Her mouth goes tight and her eyes go narrow. “This is a real question?”
Confusion, I decide. I’m doing something wrong here, but she’s not sure if I know I’m doing something wrong, or if I’m just acting ignorant. “Yeah. Real question. I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“We’re not allowed out in public until the clock strikes Fire Hour, Pie.”
I throw up my hands. “What the hell does that even mean?”
“You really don’t know?”
“I really don’t, Talina. So if you could just spell it out for me, I’d be eternally grateful, thank you.”
She relaxes, then sighs. “The moonspots.” She points to her beautiful white markings. “They’re a mark of lower class.”
“What?”
“You know. Social class. All the monsters of Vinca have moonspots.” She looks me up and down. “Except you, and Tarq, of course. But that’s because the two of you, you’re royal beasts—pure-bloods—
and we’re just… half-breeds. Common freaks.”
Royal. Beasts. And I thought I had heard it all. “So let me get this straight. Everyone with beautiful spots on their bodies is… what? A peasant?”
Talina shrugs. “We serve at the queen’s pleasure. But it’s not so bad.”
“Not so bad? You can’t wear clothes on Fireday and you can’t go outside until the clock strikes Fire Hour?”
She nods. “Well, we’re allowed to go to work, of course. But we’re not allowed to leave until Fire Hour.”
“And Fire Hour is what time, exactly?”
“What do you mean?”
“What time is Fire Hour, Talina? Four o’clock? Five? Six? When?”
“It’s just… Fire Hour.”
I shake my head. “Nope. Nope, I can’t do this.”
“Do what?”
“Ten-day workweeks? New hours on the clock? I can’t, OK? My brain is not smart. In fact, I’m sorta slow. I don’t have space in my head to learn these things right now. What time is it now?”
Talina looks at the watch on her wrist. “It’s Earth Hour.”
“How many more hours until Fire?”
“Six. We have Earth Hour, and Wind Hour, and Breath Hour—”
“Stop.” I close my eyes and breathe. I don’t want to be here anymore. The culture shock, it’s a real thing. But I force myself to deal and open then back up. “I don’t have moonspots.”
“Nope. You don’t.”
“So I’m allowed to leave this building and go get coffee?”
“Technically—”
“Technically?”
“You could, but then everyone would see you, Pie. And they would know you’re real. So far, it’s just a rumor. The humans are going crazy. It’s all over the gossip channels.”