[Clara's POV]
The cool evening air hit Clara the second the glass doors slid shut behind her. She hadn't realized how tightly she'd been holding her breath until it escaped her in a shaky exhale, fogging in the cold. Her arm still hurt where Laura's fingers had dug in. She rubbed the spot through her sleeve, more out of instinct than pain.
Was Laura always like that?
Clara had known her for years—well, known of her, worked with her, tolerated the odd comments and the too-long stares. But today… today wasn't the same. Today had crossed some invisible line Clara didn't even know existed until Laura shoved her against that wall.
In her last life she never remembered Laura being this unstable.
She walked down the steps, her shoes tapping much too loudly in the empty parking lot. The sky was a dull gray, the streetlights flickering awake one by one. It looked like it was going to rain.
