Until We Break (Formerly Wicked, Wild, Wonderful)

Original Edition: Chapter Twenty-Four

*

The Tiger and the Bull halted on a sidewalk unfamiliar to Naomi. By then she'd only briefly descended from her high to acknowledge that they were at the entrance of a restaurant. The space was open too, with chairs and tables put out where the moon hit the ground just right and tall palm trees frowning because they missed their chance to touch the sun. The three of them slowly rode in as Naomi's attention shifted downward, to the patterned floor designed with swirling symbols and free drawings, then upward, to the erecting slabs of wood adorned to look like a monster with many faces stacked on top of one another. She smiled at a particularly grumpy one, its teeth in a 'n' shaped frown.

When the Tiger got off, Naomi followed and the Bull came around to meet them. The boys exchanged a glance that she wondered how they managed to read while their expressions were masked. But they stepped off together nevertheless and went toward a bar on the far left of the property with a thatched roof spilling over the edges. Next to her, Naomi heard the Tiger begin speaking. "Hey, Xiomara," he said to a lone worker wiping the counter.

The girl didn't look up immediately. "Back already?"

"It is daybreak."

She raised her head briefly and dropped the cloth on her counter. Her brown eyes were only slightly less attracting than the tattoo swirling at the base of her neck. From Naomi's angle, it looked like a shadowed snake. The bartender gave Naomi an up-down. "Who's this?"

Naomi stared back, the after-taste of her laugh still lingering on her tongue.

"Saint's stray-"

"Her name is Naomi," he gave the Bull a glare, "and she has nowhere else to go."

The bartender made a thoughtful sound, then looked at Naomi again. She leaned forward. "You okay, girl?"

She hadn't asked it in the way Naomi was used to. As if it had been rehearsed for an entire lifetime to hold the right amount of sympathy and willingness. No, she asked it like she actually expected and wanted a real answer. But all of Naomi's answers were already predetermined. One of the lifeless things left her mouth before she could revive it with any true meaning. "I'm fine."

A disapproving look swamped the bartender's face before she shook her head and tutted. She grabbed a near bottle and poured a drink into a clean shot glass. She whistled. "Been there," she took her cheek into her jaw like it was bubble then slid the shot glass across the counter to Naomi, "On the house," she told her.

Naomi peered down into the thing and watched the alcohol still. Xiomara, the bartender, turned to the boys and gently told them to wait there till she returned. Then, she disappeared behind a wall of stringed beads hanging in the door-jam behind her. Naomi continued to idly stare at the shot glass in front of her. She wrapped her fingers around its cool, moist container and spun it between her index finger and thumb.

"Are you gonna drink that or stare at it all day?" At this point, she did not have to look up to know the Tiger was the one speaking, and she did not have to see his face to know he was teasing either.

She plopped herself on one of the stools and shrugged. "I don't know. Don't they destroy your body?" It was a rule in the Academy. You drink, your body fails. Your body fails, you're out. It was always that simple. At least it sounded that way when Mr Carson said it to them, but now that Naomi seemed to be looking failure straight in the eyes she couldn't help but think that it might actually be harmless.

The Tiger put his chin in his palm and watched her. "We all die someday."

The bull interjected then. "Wait, you've never had a drink?" Naomi shook her head. "Wow." The way he looked at her was entirely different from the way the Tiger did it. Despite the fact that they were wearing masks, it was clear. The Tiger was observing her. The Bull was inspecting. "Well, I guess you won't be needing this then." He grabbed the shot glass and lifted his mask to down it in one go. And just like that, failure was defeated.