Snow Claw: First Three Chapters

Chapter One

Two Months Ago

Mid-Autumn, 1244 R.M.

            Please be asleep. Please be asleep. Violet opened the door just enough to be able to peer through the minuscule crack. The scent of burning pinewood tickled her nose at the same time a pleasant rush of warm air brushed her face.

            “Ah, you do remember I exist,” a strong voice called from inside. “I was starting to wonder.”

            Violet flinched. This was exactly why she’d avoided coming. As soon as she’d neglected to come that first day back, there had been no escaping the lecture.

            “Are you going to come in, or have you died at my door?” The voice tsked. “I wonder if Bob’s still here to take away the body.”

            Despite herself, Violet giggled. She opened the door the rest of the way and walked into the room. “I haven’t died, Sassa.”

            “Good, then you can fold up this blanket for me.” Sassa gestured at the pink blanket woven with her family’s pattern thrown over the arm of the rocking chair.

            It certainly was warm in Sassa’s living room. The fire in the brick hearth cracked and popped, a sound Violet associated only with this home. Every other home in Hibern, even in the inner historic city, had long since switched over to central heating. Violet didn’t often think about it, but her time in Moonwater made her notice anew all the traditional wooden furniture in the room. Not a stitch of upholstery anywhere—just cushions and pillows with traditional woven white patterns on solid fields of color.

            Even the rough wood walls were traditional. The look had been favored in Hibern for ages, but now it was mostly seen in public historical buildings. Like with central heating, most homes had switched to smooth wood paneling, wallpaper, or simple paint on wallboards. Violet finished folding the blanket and threw it over the back of Sassa’s armchair, then sat in the rocking chair to face her.

            “Now, tell me about your trip.” Sassa laid her knitting in her lap. Violet couldn’t quite figure out what she was making with it crumpled like that, but she could tell it was something small and sky-blue.

            Sassa looked well. Sassa always looked well. Her weathered, wrinkled dark skin contrasted vibrantly with her snow-white hair. Her dark, piercing eyes were sometimes difficult for Violet to meet, but today their intensity was softened. In her traditional woven skirt and white blouse, she could have been an ordinary Hibernese granny.

            “Um.” Violet bit her lip.

            “What did you think of Moonwater?” Sassa prompted.

            “Hm.” Violet adjusted a fold of her orange and white polka dot dress as she considered what she could say that would please Sassa. “There’s only one restaurant in town.”

            “The Moonwater Café. I know.” Sassa smiled, but her smile carried a grain of contempt. That’s all you have to say? that smile said. “Moonwater is a small fortified town. There’s no need for more.”

            “How do you know?” Violet asked. “Have you actually been there?”

            “Yes, Violet.” Sassa’s smile turned slightly exasperated. “I told you before you left, I used to be good friends with Keeper Pike.” When Violet shrugged, exasperation completely overtook Sassa’s expression. “Keeper Pike Stanley, Moonwater’s previous Keeper? The Keeper, the leader of the Benites in a fortified town?”

            “Oh, him.” Violet nodded. Maybe if Violet pretended to remember, Sassa would drop the subject.

            “That doesn’t ring a single bell in your brain, does it?” Sassa sighed.

            “I remember seeing the Keeper.” Violet tried not to sound sulky. “Elliot. He wore green.”

            “That’s something, I suppose. I was friends with the man who was Moonwater’s Keeper before Elliot. Pike died about five years ago.”

            “Oh, him!”

            “Do you finally remember something?”

            “He killed a cloud bear!”

            “There we are.” The exasperated smile returned.

            “Why do you like him if he killed a cloud bear?” Anger had surged through Violet while listening to that Moonwater Benite tell the story of how he and Keeper Pike and some other Moonwater Benites killed several cloud bears fifteen years ago. Her anger surged again just thinking about it.

            “He didn’t have a choice, Vi. It was the cloud bears or his town.” Sassa picked up her knitting as if to start again, then put it back down. “Now, tell me about Moonwater. You saw the Moonwater Café and Keeper Elliot. What else?”

