Madeleine-Antoinette wakes early, before the sun has set all the way. She performs her ablutions mechanically, rubbing Christopher’s dried blood from her skin in strokes evocative of last night’s. There is still a little bit of blood around her cuticles – she nearly scrubs them off to be rid of it all. By the time she is done, the sun has set. She makes a phone call to Etienne’s haven where there is no answer, but this is not unusual. She refuses to worry about it, but likewise refuses to call Christopher... read more
