I

It’s a good thing one of my gifts is embracing shock in the middle of a crisis; otherwise, I would have fainted right in front of her.

“Mia, for today, you can do whatever you want as long as you find your space and…” she looked around, “…comfort within the attic…” she began to toy with her keychain, “…but you have to get used to the rehearsal schedule. There can’t be any noise while we’re playing. Is that clear? In fact… you should be down there with us. Why haven't you come down?”

“I didn’t know that sound was you guys rehearsing,” I said, setting the tool on my bed and speaking to her with visible tension. “I thought it was just normal music.”

“Define ‘normal.’”

“Normal... the kind you play... with volume.”

“Is this normal?” She lifted the keychain by its ring.

How embarrassing, I thought, not knowing how to respond.

“Is this what you like to listen to, Mia?”

“Not just that.”

“And what else?” She squeezed the doll, smiling playfully.

“Many things...” What am I even saying?

“Hm...” She continued walking while inspecting my belongings. “Rose isn't in her best mood today. Her migraine has her on edge, and the drill didn’t help.”

“I...”

“How could you have known?” she interrupted, holding up one of my light novels. “The Sinner,” she read, sliding her middle finger over the title. “Tie Me Up, Boss.”

I tried to step closer, but it was too late; she was already checking Step on Me if You Can, Until I Cry Out Loud.

“We rehearse from 7:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Then we resume from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. After that, we review with solfège. Bedtime is between 9:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m.”

“When is your day off?”

She smiled, narrowing her eyes. I think she thinks I’m an idiot.

“There are no days off, right?”

“Now you’re starting to understand how this works.”

She descended the thin spiral staircase, approaching the exit without taking her eyes off my book.

“Mia, before you resume your... construction work, meet us in the dining room. You’ve barely eaten anything since you arrived.”

Has she... been keeping an eye on me? I wondered, feeling my stomach flip.

“Do you know how to get there?”

I nodded. I lied, and she noticed.

“If you make it by 1:00 p.m., that would be fine,” she replied, closing the door behind her.

I did my best to finish what I could without the drill. I nearly killed myself slipping on a nut that had rolled across the floor when Rose walked in; my life felt like a fragile joke. Then I packed everything into the briefcase and left my room.

I knocked on the penultimate door at the end of the hall. No one answered.

“Where do I go now?” I whispered, looking around.

I saw on my phone that there was still time before noon, so I made a bad decision: I went looking for Alice all over the house.

Big mistake.

I went down to the lower floor, where Ruby had indicated they rehearsed. When I arrived, I was baffled: there were no doors. It was just a long hallway with gray moldings and dim light fixtures.

What a useless floor, I thought.

I was about to keep heading down when I heard a sound like a wooden box closing. It came from the other side of the wall. Then, in a fit of impertinence, I began to run my hand along the moldings. I discovered a section that was halfway open.

I pushed the entrance open without making a sound. The room had acoustic panels hidden behind the design. In the center sat a white grand piano. At the far end, another similar entrance remained open.

I used my head for once and analyzed the wall system in front of me. I avoided another potential disaster by ignoring the door on the other side.

I continued groping along until I found the next hidden entrance.

I opened it but didn’t enter. I froze.

Alice was turned away, shirtless, on top of someone else on a divan. I walked backward slowly, holding my breath.

They haven't seen me… I’m going to act like I haven’t seen anything… I repeated to myself like a mantra.

But my chance of getting out unscathed was pulverized by my uncontrollable addiction to gossip. I couldn't leave without knowing who that woman was with.

I couldn’t, but I should have.

“I won't be able to live a year here like this...! No... Mia... no... let it go this once and get out,” I ordered myself, bumping the door with my toolbox before leaving.

Alice turned around immediately. I... played it off perfectly by dropping the entire box out of fright, scattering every single screw before bolting.

