The Significant (10 page)

      
“Yes, Miss,” Tarah said, bowing her head
and returning to the kitchen. Isa was about to sit on the couch when Kailynn
stopped her.

      
“Say I
was
from Trid,” she started worriedly. “How did you know?”

      
“Because you did not know that Elites did
not have emotions,” she answered. She sat on the couch, turning her bright blue
eyes back on Kailynn. “That is something taught in all schools on Anon. Either
you skipped your lessons continuously, or you were born in Trid, where there
are no schools. Judging from what you said earlier about someone like you
needing to make money, I assumed you were a Trid.”

      
Kailynn remained still, staring at the
Golden Elite in shock. She had only spoken to the Elite for less than a
half-hour and already the woman knew that she was using a fake name and that
she had been born in Trid. It briefly crossed her mind that Isa, being the
Golden Elite, would send her back to Trid, or even to prison for faking
citizenship to work as a Significant.

      
“Are…are you going to call Officials on me?”

      
“Why would I do that?” Isa asked gently.
“You knew the risks of faking citizenship and getting work in Anon. I’m sure
you would not do so lightly. There is a reason you need the money, and I’m not
about to make it more difficult.”

      
Kailynn stared at Isa in surprise. For a
few moments, she remained still. Then, she stepped to the couch across the
coffee table and sat down heavily, still looking at Isa. Several more seconds
passed before she spoke.

      
“You’re…not what I expected.”

      
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

      
“…can I ask a question?”

      
“Of course.”

      
“Why, exactly, am I here?” Kailynn said
carefully. “Why would the Silver Elite pay for me to be here for you? I thought
Elites were never supposed to spend time with Significants? Aren’t you breaking
the law?”

      
“In a way, I am,” Isa agreed. “But Remus
is, as well, by paying for you to be here.” The Golden Elite took a deep
breath. “However, Venus does know you are here.”

      
“She does?” Kailynn gasped.

      
“There is no reason to be concerned,” Isa
assured. “Remus cleared the action with Venus before he asked for you. She
agreed.”

      
“Why would she agree?” Kailynn asked
suspiciously.

      
Isa’s eyes turned to the coffee table
between them.

      
“There are many reasons,” Isa started.
“But the biggest reason is that both Remus and Venus believe that I need to
take time off and talk to someone.”

      
“Why not just go to a therapist?” Kailynn
asked. “That’s what they’re meant for.”

      
“I do not feel the need to harass my
Specialist again,” Isa laughed lightly. “If I am being honest, I was opposed to
having you here. I do not like the practice of Significants, and I do not feel
that I need to discuss any personal problems. I might need this month-long
break to regain some of my mental energy, but I do not think I need a
Significant.”

      
“But I’m here anyway.”

      
“I was outnumbered,” Isa admitted. “While
you are here, though, please make yourself at home. I know you likely deal with
customers who are not great conversationalists, but I enjoy face-to-face
conversation greatly.”

      
“That would be a first,” Kailynn
chuckled.

Chapter
Eight

      
Kailynn had been unable to sleep the
previous night. She had sat with Isa for much of the day and spoken to her.
Only twice did Isa go back to her office to find that Remus was keeping her NCB
chair on remote lockdown, preventing her from working. She returned and would
ask Kailynn to tell her a little more about what Significants were like when
they were not with clients.

      
Kailynn was only too happy to tell her
the stories of the Significant lounges. Isa listened and smiled, rarely
contributing to the conversation other than to keep Kailynn talking. Kailynn
did not realize how much she had told Isa until she looked at the clock and
realized that they had been in conversation for over four hours.

      
She had stopped when Isa got a phone
call. The Elite answered it with her earpiece and began laughing gently at the
beginning of the conversation. Kailynn had taken the time of the Elite’s
distraction to study her, still unable to fully comprehend how the beautiful Elite
was real.

      
After the brief conversation, Isa
finished her wine and said that she was going to go to bed. She thanked Kailynn
again for being there and said she looked forward to spending the month with
her. Kailynn was not sure if she was just being polite, but the words made the
younger woman smile, regardless.

      
Kailynn went to her room, but could not
settle down. Her thoughts were practically consumed with her situation and with
how different Isa was from how she imagined.

      
Rumors of the Golden Elite were not
common, but there were certain things that were expected when one thought of
the most powerful person in the planetary system. Kailynn would have thought
that the Golden Elite would be cold and cruel, abiding strictly by the laws and
being sure that all under her rule did the same. Isa, however, had a strangely
gentle nature about her. Her perfection made her intimidating, and there was an
air of authority around her, but she did not appear to be a harsh leader.

