The Explorer

Television was quickly becoming one of Mercy’s favorite things. August had shown her how to use the remote control for the contraption in the living room, explaining that the one in her room was the same, and told her she could watch while he went and worked on a few things in the office. He’d also told her she could help herself to anything in the kitchen or ask one of the servants to make her something.

Mercy didn’t know how she felt about asking anyone else to cook for her, so when she’d gotten hungry, she’d wandered into the kitchen to have a look around. Now, she was sitting on the couch with a can of something called Diet Pepsi on the table next to her, along with a bag of Doritos, marshmallows, and something called Chex Mix. She wasn’t sure if any of these things were meant to be eaten the way that she was eating them, just one piece at a time, or if they were ingredients that were meant to make something else, but she was enjoying them. She had learned that the Doritos and Che