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hungry.
    “God. I really have to stop skipping meals.” 
    She devoured the rest of her lunch. Ally wanted to go back to her room and close the door to keep out visions and Gracchan Party members. She pulled on her backpack, dumped her garbage, and hurried out, ignoring the press and babble of the crowd. 
    The early September sun shone bright and clear over the sidewalk. Some of the trees had started to turn, a bit of red and orange threading into the green leaves. A bus stop rested on the corner of the intersection, the bench empty. Ally dropped onto the bench with a sigh. The bus wouldn’t come for another ten minutes at the earliest. So she opened her backpack and rummaged for her homework.
    “Pardon.” 
    A gaunt man stood nearby, leaning on a steel-headed cane. He wore scuffed jeans and a ragged army camouflage jacket. A thick mane of gray-brown hair encircled his head, mixing with his bushy beard. The beard almost hid a scar running down his face, and dark eyes gleamed beneath his bristling eyebrows. 
    For a moment Ally was sure she had seen him someplace before. 
    “I don’t have any money,” said Ally.
    The man coughed out a laugh. “Money? I don’t want money.”
    “I don’t want to buy you supper, either.” 
    The man gestured with his cane. “Actually, I just want to sit.”
    Ally blinked. “Oh…um, sure. Feel free.” 
    The man settled besides her. “Damn me, but it’s good to get off that leg.” 
    “You could have just sat,” said Ally. 
    The man smiled. “It’s not polite. At least, not where I come from. And if an old corpse like me sits next to a beautiful young woman, well, I’m liable to get arrested.”
    “I wouldn’t worry about it,” said Ally.
    “Why is that?” said the man.
    Ally grinned. “Because if you tried anything, you’d have to trade in that cane for a wheelchair.”
    The man cackled. “That I would. Tae kwon do, I assume. Or karate?”
    Ally blinked. “How did you know?”
    The man tapped his cane against the pavement. “Way you move. You can see it, if you know what to look for.”
    Ally frowned. “Do I know you? I could almost swear we’ve met before.” 
    He gave her a sad smile. “Do you remember me?”
    Ally thought about it. “No. I don’t think I do.”
    “Then we’ve never met before,” said the man. “You can call me Regent, if you want.” 
    “Regent. Well, Mr. Regent, you can call me Ally.”
    Regent nodded. “Miss Ally, then. You did good, telling that Gracchan bastard to go to hell.” 
    Ally closed her backpack. “You saw that?” Regent nodded. “You were following me?”
    Regent spread his hands, cane tucked between his knees. “I was following that little shit. Let me tell you something. The Gracchan Party’s a sham and Wycliffe’s a monster.”
    Ally swallowed. “I’ve…heard things to that effect.”
    Regent scowled. “They’re all true. Wycliffe is a murderer and a criminal of the worst sort. And he does business with worse people, people who make him look a mild-mannered nun. Let me give you some advice. Stay far, far away from anything that has to do with him or the Gracchan Party.” 
    Ally bit her lip. “I’ll…do that.” The half-mad intensity in his eyes frightened her. “I have to go.”
    Regent looked at the street. “But the bus isn’t here yet.”
    “I’ll walk,” said Ally. She really wanted to get to her dorm room and shut the door. “Good-bye, Mr. Regent.”
    She hurried down the sidewalk. 

    ###

    Kyle Allard slid out of the coffeehouse’s doorway, his eyes on the young red-headed woman. He walked to the bench and sat besides Regent. “So. How did it go?”
    Regent snorted. “What do you think?”
    Allard craned his neck, watching the young woman as she crossed the street. “What do I think? Why didn’t you ever tell me that she was so hot?”
    Regent gave him a flat look.
    “I’m serious,” said Allard. “My God, Regent. She has a superb ass. You sure were right when you said