"Seven—"
'A suitable seat?' The bus's broadcast had said to sit in a "suitable seat," but what was the standard for "suitable"?
Mai Mingle frantically scanned the bus for what felt like the dozenth time.
"Six—"
She had been so focused on the broadcast that she had only just noticed.
Most of the seats on the bus were still the same, but as Mai Mingle looked around now, she saw that at least five or six seats had changed—they now had icons and text on them.
On one of them was a drawing of a stick figure in a dress with a large, bulging belly, sitting on a chair.
Clearly, this was a newly designated priority seat for pregnant women.
"Five—"
Ashley had already bolted toward the back of the bus, throwing herself into the seat she had occupied when she first boarded.
Mai Mingle understood the logic: since they didn't know the standard for "suitable," the seats they had just been in were, logically, the safest bet.
But could a Nest trap really be this simple?
