Next Part of When the Sea is Calling

Throughout cooking class, Mrs. Kate scolded and praised, depending on how the food came out.  Mine came out ‘average’, as Mrs. Kate put it.  It was a cinnamon roll, and I thought it tasted good enough.  Mrs. Kate agreed, but warned me that I may not be a genius French Chef, like her ‘grandmuzzer’.  I was surprised how many French teachers there were here, but France is supposed to be developed, romantic, and beautiful, so it is a magnet for everyone’s attentions.

         Before class was over, Kerrie came up to me and dipped her finger in my roll casually.

         “It’s good.”  She said, looking bored.  “Mrs. Kate said mine was ‘very good.’

         “She said mine was average.”  I say jokingly, looking sad.

         Kerrie laughed once, looking surprised but pleased at my joke.

         “Where are you from?”  I ask, changing the subject.

         “Does it matter?”  She retorts coldly, her brown eyes narrowing.

         “No, no…” I stammer, hoping I hadn’t offended her for good.

         “Well.”  She began, a bit gentler.  “I’m from China, which is far away, in Asia.”

         “Wow.”  I say, wondering what it would be like to live there.  “What’s it like there?”

         “Ummm…” She ponders, looking up at the ceiling for guidance.

         “Proper girls do not um.”  Mrs. Kate sniffs from behind us.  “They fill uncertainty with small talk.”

         “Yes, Mrs. Kate.”  Kerrie chants, and I do the same.

         “Here.”  Kerrie mutters as soon as she’s out of sight.  “Come stand with Jaimy and me.”

         “Okay.”  I agree, wondering at my good luck in meeting the girls so quickly and easily.

         “Hey Jaimy.”  Kerrie calls respectively.  Jaimy looks up and gives me a glance, her arched eyebrows raising more.

         “This is Marin, right?”  She introduced, making sure she got my name right.  “She’s funny.”

         “Hello.”  Said Jaimy silkily.  “I’m Jaimy.”

         “I know.”  I say, trying to sound impressed. 

         “Well?”  Jaimy pushes, leaning forward as if she couldn’t hear what I was saying.

         “I…I…” I stammer, trying to find the right words.

         “Oh, Mrs. Kate.”  Jaimy calls icily.  Mrs. Kate rushes to her.  “This sticky roll has made me thirsty.  Perhaps a glass of lemonade…”

         “Of course, dear.”  Mrs. Kate says obediently.

         Okay, scratch ‘trying to sound impressed’.  I was very, very impressed.

         “So, how long have you been here?”  I ask Jaimy, hoping for an answer that was more than one word long.

         “Oh, I’ve been here a very long time.”  She answers easily, playing with her hair.  “Even before Madi.”

         “I see.”  I mumble sheepishly, intimidated by her power.

         I watched as she idly took the glass of lemonade from Mrs. Kate’s hand without a word of thanks.

Jaimy gulped down the lemonade greedily, the salty, sour liquid quickly disappearing from the glass.  She drained it easily, and set it down on a counter.  She turned to smile innocently at me, and I heard a bell ring in the distance.

"Ah, girls."  Mrs. Kate announced.  "Time to change stations."

      Eager to leave the kitchen, I bounded up the stairs, almost skipping to my next class.

      By the end of the day, I wasn't so energetic.  The hard work had me worn, and I slouched through the hallways to my bedroom, ignoring the secretive giggles and whispers spilling from behind closed doors.  Nell was already in bed, stitching absentmindedly on a rag.

      "Nell?"  I whisper hesitantly. 

      "You want me to tell the story?"  She guessed, eyebrows raised expectantly.

      "Um, no."  I replied, squinting my eyes, ready for her exasperated sigh.  It didn't come.  "I'm really tired."

      "Of course."  Nell agreed amiably.  "We all are on our first days here.  It's quite a load after a life of simple day to day chores.  That's why no one here wants to be a servant.  We all know what it will be like for us."  Nell was almost talking to herself now, a melancholy sigh lingering in her steady voice.

      "You can tell me the story a night when I'm not so tired."  I compromise, hoping that she would agree.  I hated myself for putting it off, but the truth was that I was exhausted.  I'd fall asleep in the first few sentences, no matter how intriguing the story was.  I heard Nell pull her needle through the thick cloth and knew that she saw no problem in the delay of her story.  I fell asleep quickly.

      That night, I dreamed that Mrs. Sump dragged me to the Room of Wanting's intricate gold doors and pushed me through the gap towards the calling voices.  I didn't remember what happened in the room, only what the voices said.

      Marin, come swim in our oceans, come taste our king crab.  Come wear our silver silks, come play our crystal glasses filled with water.  Come join your mother, for she is waiting.