Leona's tired mind didn't register the implications at first.
The voice was familiar, the tone easy, and she was so used to hiding, so used to being alone in her secret work, that the words slipped out before she could stop them.
"It is, actually."
She let out a weary sigh, a tired smile crossing her face.
"By the time I get home, I'm starving, my back is killing me, my feet are screaming, and I can barely move without groaning like an old woman."
She paused, her expression softening as she thought of the faces she had seen today.
"But it's worth it." She said quietly. "Every ache, every exhaustion, every moment of hiding."
"When I see them smile, when I know they're just a little bit happier, a little bit safer, a little bit more cared for..."
She pressed a hand to her chest.
"It's worth it."
But just as she said those heartfelt words—the reality of her situation crashed down around her.
She was supposed to be alone.
And yet someone was talking to her.
