"You''re Obsidian?" Edith stared at the chat on her phone, then looked up at the girl in front of her, her eyes wide with astonishment.

"I''m sorry, I just... I didn''t expect you to be so young?" Now that she''d seen the chat history, Edith was sure—this girl really was Obsidian.

In her mind, anyone who could write a book as profound as *Innocence* had to be, well, at least a middle-aged woman.

The subject matter in *Innocence* was so deep, the kind of thing only someone with a wealth of experience could write. Edith couldn''t imagine a teenager pulling it off.

"It''s fine," Citrine replied,pletely unfazed. She was used to people underestimating her just because of her age-she couldn''t really me them. "Um, how about we talk somewhere else?" Edith suggested, a bit uncertain.

She''d picked a traditional tea shop for their meeting, assuming Obsidian would be older. Now that she was sitting across from a high schooler, a different ce seemed more appropriate.

"Sure," Citrine agreed easily. She never cared much for tea anyway-would''ve just been a waste of good leaves.

A few minutester, they found themselves in the café next door.

Edith had felt nervous before, expecting to meet someone twice her age. Now, with a teenager sitting opposite her, most of that tension had faded.

"Obsidian, would you sign something for me?" Edith asked eagerly, pulling a in white T-shirt from her backpack andying it out on the table.

Citrine nodded. "My name''s Citrine Carmichael. You can just call me Citrine."

Being called "Miss" anything made her ufortable.

"Thank you, Miss Citrine!" Edith said, grinning as she handed over a pen with both hands.

Citrine hesitated for half a second, then took the pen and scrawled her pseudonym across the shirt.

Once the signing was done and they''d chatted for a bit, Edith got down to business.

"Your novel is a hit, both here and overseas. There are a lot of people interested in buying the rights, and a few studios are hoping to adapt it for film or TV."

As she spoke, Edith pulled a stack of contracts from her bag and set them on the table.

"These are from some of the better publishing houses and studios, both here and abroad. I''ve weeded out the less favorable ones—you can look through these and pick whichever you like."

Citrine eyed the mountain of paperwork and felt a headacheing on.

"Why don''t you decide for me?"

She''d researched Edith''spany before publishing her book. It wasn''t big, but it had a reputation for treating its authors well-a rare ce that didn''t skimp on royalties and always did its best to protect writers'' interests.

"Don''t worry, I promise you''ll get the best deal," Edith said, unexpectedly moved by Citrine''s trust.

She managed a roster of writers, but very few ever ced this much confidence in her. Even though she was just an agent doing her job, she always tried to get her authors the best possible terms. Most of them, though, preferred to handle contract negotiations themselves.

Suddenly, Edith remembered something her boss had asked her to bring up. "Oh, by the way, my boss wanted to know if you''d consider signing a long-term contract with us?"

Citrine shook her head without hesitation. "I only wrote this novel in my spare time. I''m still in school, and I don''t have much free time right now."

Edith couldn''t help but look disappointed.

Citrine thought for a moment, then added, "But if I write something new in the future, I''ll definitelye to yourpany first."

Edith''s disappointment vanished in an instant.