Chapter 4 – An Opportunity

I fought with Luciano as often as I could. With every day that passed, I got a little better. It took almost two more weeks of fighting with him before I finally got the skill. Two very unpleasant and painful weeks. Worse, after those first five days, I needed to pay again to get beaten up. It meant I was stealing more often than I wanted. It was a necessity, one that brought a thrill with it, but my time was better spent learning skills.

I still tried every night to learn the Reading skill, but my small children’s book just wasn’t enough. It was frustrating that after so many years I still hadn’t managed it. The biggest detriment to not being able to read was that my status was what they called instinctual. My instincts told me what my skills and status were.  I knew Lockpicking and that it was at the Beginner Rank and what Synesthesia was and how it worked because I had the skill. And yet I couldn’t spell the word to save my life.

Meanwhile, those who possessed the Reading skill received messages from the system that governed our world. The orphans who could read told me it was words written in the air that told you about yourself. There was still an instinctual aspect to it, if they were to be believed. Someday, I hoped I would be able to see the system.

I was on my way once again to meet with Carlos. I’d just picked the pocket of a piggirl whose foolish doting father gave her coins to go dress shopping. I wasn’t a big fan of picking pockets in daylight, but she was just too good a target not to. Still, based on the weight of the coins that were tucked into my waistband, it was worth the risk. With this, I would be good for a few more days, maybe even a week if Carlos didn’t take too much of it.

I knew the Weaselman would keep some for himself. It was the way it worked, while the rest would make its way to Catalina. I was sure my few coins were barely a pittance to her, but when you had all the street kids, all the Pickpockets and Thugs, and all the other criminal elements paying in, it must have added up to quite the sum.

“Kid,” Carlos greeted me. I buried my annoyance and held out my most recent score for him to take Catalina’s share. I watched as he took less than half, which was unusual. He must have seen something on my face because as he handed back my coins, he said, “Catalina’s being generous to good earners. Don’t get used to it.”

That made more sense. Carlos wasn’t the generous sort and never had been. I nodded as I accepted the coins and quickly put them away. More importantly, Carlos didn’t have a lit cigarette, which meant if I left now, I would be spared hours of having my Synesthesia impaired. I turned, eager to go, when Carlos called me back, “Hang on a second, kid.”

Thankfully, my back was to Carlos, so he didn’t see how much it bothered me to have him call me ‘kid’ again. I looked back over my shoulder and asked, “What is it?”

“Catalina has got a task she wants done, if you think you’re up for it,” Carlos offered.

I furrowed my brow. I’d never gotten anything from Catalina but a sense of needing to pay up if I wanted to stay alive. I couldn’t quite believe what I was hearing, so I asked, “Me? She asked for me?”

Carlos snorted. “Don’t flatter yourself. She doesn’t even know your name. I’m supposed to tell anyone I think is a good earner that there’s an opportunity. A once-in-a-lifetime chance to get in her good graces and earn some real coin. I’m talking copper and silver, not that crappy iron junk you bring in every day.”

Copper and silver? I could hardly believe it. My entire savings stash at last count was only worth two copper and six iron coins. I had only seen a silver coin once and that was on a merchant showing off to the other merchants, and he had two guards with him. A few silver coins might be all I earn in a lifetime of picking pockets. Yet here was talk of a task paying in copper and silver. “What’s the task?”

Carlos shook his head. “Don’t know. All I do know is that if you want the task, you gotta go see her yourself.”

See her? See her? Was Carlos crazy? No one of my level was ever asked to go to see Catalina. No one of my level even knew where to go to see her. And now Carlos was instructing me to go see her? I felt a thrill of excitement.

“One day, I swear, I’m going to get you to panic, kid,” Carlos said, his eyes dancing with amusement as he held out a piece of paper, “You want the work, go to this address.”

I took the paper and looked at the garbled words and letters. Even if I couldn’t read it, I nodded and tucked the paper into my waistband next to my surprise surplus of iron coins. “Any specific time?”

Carlos shrugged. “She didn’t say, but I wouldn’t wait too long. You’re not the only earner getting this offer.”

I nodded and turned away once more. I heard him strike a match on the wall behind him and hurried my steps before the cigarette smoke had a chance to mess with my nose.

Now my problem was finding someone I could trust to read the address for me. Obviously, I couldn’t ask any of the street kids. If they found out about this, they might lie to me and get me into trouble just so they could take it for themselves. No, I needed someone a little trustworthy and not a street kid.

Joaquin was the perfect beaver-folk to talk to. He could read. He wasn’t a street kid. And he was honest. It’s why I knocked on the back of the bakery door first.

After the normal back and forth between Joaquin and myself from either side of the door, he commented, “You’re a bit early for bread. It’s still light out.”

“Can you read?” I asked bluntly. I was sure he could, but it was still polite to ask.

