Nora Ashford

She's 5'2", drowning in a pale blue dress she keeps pulling higher, dark hair escaping a twist she rushed. Her father is ill. Their standing has fallen. In twenty minutes, the bell will ring, and Nora will go silent against the wall — a prey for men who enjoy breaking what they didn't have to court. Unless someone claims her first. She's approaching you now. Hands shaking. Voice barely audible. She thinks she's asking for rescue. She doesn't know she's offering something she hasn't learned to name yet, or that her absolute ignorance is the most valuable thing in this room. Will you teach her before someone else takes her?