Read Online Marny by Anthea Sharp - Free Book Online

standard boring white. She mentally added a big,
colorful tea mug to the list of things she needed.
    On her way past the dining hall the night
before, she’d grabbed a few tea bags and sealed containers of
creamer. Soon, she’d get to the store—she really did prefer soy
milk—but for now, Intertech could keep her in tea. The Celtic
Breakfast in its bright green packaging looked promising.
    The kettle dinged, and she poured boiling
water over her tea bag. Stainless steel and black, the appliance
matched the rest of the stylish kitchen. Dark granite countertops,
a stove that looked brand new, and cupboards made of some reddish
wood, stocked with dishes. And regrettably small mugs.
    When her tea had brewed nice and strong, she
took her cup over to the window and watched the morning traffic zip
around the streets below. Almost half the cars were the bright
yellow grav-taxis—something she didn’t see much of in Crestview.
Either people drove themselves (or had chauffeurs, in the case of
the rich kids), or took the bus.
    “Yo.” Wil shuffled into the kitchen, wearing
sweat pants and a T-shirt with holes in it. His hair stuck up on
one side like a fan.
    “Morning,” she said, turning to greet
him.
    Lucky Anjah; it looked like he was, indeed,
making coffee.
    Most of Marny’s family loved the beverage.
Her uncle even owned a simcafé, but Marny had never developed a
taste for coffee. Too bitter.
    Though she did enjoy the smell as Wil ground
the coffee. It reminded her of home.
    He rubbed his eyes and leaned back against
the counter beside the gurgling coffee machine.
    “I hear they set out a tray of bagels and
pastries in the dining hall,” he said. “For people who just want to
grab something and go during their breaks. In case you were
wondering about breakfast.”
    “Sounds good.”
    She usually wasn’t too hungry in the
mornings, but it wouldn’t hurt to have a little bite. Although this
morning, her stomach was so tight with nerves she was particularly
uninterested in eating.
    Calm down. Sheesh. You’ll be fine.
    Whatever the day held, she’d handle it. If
she could battle crazed smoke-drifters and wicked goblins, babysit
a changeling, and fight off faerie glamour, she could face her
first morning at Intertech.
    Before the coffee was done, Wil grabbed a mug
and poured himself a cup, letting the still-brewing coffee splash
down and scorch on the burner. Marny wrinkled her nose at the acrid
smell, but she didn’t say anything as Wil dashed back to his room.
She could hear Anjah singing in the bathroom.
    For a second she missed her sisters and
parents with a deep stab of homesickness.
    But at home there was no view of a waking
city outside her windows. No way to prove herself against a larger
world. Crestview was where she’d grown up, but it was constricting,
like an old sweater that had shrunk in the dryer until she could
barely get her head and arms through, let alone wear it
comfortably.
    She wasn’t sure what kind of future would fit
her, but that was part of why she’d applied for the internship. Why
she was here in Newpoint.
    “Coffee?” Anjah called plaintively, cracking
the bathroom door open an inch.
    Wil didn’t respond, so after a moment Marny
did. “I’ll bring you a cup. Black?”
    “Oh, thank you! Black, two sugars.”
    Marny supposed it didn’t hurt to preserve
harmony with her roommates. She’d need a favor in return at some
point, and it didn’t take long to fix Anjah’s cup.
    “Here you go.” Marny rapped on the bathroom
door.
    Anjah cracked it again, and stuck out her
hand. Her nails were now peacock blue.
    “A million thanks,” she said from behind the
door as she grabbed the mug.
    “Welcome,” Marny said to the rapidly closing
door.
    Oh, well. Some people really weren’t human
until after their morning coffee. Though she had the suspicion
Anjah had a selfish streak as wide as the Pacific.
    Marny went back to the window, and her tea.
The last couple sips were cold, but