The second the front door clicked shut behind Val, the apartment atmosphere seemed to change. The lingering smoke from the earlier kitchen disaster still hung faintly in the air, and the silence was suddenly too loud. Why wouldn't it be.

Liv sat back down on the edge of the couch, her eyes unfocused, and her lips pressed into a thin line.

Kennedy asked her something about the food but Liv didn’t respond. Her sudden silence treatment continued, until it caught alecia's ...