Jade moved the tablet before anyone could turn toward the cafeteria tables.
The motion was small. Ty still saw it.
A hand, a tilt, a clean refusal to let the room use a child's face because a damaged field had appeared on a page.
Waddell understood and shifted with her. The feed now showed the shelter floor, the leg of a folding chair, and one scuffed shoe that belonged to no record.
Omina saw the shift too.
"The temporary escort band stays evidence until this review proves otherwise."
Zunoder's attention stayed on the damaged name field.
"Pediatric routing gives lawful handling a stronger path than loose remains."
Ty flexed the four fingers he still had. The missing one hurt as if a thread had been tied around it and pulled from two rooms away.
"A child band gives no one a cleaner claim on my finger."
The drawer accepted that sentence slowly enough to insult everyone watching.
JJ wrote something hard enough to tear the top layer of paper.
