Marie's Journey (Ginecean Chronicles) by Monica La Porta Page A

nodded. “Do you think I can take some?”
    “I saw nothing.” The girl smiled and turned the other way, not before giving her a wink, then hopping toward the exit.
    Marie went along with the charade and took a small piece of marzipan from the big square. Then she changed her mind and took a second piece for the girl. One last look at the corner, where she expected a rectangular opening into the men’s world, and a big sigh escaped her mouth. The wall looked untouched and perfectly sound. She backed up slowly and joined the girl waiting for her at the end of the stairs with an expectant look on her face.
    “Thank you.” The girl’s eyes widened at the sight of the sweet morsel. The marzipan disappeared in her mouth and she moaned loudly.
    Marie laughed at the girl’s reaction to her small gift. “For what?” She winked.
    “Nothing at all.” The girl laughed back, wiping her mouth with her small hand.
    Marie walked to the kitchen, her mood worsening again after the temporary reprieve. Normally, the sight of the cavernous room devoid of happiness wasn’t conducive to happiness, but she felt even more despondent than usual. Hours passed, tedious chore after tedious chore, and finally, dinnertime arrived. She didn’t feel like eating or talking, and so, after grabbing a half loaf of fresh bread and a few olives from a jar, she opted for a walk in the courtyard. She headed toward a big mulberry tree with its limbs shaped by the gardeners to resemble a big umbrella and sat under it. Someone had put a soft cushion on the tree’s roots and Marie’s thoughts went to the sweet embraces she had shared so many times with Idra. She hadn’t expected to miss Idra with such heartache.
    “Do you mind if I join you?” Verena was looking at her, peeking between the carefully laced limbs of the tree.
    Marie blinked once and tried to smile. “Come inside.” She moved on the cushion to free some space.
    “Sorry I haven’t been great company lately.” Verena sat, graciously folding her long legs beneath her.
    Marie liked that trait in her. Verena managed to be elegant despite her statuesque size and she was a nice person. “Don’t worry about it. I understand.”
    “I wonder how she’s doing.” Verena shifted on the cushion, her hand curling up one of her long locks, her fingers rolling her dark hair in a tight coil.
    “Can you talk to her?” Marie didn’t want to talk about Carnia, but the look in her friend’s eyes said she needed to.
    “Not the first three months. They’re kept in isolation and tested.”
    “Tested?” Marie felt uncomfortable.
    Verena nodded, her eyes suddenly distant. “If she’s lucky, she’ll prove to be difficult.”
    “What do you mean?” The uneasiness evolved into fear of hearing the answer. She had heard rumors.
    “At the factories, they don’t have time to waste with girls who don’t prove to be fertile right away.”
    “What happen to those girls?”
    “It’s said they’re discarded.”
    “Waste plants?” A sudden gust of wind reached them under the safety of the tree’s branches and Marie shivered.
    Verena shrugged. “I guess.”
    Although Marie had been taught that ending in a waste plant was a better fate than serving as a mother , she wasn’t sure Carnia would be happy. “She’ll be fine. Don’t worry.” She didn’t have a clue of what she was talking about, but she felt the need to reassure Verena once more. The wind shook the branches with more strength and the whole green umbrella swayed under the assault. Something darted at the corner of Marie’s eye and she automatically turned right, only to see Grant stepping back into the shadows of the corner. He was listening. Her heart skipped a beat.
    “What was it?” Verena tilted her head and Marie rearranged her body in a useless attempt at hiding Grant’s presence when he was probably already gone.
    “Nothing.”
    “A cat, probably.”
    Marie wished she were alone. “Yes, a cat.” He wants to know