"I don't know for sure," Laurie just admitted it softly, taking a deep breath as she did so. "Because I've never seen anything like it. We don't normally have animals in the Sphere." It was common knowledge, unless, of course you happened to be new, which Laurie could tell this girl was.

Still holding the bag with one hand at arm's length, Laurie reached up and brushed her fingers over the gold circle behind her ear, clearly leaving a private message for someone, even if she didn't mention it aloud. Instead she just smiled at the girl as she started to lead her to the infirmary.

"What's your name, honey?" It seemed like a good and safe distracting question, which was why of course Laurie used it.