Jobs were being lined up for Cora for the next few months, but it was
difficult to try to match up her dream of reaching a set amount of money
while juggling her father. Her father had arrived two nights ago, and for
someone who was barely around, he was pompous and vain.
"So, Cora!" he would say at breakfast. "What do you have planned today?"
"I was actually planning to maybe have lunch at a local cafe." Cora said casually, biting into a piece of toast.
"Aren't you going to spend some time with your father?" Cora's father asked, slapping Cora on the back in what he thought was a friendly way.
"Well, I got a job." Cora said cautiously. Cora's mother was watching Cora with a wary eye, and Amelia's eyes were as wide as they could go. Amelia was curious about Cora's job, but Cora never spoke about it.
"Oh really? What do you do?"
"I'm a waitress." Cora said, fighting down the urge to say that she killed for a living. Cora's mother turned back to her porridge, and Amelia blinked.
"I thought you could get hurt at your job!" she protested.
"Oh, I can." Cora said airily. "Sometimes customers get rowdy."
"Wow." Amelia was awed.
"I wish you'd let me take you and the girls back home to America. It's civilized there, and you wouldn't have to let you and the girls use your maiden name. That way we'd be more like a family." Father was saying, but Mother was shaking her head vehemently.
"I won't have you taking them from their home. They are settled here."
"At least let me take Cora."
"No!" Mother flared up. Father fell silent, but he glared at Mother. Cora pushed away from the table with a slight grin.
"Well I'm just going to go to work then." Cora said, standing.
"But Cora, don't you want to see the presents that I got you girls?" Father said. Cora sat back down, plastering a fake smile on her face.
"Presents sound great." Cora said brightly.
"Yay! Presents!" Amelia said enthusiastically, giving her father a hug.
"Umbrella is looking for work, Cora." Father said as he stood up. "I bet I could get you a sanitation job or a Extra job there."
"No thanks." Cora shook her head. How could she see the world locked up inside a stuffy old lab?
"Your loss!" Father said heartily as he strode down the hall. Mother exhaled, raking a hand through her hair. She cursed under her breath in Spanish and sat down.
"If he buys you expensive jewelry, please don't wear it in public again." she warned Amelia.
"I won't." Amelia said sullenly, poking at her eggs. Finally, Father came back.
"Your mother told me that you've started to collect knives." Father said sternly as he sat down.
"Yeah. For decoration purposes." lied Cora. Father grinned.
"Your grandfather used to do that with swords and rifles! It runs in the blood!" Father beamed, but Mother scowled instead. Father took out a wooden crate the size of a shoe box and pushed it at Cora. Cora flipped open the lid. Inside was an enormous ornamental dagger, with gold and rubies in the hilt and a thin, delicate blade.
"Wow." Cora said, searching for words.
"She's speechless, she likes it so much!" Father beamed.
"Right. Well, thanks Dad, but I have to put this away." Cora gave a faint smile, and then scurried away. God, her father was an idiot. Well, at least she could use the small crate to keep all her other daggers in.
Once she was in her room, she pulled a piece of paper and consulted it quickly. She had a job to do. Mr. Copely had warned her though, this would be a difficult job - chances of getting caught were high. Cora didn't care. The sooner she could leave her mother and sister in comfort, the sooner she could see the world and leave her father behind.
"So, Cora!" he would say at breakfast. "What do you have planned today?"
"I was actually planning to maybe have lunch at a local cafe." Cora said casually, biting into a piece of toast.
"Aren't you going to spend some time with your father?" Cora's father asked, slapping Cora on the back in what he thought was a friendly way.
"Well, I got a job." Cora said cautiously. Cora's mother was watching Cora with a wary eye, and Amelia's eyes were as wide as they could go. Amelia was curious about Cora's job, but Cora never spoke about it.
"Oh really? What do you do?"
"I'm a waitress." Cora said, fighting down the urge to say that she killed for a living. Cora's mother turned back to her porridge, and Amelia blinked.
"I thought you could get hurt at your job!" she protested.
"Oh, I can." Cora said airily. "Sometimes customers get rowdy."
"Wow." Amelia was awed.
"I wish you'd let me take you and the girls back home to America. It's civilized there, and you wouldn't have to let you and the girls use your maiden name. That way we'd be more like a family." Father was saying, but Mother was shaking her head vehemently.
"I won't have you taking them from their home. They are settled here."
"At least let me take Cora."
"No!" Mother flared up. Father fell silent, but he glared at Mother. Cora pushed away from the table with a slight grin.
"Well I'm just going to go to work then." Cora said, standing.
"But Cora, don't you want to see the presents that I got you girls?" Father said. Cora sat back down, plastering a fake smile on her face.
"Presents sound great." Cora said brightly.
"Yay! Presents!" Amelia said enthusiastically, giving her father a hug.
"Umbrella is looking for work, Cora." Father said as he stood up. "I bet I could get you a sanitation job or a Extra job there."
"No thanks." Cora shook her head. How could she see the world locked up inside a stuffy old lab?
"Your loss!" Father said heartily as he strode down the hall. Mother exhaled, raking a hand through her hair. She cursed under her breath in Spanish and sat down.
"If he buys you expensive jewelry, please don't wear it in public again." she warned Amelia.
"I won't." Amelia said sullenly, poking at her eggs. Finally, Father came back.
"Your mother told me that you've started to collect knives." Father said sternly as he sat down.
"Yeah. For decoration purposes." lied Cora. Father grinned.
"Your grandfather used to do that with swords and rifles! It runs in the blood!" Father beamed, but Mother scowled instead. Father took out a wooden crate the size of a shoe box and pushed it at Cora. Cora flipped open the lid. Inside was an enormous ornamental dagger, with gold and rubies in the hilt and a thin, delicate blade.
"Wow." Cora said, searching for words.
"She's speechless, she likes it so much!" Father beamed.
"Right. Well, thanks Dad, but I have to put this away." Cora gave a faint smile, and then scurried away. God, her father was an idiot. Well, at least she could use the small crate to keep all her other daggers in.
Once she was in her room, she pulled a piece of paper and consulted it quickly. She had a job to do. Mr. Copely had warned her though, this would be a difficult job - chances of getting caught were high. Cora didn't care. The sooner she could leave her mother and sister in comfort, the sooner she could see the world and leave her father behind.
