Eight

Anna reached her hand toward the dark water that the half zombie was lounging in and the vine creature grabbed her hand.

“Either it will harm you or him if you put your hand in that water.” Viney smiled faintly. “I will not risk harm to him.”

“I didn’t know that. The water looks, I mean, it looks thick. It kind of reminds me of something I saw at a spa once. Like, it should either feel really nice or really weird and I was curious.”

The man in the bath chuckled, “It’s both. I’ve never been to a spa. If this is what it’s like, maybe I should.”

“I recommend it. I’ve gone to a few, usually with my aunts or my stepmom.”

“You hang out with your stepmom?”

“I don’t know if hang out is the right word. She tries to bond now and then, I’m pretty sure Dad suggests it, and I’m always nice to her and polite about it. She’s only like three years older than I am so she’s not hard to socialize with.”

He gave a low whistle through his teeth. “How old is your dad?”

“Mid forties.”

“So she’s in her twenties? He’s not worried she’s just a gold digger?”

“Oh, he knows. A mid twenties woman with a mid forties guy? But she’s good to him and not a monster to me, plus he wants more kids so the math lines up, you know?”

Nodding with a shrug, he said, “Makes sense.”

“Do I get to know your name at any point or-”

The half zombie broke into laughter. “Sure, I’m Aurelio Mazzuca. Most people call me Heavy. I was a boxer when I was younger, heavyweight.”

Anna looked at him and tilted her head. “I dated an Angelo Mazzuca when I was a teen, my dad’s family was pissed about it.”

“Why is that?” His eyes narrowed.

“Because I met him through his sister who was a scholarship student at my school. She was a year below me but I made it a point to make friends with her because people were being nasty.”

“He has a sister?”

“Yeah, like four years younger than he is. There’s also the fact he was nineteen and I was sixteen.”

“Did you meet his folks?”

“I met his mom. His dad was in prison. He didn’t talk about him much.”

Frowning impressively he asked, “And his sister, do they have the same dad?”

“That is not a question you ask. They look alike, you can tell they’re siblings but they both look a lot like their mom. I didn’t even see a picture of his dad so…” Anna shrugged. “His mom said his dad hated pictures but she kept money on his books and they visited him. I didn’t pry.”

“What’s her name?”

“Mrs. Mazzuca.” She grinned as Heavy barked a laugh. “Apparently, they got married just before he went to prison, Ange told me she said he could marry her and have money put on his books and she’d bring the kids to visit or she’d sue for child support and he’d never see the kids again. I never heard her called anything but ‘Ma’ or ‘Mrs. Mazzuca’.”

“His cousins didn’t call her Aunt?”

“I never met any of his cousins. I do know that after his dad went to prison his mom moved as far across the city as she could afford to because she didn’t want Ange following in his father's footsteps and that side of the family was trouble. He told me they called him ‘Angie’ anyway and he hated it so it wasn’t such a big deal not to talk to them.” 

Heavy sighed and then shrugged. “How was he doing? How broke were they?”

“They weren’t broke. His mom started a cleaning business and they lived pretty comfortably. Ange was smart and he went to school for computer stuff and business. He wanted to found a start-up.”

“If they were doing good why did, what’s her name by the way, the girl? Why was she on a scholarship?”

“Valeria Ann Mazzuca. Val is crazy smart but even doing well her mom couldn't afford to send her to Silver Oak.”

He gave another low whistle. “Silver Oak? She’s in there?”

“Yeah, she graduated and got into Yale. I haven't talked to her in awhile but she was doing great last time I did.”

“My kid got into Yale and you’re going to some no name-”

“I’m a harpist. I did try to get into Juilliard but they didn’t have a spot for me and when I offered to change instruments they gave me a hard side-eye.” Anna made a face. “I picked Broad River because it had the programs I wanted and some really excellent teachers. I’m majoring in Harp and I’m minoring in business. It’s kind of geared toward the music business but concepts transfer.

