Lily swallowed, nodded, and stepped back before walking through the detector once more.
The alarm screamed again—louder, sharper, more insistent.
This time, the reaction around us was immediate. Conversations dropped into whispers. People leaned slightly to get a better look. The sense of routine had been broken, replaced by something heavier, something uncertain.
“Step to the side, please,” the officer said.
I felt a small knot tighten in my stomach as another agent approached, a tall man with a radio clipped to his uniform. He crouched slightly to Lily’s level, his voice gentler but no less serious.
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