TE19 Iberian Adventure

Sara Mesa

Valen, Cristi & Marina

Teeny is back with a little color in her cheeks, her hair smoothed with a straightening iron.

She’s blanketed in compliments—Valen, Cristi, and Marina lay it on thick. What did she bring them? She knows that’s their motiva¬tion: Teeny is generous with the Specials. They wait for her precisely because she’s generous.

They go to the girls’ bathroom to avoid raising suspicions among the Normals.

Teeny doles out her attention as she doles out the gifts.

Valen chews candy and sucks her spit.

Cristi, exasperated: “Ugh, do you have to be so tacky?”

Celia isn’t with them. When it gets dark, she goes running in the Adidas sneakers donated by Wybrany. Her shadow can be seen in the distance, a gust trampling the wet grass. Back and forth in a mostly errant, undisciplined race.

They watch her from inside the doorway, and from their little huddle rise murmurs and complaints.

Teeny demurs, but weakly. “Celia didn’t say anything about us.” Her nose drips. “She took all the blame.”

“Well, then she’s saying that she manipulated us,” Cristi says. 80