A large house towered over Sal, Lea and the constable. It covered them in its shadow. The house glittered it seemed and the concrete walls were covered in fuchsia bougainvillea. The next day, Sal locked herself up in the library staring at the ceiling until she thought she could be sick of the place. But the undeniable familiarity the space brings and the smell of old books and the silence muffled sounds from the outside felt like home. It was like she never stepped out of the house. 

Signora Edihna piped in by the door. She brushed her fingers across the shelves whilst asking, “ My collections are great, don’t you think?” She stuck a black book in the shelf making it stick out like a sore thumb amidst the long, green line of books. 

“Would you like to read me to sleep?” the woman stood straight with a smile and her eyes beaming. Anticipation it must be. 

Sal replied, “ A nice proposal it is…but, why do you need to?” Sal composed herself. “It is nice of you, but if you may, Miss Lea will be upset if I do not stay with her. I ought to tell her first.” 

She let out a sharp laugh as she seated herself crosslegged in one of the chairs in the library. “Haven’t she told you of her age? She is only sixteen. A child. You might not look like it but you are older than her. Why should you bend to ask her?”

 Finally! someone who sees her and does not think of her as a little child. Sal sat on the statement for awhile while trying to tamp down the smile in her lips. 

Sal stopped herself, Lea is a goose, but she is not a liar. Maybe, if she will not grow to dislike Sgra Edihna but she will eventually. 

“Are you scared, little woman?” the older woman purred. “ Lea must have told you things but to be fair to her, she’s not totally wrong. I’m bad to bad people, I am good to good people. You’re good, aren’t you?” 

Sal nodded then stared up at the woman. A tall woman that she is. She has always been uneasy looking up at people. Signora Edihna was a particularly tall woman. She must behave. 

She followed the Signora onto the looming hallways. Large, spacious hallways they were that turned cavernous under the dim light like a dark forest. But who is she kidding? She let her feet lead her willingly despite the shadow of the tall woman.

The room, as expected is large like the ones in the hospicio. It was needlessly adorned with shining, glittering things. It was a lot different from the Casa, bare and beige. The Signor once said that only less virtuous women would display their gold like harlots. 

She accidentally placed an arm on a paper lying on a desk making her arm wet with fresh inked words. 

“Oh, dear. Such a delicate creature,” the Signora exclaimed as she handed her a towel to wipe her arm with and swiped the ruined paper away. 

Reading to the woman was a strange task, speaking for this long. Never raise your voice. Be delicate. Speak in whispers. Books are only for knowledge. On account of the woman’s poor taste, Sal read books which for lack of a better word, unvirtuous. 

Yet, there was a genuine brightness in the woman’s eyes and a childishness as she inquires what’s next, clearly watching her as she trudged through the horribly amorous cartoonish texts and yet, what was it here that elicits such a reaction?

 Soon, Sal too fell in. Curiosity perhaps, but maybe plain urge to probe how horrible the text was. 

It has been almost a week since she started reading to the woman nightly. Sal had already memorized her every reaction. This time, Sal took that black book from the shelf. 

The woman’s expression furrowed in confusion at the strange book she brought, but Sal continued on.Sal kept on her pace growing quicker.

Maiden Mara ugly as a toad

For a cloak of gold

her sister she sold

Down the river she lies

Clothed in a swath of flies

“See? A horrible, horrible book I must say isn’t it?” The woman glanced at her from her bed. 

The tale was not out of the ordinary but it did leave a bad taste despite the triumph of the main character. Sal closed the book and thumbed the edges. “The ending is truly unfortunate, but it feels bad to start a story and leave it unread.” 

“The writer is a moron. He likes his villains demons.” 

Sal pondered, “She was evil because the story was not about her.” 

“Any one with taste should trash this, forget it existed. Even a child could give this a proper ending. What do you say?” 

Sal squirmed in her seat just wanting to burst all the endings and ideas she has long thought of yet she remembered Lea’s words to behave. She chained back at the fact that she is being asked a question, 

“I don’t know, Madam. The ending is alright, I guess. The character was branded a villain so nothing else would be done for her fate.” she remarked, her head bowed as a heavy feeling overcame her. She apologized to the image of Ren in her head. 

The SIgnora fell quiet for some time. Eventually, she took a box from the bedside cabinet. She pulled out a gold locket not unlike any she has seen. She opened the locket where a mirror is placed. “My daughter always has this habit of pulling down baby hair from her bun. Had to tell her to use oil.” A frown took over her. 

Sal only stared at the box. “ Should I give it to her?” 

She paused, a slight expression crossing her face. 

It was her, wasn’t it? The one who the white chrysanthemums are for She hoped that she was wrong despite the nagging feeling.

The woman sighed. “ She might have been your age by now, small as she was. She was a cute baby, she’d cling and hide under my skirt as a child but as soon as she became a lady, she sprouted some lady horns.” 

She rested her head on the bed, closing her eyes. “ She hates me singing. She does not like duets.She hates to go to gatherings with me when it is her the only one I have for company. Lea must have thought her cousin obeys me all the time.”

She cringed to herself as the woman continued her story yet sat as to know more as she stared at the woman who smiled before. 

“What I told you, it is a secret between the two of us alright.” She whispered.”Even Lea does not know this. My family would celebrate if they see me like this.” She let out a small laugh. 

“ They brand me a fool but they are even more foolish themselves. Living another second in that house. All my grandfather’s mistresses playing games. All proud pretentios people that they are.” The woman’s voice trembled. “Our family is a joke. They are worth nothing without that piece of metal they call our heirloom.” 

Sal searched the woman’s face for any tears. There was none. Just hardened, cold indignity. 

“They set me up with a horrible man. He likes me so everything he does is alright, but did they see me? Stealing that heirloom sword was momentary foolishness of a child who did not know any better. A momentary mistake. But the freedom is worth the pain.” 

Rage. Familiar rage it was in the woman’s face. It was the nails buried in her palms.It was the last sliver of her voice sobbing the first night she was caged in the Casa.

This woman seemed happy, yet Sal could only remember Oleon,how she acted silly around him when he was fighting illness. 

She looked at the mirror, dark her face is. She averted her gaze and whispered. “ Does Lea hate the clan too?” 

Signora Edihna gathered herself before responding. “ She is a Ruotzhe, there was no reason for her to hate my family with how generous they are.” 

Sal noted the mocking tone in her voice. “She told me she does not like you.” 

“As expected” 

“But she talks about her brother a lot.” 

“The one who died”Signora said casually. 

Sal paused and crumpled the mattress in her hands. “She loves her family. Rio. She says she needs the sword. “Sal whispered, “The sword you stole.” 

The woman stood up from the bed and turned away from Sal. “So, this was it all along.” A wry tone in her voice. 

She hates the clan, she said, it was a measly piece of metal she said. “Why do you keep it still?” 

“Revenge, of course-”She faltered. 

There was only silence. A heavy cloud descending on them. 

“Go now, I am already falling asleep. Take that shitty book with you.” 

Sal did as she was told, curiosity unsated, only pursed lips and fake smiles, but before she got outside the door, Signora Edihna handed her a note.

“Find Abeng. Do whatever you want.”