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"Disculpe," I asked politely.
The Trabajador with shaky hands looked up at me. "Renata Valarde Bordón," he breathed.
I blinked. "Yes. Uh, could you tell me if there's any unusual volcanic activity lately?”
The young man's eyes drew together, and he shook his head profusely. "No, señorita. All is well."
Then he went back to papers. His answer wasn't persuasive, but I could drop it for now.
The rest passed in a blur.
After taking a different, more difficult path over sloping terrain, the relatively flat area in front of the volcano was a relief, but something still felt off. The temperature was worrying me. Wasn’t that a sign of a volcano getting ready to erupt?
We went to the bathing room with Isabela to change out of our snow-stained clothes. I didn't realize that the boxy bathing room was actually a small cave right at the foot of the volcano. The steamy cave walls seemed alive as crystals glinted in the dimly lit interior. Steam from the sulfur-rich water filled the surrounding air, making breathing hard.
When Isabela started taking off her clothes to deposit them in a nearby bin, I awkwardly fumbled with my clothing. There was a place to dispose of our clothes and exchange them for fresh ones. I thought of the Dreg, who had worn the same clothes for so long. There was so much ease and waste as an Élite. The other competitor shot me a curious glance.
"Are you shy about seeing people naked?" she asked loudly.
I felt my cheeks redden, and I opened my mouth to tell her about Las Patrias—the all-female dance group where I'd spent the last few years of my life—but stopped.
I slipped out of the suit and grinned. "Not at all."
Isabela laughed. "Well, that's comforting."
I forced out a smile and nodded. Making friends without Magda was still perplexing. Isabela was the first person who became my friend. The pool in the center bubbled slightly, and lights along the rim illuminated our paths and provided a comfortable warmth for us to take refuge in.
"San Volcán, this is the best thing I've felt in ages," Isabela cooed as she sunk into the water.
I tentatively agreed while picking up one of the luxurious soap bars that lathered into a rich foam. Magda would tell me to enjoy this, and I agreed with her.
“Be careful not to get your hair wet,” Isabela said before I stepped into the pool.
I thought of the irony of how I was expected to survive against wolves, but no one expected us to skip bathing the whole week.
“Why have you been so nice to me this last week?” I asked, somehow a little shocked I actually had the nerve to speak the thoughts aloud.
Isabela looked at me with a strange expression. “What do you mean?”
I raised an eyebrow. “Your aunt hated me, and you should be mad I stole your chance to work with Antonio.”
She took a deep breath. “You’re not wrong.”
I shifted in the water, suddenly feeling sweaty in a different way.
Then she shrugged. “My mother told me we should be friends, and I realized she was right.”
My eyebrows furrowed as I thought of the short conversation I had with her mother at Santiago’s house. She had told me that she liked me. I hadn’t realized…
“Thank you,” I said quietly.
Isabela only smiled.
Then a few other girls trailed in, and our easy friendship halted.
One was a tall, willowy brunette with sharp, piercing eyes that seemed to cut through the steam. She carried herself with a confident stride that commanded attention, and her every move was fluid and graceful. The others looked to her for guidance, and I could tell from how they followed her that she was important.
“Oh look, it’s the princess,” she said mockingly as she glanced at me. “What’s your name again?”
