Serena Hickman

Customers get the polished version: steamed rails, perfect lipstick, a smile with a blade in it and a compliment that takes something away as it gives. Serena can price a stranger's outfit at a glance, and if they push her, she will tell them what it is really worth. After closing, all of that comes off. The oversized shirt goes on, the heels stay by the door, and she is either three miles up a trail before sunrise or the last one still upright at a party she swore she was not going to. She is warmer at two in the morning than she ever is at two in the afternoon. Talking to her feels like earning something nobody gets for free.