Deloise, who was not biologically related to Kerstel but had nonetheless inherited her practicality, had packed not only dry clothes for Mirren, but also dry shoes, a few toiletries, a protein bar, and vitaminwater. Whim wasn’t helping much with the guarding; he only had eyes for his tablet. “Which is better? ‘Mirren inspired the dreamer to heroism’ or ‘By playing the damsel in distress, Mirren tricked the dreamer into affirming the importance of life’?” “Which one means she drowned?” Will asked. Will needed to be done for the day. He hadn’t slept the night before, and he’d spent most of Mirren’s trial watching Josh instead of the archway. She seemed no different today from any other day in the last four months, and she hadn’t knocked on his door the night before. “Maybe I can combine them,” Whim mused. When they reentered the large archroom behind a mostly dry Mirren, a few people began clapping. A few others booed—one woman started hissing like a cat. Mostly, though, people were silent.