            “I don’t know. The church?”

            “It’s a lovely old building. Anything else?”

            “Um, mountains?”

            “Moonwater is incredibly beautiful. Did you enjoy the scenery? The mountains are always spectacular in autumn.”

            “I guess.”

            “What else?”

            “Members of the Balustrade.”

            “Bastion, Violet. That wasn’t even close. Do you remember anyone from the Bastion?”

            “I don’t know. Some man named Herman? A woman named Elsie? Someone named Raymond was around a lot.”

            “Raymond?” An odd glint entered Sassa’s dark eyes. “How old?”

            “Old? I don’t know, five or six years older than me? Twenty-five or twenty-six? Why do you care?”

            Apparently, Sassa did care. She frowned thoughtfully and looked down at her knitting. “It’s the right age,” she murmured to herself. “But a member of the Bastion. Hm. He did always say Raymond had talent.” Sassa looked back up at Violet. “You didn’t happen to hear his family name, did you?”

            “No. I don’t see why I should care.”

Sassa always wanted her to remember the strangest things. It wasn’t Violet’s fault she couldn’t meet expectations.

            “All right, anything else?” Sassa asked.

            “Um.” Violet wracked her memory for anything that would interest Sassa enough to satisfy her. Violet had only been in Moonwater for a few days. What did Sassa want? One interesting memory surfaced. “I saw a weird kid.”

            “Explain ‘weird.’”

            “He was working in the Moonwater Café. Dennis said his uniform was a weird color. This kid was the only Benite we saw wearing a blue uniform. He also wore a hat with cloud bears on it.”

            “A hat with cloud bears?” Sassa lifted her knitting. “Like this?”

            A nearly finished hat hung off the circular needles. It had a pattern of white and blue bears against the sky-blue background. “That’s it! That’s it exactly. How—”

            “How did Cyrus look?” Sassa’s eyes softened. They softened to the point Violet would have said her expression was tender, but it couldn’t be. Sassa was many things, but never tender.

            “Cyrus? You know him?”

            “Of course. How else would I have given him a hat, Vi?”

            “I—” That was a good point.

            “He’s very precious to me. I’m glad you saw him.”

            “Precious?” Violet’s mouth hung open. Sassa had someone in her life she’d describe as “precious”?

            “Close your mouth, Violet. You look like a silly carp.”

            “I—How do you know him?”

            “Does it matter? What does matter is I trust him a great deal. I asked him to complete my work with Carrow.”

            “Him?” The image of that boy surfaced in Violet’s mind. “He’s a kid!”

            “Sixteen. Yes, I know. He would have turned sixteen somewhat recently, less than a month ago.” Sassa’s eyes were still tender. “I’d like to have seen him.”

            “Too bad you didn’t.” Violet slouched back in the rocking chair, and this time, she didn’t care if she sounded sulky or not.

            “Yes. Too bad.” Sassa’s eyes were distant.

Chapter Two

The Silver Screen

Early Winter, 1244 R.M.

            Where are you? The ferry’s going to leave in two hours.

            Shush. It’s about to start.

            What’s about to start?

            The movie.

            You’re at a movie? Did you not hear me? The ferry is going to leave in two hours!

            It’s fine; the movie’s only an hour and twenty minutes.

            What movie are you seeing? Raymond asked, butting in.

            Don’t encourage him, Raymond, Abner said.

            It’s the latest Tall Man film.

            There’s a new Tall Man? I didn’t know. Why didn’t you invite me, Cy?

            Sorry, Ray. I didn’t think you’d care.

            Back to the matter at hand. Abner sounded like he would have been rolling his eyes if Cyrus could see him. Are you all together, at least?

            Uh-huh.

            Even Zaris? Raymond’s mental voice sounded shocked. Cyrus didn’t blame him.

            She’s next to me.

            How did you get her into a crowded movie theatre? Abner asked.

            It wasn’t crowded when we came in, for one thing. For another, I bought an extra ticket. The seat next to her is empty. I mean, it has Annette’s giant coat, gloves, purse, and hat on it. My hat, too.

