She jumps.
“You.” He points across the room at her. “You speak over Sorin?”
She swallows.
He returns to their table. Patrick places his hand on her arm—steady, kind. The quiet strength in his touch bolsters her as Sorin swirls near.
He peers down at her with his fierce black eyes under dark, hooked brows. He scoffs derisively and gestures toward her with a ringed hand.
“It’s just a little Harpy,” he says, turning to the audience. “Disgust. That’s what the Harpy leaves in her wake. She befouls everything she touches. Look at her—she’s neither woman nor bird. A dirty old wind spirit. A snatcher of things.”
He swings back to her. “What made you choose this one? Why?”
Poppy answers, surprising everyone—including Sorin.
“I chose it because it’s a woman’s face. With wings at the eyes. I liked the shape. But if you say it’s a Harpy—fine, I can be a Harpy. An agent of punishment. If I disgust anyone, it’s projection. No one likes to be corrected or punished. So they call the Harpy foul. They say she’s a grasping, vile woman because frankly, women with agency scare people, don’t they?”
A soft rush of applause ripples through the crowd. Lillith claps loudest, raising her hands.
“Go get ’em, tiger,” Patrick whispers.
Beneath her mask, Poppy’s face burns. She knows hives—wheals of raised flesh—are blooming. But she couldn’t stop defending herself. Speaking out of turn has always been her default. It’s why people call her odd, or say she can’t “read the room.” So be it. She’s one of the Harpies.
Theo’s mouth curves in a sneer. A heat enters his eyes.Challenge accepted,his features seem to say.
“Let me see.” He touches his fingertips to his temple, as though reading invisible vibes. “This woman who hides behind the Harpy is a woman of books. She’s well read. She feels superior in her knowledge. She looks down on others. But that superiority is false—it’s a defense. Because deeper inside she hides alone, and she is lonely. So very, very lonely.”
He walks slowly across the room, then paces back.
“This woman”—he gestures to Poppy—“something tells me her curiosity extends beyond the pages of books. She seeks to see into thelivesof others. She desires to live vicariously through snooping, touching, poking, stealing things, as the Harpy does. She’s a taker. And—” He stops. His eyes close. For a moment he seems possessed; his body shudders. Then, almost whispering, as though channeling another voice: “Like the Harpy, she not only befouls what she touches, she ... poisons it. Kills it. Her hunger is that of someone who feels abandoned. Unwanted.”
Poppy can’t breathe.
“Beware the Harpies, my dear deceivers. Not quite women, not quite birds. Not quite anything. Belonging nowhere. Wanted nowhere. A Harpy is never satisfied. Once she tastes something, she comes back again. And what she touches”—he spreads his arms—“it dies.”
Cymbals clash and drums thud. The percussionist rings a cascading sequence of bells.
Poppy’s heart thuds in rhythm with the drums. Her eyes burn with tears behind her mask. She presses her palms hard onto her thighs to stop shaking.
Sorin glides over to Dr. Marsh’s table. He starts unmasking Sarah Frost, but his earlier words loop too loudly in Poppy’s head to hear him.Toxic. Poison. Snoop. Grasping. Searching for weakness. Taking advantage.
Vaguely she begins to register him telling Sarah about the mask of Demeter—how maternal control turns to grief, vengeance, hunger.
The ship lurches. Lights and candles flicker as it sways back again. A tray of glasses crashes as a server loses balance.
Poppy can’t take anymore. Her stomach heaves. She shoves back her chair and stands.
“Where are you going?” Patrick asks.
“Bathroom.” It’s all she can manage. She’s going to throw up.
She weaves through the tables as the ship rolls again. She aims for the door—for escape—before she vomits.
Poppy bursts through the exit and hurries across the carpeted foyer toward the washrooms. As she passes, she sees Roshaan handing Avi a heavy-looking bag. But she can’t stop.
Roshaan
Roshaan watches Avi leave with her sling bag containing Theo’s phone, watch, laptop, and USB drive.
