"Did she ever have any sort of criminal record at all?" Val asked, looking up at them. * * * "Val's pretty stubborn," he said with a sigh. "I'm worried she won't listen if we tell her to stop."
Avice's eyebrows furrowed; the questions starting to make her tense. "Of course not." *** She nodded. "Not to complain or anything, but Landon and I argued a bit over it. He seems so set on finding things out."
Jack rubbed between her shoulders, but his brow was furrowed. "What's the purpose of all this?" he asked. "These seem like strange questions." "I'm just trying to get a background on your daughter," Val said, writing some notes. * * * Arlo sighed heavily. "Yeah. That's what I'm worried about."
Avice turned her head towards him with a shaky sigh. "Okay," she said. "What else do you need to know?" *** "I don't know," she said quietly. "I just disagree with it all."
"Did she ever have a relationship with anyone besides her soulmate?" * * * He grinned. "Why did we have to fall in love with such headstrong people?"
"Hm," she murmured. "I'm not sure. She never really talked about her relationships." *** "Well," she said, her tone teasing, "they are soul mates."
"She dated," Jack said with a small shrug. "You know. Like any teenager." * * * He laughed deeply. "True. And yet they chose us." He paused and tilted his head. "Can I ask you something?"
"Yeah," Avice agreed. "I'm not sure if any of them were really serious, though." *** She looked back at him, her eyes curious. "Sure," she said. "Go ahead."
"But she did date," Val asked, looking up for confirmation. * * * He hesitated before speaking. "Does it worry you that our partners are spending so much time together, especially since they're soulmates?"
"Yes," she confirmed, nodding her head. *** The question made Callie think. "I don't know.. I trust Landon. What do you think?"
"Hm. Okay." Val scribbled this down and paused. "Leading up to the hemorrhage, did she complain about her timer at all? Besides the fact that it had stopped?" *** "I trust Val too," he agreed. "And I don't think I'm normally a jealous person. But... they're soulmates, you know? It's a little intimidating."
"I don't think so," she said quietly. "She might have." *** "I suppose," she said, "but we're also hanging out, just to a different extent."
Jack spoke up slowly. "I think she had a rash," he said. "It was on her wrist. She needed a salve for it." *** He laughed lightly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I guess you're right."
Avice laughed slightly, but it sounded more like she was crying. "She was taken too early." *** "Besides," she began with a quick smile, "this is probably way more fun."
Jack kissed her temple and rubbed her back. "Are we done here?" "Yes," Val said, uncrossing her legs and standing up. "Thank you for your time." *** "Oh, definitely. Who needs high stakes anyway? Not me."
"Thank you for, um.. looking into it," Avice said quietly, just as Landon entered the room again. "Are we done?" he asked curiously.
Landon nodded, giving the room one last look before heading to the door thoughtfully. *** She laughed. "Right? Finding playgrounds are the way to go."
When they got back outside, Landon turned to look at her. "Did you find out anything?" *** She was quiet after that, only speaking up after they came across a grassy clearing. In the clearing there was an odd, wooden tree house. It was covered in moss, but seemed stable and secure. Along with it was a rope swing, hanging high from a branch. "I mean, it's not really a playground, but I think it's cool."
