Chapter Text
Matrifocal Allotment, near Sacramento, California
Tally Craven was not sure about a lot of things but this one she knew for sure:
She would never again drink alcohol. The warmth and the funny feeling the alcohol gave her was not worth the killer headache, with which she had to fight now, and more importantly, the loss of her memory. She hasn’t the slightest idea how she ended up in her bed. And her first instinct is to just close her eyes and go on with sleeping. Why did she even wake up in the first place?
The ringing of the telephone answers her question. Right. Her mom is not here, which means Tally probably must get this. She gets up with a sigh. A short glance at her alarm clock tells her it is nearly a quarter past 11. She grabs the water glass which stands next to her alarm clock and gulps the water down. Much better. Seems like drunk Tally had a clear moment when she prepared the water for her future self.
The phone is still ringing and so she gets down and grabs the receiver of the phone with a sigh: “Hello?”
“Good morning Tally. Did I wake you up?” it is her mom.
“Morning mum, actually yes. I went very late to bed yesterday. I was over at Glory’s.”
Is it an actual lie when she leaves out details? She did go late to bed. Well, late and very drunk. But this is something her mother does not need to know. The tension is already worse enough with conscription day coming up in a few months and Tally’s wish to enlist. A little lie does not hurt anyone, and she will most certainly not end up in hell for it. Well, even if she does, it would not make a difference. Being born as a witch kind of condemned her anyway to end up straight in hell.
“I am sorry honey. I just wanted to tell you the good news. The attorney believes that we have good chances to get your dispensation.” Her mom sounds happy and excited, but Tally cannot share her excitement. She wants to enlist, be a part of something bigger, help to protect people, and fight against the Spree. But now, with her throbbing headache is not the right time to start another argument.
That is why she just says: “This sounds great. Thanks for telling me.”
A few minutes later she is finally able to end the call and goes to the bathroom. She needs a shower to finally feel like a human being again. The mirror shows her nothing which was not to be expected after a night filled with cheap can beer and packaged wine. She looks pale with dark circles under her eyes and strands of her red hair managed to escape her braid which was falling apart.
“When did I braid my hair?” she shrugs the thought off. The headache and the wish for a shower are just stronger.
While she carefully detangles her hair, she tries to recall yesterday’s events. The last thing she remembers is drinking with Glory and a few other friends from school. But why did she drink so much? This is not her usual self. Sure, it is not the first time she tried alcohol, but it never escalated so much that she woke up with no memories the next day. So, what happened yesterday?
She gets her answer or at least a part of it a few hours later when the doorbell rings. With a sigh, she gets up and opens the door. It is Glory, looking a bit tired but not as wasted as Tally still feels. Lucky her.
“Slept well?”, she is grinning as she gets comfortable on the couch.
“Well, I cannot remember how I got in my bed or what happened after we started drinking at your house. Thanks for asking. How about you?” Tally asks while trying not to sound too concerned about her absent memories.
“I slept fine. I mean I had my bed all for myself after you decided you wanted to walk home. And I am not surprised that you cannot remember what happened. I had to take your glass away so you would stop drinking. But I mean I get it. If I were you, I would have probably also tried to forget what happened between me and the General,” Glory admits with a smirk.
“General? What are you talking about?”, Tally looks confused, then her facial expression changes. Oh. Right. Well, now she knows why she had been drinking so much.
“I see, you remember. But honestly Tally, I am sure it was not that bad. She is probably used to people gawking all over her. I mean she is super-hot, leader of the American army, and probably one of the most powerful witches in the world,” Glory tries to reassure her.
“Yes, but how many of these people nearly run her over twice in under five minutes and tell her that they are huge fans, while they are trying to scrab their dinner from her uniform?”
The thought alone makes Tally blush again. It was probably the most embarrassing moment of her life. Even worse than when she called her teacher “Mom” in fifth grade.
“Don’t forget that you nearly touched her boobs.” adds Glory.
“Not helpful. Why do you remind me of this? I believe I even tried to bow because I didn´t know what to do.” Tally covers her face, which is now the color of a ripe tomato, with her hands.
“Shit. Are you for real? Oh, Tally. You are incredible. I must have overseen this. I was probably too shocked about the whole pizza and touching thing.” Glory looks at Tally with a look of fascination. She does not know anyone with the courage or stupidity to ask General Alder something like that. Well, to be fair she does not know that many people. That is what you get when you grow up in a matrifocal allotment in the middle of nowhere. But with conscription day coming up Glory is not that sure anymore if it is the worst place in the world. Even though she would never admit this, she feared being enlisted.
Tally answers with a little grin: “I guess I just forgot it because I was too busy with getting away and trying to forget that it ever happened.”
“Good point. But you know what. Don’t worry. She meets so many people, she probably already forgot it. And isn’t your mom right now in New York to talk with this attorney about your dispensation? You’ll probably never have to see her again anyway.” Glory tries hard to sound not too bitter about it. She just wishes she had the same chance as Tally. To have an actual choice if she wants to join the army or not.
“Yeah. You are probably right. Thanks for the pep talk.”. Tally knows better than to say that she considers voluntarily joining the army.
Or even worse; that the thought of seeing the General never again makes her feel like someone hit her in the stomach. This doesn’t make any sense. She saw the General yesterday for the first time in real life and they barely spoke for more than two minutes. But it was just something about the way she looked at her. Tally had never felt so much seen as in this moment. Well, seen but also embarrassed.
And it all started so harmlessly...