Truth (13 page)

XXV

“N
ina!” Wei came through the door. “What are you guys up to?”

“Decorating,” Dee stood back, hands on hips. “What do you think?”

Wei surveyed the Holiday decorations that Dee had insisted on putting up. “I think it looks ultra. I really like the antique Santas around the poinsettia. Is that silk?”

“Uh-huh,” Dee said. “Gran’s had it since before I was born.”

“And the star lights around the doorway—ultracool.” Wei nodded her approval. “Listen, would you mind going upstairs to help my mom? She’s doing some baking and needs a hand—preferably not mine.” Wei accompanied Dee to the kitchen door and whispered something to her.

The cook center timer went off. “Cookies are done,” I said. “You go on, Dee. I’ll get them. What was that about?” I asked Wei.

“Nothing. Don’t you know not to ask questions around Holiday?” Her eyes latched onto the cookies. “Mmmm, those smell delicious!”

It would’ve been impossible to resist at least one, okay two, cookies each. Wei and I were just washing down the last bite with nut milk when Chris came in. “Let’s go.”

“Come on, Nina.” Wei grabbed my arm. “We’ve got a surprise for you. Get your coat.”

We ended up on the south side of Chicago, in a neighborhood that reminded me of where I’d taken refuge when I’d escaped from Ed’s kidnapping attempt. Preferring not to think about that, I said, “Where are we going?”

“Right here.” Chris pulled up in front of a grimy, boarded-up storefront. A sign hanging on the side of the building said
LITTLE BLUES TATTOOS
, with an arrow pointing down the alley.

My shoulders shivered, not from the cold. “You’re not . . . are you?”

“It was Chris’s idea,” Wei said. “He really wants you to have your tat.”

He shrugged and smiled. “You deserve it.”

“But . . . it’s too expensive. I can’t let you—”

“You can’t stop us,” Wei said. “Come on. Don’t want to be late for your appointment, do you?”

Chris punched a code into the door at the top of the stairs and held it open for Wei and me.

A guy appeared, inked from his fingers to the top of his head and, from the designs that disappeared under his shirtsleeves, probably a lot of other spots.

“Chris. Long time!”

“Colin. How are you doing?”

“Good. Real good. Is this the girl you told me about? Nina, isn’t it?” Colin shook my hand. “I’ll have to scan your designation before I can do anything around your XVI.” He grimaced. “It’s the law.” He scanned my ID. “Creative in art. Awesome. Wei says you did your own sketch.”

Wei produced my drawing from her coat pocket. “Dee took it to Chris,” she said when I looked at her, mouth agape. “What do you think, Colin?” She spread it on the counter.

My stomach went all butterflies, waiting for his assessment. After all, he was a professional artist. I certainly wasn’t.

“You’re good,” he said. “This is impressive.”

“Thank you!” I relaxed the tiniest bit. “I wanted it to be more than just a distraction around the XVI.”

“Mission accomplished. You’ve got completeness, love, and truth. Heavy on the truth. Nice.”

I blushed. “Is it going to hurt, much?” The government tattooist had been just to the right of sadistic when she’d done the XVI on my wrist.

“Nah,” he said. “I’ve got zone-out chips. You’ll be fine.”

“Mom has good salves, too, for when that wears off,” Wei said.

“Well, let’s get started.” Colin drew the curtain behind him, inviting me into the back room.

I glanced over my shoulder at Wei and Chris. “We’ll wait.” Wei smiled reassuringly.

I followed him.

An hour later, Colin leaned back. “Well, what do you think?” he asked.

I flipped between my wrist and the back of my hand. Three “truth”s in cursive circled the XVI, latching onto each other like serpents. Curlicues snaked around to the back of my hand and became a stylized pond, where six small lotus flowers floated around a fully opened seventh that was poised on a long stalk. Antique print spelled out L O V E, one letter per finger above my knuckles.

I threw my arms around Colin’s neck. “It’s perfect! