After Aunt Vida had washed me up, a maid put me into the dress Mama had packed for me, a white dress with a pretty yellow ribbon that was tied in the back in a bow. Cressida had a matching one with a light blue ribbon instead. My hair was also put up into matching pigtails, just how I liked them. Before long the both of us were walking into the dining hall where Cressida and Uncle Cyrille were waiting, Cressida playing with the sleeves of her dress and Uncle Cyrille reading through the morning newspaper. The chair next to Cressida was already pulled out for me.

 

“Good morning, Sida.”

 

Cressida’s face lit up as soon as she saw me.

 

“Ada, good morning! Where’d you go?”

 

“I couldn’t fall back asleep, so I went to the library to read. I ended up sleeping there though…”

 

“What? That’s not good for you! You didn’t have a blanket or anything? Did you at least sleep in on the couch?”

 

Cressida reached over and held my hand after I sat down, playing with my hand, staring from my palm, and working her way up to each finger slowly, trying to figure out if I was okay. Cressida’s a worrier like that.

 

“No, but I’m alright.”

 

Cressida’s eyebrows pinched together in a way that made three dips appear between them and her nose, like cut dough. I reached out and smoothed them out with my free hand. Cressida’s face relaxed under my hand. I couldn’t help but smile.

 

“I’m fine, promise. We can do whatever you want until I go home if it makes you less mad.”

 

“Anything?”

 

I nodded.

 

“Then…” Cressida hummed as she thought for a bit. “I want to play in the garden all day until Auntie Burcu comes to pick you up.”

 

“Sounds fun, I like the garden.”

 

Cressida still didn’t let go of my hand even though the food was being put on the table. Luckily, breakfast started with fruits and coffee. Well, Cressida and I don’t get coffee. We get tea, although I’ve found out that it’s different every day unless asked for. But the tea, in general, isn’t the same as the kind we have at home, it’s never red here. Mama says it's because Egunies think that Salaqi tea is brewed in blood, which she makes jokes about often. Things like “I don’t understand how they survive without their cup of morning virgin blood”, although I don’t know what that means.

 

Grapes, apple slices, pears, figs, berries, peaches, and nuts in fancy serving bowls and dishes lined the table. The mysteriously dark coffee-filled cups were placed in front of Aunt Vida and Uncle Cyrille who had yet to look up from his paper. Cressida and I got teacups of a yellowish, spicy-smelling tea with lemon slices and honey on the side. Cressida finally let go of my hand just to squeeze both of our lemons into each tea and put plenty more honey in mine. Like clockwork, she used the little silver stick-thingy (tongs, I think?) to put peach slices, figs, and chestnuts on my plate before grabbing her food. All my favorites.

 

Cressida and I knew everything about each other, even things like this.

 

“Ada, I hear your brother is returning from abroad today.” Uncle Cyrille’s head finally poked out from behind his newspaper, showing off his honey hair that matched Cressida’s and orange eyes. He always made a point of making eye contact when talking and expected the same. I had almost forgotten about my brother with… everything that’s been happening lately.

 

“Yes, Duman’s coming back from visiting grandpa back in Salaq. Mama said we should be expecting him down the river by tonight.”

 

Uncle Cyrille gave a thoughtful hum and took a sip of his coffee before returning his attention to me. “Tell that boy to come visit sometime, with the way he goes about it’s easy to forget a face and remember only the back.”

 

In other words, Uncle Cyrille sees Duman’s butt more than he does his face. Which isn’t wrong. Papa always said that he was born with wanderlust in his eyes. Mama says he has the spirit of Seyyal in his soul. Either way, my brother never stays in one place for too long. He has no choice now though since he’s turning 18 and has to go through his Menele Rights at home and then go to live with mama’s family for two years.

 

It’ll be nice to see him though, maybe he could help me.

 

“I’ll remember to let him know.”

 

Breakfast passed in a rather quiet manner, it was never loud meals with the Lauressier family, the table changed from fruits to slices of bread with toppings to sweet pastries. Before long Cressida and I were able to escape out into the garden and sit in the gazebos' soft chairs to watch the world go round.

 

“Sida, how’s your Uncle Ennius doing?”

 

She stopped plucking at the petals of a flower in her hands at that and thought for a bit. “Uncle Nius is doing alright. We talked over the currents a few days ago. Aunt Lucie and my cousins are alright too. Why do you ask?”

 

“Well, last night I-”

 

The words died in my throat all of a sudden. Nothing would come out of my mouth despite the fact I could feel it moving. I couldn’t help but put a hand up to my throat to check if everything was alright. Cressida was looking at me with worry in her eyes.

 

“Ada? Does your throat hurt? Did you get a bug? That’s why I told you not to sleep on the ground! Let’s go to my mother right now!”

 

I didn’t even get the opportunity to tell her that I was fine, I still couldn’t speak as she dragged me back inside to talk to Lady Vita. While she was worrying and contacting my mother to get me earlier than expected, I had my thoughts to keep myself company. I had somewhat expected it, but it looked like I actually can’t talk about the visions that Ebele shares with me. Physically at least. I don’t know what would happen if I tried to write it down. But how long would my muteness last?

 

Long enough apparently, since I still wasn’t able to speak when mama arrived.

 

Mama has always been a beautiful person, inside and outside I like to think. Her hair is long and black like it was dipped in ink, her eyes like the moon. She even looked pretty when she was worrying, checking my throat and making me stick my tongue out for her to look at.

 

“Everything looks to be fine,” Mama’s thick accent of harsh word ends scratches my ears in a pleasant way. “But I’ll take her home to see a doctor and a healer, just to be sure. Perhaps she’s just lost her voice for a bit.”

 

I was sent home early with her.