“Sorry,” I mumble. “Your community, I meant. You don’t have juice?”
“Not often. We have apple juice, from the trees in the orchard, but we don’t have whatever this is. It’s really delicious.”
“Mango, peach, and orange,” Ophelia supplies with a happy smile. “It’s my favorite.”
“Is it a sin?” Daisy asks, taking me by surprise.
“Why the fu—fudge would it be a sin?” I ask.
“Well, if it’s just for pleasure, it can be a sin. We shouldn’t indulge. It’s not right.” Daisy purses her lips.
“It’s not a sin.” Ophelia’s tone holds some impatience for the first time while interacting with her friend. “It’s full of vitamins, so it’s good for you. The taste is just a happy coincidence. Okay? You can drink it.”
“Okay.” Daisy grins and glugs half the glass back in one go.
I finish making the food, and Roman serves the plates, and we all sit and eat. Conversation is stilted, with none of our usual banter. Instead, Daisy asks all sorts of questions. She asks about the college, and the courses, and she asks about my nails, which makes me laugh. She says that women aren’t allowed to paint their nails in the commune, but she didn’t realize some men did it.
“There’s all sorts of ways people like to express themselves,” I say.
“Do you always paint them black?” she asks.
“Mostly, yeah. I did a deep blue once. But yeah, mostly black.”
“Does it mean something?”
I’m trying to formulate an answer when Cain saves the day by bursting through the door brandishing something in his hand. He’s wearing only running shorts, his shirt tied around his waist. His skin is tan and covered in droplets of sweat. I almost laugh at the way Daisy’s eyes go round as she eats him up. She might not be quite the good girl she thinks she is.
Cain grins as he walks farther into the living space, and I see why. Behind him is Camile. She smiles and waves, her pretty face all happy and friendly. Camile is a sweetheart, really, and I often wonder why she’s never ended up with someone.
“Look who I bumped into,” Cain says. “She wanted to come see you, Ophelia.”
He goes to Ophelia and bends down, giving her what he had in his hand. “I got you this, too. Thought you’d need it.”
“You got me a phone!” Ophelia exclaims over the item as if it’s a diamond ring.
“You need to be able to contact us. I’ve put our numbers in there.”
Ophelia beams, and for a moment, I’m jealous that it’s not me eliciting that happiness. She thanks Cain again and then turns to Camile. “You wanted to see me?”
“Yes, I did.” Camile steps forward. “Well, actually, I wanted to come and see you, too, Daisy. Cain told me all about the journey you’ve made and how brave you’ve been.”
“Oh.” Daisy’s lips pinch, as though she can’t quite believe those words came out of Cain’s mouth.
Camile offers her another warm, friendly smile. “I wondered if you’d like to tour the college with me. I can show you around. It’s truly beautiful.”
“With Ophelia?” Daisy asks, glancing over at her.
My jaw flexes. When is this girl going to take the hint?
“Ophelia has to work for a while, on that paper, right?” Camile looks to Ophelia, her eyes widening slightly.
Ophelia catches on quickly. “Yes, right, I do, Daisy. My studies are still important. I mean, you can hang around with the guys…”
Daisy shudders—she literally shudders as if we’re snakes and spiders, not men. “Oh, no, that um… I don’t think…”
“Great,” Camile says with forced cheer. “So it’s settled. We can take a tour of the college and a walk in the woods. You like nature, right? It’s stunning here.”
“I like nature,” Daisy says, cautiously.
