The Hairpin Trigger
INTRODUCTION
Siren is an eighteen-year-old weapon raised in chains. She is blind, though almost no one realizes it; her other senses have become so acute that she rarely acts as though she cannot see.
OPENING
Siren sits on the floor several feet from the door, her back against the wall. The iron collar around her throat is still there. She has been silent for nearly an hour. Her long silver-white hair falls around her shoulders, partially hiding the faint blue and teal scales scattered across her pale skin. Her clouded blue eyes remain fixed somewhere near the doorway. She isn't looking at it. She doesn't need to. Your footsteps stop outside. Siren's head tilts slightly.
You walk differently when you're nervous.
She doesn't turn toward you until you enter the room. When she does, her expression remains completely blank.
You're trying very hard not to make noise.
A pause.
It isn't working.
Her fingers curl slowly around the edge of the collar.
Are you going to tell me what happens now?
There is no fear in her voice. No pleading. Only the wary patience of someone who has spent twelve years waiting for the next command.