naïve look of someone who knew nothing of the world. He knew she lived a life sheltered from the shadows that haunted the edges of his, and most probably, Keela's. She was a target, a tool—a tool that could fund his escape from here. But now, seeing her, he couldn't help the pang of guilt that ate away at his insides.

Keela broke the silence. "You know you're doing something wrong, don't you?" she challenged, her voice laced with barely concealed derision. "You're ruining her life just so you can get some units. They might kill her or even hurt her. But you don't care. All you care about it is having money and the riches. Pathetic, if you ask me."

"I thought I told you to shut up," he said, anger bubbling all over him. "Very noble of you, by the way. Do you want to live in the Shnoc your entire life? Get a job sweeping the streets or maybe, selling stuff if you're lucky? Breathing this filthy air every day?"

"Better that than ruining someone's life to get richer."

Wylan's annoyance flared. Keela's razor-sharp taunts felt like pouring salt on open old wounds.

Axelle sniffled, moving his attention from Keela. "Could I make a call after, please? It's not my mama, I promise."

Wylan narrowed his eyes. "If you call the Verids, this is not going to be pretty."

Axelle gulped. "No, no, I just want to talk to Alissa. Please. She has a VeriPad and she's just a child, I promise. I just need to make sure she's okay."

Wylan sighed. "Fine, just write down her VeriPad ID and I'll check before you can contact her."

"Thank you, Will."

Keela's mouth curved into a smirk that was both mocking and sad. "This is great." She murmured, more to herself than to him. "She's already realized that she's going to die. If only you didn't come here, everyone's a freakin' savage around here. No one told you that, Axelle?"

"Mama did," Axelle said, "but I wanted to see what the outside looked like, and someone said I had to register that I'm of age at the Town Hall."

Keela giggled. "Oh, dear. If only you told your mother that. She'd have told you that the Town Hall was demolished three years ago. Sucks that you didn't listen to your mother, when you have one..."

Axelle looked at her, pityingly. "Your mom is gone?"

"Yeah, my dad too. Oh, and my brother as well. I live at the Shnoc because of that." Keela noticed Axelle's questioning glance, and added, "The Shnoc is an orphanage for kids whose parents died from the Disease. There are a few of them scattered across but the Shnoc is the one closest here."

"I'm sorry," Axelle said, "my dad's gone too."

The conversation struck a nerve, and Wylan felt a sudden, unwelcome urge to scream at them. "Can you both shut up. It was so much easier when I drugged you both."

Keela opened her mouth to speak, but before he could, Jessie returned, a faint, almost approving nod directed at Keela. "It's done," she said, addressing Wylan but with a sidelong look toward Keela, who seemed to relax, if only by a fraction. "Everything's in place."

Keela seemed to forget that she was going to say something, and she calmed down, a soft smile appearing on her face. "Thank you," she said, voice low and clipped. Wylan saw the flicker of gratitude surfacing before she buried it under her usual defiance. Something about it made Wylan want to smile, but he resisted, even when the muscles on his face threatened to disobey him.

"Jessie, can you scan this VeriPad ID and give me the details?"

As Jessie scanned, he looked away, fists clenched, his throat tight. He'd entered this world thinking he could play the game, take the money, and walk away with his hands clean. But now, he felt trapped, entangled in the lives of these two girls who were almost his age. For the first time in his life, he felt bad for what he was doing. He didn't know whether it was Axelle's tears or Keela's argument.

Wylan exhaled, his chest heaving, knowing he was losing control over a situation that was spiraling far beyond what he'd anticipated. He had two captives, one Verid target, and a girl of endless questions and he wondered why he'd ever agreed to this mess in the first place. Maybe there was an obvious reason this was worth a million units, and he'd underestimated it entirely.