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“Sometimes you have to live down to people’s expectations, Kate. If you can do that, you’ll get much further in life.
It ain’t Christian to revel in the misery of others, but I like to make an exception for Katherine.
“I’m going to kill her,” I say, my voice low. I use the fine material of my skirt to scrub my face of the snot and tears, the chains around my wrists digging into the soft skin. I take a deep, shuddering breath. “I’m going to kill her, and Miss Preston and the mayor. All of them. I’m going to gut them like fish and use them as shambler bait, then I’m going to burn both the school and the mayor’s house to the ground and dance upon the ashes.” “That’s good, Jane, that’s good. It’s good to have goals,” Katherine says, her voice trembling.
“Oh, Jane, I never much cared about being an Attendant. All I ever wanted was to be free.”
There’s nothing white folks hate more than realizing they accidentally treated a Negro like a person.
“Look at you, with those pretty manners. Wherever did they find you?” “At the junction of hard luck and bad times,” I answer. It’s something that my momma says.
Katherine sniffs. “But don’t you see, Jane? That’s exactly what I don’t want. I don’t want to live the rest of my life as a liar. To turn my back on my own people. And I definitely don’t want to be someone’s wife. I don’t want a man.” I shift uncomfortably next to her. “Is this your way of telling me you fancy women?” Not that I mind that. I’ve been distracted by a pretty face every now and again myself. But trying to imagine Katherine pledging herself to a life as a spinster doesn’t quite fit.
“No! I don’t fancy anyone. I’ve seen the way you look at Mr. Gideon and I’ve seen the way you look at Jackson. I’ve even seen the way you used to look at Merry Alfred when she was at Miss Preston’s.” My face heats. “Well, Merry was very pretty and she had that amazing right hook.” Merry was also a very good kisser, taught me everything I know, but Katherine doesn’t need to hear about that.
“See, the problem in this world ain’t sinners, or even the dead. It is men who will step on anyone who stands in the way of their pursuit of power. Luckily there will always be people like me to stop them.”
