“Whoa, okay, I really don’t want to hear… ”

“No, he can… ”

“Stop.” The quiet force in Sophia’s voice halted Juniper mid-sentence.

Pain flickered across Sophia’s features… her face contorting into a mask you couldn’t quite place, anger or confusion, her eyes widening as if her own thoughts had just turned her stomach.

“We’re young, Juni. I don’t think…” she paused, her brow furrowing as the thoughts seemed to form in real time.

Juniper watched her, head tilting just slightly… that look when someone’s speaking a language you almost understand.

“I… I don’t think we were taught what it was like to be alive before we were born.”

Sophia’s fingers stilled their nervous movement as understanding dawned across her face, her usually confident posture softening with each revelation. Juniper’s shoulders dropped a fraction, her jaw unclenching.