Page 39 of The Marriage Narrative
FIONA:…they locked you outside? Z I feel like they’re trying to isolate you
GRACE:Lemons. Lemonade. Zinnia.
GRACE:I’m really glad you like it but that’s going to piss them off. Be ready.
By the end of her first week, she had a full set of new springtime critter character sketches to send to Grace for first thoughts and a product wish list. She’d since moved on to resurrecting an old webcomic now that she had extra time for it again.
Click-click.
Zinnia paused mid-drawing and looked up from her tablet to her camera pod. Two new faces again. Everyone else had repeating and rotating pods. Everyone else was on a first-name basis with their pods. Everyone else was allowed to quietly talk to their pods. But not her.
She didn’t care about that last one.
“You might’ve heard this already, but I’d prefer it if you just told me I had ten minutes left instead.” She dutifully began packing up her supplies.
Being filmed was honestly a little weird. She tried tuning them out, but it was impossible to not know they were there, especially when theyclickedat her. Conversation was against the Zaffre law, but clicker training to keep her on schedule was perfectly fine and not at all dehumanizing. She felt like a show pony, prancing wherever and whenever they wanted.
Click-click.
“I worked in customer service. I get it. You’re just doing your job,” she said. Mostly to herself. “Let’s go.”
During her second week, she traded her last hour of work inthe pocket forest fordyingexercising in the home gym. Fiona had suggested running because it helped with her anxiety.
ZINNIA:But I hate running. H A T E.
FIONA:Is running worse than being wound up all the time?
GRACE:Use the elliptical or do yoga then. You have to find a way to reset.
GRACE:They’re trying to stress you out and into an altercation. It’s reality TV 101
Click-click.
Zinnia slowed the treadmill to a stop. “What if I threw something at you?” she asked her camera pod in between breaths. “What then? I mean, I’d never do that but at least consider my imaginary threat before you click.”
They’d also given her one of the guest rooms near the gym to shower and get changed in. She placed her sweaty clothes in a hamper that always made its way back to the bungalow, where her bed was made and room tidier than she’d left it.
It bothered her that she never saw a single housekeeper or any house staff. Sheknewthey were there—just not where or when. Her guess was they weren’t allowed to talk to her either, which wasjust…She didn’t understand the Zaffre obsession with rendering staff, people,human beingsinvisible and paying them to play along. And threatening to fire them when they didn’t.
Click-click.
Ten minutes until Twin Time.
“You’re on thin ice, Magenta,” she said sweetly. They allrefused to tell her their names, so she used their hair colors instead.
Twin Time was her least favorite part of the day. Initially, her participation boiled down to being near them. Close enough was good enough. Jordan usually stayed with her until Lulie complained loud enough to convince Jordan to convince Zinnia to participate in whatever non–social media thing they were doing.
The network had caught on, andenforceddesigned aGet to Know Youmini storyline. Every afternoon they now had an activity inspired by one of the four of them. Jordan’s was next.
Click-click.
“Whatnow?” she snapped.
Honey Brown wordlessly pointed down the opposite hall. Who needed a map when her camera pod could justclickher into place?
“Maybe I was going the wrong way on purpose.”
They both stared as she passed them, following along like ducklings.
