Giordano's Mask -- Chapter 1 of 6

We cleared customs easily, even with Jessica's fake passport. The official seemed tired and not at all pleased to be processing Americans. He perked up, however, and a glint showed in his eyes, when I thanked him in my halting Italian.

He said to have a fun trip. I smiled at him.

Two girls were waiting for us in the terminal. Both were pretty, the older in her early twenties, the younger probably fifteen. I guessed they were sisters. Both were olive skinned with dark hair and the same deep set eyes. The older was fashionably dressed with designer labels on everything, even her sunglasses. The younger seemed rebellious. She wore American jeans and a sleeveless t-shirt.

They recognized us right way. "Are you Rachel?" the younger asked, in English.

"Yes," I replied.

"I'm Katia, from the Milanese coven. This is my sister Fiorella. Will you need help with your bags?"

"Yes, please," Lauren said, handing the older sister her little orange tote. The girl took it with that vacant expression that said she didn't understand.

"Fi doesn't speak English," Katia said.

"So I gather," I replied. Lauren frowned.

I handed my blue suitcase to Katia. It was heavy, but I guessed that the girl was stronger than she looked. I was right. She hoisted the bag easily, and we headed outside.

Jess had only her backpack, which stayed on her back.

They had a small blue minivan. Fiorella drove, and I popped into the front passenger seat. The remaining girls piled into the back.

She started the van and backed out. She pulled down the ramp and exited the garage. When we got onto the highway, she looked over at me. I smiled. She gave me a pinched expression. She looked me up and down. Her eyes lingered on my little denim skirt and nineteen dollar sneakers. I could tell that she didn't approve.

"The Americans have ugly clothes," she said to her sister in Italian, "Except the one. She's nice."

I was sure she meant Lauren. I agreed. Lauren indeed looked nice.

"Don't be mean!" Katia said, "Their clothes are fine."

"Oh, but they show bad taste. A woman should dress nice when she travels."

"You'll offend them."

"They don't even understand me. Stupid Americans."

Fiorella glanced at me, then over her shoulder. Lauren smiled nervously, seeming to sense the falling mood. Jess, with her eyes glued to Katia, sitting pressed next to the girl with their legs touching, seemed oblivious.

"So, Fiorella," I said in Italian, "How long have you been a witch?" I gave her a big grin.

I wry smile crept across her face.

"Since I was Katia's age," she replied. She showed not a hint of embarrassment.

"And you, Katia?"

"Oh, they started training me when I was eleven, I think it was."

Back to Fiorella. "So, it's too bad Lauren can't speak Italian. I think you'd make great friends."

"Oh? Why is that?"

"You're a fashionable Milanese girl. That's pretty much her fantasy."

She glanced back at Lauren again.

"She is pretty. I like her jacket."

"She really wants to go shopping in Milan. Perhaps you can take us, show us the best shops?"

"That would be nice."

We drove on. We passed through a town, then switched to a six lane highway. The signs showed that we were heading toward the city.

"You know what," Fiorella said.

"What?"

"I want to buy you something nice. Maybe a little dress? An Ana Pires I think."

"No," I said flatly.

"Oh? But why not? You'd look so beautiful."

"I just don't want that."

She frowned. She pursed her lips.

"I don't like you," she said.

I said nothing.

We entered a stretch of road with green fields to our left and a town to our right. The buildings looked modern.

The girls in the back began giggling. I turned to see that Jess and Katia had retreated to the far back seat and were hugging and kissing. Lauren sat in the middle seat with a bemused look.

"Your sister likes us fine," I muttered.

We passed the buildings and were back in the countryside. Fiorella kept her eyes locked on the road. The sounds in back got more intense. The kissing changed to wet sucking. The giggling changed to pleasant moans. I glanced back. Jessica had her panties off, and Katia was wedged on the floor of the van eating her.

Leave it to Jess, I thought to myself. We were in Italy less than an hour, and she already had a pretty girl lapping at her cunt.

I glanced at the older sister. She looked displeased.

"Would you like to start over?" I asked, "You're very beautiful."

I smiled and touched her leg. Her frown only deepened. I stroked her arm. She twitched her shoulder. I leaned away, sitting back in my seat.

Pity, I thought. Fucking her would have been fun.

Our Hotel was in the northern part of the city: the Hotel Bernina on the Via Torriani. It was a modern building on a modern looking street. Fiorella parked the van against the sidewalk. We got out and got our bags.

Katia got out with us. Fiorella stayed in the van.

