Chapter 20

• “Don’t ever pull that stunt again, Dice,” Gala muttered later that night.
• He walked alongside his bike, leading it down the same lonely alley he always took home. Dice floated beside him—though whether she was walking or hovering, he didn’t dare look too closely. In the apartment, she looked human enough. Maybe she was walking now too. Still, it made his skin crawl.
• Tonight, Dice glowed a calming violet. The dim corridor—one Gala passed every night—was bathed in soft light. Occasionally, a rat’s high-pitched squeak echoed through the shadows. Some even carried scraps of food between their teeth, rushing off to whatever nests they’d made in the cracks and corners.