A brief period of ringing and… a voice. “Twenty-one hundred and four. Hello, this is Oliva Capello, operator. How may I direct your call?”
“Yeah, can you switch me to north-east Avenale, Silkflats, house of Cecilia de Alioni?”
“Of course, dear.”
I lean onto the end of the bed frame, waiting for the static to turn to ringing.
And then for ringing to turn to…
“Hello?” my mother’s voice calls.
“It’s me, Mom. Just having to say—”
“Catie, where are you? It’s nearly twenty-two hundred!”
About an hour off, but I’m not going to anger her more. “Sorry, I got caught up in an interview.”
“Still? They must really want to hire you. That’s my girl! Butcome home soon.”
“Well—I got the place, so I might stay here for a minute. I’m calling from the dorm.” Or, dorm-reminiscent room. Technically might not be an actualdormdorm since it has its own bath.
“Dorm? What in the Ring…” She whispers something to someone out of the receiver’s range. “Where are you?”
“It’s just a parlour?”
“A parlour? Honey, no…”
“Not like that! I’m an apprentice… an actual apprentice. It’s fine.” A shallow and weak pride bubbles in my heart as I repeat it out loud. “I’m going to bed. I’ll be home for my stuff soonish.”
“I’m glad, but where are you? You know how annoying it is when you don’t talk to me.”
“Uh…” I’m not sure, actually. “Just north of Avenale. I’ll see you later. Bye.”
I place the phone back into its holder, accidentally with too much force. I freeze at the ceramic’s rattling, intently listening to the following silence to see if Vincenza will storm in and yell at me for already causing an audible disturbance.
She isn’t. I still have one or two mistakes left before I go home.
Hopefully two, as I’m about to make another one.
Unlike my own home line, I’ve actually memorized Lucia’s—my only friend who’d be awake at this hour. The wheel spins out a few more times, a static plays, and…
“Who’s the bitch?“ her familiar voice asks.
“Shut the f—“ I look around my room and continue in a whisper, “shut the fuck up.”
“Did your mom just fucking beat you? What’s the whispering for?”
What a thing to say when she set me up for the interview I’d get beaten for missing. Blood upon the Ring, she’s got me snickering.
I excitedly reply, “I justgot a job! An actual one. With, uh… I’ll find out if it has pay or benefits.”
“You’ve called me from prison with more enthusiasm.”
Am I not enthusiastic? I feel like I am… Right! Forgot to smile.
“Of course I was happy. Makingyoupay bail is a lot better than an angry Mercurio.”
“For you.“ She follows her groaning with petty giggles. “What’s your new thing?”