            It’s good Zaris got over whatever was bothering her a few days ago, Raymond said.

            Easier for us, certainly. Abner paused. I agree, though.

            Why did you decide to go to a movie? Raymond asked.

            Zaris hasn’t seen one before. Apparently, they don’t have movie theatres in Mahliarthizou.

            So, you’re packed and ready to go when the movie ends? Abner sounded slightly less annoyed. Slightly.

            Correct. Shush, it’s starting.

            “Look, look!” A squeal of delight made Cyrus glance over. Zaris pointed at the screen. The projector turned on and a short cartoon started playing with whimsical music. “It’s moving!”

            “Well, that is why it’s called a movie.” Cyrus had to grin. Had he ever been that excited to see a film? Zaris’ legs kicked in the air, her free hand gripped the armrest of her seat as if she’d fly out if she didn’t hold on to something, and her other hand squeezed her popcorn bag so tightly a few pieces tumbled out onto the dark floor.

            A glance to the other side showed Alec having just as good a time, but for different reasons. His arm was already on the back of Annette’s seat while his other hand brought a few pieces of popcorn to his mouth from their shared popcorn bucket. If the arm on the back of the seat wasn’t around Annette’s shoulders by the end of the hour and twenty-minute film, Cyrus would buy a bucket of popcorn and eat it himself.

            I’ll go with you to a movie in Lythia, Ray, Cyrus said through the connection. This one, if it’s showing.

            I’m counting on it. Raymond ended his part of the connection.

            You’re going to be on time to the ferry, right? Abner’s mental voice carried a hint of a threat.

            Sure. Yep. Goodbye. Cyrus ended the connection. It wasn’t exactly polite of him. Since Abner had formed the connection with Lunestella’s Blessing, Cyrus should have technically let him end it, but Cyrus didn’t really care with Abner.

            Why did Abner even have to ask if they’d be on time? As if Cyrus wanted to miss the ferry. That’s why he’d asked the theatre employee how long the movie was. Annette and Alec had wanted to see a film as soon as they heard Zaris had never been to one, but Cyrus had made sure the small excursion wouldn’t make them late.

            The movie theatre itself was one of the nicer theatres he’d been in, though that wasn’t surprising considering it was in the middle of one of the wealthier parts of Alicide, Olivace’s capital. It had pale blue walls and ornate globe lights on the walls. The pale blue made the room feel spacious and airy despite the relative darkness. The seats were upholstered in darker blue and free from stains and sticky spots.

            The cartoon ended, and the main film began. The debonair leading man, the titular “Tall Man” moved about the screen with easy grace and confidence as he worked to solve this movie’s mystery. As always, he had excellent comedic chemistry with the actress who played his wife. The first Tall Man movie had come out when Cyrus was a toddler. Going to see new ones felt nostalgic and cozy.

            The entire movie, Zaris stared at the screen, her mouth open slightly in awe as her eyes sparkled at the spectacle. A few times, Cyrus jerked awake to find he’d fallen asleep and missed a few minutes. He held in a sigh. How long had it been since he’d been able to stay awake through an entire movie?

            Somehow, his popcorn slowly disappeared without him eating a single bite. Every time he jerked awake, he noticed a few more pieces were gone. Right before the closing credits, his eyes opened to the sight of Zaris’ hand inside his popcorn bag. She blinked at him innocently. He laughed.

            The credits rolled. The lights came back on. Alec had his arm around Annette’s shoulders. Zaris shrank back as the other patrons on the back row edged past them and out the door. They waited until the theatre was nearly empty before getting up to leave. Alec helped Annette on with her coat. Cyrus pulled on his hat. It had been five years since Sassa gave it to him, but he still liked the knitted pattern of cloud bears as much now as he had back then.

            “Here.” Zaris held something out to Cyrus. A five pero coin? “More popcorn,” she whispered.

The familiar whistling sound of a connection being formed with Lunestella’s Blessing entered Cyrus’ mind as he stood in line at the concessions counter. How are you feeling? Raymond asked.

