VOX

Ch 3

Freshly bathed and smelling of meadows her eyes had never seen, Davina let her empty stomach guide her towards the Big House.

The building was of the same white brick that all of the other buildings in the complex were, but it was the only one to have a second floor. There wasn't exactly a rule barring anyone from entering the building after lights out, but it was an unspoken rule that once the lanterns were blown out no one was to leave their units. Davina wasn't big on rules. 

Slowly turning the knob and easing the door open inch by inch, so its loud squeak would not wake the three Matrems upstairs, she slipped inside. Her damp unveiled hair left occasional droplets of water in her wake that would hopefully dry before the shrine awoke. Unveiled hair wasn't permitted, neither were midnight baths or snacks, but the other sisters were good about staying inside their units after their final prayers so she wasn't too concerned.

The kitchen, the beating heart of the building, (in Davina's mind) never slept. Though she found kitchen duties especially dull, it was a room she respected for its refusal to sit in silence. As a child the loud clangs of pots and pans, shrill whistles of kettles, thuds of knives on cutting boards, and the song of cooking sent shocks down her back. Her little muscles would twitch with excitement over the very idea of someone loudly washing dishes. It was routine tasks like taking out trash and peeling stacks of silent vegetables that drove Davina mad.

Even as she snuck in for a piece of bread and some cheese in the dead of night, the hearth still cheerily crackled and popped. The knife's satisfying crunch as it sliced through the bread crust made any possible consequences she could face for her late-night trip worth it.

She sat in the warm room until her eyes spied the faintest traces of light through the large windows. With every fiery pop the sound of rattling chains and echoing wails faded farther into the recesses of her mind. Belly full and mind somewhat at ease, she snuck back to her unit, hoping the whole way that Noel would be waiting for her.

That would be the last nightmare Davina would have in the shrine.

⟴

The downside to Davina's late night excursions was the bone-sapping fatigue.

She concentrated so hard on not falling asleep during morning worship and not slicing her fingers off while sculpting Soldeus statues that her temples pounded. Her head was so tired and throbby that she took no notice of the Matrems guiding a tall, masked man past the large wooden doors during breakfast and pointing him up the stairs towards Matrem Aster's office. Instead she stared down into her bowl of warm oats and wondered if she could live without her brain.

It didn't help that Viola and Angelonia were still being waited on hand and foot. Some of the children had taken to carrying their trailing robes like they were royalty, and little Scaevola and Cleome even made the girls necklaces during their craft hour. They were served first, escorted to and from every room, given the longest bathing times, received extra helpings of food at each meal, and that morning Angelonia had taken the last of the hot tea Davina was looking forward to. Thankfully Sister Zinnia saw the dark rings under the girl's eyes and slid her own still steaming mug towards her. What would I do without her.

Sure she chugged the liquid so fast it burned her tongue, but the stabbing pain behind her eyes was subsiding. Soon a burned tongue would be the least of her problems.

The rituals for the third and final day of the ceremony were for manets and matrems only. So for the first time in...Davina didn't know how long she had the day off. For once she was not bound by chores, prayers, or charitable events.

Two of her deepest wishes had come true, yet she wasn't reacting in the way she had planned. On days when she fantasized about having strangers around she thought of asking endless questions, making friends, and maybe even leaving to go on journeys with them. The new sisters had come and the most she'd ever asked one of them was "could you please pass the butter". Everything she learned about them was from overseeing bits of their conversations, and asking Sister Zinnia and Sage to tell her what they were like. Making friends was easier said than done.