Total pages in book: 146
Estimated words: 144277 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 721(@200wpm)___ 577(@250wpm)___ 481(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 144277 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 721(@200wpm)___ 577(@250wpm)___ 481(@300wpm)
I almost say something. It’s not unheard of in Tau City that a younger woman might marry an older man. But it was very uncommon. It happened a lot more up-city than down, because we have choice words for men who take child brides.
But who am I to judge? This isn’t even my world.
I hold my tongue and smile.
Finally, in between Maelis and Lilika, sits Elsha. Her dress is lovely as well. Lavender, cut in an asymmetrical style with one sleeve off-the-shoulder and the other long and cuffed with pearl buttons. She’s the only one of us wearing gloves—white ones, made of leather, and go all the way up to her elbows. She never stops talking. Even when someone else is talking, she’s muttering things to herself. None of the other ladies seem to mind this, so I ignore it as well. She mentions her husband, but doesn’t bring out a picture and no one fawns over him, saying he’s strong or anything.
After all those introductions are over, I take a breath and tell them who I am. Oddly enough, and even though I wasn’t told to keep secrets, I keep all my secrets. Even Finn.
I don’t know why I tell them I’m single, I just don’t want them to start asking questions about him. Or me, to be honest. Because I don’t want them to know I am a Factory Girl. I feel like it would shatter the illusion. So I just give them the Vagabond story. I’m here on a permit.
They press their lips together. Lilika takes a sip of her wine. Maelis looks down into her lap, wringing her hands.
Things get quiet.
But it only lasts a moment, and then they are all talking again as they reach into their bags and pull out the book we’re to be discussing called, The Season of Lilies and it’s about… us.
Us. That’s what Elsha says when she starts explaining the book to me. A group of high-society women in RhoXi, their friendships, responsibilities, and aspirations. And when she’s done, she reaches for my hand, giving it a squeeze, and tells me, “You’re one of us now.”
Then they all say it.
“Welcome!”
“You’re one of us!”
“Every girl group needs a five!”
And that’s that, I guess.
I’m number five.
The rest of the day is filled with fascinating conversations about the city, and what I can expect here, and how, if I truly do not have a man—this comes from Lilika, who clearly knows I’m lying—she will set me up with one.
I don’t come clean, not yet. I hold Finn close. A little possessive about him. I don’t know these ladies. I’m sure they’re nice and everything, but my story is… strange. And I don’t want to get into it. Not yet. Not today, maybe tomorrow.
Because there will be a tomorrow. I know this for sure because they helped me buy an outfit for ‘fitness day’, which is what’s on this group’s schedule for tomorrow. Apparently, these women meet every day at the same time. They have tea, go shopping, meet for book club, go to painting classes, or do these things called power walks—which is what we’ll be doing tomorrow.
I like it. But it’s hard not to get pulled into my past as I think back on them. Because I had a group of friends like this once. I was part of a group of five in my past life.
Britley, Lucindy, Harlow, and Ceela.
Poor, poor Ceela.
Burned to charred nothingness because she never understood her power.
How strange, in a fortunate way, that I now have Elsha, and Lilika, and Maelis, and Veyra.
We’re even neighbors. We all live in the Observation Tower.
So even though I started this day guarded and suspicious, I feel all that slip away as I slide into this new world like I really belong here.
I can picture it—a life in RhoXi.
Having the baby here, marrying Finn here, getting a little house, maybe?
A girl can dream.
Later, after it’s already been dark for a couple of hours and I’ve been sent a dinner, courtesy of Xi, Finn returns to our room. He looks happy. Smiling. Kisses me. Takes a shower. Falls into bed and is sleeping before I can tell him anything about my day or ask him a single question.
But I don’t even care.
I love it here.
And tomorrow, I will tell my new friends all about Finn.
31 - FINN
Iwake up unsettled. Jittery. Like I’m supposed to be somewhere, but I forgot. Then I hear the soft breathing of Jasina sleeping next to me, and everything slows back down.
It’s the next day. Not quite morning from the dark skies on the other side of the massive windows, but it’s not far off either.
Yesterday is a blur. I barely remember coming home. It was late, nearly nine o’clock, when I got here. Jasina was already settled in, propped up in bed with pillows, looking at her PPD.