            I slept a little during the movie. Cyrus placed Zaris’ coin on the counter. “A small popcorn, please,” he said aloud.

            On purpose?

            If it had been anyone else, Cyrus might have lied a little, but not to Raymond. No. I’d like to go again to see what I missed.

            Are you on your way? Abner’s getting antsy.

            Tell him to be patient. We’re leaving now. Cyrus felt Raymond end the connection.

            “What did you like better? The movie, or the popcorn?” Cyrus stretched as they walked out onto the sidewalk. His eyes hurt as they adjusted to the searing light of the sun. Despite it being Early Winter, the Olivacian air still felt as mild as Mid-Autumn. He didn’t know if it ever really snowed in Alicide.

            “Hm.” Zaris took a few bites of fresh popcorn.

            “Don’t spill in the car,” Annette said. “We’ll get in trouble.”

            “I won’t.” Zaris edged closer to Cyrus. She looked up at him. “How did it work? Was it a Blessing?”

            “The movie?” Cyrus looked up at the sky. Puffy cumulous clouds floated beneath fur-like cirrus clouds. “No. They wouldn’t use a Blessing like that in Olivace, anyway.”

            “Have you ever seen a photograph, Zaris?” Alec asked.

            “Of course.” Zaris looked at him with slight contempt as she edged closer to Cyrus again.

            “What do you mean, of course? You’d never seen a movie.”

            “We have photographs in Mahliarthizou; they’re just expensive.”

            “Movies are made up of many, many photographs.” Alec spread out his hands. “They’re collected on a roll called ‘film,’ and they’re see-through. When light shines through them with a machine called a projector—”

            “Basically, Zaris, if you take a bunch of sequential photographs with a special camera, then show them all in quick succession, it looks like it’s moving.” Cyrus had seen Zaris’ confused frown with Alec’s explanation. Best to not go into too many terms she didn’t know. “It’s the same way the cartoon was made, but with drawings instead of people.”

            “How did someone figure that out?” Zaris munched a few more pieces of popcorn as they got to the dark blue rental car.

            “No idea.” Cyrus slid into the backseat with Zaris while Annette got into the driver’s seat with Alec in front passenger.

            Fortunately, it wasn’t a long drive to the dock where the pristine, white ferry waited in the water. Fins stuck out the back for catching Luciden currents in the sea. Cyrus and Alec took their backpacks out of the trunk, with Alec also taking Annette’s two suitcases as she went to return the keys to the rental car company. Zaris took her green messenger bag with its red and white ribbon tied around the strap.

            A crowd stood on the wooden platform near the dock, mostly well-dressed adults. “There you are!” Raymond waved as he wove through the swarm. “Abner found a slightly less crowded place, this way.”

            As soon as Annette returned, Raymond led them to a spot with a bit of grass and a tree with lush, green leaves. It looked odd, considering the time of year. Abner leaned against the trunk.

            “Finally.” Abner pushed himself away from the tree. His eyes landed on Zaris’ popcorn bag. “How do you still have popcorn?”

            “I’m not sharing. I paid for it.” Zaris had gotten so close to Cyrus on the walk through the crowd it was a wonder he hadn’t tripped over her.

            “I wasn’t asking.” Abner checked his watch. “I think it’s—”

            “You! You all!” a voice cut through the noise of the waiting passengers. A few people glanced over as a young woman in bright orange pushed through and strode up to them. She went straight past Alec, Annette, and Raymond and stepped right up to Cyrus. “Here you are!” She set down her leather suitcase in order to put her hands on her hips as she glared at him.

            She was plump with skin like bronze and glossy brown hair like a flowing river. Her eyes were large and so dark they were nearly black. She was tall, but slightly shorter than Annette, and wore a bright orange dress, the straight sort favored by women on the West Coast of the continent. With a jolt, Cyrus recognized her.

            “You’re making a scene, you know.” Cyrus raised an eyebrow. Why was she angry at him? He’d barely interacted with her during her visit to Moonwater. Even if she did have some reason to be angry at him, why was she being so loud and obnoxious about it in public?