“You don’t major in Harp and expect to make bank like Val and Ange will. I have a trust I’ll get access to in a few years and I can live comfortably while pursuing something I enjoy.”

Smiling, Heavy shrugged, “What did Mrs. Mazzuca think of you?”

“As Val’s friend? She loved me. As her son’s girlfriend? Not so much. She stopped just short of calling me a gold digger. We actually, Ange and I actually broke up over it, sort of. He was my first everything and when I was applying to colleges he wanted me to look at other programs offered.” Anna took a deep breath. “The night we broke up, we’d had some wine with dinner and then a little more back at his place. We were in bed when he started suggesting that I do something more practical.

“I tried to explain that I didn’t need to be crazy rich, I just wanted to be comfortable and doing something I enjoyed. He started talking about me needing to match his ambition, and I said my ambition is to live a happy and comfortable life. Ange said something about his mother saying things about him needing to look out for gold diggers, and I sat up and made a flip comment about him having his own brain to use and he shouldn’t let her dictate his life because she’s got her own to be in charge of. He hit me in the mouth.”

“Good.” Heavy nodded, “You were being disrespectful.”

“My tone might not have been the most respectful but I wasn’t f*****g wrong. Letting your mother dictate your life is a good way to die alone. No woman is going to put up with that.” She gave him a stern frown, “I got up, got my clothes on, and filled a trashbag with the s**t I had at his place while he sat on the bed and watched. As I was going to the door he tried to say I was being childish leaving like this over an argument and I’d be bringing my things back the next day.

“I told him,” she paused and took a deep breath, “I told him I wasn’t breaking up over the argument, or even over his mother being stuck up his a*s, I was leaving because he hit me and I would not be coming back.”

Heavy blinked, “Did he belt you one or was it-”

“You don’t hit people you love. Not ever. He got mad and hit me. It doesn’t matter how hard.” Anna took another deep breath, “I was a minor, I was almost eighteen but not quite so I didn’t have a place of my own, I was staying with my aunt. I went home, burst into tears and eventually told her about what happened.

“She called the lawyer and discussed whether or not charges could be pressed. I told her I didn't want to press charges and she called me an idiot for having dated him in the first place and I would do as I was told.” 

Leaning toward her, Heavy scowled and asked quietly, “Did you send my kid to jail?”

“No. Because there wasn’t a mark on me and he’d heard me say I didn’t want to press charges, the lawyer advised that if ‘Mr. Mazzuca’ contacted me and refused to stop, my aunt could file a restraining order, other than that there wasn’t anything to be done.

“I blocked him across everything and I haven't spoken to him since. I do know he went out to California and he’s making bank as far as his start-up goes. He’s dating models, a new one every time someone takes his picture so…” Anna shrugged and Heavy relaxed back into the water.

“You weren’t with him for the money?”

“No. I was with him because I liked him. I encouraged him to do what made him happy and told him all the time that he was absolutely smart enough to reach his goals. I didn’t need him for anything financial, I wanted to be with him because I thought he was amazing. And then he proved me wrong.”

It was quiet for a moment and then Heavy sighed, “He probably learned that from me. I smacked his ma like that a few times.”

“Why did she want to be married to you?” Anna made a dubious face, furrowing her brow and frowning, “Why would she bother? I mean, if we’re talking about the same woman, clearly she didn’t need you. She built a cleaning business and took care of herself and her kids. Mrs. Mazzuca seemed like she had more self-respect than that.”

“Sara was always smart and she had a thing for boxers. Even when I stopped boxing she thought I was sexy. I don’t know about marrying her. I know she wants to but I don’t.”

Anna stared at him with a frown. “We can’t be talking about the same woman. She didn’t seem like the type to wait around if she wanted something. And she didn’t seem like the type to put up with a guy who didn’t treat her well either.”

“I treat her fine.” Heavy narrowed his eyes.

