Page 76 of For the Strange and Surprising

“What about it?”

I give her a bland look, and she promptly rolls her eyes with a slight grin gracing her mouth.

“Some of the birth control options prevent it. There are also fabric liners and things.” She studies me keenly. “Are you asking because you’re curious? Or because you need stuff?”

“I might need it next week,” I admit. “The rod in my arm affects my cycles, so I may not have one this month, or I may spot for a few days. I don’t really know.”

“Right. Let’s get some tea then,” she suggests before frowning. “You have to drink it every couple of days. But I wouldn’t take the herbal medicine until you know more about how it will react with your earthly birth control.”

We abandon our table, walking across the square into a general store. It’s like a crunchy mom-and-pop shop with drying herbs hanging in the windows and homemade snacks on the counters. The air smells faintly of ginger and jasmine.

Shelves line the building, filled with a few items I vaguely recognize. There’s food and clothing, plants and soaps, plus several things I can’t even begin to understand. Vials of bright liquid with no labels are housed on the wall behind a silent man reading a book.

I focus on Rinya before I become overwhelmed. “And who would I ask about that?”

“My mom is a midwife. I’ll ask her about seeing you.” She taps her chin. “What else do you want to know?”

“Okay.” I sigh. “What about deodorant?”

“These.” Rin flashes me a bar of soap. “Don’t you have some in your bathroom?”

“First, it’s called a bathroom here? And second, yes. They didn’t come with labels or instructions, though. I’ve only used the floral-smelling one to wash with and another one to clean my t-shirt.”

She snorts. “What else would we call it?”

“I don’t know,” I pop back. “It’s just so… Earthly.”

Her lips pull to the side as she scans the shelves. “Changes happen in the village every time someone comes from Earth, Ada. That could mean names of rooms or the way we build things… Or the way the guards train. Everyone brings a new skill to the island.”

“I can’t think of a single skill I’m bringing unless questions count.” I glance over her shoulder. “Rin, have you noticed anyone following us today?”

“You mean, other than Imryll? Not really. Just the weird guy you pointed out at the fountain.”

I lower my voice until I’m barely audible. “Do you know Poko Blackwater?”

“Yeah. I don’t really like him, but he’s tolerable.”

“He was watching us outside,” I tell her. “He was the guy at the fountain, and he came in here right after us.”

Rinya narrows her eyes, tilting her head to see him in her peripheral vision. When she flexes her jaw, I know it’s not just me. He makes us both uncomfortable.

“Let’s grab this and some tea. We’ll go find that lucky guy who’s courting you today.”

“Imryll is around. He was trying to give us some space.”

“Looks like we don’t need it,” she murmurs, peeking over her shoulder.

We stroll up to the counter, and Rin smiles as the man drops his book.

“Just this and two teas, Cotear.”

“In a hurry today, Rin?”

“Ada needs to get back to her guy. Imryll is waiting for us outside.”

He chuckles as he passes Rin two tea bags. “It’s nice to meet you, Ada. We hope to see you around more often.”

Rinya pushes me out of the general store without paying, shushing me when I protest. She marches us straight to Imryll, who is hilariously confused by our sudden appearance. His expression is oddly calming, even if he doesn’t mean for it to be that way.