            “Don’t lecture me; I had to go all the way across Xanthon to find you! Do you know how inconvenient this has been?”

            “Probably not in proportion to how much I care?”

            Violet went red. She opened her mouth again, but Abner cut her off. “Keeper Elliot told the leaders of Hibern where to find us. She apparently has some sort of important delivery.”

            “Oh, are you from Hibern?” Cyrus raised both eyebrows, as if he’d just recalled.

            “Don’t say you don’t remember me! I remember you!”

            “No, no. I remember you, Lilac.”

            “Violet! My name is Violet!”

            “Close enough. Lilac, Violet, both purple. Both flowers.”

            “Look here! My name is Violet Middendorff, and you better stay out of my business!” Violet stepped right up into Cyrus’ face. She was taller than him by several inches at least. He could feel her breath on his skin as she glared at him with inexplicably intense fury. “Do you under—”

            “Level One!”

            A flash of white and red shot past Cyrus. Violet gasped and collapsed to the ground. Cyrus turned to look down at Zaris and saw everyone else do the same out the corner of his eye. Zaris’ eyes were wide and her chest heaved as she held her hands with her forefinger and thumbs making a triangle.

            “Too close!” Zaris gulped.

            They all stood there for a moment, silent and still. Then, like a branch finally breaking under heavy snow, laughter burst out of Cyrus. Alec started laughing, too, and Abner chuckled while Raymond smiled.

            “How can you laugh?” Annette stared at all of them in disbelief. “She’s hurt! She’s fainted!”

            “Sorry, Annette. She’s fine.” Alec made an obvious effort to swallow his mirth. “We wouldn’t be laughing if anything serious had happened. She’s insensible from Luciden energy overload, is all. It should dissipate in a few hours, then she’ll be fine.”

            “You still shouldn’t laugh.”

            “Is something wrong?” A tall, thin man in a blue ferry worker’s uniform stepped up to them. Cyrus wondered if he’d heard the commotion.

            “We have tickets to get on the ferry at two o’clock,” Abner said, “but this woman fainted. She was here to meet us.”

            “Is she a passenger?”

            “No, but I suppose we’re responsible for her.” Abner looked resigned.

            “In that case, why don’t we take her to our medical facility? That is, if it’s nothing serious. Should she go to the hospital? Is it the result of a preexisting medical condition?”

            “Nothing like that.”

            The ferry crewmember and Raymond carried Violet into the main ferry office building and through a door to their medical facility. Everyone else stayed out in the main office while Abner went up to the desk to reschedule their tickets. They wouldn’t be leaving until Violet woke up.

            Cyrus formed a connection with Alec. This is stupid.

            I know, but it can’t be helped. It’s not like we can just leave her here.

            Watch me.

            Alec snorted.

            I want to get to Cersand as soon as possible. Cyrus folded his arms. They’d already waited long enough to go after Lawrence Baxter, the next leader of Carrow. This nonsense was a complete waste of time, and Cyrus’ time was finite.

            “Sorry,” Zaris whispered as she looked down at the floor. Cyrus started. Was his annoyance that obvious? She couldn’t hear his silent communication with Alec. He tried to put a more pleasant expression on his face.

            “It’s fine. At least it was funny.”

Chapter Three

Unexpected Pleasure

The crisp scent in the air stung Violet’s nose. The material beneath her hands felt soft and cool. For the first time in ages, she wasn’t being rocked or jostled. Wait, this wasn’t a train.

Violet’s eyes opened. Dim tube lights shone over her head and stretched down out of sight. She sat up. Her limbs protested against the movement like rusting hinges refusing to move. Violet grunted. Why was she so sore?

How did she get here? She laid on a clean, white bed in a big room lined with identical beds. Each bed had a curtain next to it that could be pulled along a rail around it to provide privacy. It looked like some sort of hospital, and the scent pressing at her nose had to be rubbing alcohol.

“Oh, good.”