"Do you need help carrying up your bags?" Katia asked.

I could sense her sister's baleful stare.

"No. We'll be fine."

"OK. So—I guess you'll want some rest. We'll come back around dinner time to pick you up. Signora Borghi is looking forward to meeting you."

"That'll be good," I said.

"Yeah," Lauren agreed.

Jess stood there, her hands in her pockets, waiting. Katia went to her. They embraced and kissed. Then the girl got back in the van with her sister and they drove off. We grabbed our bags. We entered the hotel.

It was a lovely room, with twin beds, blue sheets, and a beautiful parquet floor. We had our own bathroom.

After a shower, I lay on the bed with wet hair and wearing only a towel. Falling water could still be heard—Lauren taking her own shower. Jess lay on the other bed, grinning. She'd been grinning since we'd left the other girls.

"Katia!" she said, "Ka-ti-a," sounding it out. She grasped her hands in front of chest and rolled over smiling.

"So—you like her?" I asked.

"Yes!"

"She's quite lovely, but don't fall too in love. We're only in Milan for two days."

"I know. That is why I have to get all my love in at once. I hope we see her tonight."

"I'm sure we will. The Milanese Coven is feeding us."

She lay back again, and spread out her arms.

"Katia!"

I looked at her again. She looked back at me.

What if she really fell in love? What if she decided to stay?

"You're worried I'm going to stay, aren't you?"

"No."

"Yes you are! I can see it."

"OK. So I am."

She lay quietly for a bit.

"Katia," she said again, "My dear Katia."

She fell in love so quickly. How quickly could she fall out?

She rolled entirely on her side and stared at me. Her face turned more serious, as if reflecting on something.

"Don't worry. Come kiss me."

I went and lay next to her, wrapping her with my arm. We kissed. She snuggled in close. I had left my towel on the other bed.

The water stopped. Moments later Lauren came out, drying off her hair.

"Well, look at the little lovebirds," she said.

I kissed Jessica's cheek.

"So, how long do you think we have until dinner?" Lauren asked.

"Well, they just said 'dinner time', but they eat late. I expect they'll show up about six-thirty or seven."

It was a shade past two O'Clock. Lauren got a big smile. "Maybe we could go shopping?"

"Tomorrow, sweetie. We have to take the train to get to the fashion district. And we still need to change money."

"Couldn't we just shift?"

"I'm afraid to use such powerful magic here, before I know more about the spirits of the place. I don't want anyone to know how easily I can shift."

Lauren shrugged. "Fine! You obviously underestimate the importance of shopping!" She smiled. "Anyhow, maybe we could change money now, so we don't have to tomorrow."

"Yeah. We can do that now."

We got dressed. We left Jess laying on the bed, mooning for Katia.

"So, Jess is in love," Lauren said, as we exited the hotel.

"Yeah. Seems so."

"Katia was cool—well—in that 'holy crap she's fucking my friend' sort of way. What's up with her sister, though?"

I shrugged my shoulders.

"I liked her shoes," she went on, "Too bad she was a bitch."

"Yeah. She hated our clothes."

"Oh?"

She frowned.

I smiled. "'Cept yours, sweetie. She thought yours were nice."

I nudged her with my elbow. She grinned and nudged me back.

"You sure know how to hurt a girl," she said.

"Really? How so? I didn't even notice."

"Ha! Don't pretend you're oblivious to my commitment to style!"

"Of course not, my dear. One couldn't fail to notice."

We were within walking distance of the train station, and there were plenty of places to change money. I found a bank just across the street and left with six-hundred euros. I hoped it would be enough.

Back to the hotel. A guy and girl whizzed by on scooters. They waved. Lauren spun and waved back. A cute boy ran up and opened the door for us. I thanked him. We strolled through the lobby. There were modernist paintings on the wall, originals as far as I could tell. Even the hotel had good art.

"I like Italy," Lauren said.

"Yeah. It isn't bad."

We passed the rest of the afternoon napping and lazing around the room. We called down to room service, and had them bring us coffee and snacks.

Our window opened over the street, so I pulled up a chair and leaned out a bit. I sipped my coffee and watched the world pass by.

It drew into evening.

"We should probably get ready," Lauren said.

"Yeah. So look—about that."

"Yeah?" Lauren asked.

"I have sort of a weird feeling. I'm not sure how much I really trust these Milanese witches—"

Jessica heard me, and sat up.

"—so," I went on, "I want you to stay close to me, Lauren."

"OK."

