Marie sat down at a relatively empty section of the table. She tried to keep her head bowed so to not draw any more attention to herself, but she also kept glancing at the line of hobos. She would not give up looking. She couldn’t. Part of her was now desperate to find them among the hobos. It would be so much easier than breaking into the S.E.A. basement.

She tried to remember every detail of her escape all those months ago. Maybe there was a clue or something to where Sophie or her dad might have ended up. Marie tried a bit of the bread, trying her hardest to tear off a piece with her teeth. It was proving to be an embarrassing battle.

“It’s easier if you dunk the bread in the soup. It won’t make it as hard.”

Marie turned to the voice. There was a hobo sitting a few feet away from her, watching her try to eat the hard bread.

“Oh.”

Marie didn’t know what else to say. She dipped her bread in the soup and held it there for a few seconds. It was a little softer when she bit into it, but Marie still wasn’t fond of the taste.

“Thank you,” Marie said to the helpful hobo.

He just shrugged.

“So what’s…” Marie froze. She was about to ask the hobo what his name was, because that was one of the first phrases anyone used in getting to know someone. But no one here knew who they were. Marie felt her face burn in embarrassment.

“I – I didn’t mean–”

The hobo finished drinking his soup. He set down his bowl and gave a pathetic smile without looking at her. “You must be new.”

He got up and dumped his tray, stuffing his hands deep in his pockets and left the building. Marie returned to her soup, eating it up. It wasn’t the best food she’d had, but it wasn’t bad. Especially since she swapped lunch for a stressful walk through the woods.

Marie continued to gnaw on her slightly soggy bread when the volunteer older lady appeared and sat down next to her with her own tray of food. Marie felt her fingers turn cold. She tried her hardest not to give in to the rush of adrenaline that sparked the fight or flight instinct. She had to stay still; she had to act like nothing was wrong.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you here before,” the old woman said.

“Oh, yeah…” Marie felt her mouth go dry, despite the still soggy bread she had stuffed in the corner of her mouth. In a split second she had to decide. Would she lie and say she’d been here a while and that was where she picked up on the custom of saying sir and ma’am to your elders, or tell the truth and have less things to juggle and keep straight. Knowing her track record with lies, she knew she had to tell the truth. She’d get caught up in the lie so fast.

“Yeah, I’m new,” Marie said.

The older woman smiled. “James must have been there to greet you. He’s always trying to get back into my good graces. He always tells every hobo he meets about proper etiquette when dealing with the older generation. I haven’t seen that man in years.”

Marie gave a nervous giggle. It was a female agent that helped her, so Marie said nothing instead of trying to lie again.

Now that Marie wasn’t sweating in a panic, she could get a pretty good look at this older woman. The older woman had brown hair with soft curls to it. There were a few lighter strands in it that could have passed for grey, but Marie couldn’t be sure. She had kind hazel eyes that always made it seem like she was smiling. She was a thin woman and dressed in a button up blouse and khaki slacks. She began eating the soup. Marie watched with interest.

“Although, there’s a good chance you were raised by some parents who drove this kind of etiquette into you. No matter how hard the woods were, some hobos never forget those rules. I find it so fascinating,” the woman said as she took another bite of her soup.

Marie watched the woman, curiosity coming to her. All things aside, she knew she was the only person who came back from the woods with her memories. Her scientific side began to start up, wondering what this woman meant. Could it be possible that some attributes never get completely forgotten by the formula? She had tested it plenty on the lab rats, but what about something like manners and culture? How much could be forgotten, and how much could be remembered?

“I’m sorry, dear. I shouldn’t bring it up. It must be a painful topic still,” the woman said, reaching over and squeezing her hand. It drove Marie out of her hypothesis thinking. She forgot she needed to act a part.

“I was told you’re a volunteer,” Marie said quietly.

“That’s right,” the older woman said. “Retired a few years ago, so this is where I spend most of my time.”