I hid in a dead space next to a planter. From my hiding spot, I heard movement. Suddenly, Alice peeked out; seeing no one, she closed the door with such force that the echo boomed.

I stayed trapped there for an eternity.

“Should I run to the attic?” I thought nervously. “No... she’ll hear me.”

I almost cried out of frustration. Then, the sound of Alice’s threshold cut through the silence. I peeked and saw Rose walking out, looking very relaxed while reading a score.

“How?” The level of that twist killed my fear instantly. “What?” I asked myself, leaning against the wall. “Oh...”

I heard Alice’s internal bolt slide shut again. I took off my shoes and ran to the stairs. Just before reaching my door, Ruby’s door opened. Out came Yvonne, disheveled, adjusting athletic clothes that weren't hers.

“Y... Yvonne?” I stammered.

“Mia... sweetie... good morning, love...” she replied, eyeing the distance between both rooms. “I was... giving Ruby some private tutoring.”

“I understood everything. Very thorough, yes,” Ruby chimed in, leaning against the frame. “Thanks for the lesson, Yvonne.”

What is happening in this house? Is everyone with everyone? I was so lost in my anger that I didn't even notice when Yvonne had left.

“Are you okay, Mine? You look confused.” Ruby smiled. “Are you here to handle my supports?”

“You mean your… instrument mounts?”

“Anything that holds things up is a support to me.” She tilted her head. “I haven't had time to look for them at Lizzie’s... Come back later... I want to shower.”

At that moment, Ruby’s phone vibrated.

“Whatever you say,” I replied.

“Hello? Do you miss me already?” she said into the phone, raising an eyebrow at me. “No, I don't think she’ll say anything… she knows she shouldn't.”

She turned around and slammed the door in my face.

I locked myself in my room, pacing like a caged animal. I replayed every second, searching for a logical explanation that wasn't the one I had just witnessed.

“I don’t care what they do with their lives, I just…” I sighed, “I don't want another problem for having seen that.”

I put my hands to my face. Call Tom? I remembered how much they hated him and ruled it out.

“Terrible idea... ugh...” I touched my forehead. Now I was the one with a migraine.

I heard heavy footsteps stop in front of my entrance, followed by a knock so loud I jumped. I hesitated for a century before opening.

And there she was. She looked like a volcano about to erupt. She was furious, staring directly at me. I swallowed hard, feeling the air leave my lungs, but I forced a smile.

“Hi, Alice.”

II

“Hi, Mia,” Alice said, her voice metallic.

The atmosphere became unbreathable. Alice did nothing but watch me; I remained motionless, returning her gaze while pretending I wasn't suffocating. Each was waiting for the other to speak first. At the slightest movement of my face, her eyes followed, analyzing every one of my tics.

“Mia… list—”

“Alice, I swear I didn't mean to see you changing,” I blurted out, interrupting her. “I didn't know that was a damn door. Where I come from, it's not normal for the wall to open up and show you a naked woman on the other side.”

“Changing...?”

“I felt so embarrassed seeing you like that,” I continued headlong, feeling the heat in my neck. “It’s not that there’s anything wrong with you...” I flushed. “You have a very beautiful body… slender… toned… lovely… but I ran away because I don't know you well enough to see you without clothes. I didn't want you to think I’m a pervert or something. Forgive me.”

Alice blinked several times, processing my string of improvised lies. That’s when I saw the shadow of a flattered smile cross her face, though she regained her seriousness immediately.

If I’m killed today, at least I’ll die knowing who the other one was, I thought, looking down. Say something! I screamed in my head, because her silence and that look of not buying a single word were torture.

After a while, I don’t know if it was because she pitied me or because my desperation amused her, but she smiled.

“I should teach you how to open those entrances; they’re a pain to close...” she said, and air returned to my lungs. “They often stay open without us noticing.”

She sharpened her gaze, as if reading my thoughts.

“I suppose it’s also my fault in a way… so it’s all good, Mia, don't worry.”