Violet started. A young woman sat next to her in a utilitarian wooden chair. She had lavender-colored yarn in her lap and a crochet hook in one hand. Violet remembered her—she’d been at the ferry. She had silky, medium brown hair that fell a few inches past her shoulders in thick, painstakingly formed ringlets. She had delicate, warm brown eyes, matching her delicate nose and mouth. She wore a purple dress in the flouncy style favored in this part of the continent. Her heeled purple shoes matched perfectly. Whoever this woman was, she had style.

“Who are you?” Violet rubbed her arm. Why did everything hurt?

“Sorry, I’m Annette Wayman.” Annette tucked her crochet work into her purple purse. She had a nice, lilting accent.

“What happened?” The last thing Violet remembered was finding Cyrus and him being the obnoxious little twerp she’d known he would be.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know if I can explain,” Annette said. “I don’t really understand Blessings yet. It—well—when you got too close to Cyrus, you got too close to Zaris.”

“Zaris?” Was that some sort of Olivacian slang? And what was Annette going on about with Blessings?

“When you got too close to Zaris, it frightened her, so she attacked you with her Blessing.”

Frightened? Attacked? Violet at least understood Zaris was a person. “Who is Zaris?”

“The little girl behind Cyrus.”

“Little girl?” Violet frowned. She hadn’t noticed anyone behind Cyrus.

“The others will explain properly. It will probably make more sense coming from a Benite.”

“The others?” Violet glanced around the room again. They were the only ones here. The light coming in through the windows shone dark gold, like the light of the late afternoon. How long had it been?

“Alexander, Cyrus, Zaris, Mr. Cor, and Mr. Sanders,” Annette said. “We couldn’t leave with you insensible, after all, and they didn’t like the idea of staying here while we waited, so they went to the forest near the river. I liked the idea of staying in town, so I agreed to wait here with you. This is the ferry medical facility. It’s mostly used for people who become ill on the ferry—seasickness, I think.” Annette blinked. “Oh, here.” She reached down and picked up a small, clear bottle with a medical label pasted on the front. “Mr. Sanders said this would help with the soreness. He said you ought to drink the entire thing.”

“Thanks?” Violet took the bottle and examined the label. Luciden Energy Overload Relief, it read. “Luciden energy overload?” Is that what had happened to her? How? In finer print, the label read, Bastion Medical.

“It’s from Mr. Sander’s Bastion first aid kit, apparently.” Annette shifted in her chair. “I’m sure it’s fine. He’s trustworthy.”

“Right.” Violet didn’t know why Annette felt the need to specify that. She unscrewed the cap and drank the entire bottle. She shuddered. The bitterness on her tongue reminded her of the time she accidentally licked a few drops of her mom’s mint oil. “Are you sure this is supposed to help? That’s nasty.”

Annette smiled. “It’s supposed to take an hour or so.”

“Ugh.”

“Why were you yelling at Cyrus? You said something about staying out of your business?”

“It’s kind of complicated.” Violet set the bottle down on the little bedside table. “There’s something that’s my job to do, but he’s trying to do it instead. Sorry.” Violet shrugged, then winced at the aches. “It’s complicated.”

“So.” Annette shifted in her chair again. “You’re from a town called Hibern? Where is that?” She studied Violet. “West Coast?”

“Exactly. Vorate.” It seemed Annette had recognized her style of dress. “Are you from Storic?”

“No, no.” Annette shook her head and gave a small laugh. “I’m from here—Olivace.”

“Really? You’re with the Moonwater Benites, though.” Hadn’t Sassa told Violet something about Olivacians and Benites? “Aren’t you supposed to hate them?”

“I suppose I might, if I hadn’t gotten to know Alexander first.” Annette rested her chin on her hand. “Besides, I have my reasons. I’ve learned there are certain matters where Benites are more capable. Are you a Benite?”

“Yes.” Violet tried her best not to look too proud. “It’s a special honor in Hibern. How old are you?”

“Nineteen. I’ll be twenty this spring. How about you?”

“Twenty. My birthday’s in the summer.”

“Do you have any siblings?”

“Do I!” Violet rolled her eyes. “I’m the second oldest of seven.”