"Actually, I guess you should both stay close to me. Alright Jess?"

"Sure," she gulped out.

"I mean it. Its cool if you spend some time with Katia, but stay on guard."

"Yeah, OK. I can still see Katia?"

"Yeah."

"Then I'm good."

"And I'd like Lauren to recharge us before we go."

Lauren smiled. Jessica's eyes got big. Suddenly she seemed real excited.

"I have no problem with that," Lauren said. She leaned to Jessica and they kissed.

"Right. So, I don't know what sort of rumors they've heard over here, but we have to assume they might have heard of you and have some idea how powerful you are."

"Mmm hmm," Lauren mumbled as Jess kissed her face. She rubbed Jessica's ass.

"So, I want you to be very careful. They might try something."

"Yeah, sure," she said, as she pushed Jess down on the bed and rolled her over.

"Good," I said.

Lauren pushed Jess's skirt up and started kissing her ass through her panties.

"We can't be too careful."

Jessica's panties came down. She got up onto her knees with her butt in the air. Lauren pressed her face up between her legs. I heard very wet sounds.

Jess let out an long, soothing moan. She yanked on the sheets. She squirmed. I knew that it wouldn't take long. Lauren was a very powerful wellspring, perhaps the most powerful ever. Her magic was intense. For a normal witch, like Jessica, it was almost too intense. Even I could barely handle her.

Suddenly Jess threw her head back. I kissed her mouth. Magic flowed, from Lauren's mouth, through her, into me. Her body went rigid, her mouth hung open, and she let out a deep groan. I tried to keep my lips locked to hers, but I couldn't. I grabbed my pussy and cried out. I rolled onto my back, quivering. Jess rolled onto hers. She stretched out and laughed.

We lay there. We locked our hands together. I stared at the ceiling and just breathed.

Lauren crawled up and kissed me. More magic flowed. My eyes fluttered. She went down. My panties came off. Her mouth on me. Her tongue.

I felt magic pulsing up my body. Somehow, I didn't cum right away. I thanked the goddess. This was going to be one of the good ones, the lingering ones, the miraculous ones. I curled up and squealed.

Jess kissed me, and I felt magic flowing on into her. That was her gift. Just by kissing them, she could share the recharge with other witches.

More licking. More sucking. Jess kept kissing me. She pinched my nipples.

"Wow! You're holding out a long time," she said.

"It's going to be a big one," I replied.

Lauren said nothing. She pressed her tongue into my hole.

That did it. I fell over the edge. My body went rigid. I let out a long, perfect groan, and magic shot up through me, from Lauren's sweet mouth. Jess tried to hang on, but was blown off by the force. There was a popping sound and a flash of light. I heard Jess hit the floor with a thump. I closed my eyes and groaned again.

When I opened them, I noticed that the electricity had gone out. I heard honking and shouting from outside. I looked over at the window. The building across the street had gone dark.

"Oops," Lauren said.

"I think we just took out the neighborhood," I replied.

I cast a small illumination spell, just a little mote of light. It danced and flickered, casting wisps of shadow across the room.

I heard giggling. I peered over the side of the bed. Jess was laying on the floor, curled up, smiling, with her hand on her cunt. She looked up at me.

"Holy goddess of fuck that felt good," she uttered, breathlessly.

"Yeah, it really did."

Lauren rolled over onto her back. She pulled her pants off, her panties too. She tossed them aside. She spread her legs and stroked her pussy.

Jess climbed up onto the bed. We sat on either side of Lauren—our beloved wellspring—and stroked her body. She moaned and pinched her own nipples.

"Who gets the honor?" Jessica asked.

I smiled.

"Me!"

I went in. I licked and sucked. I tasted and probed. I drank deep. She squirmed. Jessica knelt next to her, reaching out, unbuttoning her blouse. They kissed. Then Jess went down, sucking on her breasts.

I licked more. I stuck a finger in. I wiggled and probed. She moaned and bucked her hips.

I heard Jess moaning. I looked. She had sat up and was fingering her own pussy, right by Lauren's face. She got her fingers nice and juicy, then stuck them into Lauren's mouth.

Lauren sucked hard on Jess's fingers. I sucked hard on Lauren's cunt. Suddenly she went rigid. She came, crying out. Then Jess again, frantically fucking herself. She rolled forward onto Lauren, groaning, kicking out her legs.

I gave Lauren's pussy a deep, sucking kiss. So delightful. I kissed it again. I sucked more. I swallowed.

We curled up together, Lauren in the center, Jess and me on either side. We kissed and touched. We said sweet things.

