Metaltown by Kristen Simmons

visiting?”
    â€œJust an old friend…”
    A woman with a red shawl around her shoulders caught Lena’s eye from across the street. Her long, dark hair was braided down her back, and she’d tucked her pants into worn boots that blossomed around her ankles. Even though her clothes were baggy, Lena could tell that she was slim.
    Familiarity had her hands pressing against the window, had her straining her eyes for a better look. As if the woman could sense she was being watched, she turned to the side, giving Lena a glimpse of her profile.
    Everything within her snapped into place. Every muscle, every nerve, every piece of her once-broken heart. Joy lifted her mouth to a grin.
    She was here.
    â€œStop!” Lena screeched. Aja slammed on the brakes, but he was too late, the woman had already left the flea market and disappeared around the corner.
    Lena jerked the handle of the door open and spilled out onto the street.
    â€œMiss Hampton!” she heard Aja yell, but the choice was upon her. Follow the woman, or wait for protection. Her feet made up her mind; she was already jogging toward the corner.
    â€œAja, come on. Hurry up!” she called over her shoulder.
    There were a few women—prostitutes—sitting on crates against the stone wall, and Lena felt their confused stares pull toward her. More people were emerging from the nearby streets, dressed in their work clothes, moving with a sense of purpose.
    â€œLook at Miss High Class,” one of the girls yelled.
    Lena’s throat grew tight as her happiness plummeted. Her eyes strained in all directions, but the place was becoming more and more crowded. Where was Aja? There was plenty of room to park the car; he should have reached her by now. Instead, she found herself alone in a sea of sneering faces, all staring at her clothes. She looked at the doors of the buildings around her, but none of them were marked.
    â€œSorry,” she said as someone bumped into her. “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t see you,” she said to a tall man, but he had already passed and did not look back.
    She scanned the area, searching desperately for that familiar face. For that red shawl. The force of her impulsivity caught up to her, slamming around her rib cage. She’d never done anything so uncalculated and reckless.
    â€œWhat do we have here?” a man asked, fixing his hat as he moved toward her. She felt for the defuser in her waistband, and gripping the handle, turned her head down and skirted to the side. Again, she wished for Aja to appear. She ducked into a narrow alley, glancing back out onto the street with a shudder of panic. He should have caught up with her by now.
    She’d made a mistake. The woman wasn’t here. The address was wrong—there weren’t even numbered apartments in this area, and she wasn’t about to go knocking door-to-door like a crazy person. Defeat sagged her shoulders. Her old nanny could have gone anywhere in the Northern Federation after her father had laid her off. She had no reason to come to this place.
    Feeling intolerably stupid, Lena forced one solid breath and peeked out into the street at the heavy flow of people. Part of her considered stepping into the rush, but it was hard to see exactly where she’d left the car or to know where she should go to find Aja. If she was being honest, the crowd frightened her a little, and staying put seemed like the best course of action.
    â€œDamn it all to hell,” she said to herself. And then in a burst, recited every curse she’d ever heard Otto say.
    â€œI always thought pretty girls weren’t allowed to say dirty words.”
    She spun around to find a boy leaning against the alley wall with his arms crossed. He was dressed warmly, like the others she’d seen, in an oversized wool coat and heavy slacks. A gray knit cap was pulled back, revealing his eyes—piercing blue, like the river water just after it had