“Oh.” Marie glanced down and took another spoonful of soup.

Marie was surprised how nice it was to talk to this older woman. She still had to watch herself, but so far she felt like she wasn’t completely failing. Maybe it was the relief at her not questioning her, demanding answers as to how she knew how to act around the older generation. This woman seemed so down to earth, but at the same time so incredibly proper. Marie found herself trying not to slouch and desperately remembering all her proper eating etiquette. This woman ate soup and stale bread like it was a six-course meal.

“What did you do before you retired?” Marie asked.

“I was a ballet dancer. I loved every minute of it. Why, hello Wash! How are you today?”

Marie glanced around curiously to see her talking to a young man, probably early twenties. At first, Marie thought he was another volunteer who was scrubbing the tables since she said his name, but saw he was in hobo attire. The hobo apparently named Wash glanced up and saw the old woman. He had black hair and a fair bit of facial hair, both unkempt and unwashed.

“Have you had dinner yet?” the old woman asked.

Wash shook his head. He kept scrubbing at the table. “I need to make sure this is clean, then I’ll go get dinner.”

Wash’s appearance was filthy, yet he wanted to make sure the table was clean enough. Marie wasn’t quite sure how to react.

“I’m worried someone might come and make it dirty again while I’m away. Can you watch it?” Wash asked.

“Of course! Now, go get some dinner, Wash. They’re letting me eat, which means they’ll be closing up soon,” the woman said.

Wash gave a ghost of a smile. “Thanks, Audrey.” He got up and left the building.

“Where’s he going?” Marie asked.

“He’s off to wash his hands,” Audrey said.

“Oh.” There was a beat of silence as they both soaked their bread in the soup before taking bites. Marie chewed hers, thinking. “So your name is Audrey?”

She smiled. “Indeed. Audrey Hepburn. I usually don’t give my name, because I don’t know how people will react.” She set a tentative hand over Marie’s and gave a soft squeeze. “It must be dreadful to completely forget who you are. I didn’t want it to stir any ill feelings.”

“That’s… incredibly kind of you,” Marie said.

Audrey gave a smile. “A little kindness goes a long way.”

A small group of hobos walked over to Audrey, and she stood to talk to them, giving each of them a hug despite their crusty clothes and asking about them. Audrey used what Marie was starting to realize was nick names for the hobos. There was one hobo who apparently had a bad nickname that Audrey politely refused to say.

“There are kinder words to describe you, child.” The hobo had to be in his late twenties, despite being called ‘child’ by Audrey. “Wash, your seat is still clean. I’ve watched it out of the corner of my eye the entire time.”

“Thanks,” Wash mumbled as he sat down.

Marie was in the process of taking another spoonful of soup when she saw her. A hobo got up and went to leave the cafeteria right when Marie was looking over. A blonde hobo was quietly eating dinner all by herself at the table right behind where the hobo left. At first her eyes lingered on the insanely clean blonde hair when she studied the hobo’s face. To her delight and utter surprise, she realized it was Sophie! Sophie with blonde hair!

Marie choked on her soup, giving a few hearty coughs. She felt Audrey’s hand on her shoulder.

“Are you all right, dear?” Audrey asked.

Marie nodded, slapping her chest a few times. No wonder she didn’t recognize Sophie before. She was scanning the room for all the brown haired teenage-aged girls. She wasn’t expecting blonde at all.

Marie stared at her best friend. She was in grubby hobo clothes, her face dirty, yet her hair was somehow clean. Sophie sat with her hand propping up her head, the other hand mechanically reaching out for the soup. There was a haunted, broken look in her eye that was evident in the other hobos, but Marie felt sadder for Sophie.

Marie shoveled the rest of her food in her mouth as Sophie finished hers across the way.

“It was good to meet you, Audrey,” Marie said as she got to her feet.

Audrey gave her a smile. “Good to meet you too, dear.”

