I started sweeping.
Maribel had pointed at the floor with the kind of finality that didn't leave room for discussion, so I swept. Back and forth, corner to corner, the broom handle easy in my hands, the rhythm of it simple and undemanding enough that my mind immediately went somewhere else entirely.
It always did, when my hands were busy and there was nothing urgent pulling at my attention.
Mei.
Callighan.
Gaspar.
And Emily, I had to keep Emily in the front of my mind too, not let her slide to the edges just because Mei was the louder concern right now. Emily was in there too. Both of them were.
