Ariel

Talk to me

Talk to me

Talk to me

I look across the dining hall to where Seraphina is having breakfast with Helios and Leon. She sits on the right and Leon on the left, Helios is right in the middle. Shannon is sitting in front of  Helios, his companion for the morning meal. The chairs beside Shannon are empty.

Breakfast is almost over and the dining hall has plenty of tables. Yet, Helios always likes to sit right in the middle. . . where everyone can see him.

As if reading my thoughts Seraphina looks up at me, then back down to where she is cutting up her egg whites into small pieces.

"I think his hair is shorter", Calliope whispers in my ear.

"What ?"

"Helios, I think his hair is shorter."

I don't generally like to look at Helios, but I take a quick look. His hair doesn't look shorter to me, not that I want to look at him. He is handsome. . . that's undeniable, but they way he sometimes looks at me...it makes me shiver. Calliope smiles to herself and manages to tear her eyes from him long enough to eat.

I pick up the apple on my tray, they aren't the pure white Snowfire apples, the orchards would take 100 years to regrow, which to us didn't seem very long at all. This was an American sweet apple, the ones we used for cross pollination to create the Snowfires.

I make my way over to Helio's table, Shannon scowls at me like she thinks I'm trying to interrupt her time with Helios. I put the apple down in front of  Seraphina's tray.

"Here, I know they are your favorite."

Talk to me

Talk to me.

After several seconds she half looks up at me, her wrist balancing on the edge of the table. Helios slides his eyes between both of us. I'm not moving though, not until we talk about this.

Seraphina stands, even though Helios is still eating.

"May I", she says to Helios

He just nods, "Meet us out front in one hour"

I don't give up though, I follow her. I know if she starts running I'll never be able to catch up to her.

"How long is this going to going on, Seraphina ?"

"Stop following me, Ariel."

I follow her outside and into the quad.

"Are we at least going to talk about it ? I need to talk about this Seraphina. I can't. . . I cant keep holding it in. I can't"

I let it go. I break down in tears, my face is wet and hot in seconds. Everything comes bursting to the surface. Seraphina stops suddenly and she finally. . . finally talks to me. Her voice is low to no one around us can hear.

"There is nothing to talk about, Ariel. You knew you were forbidden to go to Riverdale, you knew that. Was it worth it ? Risking everything for some man. . . or boy."

We sit on a bench that is out of the way, where no one will see my complete lack of decorum or hear our conversation.

"That's the thing", I start sniffling, "It was, Seraphina . . . I can't sleep knowing what happened to Hippolyta. B-b-but I'm still glad I did it though, being in that diner I felt so close to him.  Caden was worth it Seraphina. . . he was so worth it. I love--"

She jolts me out of the bench so fast, my tears  catch in my throat. Even though there are a few Sisters walking around Seraphina pushes me down to my knees and then forces me into the grass by neck. I scream and  hear some people gasp, her knee is on my back. She leans in an whispers in my ear, out of range of anyone else.

"Hippolyta died right here, Ariel.  She thought she was home. . . and she died at this very spot. Is Caden worth that ? Is a boy you knew for a few months worth a Sister you've had for a millennia. Hippolyta bathed and played with you as a baby, comforted you when you cried and taught you to read and write. When everyone made fun of your hair. . . she dyed hers to match. Is that kind of love worth the same as his ?"

Her one-handed  grasp is so tight I can't breathe, I start kicking with my feet and claw at her hands. She finally backs away. . .or so I think. Leon had pulled her off of me.

"The fuck is wrong with you, Seraphina. Laying your hands on her. Roughing up Titus I understand, but your youngest Sister ? Have some respect Seraphina."

She closes her eyes, I think she his counting because she seemed very close to hitting Leon.

"You know Leon, you know what she did."

"Yeah and you know what I did, so drop it and get some goddamn conotrl."

I bow my head, remembering that Leon was the one who carried off Hippolyta's body.

"I'm sorry", I said. Not caring that Leon could hear, "I know you loved her. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

She ignores me and walks away, I run back to my room and hide in as many books as I can find.

+++

Aria is knitting in the common room, it seems she can't go anywhere without a group of sisters  gathering around her. Making sure she is okay or asking if she needs anything. Her being pregnant was exciting. . . it was different from the mundane cycle we usually went through..

When I found her knitting alone, I realized this was a rare opportunity. Especially with her maternal extincts becoming more abundant.

"Aria", I whined in a small voice.

"What is it Ariel", I smile. She doesn't even need to turn to know it's me.

"I don't feel well. I think I caught something at that awful party."

"Oh, I heard it wasn't that bad."

"There we so many people there. My head is all cloudy and I can barley breathe through my nose. I think I have a cold."

"What ?", she moves away from me,"Don't get to close, I can't get sick now."

Her hand goes protectively to her belly, she's bursting with only a few more weeks left to go.

"I thought you could make me a hot toddy...like you used to."

"You hated those things."

"Please, I don't want to be sick. It's so boring just lying in bed all day."

"Anne won't approve, just have one of the errand girls go to the pharmacy."

I cringed at the thought of asking one of those poor girls suffering Anne's punishment to do something for me. Before Helios they were the only ones allowed out, mostly because they were to handicapped (no tongues and all)  to run away. Besides I didn't really have a cold.

"Please. . . I won't tell."

