“Domestic life,” said Pyrrha to Camilla, over Nona’s head, “is immensely depressing and has a lowering effect on the ego.”
“Sometimes,” said Camilla unexpectedly.
Once they went down two streets and back to where the park cut-through usually led them, Pyrrha kissed the top of Nona’s head and said, “Be good,” and to Camilla said, “I’ll be home for dinner, honey, so don’t go out with your girls and get your nails did.”
“Try to bring home something useful this time,” said Camilla.
Nona felt a pang to see her go, sauntering off with her lunchbox and her helmet and her spare jacket, whistling a tune like she was any other worker. Then Nona was turning right with Camilla, hustling through an alley, past the building that now had the hole in it because of the very big gun. There was only one change, in that Camilla picked a different road to go down because she spotted a pair of legs sticking out underneath a parked car and decided to go a different way, and then Camilla and Nona got buzzed into the school building by the nice lady teacher and stood in the vestibule shaking their boots. Nona was just in time; the move around the park meant she wasn’t early at all. Cam stopped before Nona went to mount the stairs.
“I’ll come to pick you up at the usual time,” said Cam.
Nona said, “Aren’t you coming up?”
“Not this morning.” Then Camilla was gone.
Which was a little puzzling; but as Nona stood in the cloakroom and unbuttoned her sand jacket and unrolled the sleeves, her attention was caught by the voices of her friends already in the classroom, and that of the nice lady teacher. When she peeked in, the nice lady teacher was leaning over Honesty and applying a cloth to one side of his face, with Kevin and Born in the Morning gathered around. A cluster of tinies who had come early were watching the proceedings in fascination
“Hi, Nona!” Honesty bawled, in some agitation, when he saw her. “Miss, let Nona do it—Miss, this is hurting my dignity.”
The nice lady teacher was plainly stressed. She looked at Nona with relief and said, “Nona, could you come and hold this? I don’t trust Honesty to keep it still.”
“It’s too fucking cold is why,” said Honesty.
“Language, thank you,” said the teacher coolly.
“Sorry, miss,” said Honesty, “only it is so f—f—it’s cold as hell is what it is.”
The teacher removed the cloth as Nona approached, fascinated. Kevin said, “Honesty’s face smashed in,” and Born in the Morning hastily said, “It’s nothing, it’s just a black eye.”
But what a black eye! Honesty’s whole eyeball was alarmingly bloodred and the bit around the eye was already turning startling colours, red and purple and blue. Nona was glad enough to take the cold, tingly-smelling cloth and put it back over the whole mess. Honesty whined, “For God’s sake,” but the teacher said— “Hold it there until the bell goes. Born in the Morning, wipe the whiteboard, please. The rest of you, give Honesty some space immediately. Books out—things ready—then down on the mat waiting for the bell.”
Awestruck, Nona kept peeking at the eye, then remembering she was a Teacher’s Aide and reapplying the cloth hastily. Honesty asked, “What is that stuff?”
“I don’t know—medicine probably,” said Nona. “Honesty, what happened?”
“You should see the other guy,” said Honesty, very loudly. Then he said, in lowered tones, “Shut up, Nona. Haven’t you seen a black eye before?”
“Not really,” said Nona honestly. Whenever Pyrrha got hit hard in the face it was better in seconds, and neither Camilla nor Palamedes ever got hit hard in the face, and of course she’d never gotten any kind of black eye she could see. She said, “It looks awful—your eye’s all bloody and your cheek’s huge.”
Honesty puffed up at this.
“I guess it’s hideous.”
There was no sign of Hot Sauce, not until the Angel came in with her tie on squiff and her shirt buttons all done up into the wrong holes, still wearing the same trousers that she had been wearing yesterday. She wasn’t late today, but she looked more tired and lined than she had the day before. Somehow she even looked shorter, more hunched and defeated, but she rallied magnificently when she saw Honesty. She paused in front of him and Nona and said, “Go on, let me have a look at it.”
Nona peeled away the cloth to reveal the damage. “Nasty!” said the Angel appreciatively.