Marie tried not to look like she was in a rush as she dumped her tray, keeping an eye on Sophie as she went. It brought a small sense of comfort to know where Sophie was, even if she still had no idea how to talk to her.

Marie left the cafeteria and took a few steps, trying to form a plan of what to say to Sophie. Marie glanced around, spotting Sophie’s strange blonde hair already outside the gate and walking with her head bowed and arms folded tightly across her chest. Marie took another step but paused. What was she supposed to say to her? How was a hobo supposed to approach another hobo, wanting to be friends? Would she tell Sophie everything right away? Would Sophie even believe her?

Marie clamped her lips together and chewed on the inside of them. She allowed Sophie to leave her sight for now. At least she knew where Sophie would be for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and where she would sleep. She was being too hasty. She needed to form a plan before she talked with Sophie. Maybe she could get ideas from the underground. She needed to get to Charles anyway in order to tell him the kind of man Josef was. Maybe they could help her know the best way to talk to Sophie.

Marie rubbed her arms against the slight chill of the spring wind. It was almost seven and there was still enough sunlight to explore before bed.

Marie slipped out of the gated area, glancing around to orient herself. She wasn’t exactly sure where she was in the city, though she had a vague idea that it was somewhere in the rich area.

Marie saw the S.E.A. skyscraper not too far away, so she headed in that direction. She tried to keep her head down and look like a dejected hobo. They’d most likely ignore her anyway, but she had to play it safe.

Marie got as close as she dared to the skyscraper and turned down a somewhat familiar street for a couple more blocks. This was the escape route she took after fleeing from the S.E.A. building over half a year ago. She didn’t expect to feel the ghost of adrenaline as she walked down that familiar path. She slowed down her pace. She didn’t want to seem too much like a hobo who had somewhere to go.

Something felt wrong the moment the bagel shop came into view. It looked too dark. She realized it probably meant they were closed for the day. She remembered the bagel shop wasn’t open super late at night, but it didn’t calm the twist in her stomach. She picked up her pace, feeling her breathing turn unsteady.

She approached the bagel shop and saw a For Sale sign and a Closed sign in every window. Marie’s stomach twisted the rest of the way. What happened here?

Marie tried to glance through the windows without seeming too suspicious. It didn’t look like anyone had visited this shop for months. All the table and chairs were gone. It looked empty and dusty in there. She crept away from the window and circled around the shop to see if the shed was still there. She approached the back of the store and saw police DO NOT CROSS tape across the shed door. Marie groaned as she sat down. She had to think. This wasn’t the end of the world. The underground was somewhere within the city. She had a thirty-mile radius and about half a million people to look through, but… it could possibly…

Marie blinked away the tears. No, she wouldn’t give in to panic. After all, she knew Harriet went to school at one of the universities in Musical Land. She even spent a week with her at her apartment. She knew where Harriet lived. She could go find her. She still had a chance. Getting to Charles and the underground was arguably the most important thing on her agenda. They had to do something about Josef.

Marie got up. She could still do this. She wasn’t going to give up.

Marie wandered the streets, her mind reeling with ideas. Her eyes glazed over and she hoped she looked the part of a dejected hobo as she went over a plan in her mind. She wasn’t sure what she’d do about Sophie. She’d have to approach that carefully. Somehow.

It was strange to get used to being the one that moved the other way on a busy street. She had learned long ago that hobos always moved out of the way of civilians, and she tried her hardest to be a forgettable hobo. She also noticed the quiet, judgmental and disgusted looks some of the people gave her. She tried not to let it get to her.

Marie turned down a street and saw it was a dead end. She stopped and frowned. Wandering helped her think. She turned and left the alleyway and kept walking.

Something caught her eye. She saw an S.E.A. agent stand and walk slowly in Marie’s direction. Marie felt her heart beat increase, then adrenaline began to pound through her. After everything she was trying to keep straight in the past two hours, she completely forgot her suspicion of her watch. She cursed herself for making such a stupid, naive mistake. She wracked her brain, trying to remember if there was any agent following her around the bagel shop. She could have sworn there wasn’t, but what did it matter? There had to be some sort of tracking device in the watch itself. They probably saw that she not only lingered there, but went around the back.