      
Kailynn spent most of the night thinking
about Isa.

      
Therefore, she was tired when she walked
out of her room and joined Isa and Tarah for breakfast.

      
“Did you sleep well?” Isa asked.

      
“I did, thank you,” Kailynn lied. She had
always felt that the morning after being with a client was awkward and forced,
and this was no exception. She had spent so much of the night thinking about
the Elite, she felt awkward as she approached the table. Tarah stood to serve
her, but Kailynn smiled and shook her head.

      
“It’s alright, I can serve myself.”

      
“No, Miss Jacyleen, it’s quite alright.”

      
“Oh, actually, my name is Kailynn. My
real name.”

      
“Oh.” Tarah stared at Kailynn, blinking
slowly, “Kailynn. I will serve you.”

      
Tarah quickly went into the kitchen
before Kailynn could protest further. Isa watched her caretaker leave, her eyes
lingering on the door for only a moment before she turned to Kailynn.

      
“She will be more comfortable serving
you. It’s what she has been taught to do.” Isa motioned to the chair across
from her. “Please.”

      
Kailynn sat, her eyes averted from the
Elite. Isa was in a heavy robe, but she still appeared to be flawless, even
dressed so casually. Her hair fell in natural waves around her face. Kailynn
realized quickly that the Elite did not have makeup on but still looked perfect.

      
It was then that Kailynn had to remind
herself that Isa was not human.

      
The Golden Elite looked up from a small
tablet, where she had been reading the news, and smiled at Kailynn.

      
“How are you this morning?”

      
“Okay,” Kailynn murmured. “Not used to
being served, though.”

      
Isa smiled. “I’m sure it’s a big change
for you.”

      
“I’m not sure that I’m comfortable with
it,” Kailynn laughed awkwardly.

      
“Tarah enjoys her works in the kitchen.
Letting her serve you is something that will make her happy. If you feel
uncomfortable with any of the other things she does for you, then feel free to
tell her to stop.”

      
“Other things?” Kailynn asked nervously.
“Are caretakers, like, the
servants
of the Elites?”

      
“We try to avoid that word,” Isa said
carefully. “They are paid, and of course they are allowed to resign whenever
they wish. But they are responsible for the upkeep of an Elite household, and
an Elite.”

      
“Upkeep? What, do you have maintenance or
something?” Kailynn laughed. Isa chuckled as well, shaking her head.

      
“No, mostly they make sure that we eat,
keep the house clean, and make sure we have everything we need.”

      
“But caretakers aren’t expected to wipe
the asses of the Elites, or anything like that, right? They don’t have to do
everything for you?”

      
Isa could not help but laugh at Kailynn’s
vulgarity.

      
“I would certainly hope that those
working with me to run the planet are capable enough to wipe their own asses.”

      
Tarah returned with a plate of food and a
cup of coffee, setting it down in front of the Significant.

      
“If you would prefer tea, instead, I
still have some warm in the pot.”

      
“No, coffee is fine.”

      
Isa turned back to the tablet with the
news while Kailynn ate the most delicious food she was sure she had ever
tasted. She remembered her shock the previous night when real, organic food was
brought out for dinner as opposed to ration packs, which she had grown up
eating. Real food was too expensive. Only the high class society members were
able to afford it.

      
Kailynn almost wished she had never eaten
the food because she knew it would be difficult to return to ration packs.

      
Isa stood when Kailynn was half-way
through her breakfast. She walked into her room, the door closing behind her as
she continued to read the tablet in her hand.

      
Kailynn turned to Tarah, who was looking
at her food, pushing it around on her plate.

      
“Hey, are you okay?”

      
“Huh?” Tarah looked up quickly. “Oh,
yeah, I’m fine,” she assured. “Are you comfortable in your room?”

      
“Yeah,” Kailynn said. An awkward silence
fell over them as Tarah tried to figure out what to say next. “So, how did you
come to work here?” Kailynn prompted.

      
“I took over for Rayal when he resigned,”
Tarah explained.

      
“Rayal? Was he the previous caretaker?”

      
“Mm-hm,” Tarah affirmed with a nod. “He
put in his resignation three years ago, and then trained me for a year, and
then left.”

      
“Why did he quit?”

