Fair - Chapter 17 The One in the Mirror

“Answer him, girl!” Mrs. Gentry prodded a very confused Mary, whose young heart oscillated between shame and terror. “Mary! Her name is Mary!” the lady clarified.

“Who are you?” the grumpy guy retorted bluntly, making Mrs. Gentry recoil with indignation.

“I believe it's untoward for you to address me, given that we're not related, nor have we been properly introduced,” she protested, ready to leave.

“Suit yourself!” the man cut her off. “I only care about the girl anyway.”

“Jim!” the other man protested. “Would it kill you to be nice?”

“She wasn't supposed to be involved in this to begin with!” Jim replied.

“Why don't you go finish what you were working on, I'll take it from here,” his friend recommended.

“Real nice! After all the time I spent slaving over this monitor,” Jim protested, but left.

“Hi, Mary,” the one in the mirror looked at the girl again. “I know how scary all of this must be for you, but I need you to stay with me for a while, so I can explain. You have no idea how excited we all are to have found you, we almost lost hope, we thought someone faked the rumors of your existence. Are there any more people like you in the village?”