Once she’d eaten her fill, she was unsure of how to get anyone’s attention. It felt gross to ring the bell to summon people, so she went to the living room door instead, startled when the two women magically appeared in her path.

“Miss, have you finished?” woman B asked.

“Yes, thank you. Would you both mind if I explored the apartment? A–Alessandro said it was alright with him,” she said, hating that she had to speak his name.

“You do not need to ask us, ...