      
“I think there was just a lot for Rayal
to process after…” Tarah trailed off, her eyes going wide when she remembered
who she was talking to and that she should not speak too freely. “Sorry. It’s
just that…a few years ago, things were a little difficult for the Syndicate and
Rayal was having trouble keeping up with Isa’s needs. He resigned, saying he
wasn’t young enough to deal with the stress of handling Isa’s care.”

      
“Is she difficult to take care of?”
Kailynn asked worriedly. She was suspicious about the way Tarah had quickly
caught herself and then began speaking vaguely.

      
“In a way,” Tarah chuckled, rolling her
eyes. “You will never meet someone who takes
worse
care of themselves. She never stops working. Some days it’s a
miracle if I can get her to eat anything. She’ll often stay up all night
working. I keep having to ask her to sleep and eat.”

      
“Sounds like a predicament,” Kailynn
chuckled. “Was Rayal not a good caretaker, then?”

      
“He was the best,” Tarah said strongly.
“No one could do their job as well as Rayal.”

      
“Well, then, why was he having trouble
keeping up with Isa?”

      
Tarah opened her mouth to speak, but
stopped. She looked torn and frantic, as if she was trying to keep something
secret. Kailynn watched her struggle, hoping that the teenager would just tell
her what had really happened, but when she saw how nervous the younger woman
was getting, she took pity upon her.

      
“I guess I’m just wondering if his
resignation was because he and Isa didn’t get along.”

      
“Oh no, far from it,” Tarah said, shaking
her head, relaxing a little. “Rayal still works for Isa as head of her
Intelligence Agency.”

      
“Humans are allowed to work for the
Syndicate?”

      
“Most of the basic workers in the
Syndicate are human,” Tarah explained. “Then there’s the Gold, Silver, and
Bronze Elites—fifteen in total.”

      
“That’s it?”

      
“That’s it.”

      
“And they all have caretakers like you?”

      
“Yes,” Tarah said with a nod. “We’re
trained by our predecessor for a year before we take the position.”

      
“And how do you get to be trained to be a
caretaker?”

      
“It’s who you know,” Tarah explained. “I
was lucky. Isa took interest in me when I was very young, so she asked me if I
would like to take over for Rayal, and I quickly agreed.”

      
“Why? Why did you want this position? Sounds
like you’re basically Isa’s live-in maid.”

      
“I wanted to work for her. I owe her my
life.”

      
“Your life? What do you mean?”

      
“I wouldn’t be alive today if it weren’t
for Isa. Working here was the least I could do to pay her back.”

      
“What happened? How did she save your
life?”

      
“That’s not a good story…” Tarah said,
shaking her head and smiling nervously. “Maybe some other time.”

      
The caretaker stood and grabbed Isa’s
plate, as well as her own, and returned them to the kitchen. When she came back
out, Kailynn grabbed her arm.

      
“Tarah, I’m sorry if I upset you,” she
said sincerely. “This is a very strange world to me. I was just trying to
converse.”

      
“I know, I’m alright,” Tarah assured with
a gentle smile. “I know how much of a shock this is for you. I was born into
poverty. It took a long time to get used to this luxury.” Tarah’s smile
widened. “Enjoy it while you’re here. There’s no reason not to.”

      
Kailynn wandered about the home, not sure
what to do with her afternoon. Isa had vanished.
Again
. She had appeared for an hour or so and had another cup of
tea while she read her tablet. Then she disappeared for several hours before
returning for lunch. Kailynn had to busy herself with trying to help Tarah
because she did not know what to do with herself otherwise. After lunch, as
Kailynn was helping Tarah with the dishes, Isa disappeared again.

      
Kailynn was wondering what the Golden
Elite was doing that she could breeze about the house like a ghost. She also
wondered if that was going to be common through the entire month.

      
She was being paid far too much to act
like a piece of furniture in the house.

      
Kailynn walked into the pool area and was
confronted with the sounds of water splashing. Surprised, she watched Isa swim,
ducking underwater and changing direction as the Elite swam laps.

      
Kailynn walked up to the pool’s edge,
watching the Elite swim away from her, making the exercise look easy. Kailynn
was so caught up with how flawlessly the Elite moved through the water that it
took her longer to realize that the Elite was swimming naked.

      
Startled, but also fascinated, Kailynn
watched the Elite change directions again and swim toward her.

      
On the final few strokes, Isa broke form
and went to the side of the pool, smiling at Kailynn as she leaned against the
edge.