Fifteen minutes later, the lights came back on. Lauren checked her watch.

"Not bad," she said, looking very proud.

We quickly changed our clothes and put on makeup. Before we finished, we heard honking from the street below. I glanced out of the window. It was the blue van.

We hurried. We rushed down the stairs, Jessica running full tilt.

When we got down, Katia wasn't there. Fiorella sat in the driver's seat alone. Jess just stopped. I caught up with her and took her hand.

"Come on, sweetie. I'm sure she'll be at dinner."

"Why didn't she come to pick us up?"

"I don't know. I'm sure it's fine."

We got into the van, me up front again.

"Hi Fiorella," I said.

She said nothing. She put the van in drive, and pulled out.

"So—Where's Katia? Jess was really hoping to see her."

"She isn't feeling well," Fiorella answered.

"Oh."

She drove us deep into the older parts of the city, to a secluded piazza. She parked the van in front of an old palatial building with a clock tower. We got out. She led us around the corner and into the neighborhood. We walked up a lighted street lined with brick buildings. We passed a few hunched strangers. No one greeted us. We turned into a dark alleyway. Lauren's and Fiorella's heels clicked against the flagstones. Jess and I, wearing sneakers, were as quiet as mice.

We came to an old iron grill guarding an arched entrance with faint light visible within. Fiorella removed a key from her purse and opened it. We passed under the arch and entered a brick courtyard with a dry fountain. Arched windows surrounded it, casting down a warm glow.

"Wait here," Fiorella said.

There was a bench set against some shrubbery. I sat and Lauren joined me. It felt cold, like marble.

Jess paced in front of us.

"What did she say about Katia?" she asked.

"That she isn't feeling well."

Jess kept pacing. I heard the faint tinkle of bells from one of the upper windows. A soft breeze managed to work its way down into the courtyard, making the shrubbery rustle. My legs felt clammy.

I felt magic, just a bit. Jess froze in her tracks, feeling it too.

"What's wrong?" Lauren asked.

"A spell is being cast."

Jess and I both incanted at once, a quick counter-spell. I held Lauren's hand, including her.

It passed. Whatever the magic had been, it was subtle.

Fiorella emerged from one of the buildings.

"Follow me," she said.

We entered the building. It was old, with low plastered ceilings. Down a short passage and around a sharp turn, we came to the dining area. A long, low wooden table stretched before us. Around it, lit by flickering candles, sat the Milanese coven.

I knew Signora Borghi right away. She sat at the end. Her chair was high backed and sturdy, and much larger than the others. Behind her hung a tapestry, a domestic scene of women weaving. I had no doubt that it was hundreds of years old.

The other women, of which there were six, sat in lesser chairs. Fiorella took a seat, along with three adult women. Two younger girls, our ages, sat near the end.

"Where's Katia?" Jess asked.

"I don't know," I answered.

"Please come and sit," Signora Borghi said, in Italian.

"Let's sit," I repeated to Lauren and Jess.

"I wonder if anyone speaks English," Lauren whispered.

"I do," one of the girls said, with a thick accent. She was fair skinned with brown hair. She was maybe seventeen years old.

Signora Borghi shot her a stern glance. She sat back and was silent.

"So, where is Katia?" I asked in Italian, "My friend Jessica"—I motioned to Jess—"is concerned about her."

"Katia is resting upstairs," the Signora replied, "She is not feeling well. If your friend wants to visit her, she can go up after dinner."

I relayed this information to Jessica, who nodded her head.

We sat down. Signora Borghi then introduced us to the coven members. Of the women, one was the Signora's wellspring, the other two were a witch and wellspring pair. The girl who had spoken to us was Ines, the wellspring of Fiorella and Katia. Finally, the youngest girl was an apprentice serving the coven. Her name was Tiziana.

"Shall we start with some wine?" the Signora asked.

"Want wine?" I asked my friends.

"Sure," Lauren said.

"Please," I said back in Italian.

Tiziana brought out a carafe of red wine and a big plate of sliced meats and cheeses. We passed around the wine and food, each person filling her glass and plate. I took a sip and ate quietly. I looked around. Everyone else was doing the same. We all just looked at each other.

Ines asked, in English, "Are you Jessica?"

Jess answered, "Yes."

"OK."

"How's Katia?"

The girl seemed nervous. She glanced over at the Signora, who said, "You can answer her, Ines."

The Signora had spoken Italian, but the girls were speaking English. I could tell that she understood. I wondered how many people at the table could understand English, and were pretending not to.

