carousing wiped clean.
Connor pushed me back, away from the scene. “C’mon, we’re going back upstairs,” he said. I took one last look and something glinted back at me. Just beside the man’s flung-out arm, some kind of wispy plumage, a few white feathers, had gotten matted to the ground, blood working as the adhesive.
So, there’s a midnight curfew here now. And you just have to keep your wits about you. New Orleans is a great place, but it’s still a big and wild city,” Connor said with a furrowed brow and in a voice that made him seem much older than he actually was. “Be smart, guys. And if you need anything, I’m here.”
The meeting in the common room had begun much differently than anyone had anticipated. We were all ready to start the day, seated on the sofas and chairs and floor, with notebooks and pens and, now, serious expressions.
Some residents had continued to sleep through all the commotion of the morning. Others had awoken to witness the cops outside talking into radios and unfurling that bright yellow crime-scene tape; the body was finally sheathed and taken away.
Sabine had still been sleeping when I got back to the room, and my knocks on Lance and Dante’s door had been met with silence, so I had busied myself getting showered and dressed until I could finally talk to someone about what had happened. When we had all convened for the meeting, there hadn’t been nearly enough catch-up time. Lance had only managed to whisper, “Check your phone,” before Connor had launched in. I knew exactly which phone he meant.
Connor seemed understandably anxious to be done with this unfortunate discussion. “It’s easy to get into trouble in this town, take it from me. But . . . just, you know, be careful.” He paused. “So, are we all good? Any questions or anything?” He scanned the room. No one moved; we all just stared blankly. “Okay, well, I’m here to talk anytime.” He sighed. “I know it’s a pretty horrific welcome, and I’m sorry for that, but we’re gonna be fine.” He picked up a stack of papers at his feet. “All right, so let’s try to remember why we’re here: voluntourism. When I come at ya, tell us your name and where you’re from.” He made his way around the room, handing out thick stapled information packets as we introduced ourselves to the group.
Finally, Connor returned to the front of the room. “Great, so here’s the deal: there’s no shortage of community service to be done in this town. We’re gonna mix things up and let y’all lend a hand doing everything from tutoring and peer counseling to running trips for kids and building some homes for Hurricane Katrina victims who are still living in temporary quarters. You’ll find a schedule in here.” He held up the leftover packets. “Every day’ll be a little different, but no day will be boring. You’ll be all over the place, from way out in the bayou to as close as next door—where some of you will be fixing up that old LaLaurie mansion. The city’s turning it into an event space—”
I thought of anyone having to spend all day in that place, and my whole body shivered for just a second, enough that Lance gave me a curious look. I couldn’t help it: my mind flashed to what I’d seen in the window. I had been tired—had I just been seeing things? I couldn’t deal with it now. I went through my packet and looked at the maps, calendars of the next several months, listings of so many businesses and locations and contact people.
But Connor wasn’t quite done with his speech. “So, if y’all are ready, let’s roll out in five, okay?” He held up one hand. “I’ll meet ya in the courtyard. First stop: the Latter branch library in the Uptown area.” With that, we all dispersed to our rooms, buzzing about all we’d just heard, gathering our things. I climbed up to my bed in the loft to find my phone. While Sabine was occupied switching most of her possessions from one purse into
Connor pushed me back, away from the scene. “C’mon, we’re going back upstairs,” he said. I took one last look and something glinted back at me. Just beside the man’s flung-out arm, some kind of wispy plumage, a few white feathers, had gotten matted to the ground, blood working as the adhesive.
So, there’s a midnight curfew here now. And you just have to keep your wits about you. New Orleans is a great place, but it’s still a big and wild city,” Connor said with a furrowed brow and in a voice that made him seem much older than he actually was. “Be smart, guys. And if you need anything, I’m here.”
The meeting in the common room had begun much differently than anyone had anticipated. We were all ready to start the day, seated on the sofas and chairs and floor, with notebooks and pens and, now, serious expressions.
Some residents had continued to sleep through all the commotion of the morning. Others had awoken to witness the cops outside talking into radios and unfurling that bright yellow crime-scene tape; the body was finally sheathed and taken away.
Sabine had still been sleeping when I got back to the room, and my knocks on Lance and Dante’s door had been met with silence, so I had busied myself getting showered and dressed until I could finally talk to someone about what had happened. When we had all convened for the meeting, there hadn’t been nearly enough catch-up time. Lance had only managed to whisper, “Check your phone,” before Connor had launched in. I knew exactly which phone he meant.
Connor seemed understandably anxious to be done with this unfortunate discussion. “It’s easy to get into trouble in this town, take it from me. But . . . just, you know, be careful.” He paused. “So, are we all good? Any questions or anything?” He scanned the room. No one moved; we all just stared blankly. “Okay, well, I’m here to talk anytime.” He sighed. “I know it’s a pretty horrific welcome, and I’m sorry for that, but we’re gonna be fine.” He picked up a stack of papers at his feet. “All right, so let’s try to remember why we’re here: voluntourism. When I come at ya, tell us your name and where you’re from.” He made his way around the room, handing out thick stapled information packets as we introduced ourselves to the group.
Finally, Connor returned to the front of the room. “Great, so here’s the deal: there’s no shortage of community service to be done in this town. We’re gonna mix things up and let y’all lend a hand doing everything from tutoring and peer counseling to running trips for kids and building some homes for Hurricane Katrina victims who are still living in temporary quarters. You’ll find a schedule in here.” He held up the leftover packets. “Every day’ll be a little different, but no day will be boring. You’ll be all over the place, from way out in the bayou to as close as next door—where some of you will be fixing up that old LaLaurie mansion. The city’s turning it into an event space—”
I thought of anyone having to spend all day in that place, and my whole body shivered for just a second, enough that Lance gave me a curious look. I couldn’t help it: my mind flashed to what I’d seen in the window. I had been tired—had I just been seeing things? I couldn’t deal with it now. I went through my packet and looked at the maps, calendars of the next several months, listings of so many businesses and locations and contact people.
But Connor wasn’t quite done with his speech. “So, if y’all are ready, let’s roll out in five, okay?” He held up one hand. “I’ll meet ya in the courtyard. First stop: the Latter branch library in the Uptown area.” With that, we all dispersed to our rooms, buzzing about all we’d just heard, gathering our things. I climbed up to my bed in the loft to find my phone. While Sabine was occupied switching most of her possessions from one purse into
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