She approached and stroked my back with a tenderness that, strangely, managed to calm me. Her touch was too direct, almost telepathic; through that simple gesture, she let me know that, unlike with the others, everything was settled between us.

It wasn't because she was stupid or believed my story, but because her intuition told her she could trust my discretion. That mutual understanding, without the need for words, achieved what I thought was impossible: having Alice on my side.

“I came to take you to the dining room without another inappropriate wall opening in your path,” she winked at me. “Let's leave the ‘handling’ for later, shall we?”

III

The table was set with a varied menu, full of those expensive ingredients I never thought I’d see in front of me, but the aroma wasn't exactly appetizing. You could tell it was part of a diet so strict it looked like gourmet hospital food.

“Alice,” Rose said, breaking the silence, “I’m still stuck on the third page. Do you have twenty minutes to help me when we go up?”

“Is that little time enough?” Alice asked calmly.

“If you’re the one explaining it, yes.” Rose smiled for the first time in front of me.

That flash of tenderness between them completed the image I had of both on the divan. Yes… I thought, concentrated on my plate. I can see it clearly... the manipulator and the controller. Why do they try so hard to hide it?

“Your hints don't affect me, Rose,” Ruby intervened, inspecting the food for something with flavor. “I’m not explaining anything to you again.”

“I’d appreciate that,” Rose replied without looking at her. “Your caveman methods are only understood by you.”

“My program is too advanced for you,” Ruby said, finally finding something edible to hoard on her plate. “Because your mind is so old and obsolete that the more time passes, the less you’ll understand it.”

“Can you pass me the matsutake?” Luna asked me, pointing to the bowl next to me.

There were many—too many—an excess of pale mushrooms that blended into the tablecloth.

“What a waste...” I thought out loud, unable to help myself.

“You don't like them?” Luna asked curiously.

“I haven't tried them, but an ingredient like that shouldn't look so... anemic.”

She let out a little giggle, covering her mouth with her fingertips.

“That is an exceedingly exquisite comment for someone from a small town, Mine,” Ruby told me, starting to eat.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I replied without thinking, “you’re the ones living in a town.”

All four of them lowered their silverware at the same time to look at me with curiosity.

“There are only three houses surrounded by a bunch of trees, after a road with more trees and small houses before reaching the highway...” I counted on my fingers. “This is a town.”

“I can put tiny buildings inside a zoo and call it a city, or put three houses in an open private field and call it a town, but… which is the city and which is the town?” Ruby asked, swirling her puree with an agonizing deliberateness.

“The one with buildings,” I murmured defensively.

“Yes, you’re right,” she concluded, taking a spoonful to her mouth.

Since Ruby was so weird, her comment settled the talk for the rest of lunch. The instrumental music playing in the dining room prevented the silence from becoming heavy. I ate the little I felt like without shame; I was very hungry, but that was a lot of food that didn't satisfy anything. Ruby had taken everything with any seasoning or color. The pure taste of the salad or brown rice was simply unswallowable; they might be used to it, but I wasn't. At that very moment, I began planning a list of spices and sauces I would ask Tom to smuggle in.

“Mia,” Alice said, catching my attention, “Rose and I…”

Rose and you… I thought immediately, beginning to name them in my head. Ralice? Rolice? Rosice?…

“…organized your schedule,” she continued, handing us each a copy. “Every day you’ll have lessons with one of us.”

“Even Sundays, no breaks,” Luna said so softly I could see how her lips moved as she articulated every syllable. Then she gave me a long, sideways look and bit her lip before smiling. I know the others kept talking, but in that moment I went blank, dazed, a chill running through my whole body. Every gesture of hers gave me the impression she was flirting with me; however, the others didn't seem to notice. While Ruby kept talking and talking, I tried not to collapse from embarrassment, feeling it was all part of my absurd imagination.

“Mia!” Rose’s dry tone snapped me back to the table.