Hannah turned to Haruna with an expression that carefully balanced innocence and manipulation. "Haruna," she said, her voice carrying a note of false sweetness that didn't quite hide her ulterior motives, "Can you stay in Mom's room? I want to stay with Mom... as you know, Mom just came back yesterday and I have many things I want to talk to Mom about..."
Her eyes flicked to me briefly, her thoughts clear and complex: [Hmph... I will not let you succeed... but why does the thought make my heart race? It's wrong, but why does it make me feel that way? I need to stop this... but why does the thought of them together make me...]
Haruna, unaware of Hannah's true intentions, nodded with a smile. "It's okay, Hannah," she said, her voice soft and gentle, though her eyes flicked to me briefly with a hint of longing.