“You hit her? You know she wants to get married and you’re having kids with her and stringing her along? How is that treating her well?”

“Your parents aren’t even together so-”

“‘Cause my mom is dead! They didn’t divorce. She bled out while miscarrying in the f*****g garden! I know what treating someone well looks like. My parents loved each other. Dad is a pushover most of the time but my mom gave him a spine. He would stand up against his family for her to make sure she was treated respectfully. 

“I’m a lot like my dad in a lot of ways, neither one of us wants anything more than to be happy and comfortable, and we’re both ambivalent about more things than we probably should be but we also both stand up for the people we care about and hurting them isn’t-People say ‘Oh hurting you is the last thing I want to do.’ That means it’s on the list of things they’re willing to do. 

“Hurting someone I love doesn’t make the list because I refuse to allow it to be a possibility. That’s love. That’s treating someone well. They get support to be the best version of themselves they can be, they get affection, they get listened to and respected. They don’t get smacked, they don’t get their feelings toyed with.”

Heavy grunted and came out of the dark water. “You didn’t even give Ange a chance to explain himself or apologize.”

“You can’t unhit someone. There’s no explanation or apology that matters if you shatter someone’s trust. Besides,” Anna sighed, “if I hadn’t blocked him and prevented him from contacting me, my family would have ruined him. It was better for everyone that way.”

Drying himself off, Heavy shrugged, “You don’t think that hurt him?”

“My breaking up with him was a direct result of him hitting me. I didn’t press charges, and I kept my family from going after him by blocking him. If you knew my family at all you’d know that was the kindest thing I could have done.”

“You said your dad had to stick up for your mom against his family?”

“Yeah. She was a foster kid. They knew each other for like a month before they eloped and his family cut him off for it. They didn’t even speak to him until I was born. They were a hundred percent sure that my mom was with him for the money but she didn’t leave him when he was cut off, jobless and broke. Mom supported him by busking.”

Heavy turned and studied her for a moment. “You’re not a stuck up b***h because your mom didn’t let you be.”

“Dad doesn’t approve of that kind of classist BS either but… Mom made sure I knew about her life and that I understood money doesn’t make you better than anybody else. After she died I was sent to stay with Dad’s family a lot. He was in rough shape. They bounced me around and they made certain that my manners were good enough that I wouldn’t embarrass them. It was made clear that they saw my mother as a shortcoming I needed to make up for. 

“That’s one of the things that’s been coming up in this sieve. You know? Who am I really? What am I willing to tolerate? Who do I take after more, Mom who was resolute but could still go with the flow, Dad who tends to take the path of least resistance, or his family, polite but ruthless. I know who I want to be but I’m struggling with the line between resolute and ruthless.”

That made him chuckle. “I guessed that when you dropped that metal grate on that other a*****e.”

“That wasn’t deliberate!” She gave him a wry smile. “I still don’t feel bad about it, I mean, he was insisting I come along so he could kill me.”

“You could try to make it up to him.” Femnik peeked around the corner. 

“And die politely? I think not.” Anna gave him an exasperated smile. “I’ve had at least one therapist tell me that learning to be okay with being the villain in someone else’s story is personal growth. I can be the villain in his story, that’s fine. I am unbothered.

“Has he apologized to you and everybody else, by the way? I don’t know what kind of apology would make up for helping to lock innocent people into utterly inhumane conditions but he should probably at least try.”

The creature broke into a grin, “I like you much better than I like Yvenalyn.”

“I’m a little torn, if she’s really going to make it so that I survive whatever injuries I got falling into that well, I want to wish her well. On the other hand, she helped put people into a horrific situation. This is clearly not a good person whose meat suit I’m walking around in.”

Heavy broke into laughter, “Meat suit! A f*****g meat suit.”

“Do you have a better way to phrase it? If we can be pulled out and stuck into a different one, basically that makes our bodies meat suits, right? Our bodies might be part of who we are but,” she shrugged and sighed.

