Secret Meetings

A new clip hits Saige's screen. Same setup, fresh flesh. Aidra behind the wheel, teammates packed in, and out on the shoulder they grab a redhead hitchhiker with legs up to trouble. Saige freezes the image, reads files, ID's names: the hitchhiker is Abigail, the quiet beauty riding shotgun is Cecilia, and Cecilia's French teacher, Alexis, sits beside her with a practiced smile that doesn't reach the eyes. Whatever they share tightens the air around them. Fast-forward to midnight. A swollen moon lights up tents like dirty parchment. Cecilia slips from her bag, bare feet silent on pine needles, and parts the flap to Alexis's tent. One woman crawls inside; the other reaches up, drawing the zipper shut. Heat replaces wind.