“Seven!” Annette stared. “Do you ever feel lost in a crowd with that many?”

“I might, if I were one of the middle kids, but as the second oldest, it’s not bad. Do you have siblings?”

“Just one—an older sister named Sandra.”

“That sounds peaceful.”

“Yes. I don’t know what I’d do without her.” Annette paused. “I love your dress. The color really compliments your hair.”

“Thank you.” Violet blushed. “My mom always gets annoyed at me for how much time I spend at the store when I’m looking for a new dress, but what’s the point of spending money on a dress if it’s not flattering?”

“Oh, I know.” Annette nodded. “The right colors and style make all the difference. I don’t think I could pull off West Coast fashion as well as you.”

“I think you could; you’re tall and slim. Frills are really in style in West Coast fashion right now. You could wear as many as you wanted and still look willowy. I have to be careful myself. Too many frills bulk me out.”

“You’ve done a great job. That dress suits you wonderfully.” Annette tilted her head.

“Do you like fashion?” Violet only had one friend back home who enjoyed talking about dresses and trends.

“My dad started a fashion label years ago.” Annette nodded. “My sister runs it now.”

“Wow, really? Do you ever design anything?”

“Sometimes.” Annette blushed. “I’m awful at drawing croquis figures. I usually do my best, then one of the actual designers turns it into something presentable. None of my designs have made it into production as-is.”

“That’s incredible.” Violet tried to imagine what it would be like being that close to the production-end of the fashion world.

They spent the next while thoroughly dissecting both West Coast and Eastern Xanthon trends. Despite her saying she’d never been to any sort of design school, Annette had an almost academic understanding of both men’s and women’s fashions, their history, and where she thought they might go in the future. For her part, Violet had rarely had such fun talking to anyone.

“Have you seen Donna Summers in Bridge Over the River?” Violet asked. “You know her evening gown? I wish beading like that would come into vogue.”

“I know! It was so elegant.” Annette’s eyes sparkled.

That was all it took to segue into movies and movie stars. Violet was pleased to learn they had similar tastes in that direction, too. They’d seen almost all the same movies and loved many of the same stars for the same reasons—class, poise, and charm. It was invigorating. Occasionally, Violet got quite loud with her opinions, but Annette didn’t seem to mind.

“Violet, do you like to read?”

“Read?” Violet scrunched up her nose. “Not much. Why?”

“I think you’d really like the Victoria Greenman books. They’re by an Olivacian author and are set a little over a century in the past. It’s such a fascinating time of complicated manners and social expectations, and the main character, Victoria, is so wonderful at navigating it all.”

“I suppose I could try.”

“I think maybe you don’t like to read because you’ve never found the right sorts of books.” Annette glanced at the clock. The light outside the windows had faded to a dim blue. “How are you feeling?”

Much to her surprise, as Violet considered it, her soreness was gone. She’d completely forgotten about it while talking to Annette. “I’m better.”

“Wonderful. Let’s go see the others, then.” Annette stood.

Oh, right. The others. A chasm of disappointment opened in Violet’s stomach. Why couldn’t she and Annette keep talking instead?

“Your suitcase is there.” Annette pointed by the foot of the bed.

“Thanks.” Violet swung her legs over the edge of the bed. Her shoes were there, too. She buckled them on and picked up her suitcase. Really, for how sore she’d been only a scant few hours ago, she felt remarkably well.

“The others aren’t far from here, I think,” Annette said as they walked out into the cool dusk. Without warning, she giggled. “You know, when you first started yelling at Cyrus, you seemed so disagreeable, but I like your boisterousness.”

“Do you?” Violet smoothed her hair.

“Don’t worry; it looks very pretty. Yes, I do.”

“My mom would be shocked to hear that. She’s always telling me to calm down.” Violet nearly twisted her ankle as they stepped off the sidewalk and onto the soft grass and dirt and headed towards the trees, away from the waterfront. “Honestly, I wish I was a bit more reserved, like you.”

“Really? And here I am, wishing I had a bit more pluck.”

They laughed as the sound of the river reached Violet’s ears.