“I like it.” Heavy grinned at her. “Have you seen any mirrors? I want to find out what I look like in this dream.”

“Osros had a mirror, I’m not sure where it is because the maid ran to get it. It’s really weird to see someone else’s face in the mirror. I’m not bad looking, you know, in my regular meat suit but-”

He laughed again and shook his head.

“Maybe take it into consideration how you’re going to feel seeing a different face looking back at you. It’s… it’s a head trip.”

“Is it ugly?” Heavy gestured to his face.

“It’s um, if I wasn’t aware that this is some kind of dream-like thing, if I saw you like, peek around a corner at me on the quad I’d scream and run. You look kind of terrifying.”

“It might not be that far off then. A lot of people tell me I’m scary looking.”

“Is that why you don’t like pictures?” Anna tilted her head.

He shrugged.

“Pictures?” Femnik dipped his fingers into the thick looking water. “Portriats?”

“Think, um, it’s hard to explain but you know how light reflects off of things? Someone figured out how to make paper that could, um, preserve that reflection.” Anna smiled wryly. “We’ve come a long way since then but that’s how it started. A picture like what I’m talking about shows exactly what’s there and it happens in an instant.”

“The first ones I ever saw were old, brought over when my family moved to New York from Italy, pictures of dead family members.” Heavy nodded, “When they first figured it out they would take pictures of dead people to remember them. I got raised by my Noni and she said pictures stole a part of your soul. She was right about a lot when I was growing up, so why risk it?”

Anna shivered. “That makes me not want to have any more pictures taken. That’s a creepy thought.”

He chuckled, “Yeah. Doesn’t your family have old pictures?”

“Yeah, but not out where people can see them. They prefer to hang painted portraits. They’re classier apparently. I think they’re kind of ridiculous but I did sit for one when I was eighteen. After Ange and I broke up I kind of… I let my family provide direction. I had a coming-out party, with a really gorgeous dress. I didn't go straight into college like I had planned to. I hung out with my cousins doing stupid rich people things like yacht parties and clubbing in Miami instead.

“My Dad and step-mom sat me down and had a talk with me about it after a few months. I picked a school that wasn’t close to my family to get my head clear. It’s a pretty decent school, they have some really great programs but it’s not what people expected. It let me start feeling like a real person again and not like a hollow imitation of one. I’m pretty sure I’ll never be a ‘cleans her own house and does her own laundry’ kind of girl, but I’m not like my cousins either. I’m not high maintenance.”

He gave a small laugh, “If you don’t even do your own laundry you’re high maintenance.”

Anna made a face at him, sticking out her tongue and he grinned. 

“Go pick me out some kind of clothes, Annie.”

“Ann-uh, Anna not Annie.”

“Same thing,” he chuckled.

“Okay then, Mr. Maccuza.” She put on an innocent smile as he leveled a black look her way. “If you want me to get your name right you need to get mine right. And, I mean, it’s got the right letters in it doesn’t it?”

His eyes narrowed and he huffed a laugh, “Alright, Anna. I was trying to be friendly.”

“I don’t like being called Annie. Friendly is calling me what I like to be called. Unless you want to come up with a cool nickname like the one you have, ‘Heavy’ is a badass nickname.”

Anna got up from where she was kneeling and went up to Osros’ room, the man’s things looked as if they’d been ransacked and two of the more human looking creatures were still pawing through things. They gave her distrustful looks as she stepped into the room. 

“Don’t mind me, I’m looking for some clothing for Mr. Mazzuca.”

“Gnir rarely wears more than a cloth around his hips.”

“Good for him. Mr. Mazzuca asked for clothing.” Anna gave them an annoyed look. “I find it difficult to believe you’re struggling with what trading meat suits means considering that’s something I was told you do.”

Going into the small room filled with clothing she looked around with a frown, most of it was in a garish shade of red and she started looking through it for anything that wasn’t.

“What are you looking for?” Femnik peeked in with a smile. “You look displeased.”