"She's feeling pretty sick," Ines said.

"I'm sorry," Jess replied, "I'm going to see her after dinner."

"Good. She'll like that."

We finished the first course. Tiziana got up and brought out a big bowl of risotto with saffron, and more wine. We served ourselves. We ate.

"Ines," Lauren asked, "How long have you been a wellspring?"

"A couple years."

"Do you like it?"

The girl blushed. She glanced at Fiorella. "I like it very much."

The next course was a beef stew with tomatoes, carrots, and potatoes. It came out in an iron pot with a giant serving spoon. We each took a generous helping, except Lauren and Fiorella, who each took one spoonful. We ate.

I noticed the Signora gazing at Lauren. When she caught my glance, she smiled and fixed her gaze on me. I took a bite of food. I took a sip of wine. I kept my eyes locked to hers.

I heard a shattering sound. I looked over. Ines had dropped her glass.

There was a brief commotion as Ines, Fiorella, and Tiziana scrambled to soak up the spill. When I looked back at the Signora, she had turned and was quietly chatting with her wellspring.

We finished eating. The plates were taken away. Signora Borghi spoke, "So, why doesn't Ines take your friend up to see Katia. Then you and your wellspring can join us in the council chamber."

Jess popped up from her chair. Lauren gave me a nervous glance. Did she sense it too, that this was a trap?

"OK," I said, "Go ahead Jessica."

Jess grabbed Ines's hand, and they left the room. Muffled by the twisty passages of the old house, I heard the thumps of their feet running up wooden stairs.

"Shall we, then?" the Signora asked.

The remaining women rose and headed back through a large wooden door. We followed.

The room was circular with a round table in the center. There was a concave ceiling, with an ornate fresco depicting the zodiac, the planets, and the thirty-six decans. There was one high backed chair, where the Signora sat. The other women filled in around the table. Two chairs were left, for Lauren and me, immediately opposite the Signora. We sat.

Signora Borghi spoke first, "So, how long will you be in Milan, and where else do you plan to travel in Italy?"

"Two days, and mostly the north, Lake Garda, Venice, and Padua."

The women murmured.

"You won't be visiting Florence or Rome?" the other senior witch asked.

"No."

"Why Padua?" the Signora asked.

"It looks like a fun town."

"It remains a stronghold of the Hermeticists. That is no safe place for a witch."

I smiled. "The Hermetics don't concern me. Speaking of which, the decorations on your ceiling, they are Hermetic symbols, correct?"

"Yes. The building is very old, and once belonged to a wealthy family. They thought that the Hermetic mages could bring them fortune and long life. Naturally, their line died out, and their house came into our possession."

"Ah. So why don't you just paint over it with more witchy symbols?"

The Signora coughed. Everyone looked stunned. They stared at me.

"In Italy," the Signora said, slowly clipping her words, "We do not paint over things."

I smiled.

"Of course not," I said.

"So, Padua," she went on, "Is a very bad choice. You may hold the Hermeticists in low regard in America, but in Italy they are still powerful. We have an uneasy peace with them, and it would do us no good for you to be running around Padua causing trouble."

"Really? Surely no one will mind if we just see the sights?"

"Just stay in Venice. It's neutral ground, and much more interesting for a tourist anyhow."

"They should get to Florence in any case," the older witch added, "It's only a few hours by train."

"I'll think about it."

I had no intention of skipping Padua. It was my entire reason for coming to Italy.

Lauren was sitting with a blank look. She leaned to me. "What is everyone talking about?"

"They don't want us to go to Padua," I said.

"Oh—well neither do I, actually. What's there anyhow? It is a silly old town. Uh—Why don't they want us to go?"

"Is is occupied by Hermetic mages."

"Who—what?"

"An ancient order of magicians who summon demons using astrological symbols. They don't have wellsprings."

"Oh."

"They are a historic enemy of witches."

"Oh. Why?"

"Lots of reasons. They don't like women. They think the human body is unclean, and sex magic bothers them. A bunch of stuff like that."

"Nice. Add my vote to no Padua."

"We'll discuss it later."

Signora Borghi watched this with a curious gaze. It was even more obvious than before, that she could understand English.

"So, Signora," I said, returning to Italian, "What do you want to talk about?"

She gave me a long look. "I would like to speak with Lauren alone," she said.

So it began. I was glad. I was getting bored.

"She doesn't even speak Italian."

"That will be OK," the Signora said, in English. She smiled, as if it were a big revelation.