She puts her knitting down and waddles carefully  over to me. We take it slow going into the dining hall and when we reach the kitchen Aria pulls out a ring of keys. She finds a key and opens the lacquer oak liquor cabinet. Anne's personal collection used for gifts and cooking.  Anne always trusted Aria with keeping us in line and controlling what came in and out of Queen Anne's

She was the same age as Seraphina, but Aria earned much more respect. I heard a rumor that in a previous life Aria's family was connected to Royalty and she was a Countess of some sort. It was silly to think things like that mattered now, but to Anne they did. It was how Anne picked her favorites.

According to some my mother worked in a Veilery, making veils, which put me below Callopie whose mother was a teacher. Yet, we were both above Seraphina whose mother was an whore. Men were always soldiers so their occupations meant nothing to help our status.

Aria takes out the bottle of whiskey and pours it in a tea cup, then gathers the honey, cinnamon sticks and nutmeg. When she turns to heat up the mixture (the microwave being the closest thing we have to digital technology) I slowly slip the liquor cabinet key from the key ring.

"You go back, I'll take it from here.", I say

I make a show of taking her keys and pretend to lock the cabinet, then I hand the keys back to her.

"Feel better, Ariel", she says. She doesn't even look twice at the key ring to notice I took it.

I jump when the microwave beeps, I can already smell the thick scent of cinnamon and liquor. I pour out the concoction and decides to start over with just Vodka. I empty the clear vodka it into a water bottle and shake it.

"Okay", I decide, "Time to feel better."

+++

Paris

"What the fuck is this ?", Ashe puts a spoon full of oatmeal in his mouth again, "Are you all fucking with me ?"

"It's. . .fine.", I say. It taste like oatmeal and that's all that counts.

"My other senses are heightened", he argues, "This food is shit. What is wrong with Callum ?"

I swallow in response and look around the dining hall, No one seems to be enjoying breakfast. The dining hall is the fullest its been all week.  Maybe all decade.

"Nothing", I tell him, "He's being frugal"

I spot Jona and wave him over to where I am with Lysander and Ashe. He looks right at me then turns to sit somewhere else. I took it he still wasn't over walking in on me  in bed with Seraphina.  I remind myself it could have been worse. He just saw us kissing. . . in my bed. . . and she was wearing my sheets. . . and in my lap.

Fuck. I bring my hand to my face.

"How bad is it Paris.", Lysander says.

"What ? Oh. . . the oatmal. . .It's watery. . . but kind of sweet--"

"Not the food. Our situation."

"Well . . . we are almost breaking even, so that's good. The Van Husen commission should bring some money in."

"You cannot still be doing the Van Husen wedding.", Ashe says, "It's in Brooklyn Heights."

"It's in December. Helios' should be long gone by then."

"What do we do in the mean time ?", Lysander asks

"We keep our heads down. Hopefully our informant can give us something.", I don't say her name. It makes them uncomfortable.

"Well, get her to steal some of Helio's money while your at it. I mean he has all those damn cars and weapons. . . ."

Ashe's half serious suggestion falls on death ears, because I'm to busy watching Callum and group of brothers including Jona heading out, clearly not dressed for working at the shops.

"The hell is that about?", I wonder out loud.

"Let it go", says Ashe sensing something , "Just let them go."

" Callum is doing something. And Jona is involved, don't you care about that ?"

"Uh, no. . . not since we broke up."

"What ?"

Had I really been to busy with Helios to notice.

"Don't fake concern. 17 months is my new high score. I know you are happy about it."

"That you hurt my brother ? I knew you would do this.  . .  and now he's devoting his time to  Callum's cause."

"Yeah well, He broke up with me. So thanks for that, Friend."

"Oh. . . I. Hold on Ashe."

I get up and head over to Callum before he can leave. I figure I can sort things out with Ashe later.

"Where are you going Callum ?The kitchen still needs to be cleaned and these guys need to get to work."

"They aren't going to work", Callum says, "At least not at the shops."

"Where, then ?"

"Brooklyn. The wharehouse", he says, "We need to work day and night if we want to make enough ammunition to raid Queen Anne's and get rid of Helios"

"We need to do our job if we want to survive and not starve to death. Besides that is a last resort plan."

"Stop being dramatic."

"Callum", I say more seriously, "I gave you some money to start this operation, but not enough for you to still be funding it. Where are you getting the money from ?"

"Get out of my way, Paris.", he pushes against me.

"Callum--"

"Paris, I have my strong suits. You have yours. If we even want to stand a chance next to SGI, we have to do this. Now please get the fuck out of my way."

"We agreed you weren't going to do anything without my permission. We have an inside. We won't need this."

"It's a thin line Paris. If your charade or little spy or whatever doesn't work out by the time we are done. We're going to attack Quenn Anne's. Kill Helios and the SGI, maybe even Anne at this rate."

"And the Angels?"

"I don't know. . . you got Helios' whore on your side. You seem pretty good at getting women to do what you want. I wouldn't mind not having to run a kitchen anymore."

I hesitate when he says this and look over at Jona. Had Jona said anything ? He wouldn't. I stand aside. This isn't worth the fight. I will never let it get down to that. I just really needed Seraphina to come through for me.

I head back over to the table and give my Blackberry to Lysander.

"Here. You're in charge until I get back.", I grab my wool coat off the chair and slip it on.

"Where are you going ?", says Lysander one handedly ignoring a call from the lawyers

"Work", I say as if it's normal. I hadn't been inside an actual alteration shop since Father died. My place was here "Someone has to do it. Even if it has to be done alone."

+++

This was a bit of a chill chapter. I'm really just setting up the stakes here. Helio's actions have caused not so great things to happen to for Paris and his brothers, so his anger is really building up.

"