Chapter 9: Long day

Everything was suddenly so exciting.

Etta woke up early. So early that it was still dark outside. On a normal day, she would probably feel all sleepy and sluggish at that ungodly hour, but today was not a normal day.

“It’s my first day at work!”

Etta sneaked out of the room quietly and rushed to the bathroom. She tried her best to make herself look put together  – although she had some doubts if such a thing could be done at 4:30 a.m.

“There’s no time for make up today, I guess.”

Then, she put on her uniform. It was not pretty, but in her eyes it was the best freaking piece of clothing she’d ever wear. It made her feel so significant, so useful.

“Deep breaths, Etta. It’s gonna be fine.”

“RIGHT?”

Panic was taking over her as she stared at her reflection like that. She suddenly realized how unprepared she was, so she quickly turned around and left, ignoring the doubts in her head.

When she came back, others were already up, frowning sleepily at their food. Etta changed into something without an apron and joined Tori in the kitchen.

E: “Nice day, isn’t it?”

Tori: “Huh?”

Etta knew she’d get plenty of opportunities to talk to her sister during the day, once she’d adjust to daylight. She barely had enough time to finish the breakfast anyway.

School was busy, though. Etta needed breaks to proofread her essay about the long-term effects of vitamin supplements one last time. Meanwhile Tori struggled to finish hers, because she found gossips about the affair of her French teacher much more captivating than eating disorders she was supposed to write about.

Tori: “School is so tiring!”

Back home, everyone felt a bit worn out from all that studying. While her siblings decided to relax by watching TV and playing computer games, Etta went to the library. It was a perfect place for her to unwind. She also intended to find some books about brewing techniques. Or at least some that would help her distinguish between a latte, a café au lait and  a flat white, because, seriously, that plum was confusing.

She’s just spotted a book that looked promising – The Atlas of Coffee – when she heard  weirdly familiar voice.

“Hey, Etta!”

It was Dante, the little boy in Yoda costume. Except he wasn’t little anymore. And he wasn’t in Yoda costume, either.

E: “Hello, Dante! So nice to see you. What are you here for?”

“I’m looking for a book that would help me with reading sheet music. I’ve got a guitar for birthday and I want to, you know, teach myself… To play it.”

D: “But it’s harder than I originally thought and I could use some… guidance.”

E: “Oh. My aunt could help, she’s a musician. And she gives lessons. You should definitely stop by, if you’re interested.”

D: “Really?”

E:” Well, if you prefer to learn it from the books, it’s okay. I just thought that lessons would be more effective. But I’m no expert.”

“No, no. It’s a wonderful idea. But are you sure your aunt would be willing to do to it?”

E: “I’m 100% positive. Aunt Devi is a sweetheart. But I’ll talk to her and let you know, if you’re scared.”

D: “I’m not but… Thanks.”

She just smiled at him knowingly and resumed reading her coffee atlas, while he continued his efforts with decoding musical notes with a puzzled expression on his face. It was a nice afternoon.

When she returned from the library, it was homework time. At least for her and Seth, since Amon went to the gym and Tori was out with her friends.

E: “Hmm, Seth? Why did you left out exercise number four?”

S: “I haven’t figured it out yet.”

E: “It’s easy, though. You just have to divide it by four before you add these  numbers.”

S: “Oh, I see. I must have been thinking about something else.”

E: “Call it as you want, you’ve just been outsmarted by a freshman, big bro! Oh, yeah.”

Seth slowly turned around and looked at her. Then he stood up and move across the little space between him and the bed Etta was sitting on. He sat next to her and sighed.

S: “You didn’t outsmart me. You can’t. Everybody knows men are more intelligent than women and that’s a fact.”

S: “What? Seriously?”

Etta didn’t know what to say. Seth was always a little weird, but this was low even for him. She just looked at him in disbelief and left.

To comfort herself, she decided to try her hand at cooking. She went for the simplest recipe she could think of – scrambled eggs.

It wasn’t as easy as she expected.

E: “Stir until the consistency is right. Hmm. That’s not very specific.”

She tried her best, though. She watched mom cooks it a thousand times, after all. Surely she must have learned something from it.

E: “Am I doing it right?”

Or not?

E: “But how much exactly is a pinch of salt?”

But in the end, it turned out great. Even better than that.

Even Melia was impressed.

M: “What happened in my kitchen, for Watcher’s sake? Who is responsible for this MESS?”

“Oh, nevermind. It smells amazing.”

Luckily, the foodie side of Melia always wins.

The rest of the family was surprised to have eggs for dinner, but they didn’t complain.

“Mmmm, Etta, these were… Eggcellent!”

D: “Quite possibly the best scrambled eggs I’ve ever tasted. No offense, Mel.”

M: “None taken. Apparently, my little girl has a gift.”

The cooking success lifted Etta spirits a bit. The compliments made her forget Seth’s rude comments. But maybe she was just too tired to care. It was a long day.

E: “Oh, bed. We finally meet.”

And tomorrow would be no different.