My necklace pulses against my chest, and I remember that there is someone I need to talk to.
I pull up Theorah’s phone number and press the call button.
“You’re late,” she answers.
“How am I late?”
“You should have called two days ago.”
“The amulet is fine,” I say. “But it is getting low.”
She chuckles, her voice low and raspy from years of use.
“Of course it is. You’re using it past its life. I told you it only had so many hours of use.”
“I haven’t used them all yet,” I say.
“Yes, well, you’re just about out. I can feel it.”
I roll my eyes. “When can we meet?”
“How about now?”
“I’m on a moving tour b—”
There’s a loud crack, a puff of smoke, and Theorah is standing in front of my bed.
“The travel fee will be double for this. Popping onto a moving vehicle isn’t easy. In fact, it’s dangerous.”
I sit up with a growl. “I didn’t tell you to do that.”
She waves me off, digging into the deep pocket of her over-sized silky floral cardigan. She’s a tall woman, lithe and frail-looking with thin white hair pulled back into a bun.
“You can afford it,” she says.
I run a hand down my face and throw my feet over the side of the bed, planting them on the floor. Theorah walks over andhands me a blue glowing stone about the size of a golf ball, but oddly shaped.
“You know the drill,” she says, gesturing to my amulet.
I lift it from my chest and press the glowing stone to the back of it, holding it there for about ten seconds, when Theorah tells me it’s all set.
“Now, are you paying with Cash App or Venmo?” she asks pointedly, taking the stone back and dropping it into her pocket.
Money or payments of any kind aren’t a thing under the ocean. We take what we need and that’s it. Though, we don’t have anything under the ocean to use money for. We catch our fish. The caves are already there. We don’t use clothes or curtains, so what would we buy?
“Whatever is easier for you,” I sigh, reaching for my phone that’s on the other side of the bed.
Theorah shows me her phone so I can get the QR code. I scan it, then look up at her. “Well?” I say.
“Two thousand, one hundred and seventy-five.”
“Are you—” I grit my teeth. “You know what? It doesn’t matter.”
She raises a brow, waiting for me to send the payment. I add in the numbers, checking it three times to make sure it’s right. It wouldn’t be the first time I got them confused and sent the wrong amount.
Once the payment is complete, she grins, then pops out of the room with another loud crack.
“Hey, you okay in there? I heard a loud noise.” Dorian calls through the door.
