Page 11 of Somnium

“I don’t know who you are, but I want to.” She extended her hand across the bar, each finger adorned with a shimmering gold ring that caught the light like magic. “Serafina Travers, but call me Sera. Spelled with an ‘e,’ mind you. If you spell it S-A-R-A, I will find out.”

Cadi let out a held breath, a relieved smile spreading across her face as she took Sera’s hand. “Cadi Kismet. Everyone tries to spell it K-A-T-I-E, so I understand the struggle.”

Sera picked up a glass from a plastic wash rack and ran a clean white towel over its gleaming surface. “Was tonight your first?”

Cadi nodded, straining to keep her excitement about the possibility of another budding friendship in check. “Yeah, my coworker, Zoe, she invited me,” she said, tossing a thumb over her shoulder to where the rest of her group was still waiting on their second round.

Sera glanced up, crooking an eyebrow. “They seem … fun.”

Cadi twisted, and let out a snort when she saw what Sera meant. All three of them sat hunched over the table, faces illuminated by the glow of their phones.

“That’s my fault; I’m over here chatting instead of taking the liquid fun back to the table.” Cadi cringed. It would seem she had started channeling her father without even trying to, and it only took one look at Sera’s smirk to confirm that her awkward slip had not gone unnoticed. “Can we pretend I didn’t say it like that?”

Sera chuckled and shook her head. “Nope.”

“Perfect,” Cadi said dryly. “See you next week?”

“I’ll be there.”

Gingerly gathering the collection of glassware between her fingers, Cadi began her slow, precarious trek back to the table.

The others perked up when Cadi set the drinks down, eagerly reaching forward. Zoe placed her phone against the table and stared at Cadi with a broad grin that gave her the distinct impression she had missed something.

“What’s up?” Cadi asked, not entirely sure she wanted to know the answer.

“I signed you up for orientation tomorrow,” Zoe said quickly, sticking her straw in her mouth and sucking down a quarter of her vodka cran.

A line formed between Cadi’s brows as she tried to discern what type of orientation Zoe could be referring to, but came up blank. “Orientation for what, exactly?”

“Temple attendant!” Zoe replied.

“Zoe!” Cadi and Celine exclaimed in unison, both women fixing the water nymph with cutting looks. Cadi didn’t have time to be offended by Celine’s irritation at Zoe’s actions; she was too focused on the fact that she had just been volunteered into service without her consent. When she had said she would think about it, she had meant over the course of the next few weeks, not hours. She opened her mouth to protest, but Zoe waved her off before she had the chance.

“I know you said you’d think about it, but I wasn’t about to give you the chance to back out. This really is the best way to get involved. Just give it a shot?”

She held Cadi’s stare with wide-eyed eagerness, and Cadi had to admit that she was probably right. Despite her irritation, she knew that if left to her own devices, she definitely would have bailed. Zoe had just nudged her along into the next step.

Cadi relented. “Fine, I’ll go but I’m not promising anything.”

She jumped at Zoe’s delighted squeal, her left ear ringing slightly from the jarring sound. Slipping back into her seat, Cadi tipped her drink back, downing half the contents in a single swig, coughing from the burn.

By the time they finished their drinks, the crowd around them had doubled in size, and they were all more than ready to leave. Careful to avoid her scales, Cadi gripped Zoe’s shoulder as they wove their way back toward the door, trying her best to keep from getting swallowed by the throng. When they finally emerged into the fresh air, the sweet scent of orange blossoms drifted on the breeze that gently cooled Cadi’s skin as they made their way to the train station.

“Cadi!”

She stopped mid-step to turn back toward the bar at the sound of her name and found Sera jogging toward them, the beads in her braids clacking together with each stride.

“I’m glad I caught you,” she said with a smile as she reached them. “You guys mind if I steal her for a second?”

Cadi nodded to the others, waving for them to go ahead before turning back to Sera.

“What’s up?”

Sera hesitated, the easy confidence from earlier overshadowed by something new that Cadi couldn’t quite place.

“I was just thinking … how’d you like to meet up before Somnium next week? We could head up there together, maybe grab food after?”

Cadi didn’t even try to fight the smile that overtook her face, or the warmth that spread through her chest at the unexpected invitation.