CEL

“Hey.”

Cel sits in one of Nuageux’s forested courtyards, waiting for Nora to get out of the bathroom so they can go home. Cel’s leaning against a short brick wall that cuts off a grassy incline from a concrete footpath. Sylvie Arsenault faces her, hands buried in her pockets.

“Hey,” Cel mocks in a clipped tone. “What do you want?”

“Nora’s chatting with one of my friends,” Sylvie explains. “You and me need to talk about what happened this morning.”

“I’m not one for idle chit-chat,” Cel remarks.

“Yeah, I get that.” Sylvie shifts her weight from boot to boot. Her white hair is neatly pinned back. Her pale skin looks nearly translucent in the shade. She and Lache are quite alike. They often sit together in the cafeteria. It’s the only time Nora refrains from being right up under her girlfriend. Lache’s too antagonistic, and every time Nora comes across her without Cel, Lache allegedly tries to convince Nora that Cel isn’t worth her loyalty. Nora has told Cel this plenty of times with apparent disdain, but Cel still doubts that Nora truly wants to stick with her.

“I really like Nora,” Sylvie says.

Cell rolls her eyes. “Tell me something I don’t know.”

“I don’t particularly like you though.”

Cel barks a laugh. “Get in line.”

Sylvie sniffs primly. “I’m not interested in putting up with you forever.”

“The feeling’s mutual.” Cel pushes off the wall, anticipating an argument. Adrenaline begins buzzing through her veins.

“I know it’s silly to think Nora and I can stay together after I graduate. I was just hoping to smooth things over in the meantime. You can stand walking to class alone once in a while, can’t you?” Sylvia asks.

“You won’t stay with her?” Cel glares up at Sylvie. “Do you have any idea how much Nora likes you?”

“She has to know it can’t last forever.”

Cel balls her hands. “You don’t deserve her!”

Sylvie scowls. “And you do? Your father keeps her as a prize. He took her from her homeland!”

“It was that or Chitir. Daddy saved her.”

“Oh ‘Daddy’ did?” Sylvie laughs. “Cores! When Lache told me you still call him that I thought she was joking!”

Cel flushes. Fire licks at the back of her throat, inciting a bout of panic. Keep it in! Keep it in! Keep it in! Her vision bleeds reds at the edges, but she can’t get Sylvie’s cruel words out of her head.

Nora comes in out of nowhere, tossing her arm over Cel’s shoulders, and Cel’s anger recedes. She glances up to see Nora giving Sylvie an unimpressed frown.

“Really, Syl?” she says. “You gonna wait until I’m distracted to confront Cel.”

“She’s planning to dump you after graduation,” Cel says mercilessly, “and she wants me to stay away from you.”

Nora’s arm tenses, but she doesn't look terribly surprised, merely lifts a brow at Sylvie as if to say: are you gonna deny it?

“Well, that’s that I guess,” Sylvie says. With a resolved look, she takes something off her neck. She passes over Nora’s most prized possession, her sea cookie necklace. Cel knew Nora gave it to her for safekeeping roughly a year ago. She hadn’t approved, but she knew it wasn’t her place to say so, but her disapproval was apparently valid, for down the middle of the little pink sea urchin is a substantial crack.

Nora holds it in her hand delicately. She looks like she might cry.

“You broke it?” she whispers.

Sylvie rubs the back of her neck and shrugs. “It was kinda hard not to.”

“Uncle Arthur gave me this,” Nora says, sounding lost. She glances up, her jaw sharpening with tension. “He gave me this so I’d have something to help me remember Busurul.”

“Well, I didn’t mean to break it.” Sylvie takes a step back. She shoots Cel a dark look. “I hope you find someone who can tolerate your family one day, Nora, or that they let you off your leash.”

Cel’s anger returns in full force, but Nora pins her in place by the shoulder. The trembling of her fingers stills Cel and sends a cold chill lancing through her.

“It was good knowing you, Sylvie,” Nora says, her voice breaking around the other girl’s name.

Sylvie nods grimly and, without another word, walks away.

“Nora,” Cel starts.

“Don’t.” Nora shakes her head. Water trails down her cheeks. “Just drop it, Cel. Let’s go home.” She tucks the sea cookie away and wipes her face with the back of her hand. She strides forward without her usual cheer and Cel follows sedately.

Sylvie Arsenault, she thinks coldly, you will pay.