Joaquin started, surprised by the question. “Can you not?”

“What’s this say?” I asked, holding out the note. I didn’t want to tell him what I thought it was because it would make it easier to lie, not that I thought Joaquin would lie.

“It’s an address. What’s this about?” Joaquin asked.

I frowned. “What’s the address?”

Joaquin frowned before answering, “15 Juniper Street. Are you going to answer any of my questions?”

“Thanks, I couldn’t tell if that was an S or a 5. I needed a second pair of eyes on it,” I lied and took the small piece of paper back from him, “I’ll be by later to buy some bread.” I had heard other kin say something similar in the markets enough that I knew it was a common problem. 

Joaquin shrugged, “No problem. See you later then.”

Given the amount of money at stake, I didn't want to risk trusting anyone blindly. I had to verify the information. Retracing my steps, I followed the smell of water, soap, and linen back to my favorite Washer. 

“What do you want? Water isn’t dirty enough that I can let you use it for a bath yet and I don’t have any toss outs that would fit you,” Miss Renata stated as soon as she saw me.

I played the role of a nervous kid, shifting my eyes around, flinching at any particularly loud sound. It might not have made any difference to her, but if I could gain a little sympathy before I asked for her help it would be worth it. “Can you read something for me?”

Miss Renata frowned and stepped back from her wash basin as she shook off water from her hands into the tub, then stood up straight before wiping her hands on her apron to dry them the rest of the way. Then she held out a hand motioning me forward. “Give it here.”

I handed her the note with the address.

Miss Renata looked at the note then looked at me. “15 Juniper . . . do you know this place? Do you know who lives here?”

I reluctantly nodded. “Do you?”

“I do her laundry, I should know,” Miss Renata answered, then asked, “Are you sure you want to be getting mixed up with her? I know you work the streets to get by but going to her home . . . it means you’re getting in deep. I wouldn’t want to see you get hurt before your first Job Day.”

“I’m sure,” I replied, taking the note back despite the frown from the otterwoman. She was tall for a woman, very lanky. Her long brown hair always looked wet to me. It probably had to do with how much time she spent over a wash basin.

“Alright, into the water with you, and don’t tell anyone. If you’re going to that woman’s house, you’d best be clean,” Miss Renata insisted, moving in, and reaching for the hem of my dirty black shirt.

I stepped into the tub, feeling the warmth of the water on my skin. Miss Renata handed me a bar of soap. I worked it between my palms, lathering up and rubbing it against my arms and legs. When she took the soap from me, I closed my eyes and felt her pour something onto my scalp. It smelled of lavender and felt like liquid silk. I squeezed my eyes tighter as she massaged it in, feeling all of the dirt from a long day of work wash away with each scrub of her fingers. When she was done, I opened my eyes to see bubbles blanketing the surface of the water around me. I smiled, feeling cleaner than I had ever felt before.

“Work on your clothes, I’ll scrub your back,” Miss Renata instructed. The woman was usually very stern. She didn’t really approve of what I did to survive, but she understood. It was nice to be cared for by someone.

It didn’t take long before Miss Renata said I was done, and time was up. My clothes were rung dry and put on a clothesline. I tried to tell her I needed to go but she insisted, “It won’t take long. My skills will make sure they dry faster.” After that statement I sat down and waited. It was a good thing I had some fur covering me, it would have been a little too cold to be sitting around naked otherwise.

It had been a while since I’d seen my own reflection. I didn’t own a mirror, not many of the poor did. Miss Renata did though. She had one hanging on the wall next to the wash basin. I had seen her look into it from time to time as she folded laundry. I used it to look at myself.

I was taller than I remembered. Still thick around the middle but there was some muscle showing in my arms and legs. The hair on my head was getting longer and changing color. It used to be all black. Now, I could see a streak of white growing in down the center, near the roots. It wouldn’t be long before my stripes set in, marking me as an adult. There were patches of dark fur on my neck and shoulders, covering my forearms and ankles. I knew my back was covered in fur as well, but I couldn’t exactly see that for myself. There was even some fur growing in down there, another sign that adulthood wasn’t too far away.

“It won’t be long before you’re too old to get your bath here,” Miss Renata said as she took down my clothes from the clothesline and gave them a good shake. “I wish I had something better to give you, but these will have to do.”

I smiled gratefully. My undershorts, trousers, and shirt all smelled clean. It was a treat. I slipped on my clothes then cinched up my pants with my waistband. Lastly, I put on my worn but serviceable boots.

“Now, off with you,” Miss Renata said, turning her back to me and going back to her laundry.

“Thanks again,” I said, and before I left, I fished out two iron coins and put them on the small bench by the door. She really had gone above and beyond for me today. It didn’t feel right not leaving something for her trouble.