Marie decided to test it. As nonchalantly as possible, she stopped at the side of the sidewalk and let a few other people pass by. She rubbed her eyes, pretending to be tired, and turned around, prepared to head back to the sleeping quarters. She walked for a bit, passing the agent and continued her way. Marie slowed her walk enough. She kept her head bowed. She waited a bit before turning her head and scratching the back of it. The agent was behind her again. Marie bowed her head, trying not to visibly show how much she was freaking out. If they had put a chip in her head, she would most definitely be singing right now.

Marie folded her arms across her chest as the night began to settle over the city, still cursing herself for being an idiot. Marie looked ahead, trying not to give away anything on her face. She tried to think as she passed the bagel shop again. She refused to give it a second look. She needed to be more paranoid of what the S.E.A. was capable of. If there was a tracking device in her watch, it was safe to assume it was also a bug of some sort to pick up anything she said to anyone. If she did talk to Sophie, she’d have to be extremely careful of what she said, just in case.

Marie made it back to the barn-like structure right as darkness settled into the sky and the streetlamps fought to keep it at bay in the city. She forgot, sometimes, how much she missed the brightness of a city.

The agent stopped following her the moment the hobo dwelling place came into view, which made Marie relieved.

It seemed like a first come first serve basis with the sleeping arrangements. When Marie got there, some hobos were already asleep on the bunk beds on thin mattresses. Marie glanced around to see if she could find Sophie but couldn’t see her. Maybe she hadn’t returned yet. Marie scanned around the room once more to try and find her dad, but it was becoming clear that he wasn’t there. They must have kept him in the basement. Marie refused to acknowledge any other option he was possibly in. Honestly, being in the basement of the S.E.A. was bad enough.

Marie tried to situate herself on one of the bunk beds. It seemed very tight, and even though she never thought herself as claustrophobic, she could tell this was going to test her in that area.

It was late when she saw Sophie slip into the sleeping quarters. Marie didn’t watch her. It would have been too suspicious.

Marie tried to go to sleep, but it was impossible. Too much was running through her mind. She couldn’t turn it off. She was mulling over ideas of how to talk to Sophie, or if she should, now that she remembered her watch. Maybe she could ditch her watch somewhere for a day without getting into trouble. She would pass it off as an honest mistake, but she’d have to be a model citizen for a day or two. Or, rather, a model hobo that did nothing out of the ordinary. But all the hobos had watches, so she’d have to be careful around them. Talking to Sophie about the reality of their situation was impossible, so she turned to her other problem. Contacting the underground.

She realized with a sinking heart that she would have to move fast. Harriet was in college, and it was almost May. She was pretty sure the end of the semester was swiftly approaching, and she didn’t know Harriet’s plans for the summer. She went over what she’d do when she saw Harriet and eventually Charles. She’d have to tell them everything. And she could only hope they would believe her. If they didn’t, she had no idea what she was going to do.

There were so many variables at play. She’d just have to take this one day at a time. And right now, the day was ending and she needed to sleep. She glanced at her dangerous watch and tried to see in the dark about what time it was. She was pretty sure it was close to midnight.

Marie turned over and let out a soft groan. She felt like she wouldn’t get any sleep at all. Too many things were happening. She ran through her list of problems again, just to get them all out. Sophie was here, but was blonde for some reason. Marie had so much to tell the underground, but they weren’t where they were supposed to be. The S.E.A. were keeping tabs on her, and probably every hobo through their watches.

She took another deep breath and felt her mind starting to shut down. She felt exhausted all the sudden. She pushed herself hard today, way more than usual. Maybe her body was demanding sleep. With a final shrug, her mind allowed itself to shut down and drift off to sleep.