"No," I said.

"No? This is my coven. I can speak to her if I want."

"You can speak to her with me present, or not at all."

"Are you challenging me?"

"Hell yeah I am."

Our eyes locked. I cast first. I spoke the words of a spell. I let my power flow.

She tried to counter, but was overcome. She jerked back, one arm flying behind her as if it were yanked. The force lifted her, sending her chair falling back. The bones in her arm snapped audibly. She slammed against the wall, her hand above her. A spike appeared and pinned her wrist.

She hung, writhing, like a half crucifixion. She tried to pull herself up with her other arm, but failed. She tried to raise herself with her feet, but they scrapped against the plaster, getting no purchase. Her broken bone gave no support. Her arm stretched. She kicked back again, rising a bit, but she dropped. Her flesh tore, her arm hanging together by the bare sinew. She shrieked. She kept shrieking.

I looked at the other witches. They sat stunned. Fiorella reacted first, trying to cast. With a wave of my arm, her mouth snapped shut. She clawed at her own face, her eyes filled with terror.

"Stop! No one has to die," I said.

Fiorella continued to struggle, her face deformed by spasms. She slipped to the floor. The other witch sat forward, poised ready, but she waited. Everyone looked at me. The Signora stopped shrieking. She whimpered and writhed. Tiziana started to cry.

"Oh my god," Lauren muttered, "What happened?"

"They wanted to take you, sweetie."

"Oh."

I released the magic on Fiorella. I hoped that she would submit. She gasped for breath, and climbed back into her chair.

"Someone help Tiziana," I said.

One of the wellsprings went to the girl and hugged her and covered her eyes. The woman looked at me, pleading.

"Go ahead," I said.

She rushed the girl from the room.

"Now, someone go get Jessica, and she'd better not be hurt."

Fiorella said, "I'll go."

I gave her a look. I let her go.

Only three of the Milanese were left. The older witch, the Signora's wellspring, and Signora Borghi herself.

I got up from my chair and walked to the Signora. I gazed up at her. She wore a grimace. I smiled.

"Did you really think you could take my wellspring?"

"She would have had a choice," she grunted.

"I don't believe you. Now—tell me the truth, and I'll release you. Is Katia really sick, and what spell was cast in the courtyard?"

"Katia isn't sick. We were trying to get you alone."

"And the spell?"

"We cast no spell."

I paused. I decided that I believed her.

Katia, Fi, and Jess entered. Katia saw the Signora and screamed.

Jess said, "Fuck! What happened?"

"They tried to take Lauren."

Jess looked at Katia. Katia looked back.

"Come Jess," I said, "Let's go."

"You can't leave her like that," Fiorella said.

"Of course not."

I turned my back to them and waved my hand. The magic released and I heard a thump. The Signora's wellspring leapt from her chair and rushed to her mistress.

I took Lauren's hand, and headed to the exit. Jessica followed.

"I expect to never hear from any of you again."

We left the room.

It had grown cooler outside.

"We can shift back to the hotel," I said, "Take my hand."

"What the fuck just happened?" Jess asked.

"They were tying to take Lauren."

"Are you sure?" Lauren asked, "I mean—they didn't seem hostile."

"Of course they didn't seem hostile. They were tricking us. Katia was faking being sick."

"No way!" Jess said.

"The Signora admitted it to me."

I couldn't see Jessica's face in the darkness, but her body stood rigid, defiant. She didn't believe me.

"Come on. We can discuss this later. Take my hand."

Lauren took my hand. "Rachel hon, you might have overreacted," she said.

I held my hand out to Jessica. She looked at it. She waited, then she reached out. Our hands grasped. I cast. We shifted.

I took us to the courtyard behind the hotel. There was a back entrance. We went up to our room.

Jess and I didn't speak. She got into bed, and pulled the covers over her head. Lauren went and lay with her. They stroked each other and whispered.

I went to the chair by the window. I heard the nighttime murmur of the city.

I watched a couple on the street below, a guy and a girl, wearing backpacks, thin and attractive, the girl with dreadlocks. They were just off the train, I guessed. They started fighting, in German. She shrieked at him. I couldn't understand, but it was intense and guttural. They walked away in different directions.

Lauren came to me and stroked my arm. I twitched my shoulder and kept watching. She pulled up a chair and sat close.

"Rachel—" she said.

"I don't wanna talk about it now."

"Fine. We don't need to talk."

She got real close and touched me. I leaned back, into her. I kept watching the street.