“Ask Mr. Mazzuca how he feels about red. I’d consider wearing the drapes if these were my only other option.”

The feathered creature laughed. “The color can be changed.”

“In that case,” she pulled out clothing similar to what Orilen and Edelath had been wearing. “The Lords I met were wearing things like this. It’s not like the styles we’re used to but like they say, when in Rome. If he doesn’t like the cut there may be more.”

“Thoughtful.” He gave her a pleased look. “Did you know that you behave differently when you have a task and when you don’t?”

Anna blinked. “No, what do you mean?” She brought the clothing out and he gestured for her to go first.

“When you have a task you are serious and slightly unpleasant. When you do not, you are charming and friendly.”

“Oh. That makes a certain kind of sense. If I have something to do I-” she stopped and blinked as she walked in on the vine creature embracing Heavy with a leg over his hip. “Oh hell no.”

“You cannot-” Viney started and blinked as Anna marched forward.

“Mrs. Mazzuca probably hates me and that’s fine, but if you think I’m going to just be chill with you stepping out on her-”

“I’m not stepping out.” Heavy cracked a smile. “Hallai was just letting me know I could.”

“Uh-huh. ‘Hallai’ should start praying that Mrs. Mazzuca never finds out. She’ll wish hell was a place she could escape to-” Heavy broke into laughter and Anna continued, “I went out to dinner with her, Val, and Ange before I started dating Ange and someone from school came up and made a rude comment about Val. Mrs. Mazzuca put her finger under his chin and-”

Bending over as he bellowed out his laughter, Heavy took a moment to compose himself, “Yeah, I’ve seen her do that.”

“She was scary, like, scarier than you currently look.”

 His grin was wide, “Yeah, that’s why I’m with her.”

“I don’t understand.” Hallai looked baffled and amused. “I fear no one-”

“You should.” Heavy shook his head, “Sara doesn't play about some things. I might not be the best guy but I don’t step out, it’s only partly because she’s the only one who thinks I’m sexy.”

“And if you think she wouldn’t hold me partly responsible for letting it happen,” Anna gave the vine creature a pointed look, “you may not have the sense to be afraid but I do.”

Heavy laughed again. “I do love her.”

“Even though she probably hates me at this point, I still think she's an absolute badass. It takes a lot to be basically a single mom and do as well as she did.”

“What’s all that red s**t?”

“Osros’ clothes are all red. Femnik said the color can be changed so I brought pieces like what the Lords I met were wearing.”

“Putting the cloth in the water will darken them.” Hallai nodded. “I will do it.” 

Anna handed the clothing over. As the vine creature was dunking them she asked Heavy, “So, what do you think we should do once we’re all clean and dressed?”

“What is it the guy you talked to said we should do?”

“He didn’t say, just that we have something to do and either we will or we won’t. I guess basically we just try to figure out who we are and who we want to be.”

“I never thought much about that.”

“I’ve kind of had to with my family being the way they are but not-not this intensely if that makes sense.”

“Yeah.” Reaching out he patted her on the back. “You seem like a decent kid. Sorry for calling you a stuck up b***h.”

“Thanks. If we’re really from the same world at least you know you’ll live.”

“Yeah.” He chuckled, “When you say it I feel like that’s right.”

“What terrifies me is that I’ve been told a few times now that I won’t be going home and that felt… real.”

He grunted. “Maybe it’s part of the, what did you call it, a sieve? Figuring out what you’ll do when you have nothing left to lose? I’ve already been there.”

“Maybe.” Anna sighed, “If I die I want to at least make something better. I don’t think I’ve done much with my life that I can really point to and say that. Maybe this is a chance for me to do that.”

“You said you met Lords?”

“Yeah, I can tell you all about that if you want me to. But bear in mind I was absolutely certain that this is all a dream so try not to get pissed if I frame it that way, alright?”

With a wry smile, he chuckled, “I’ll try.”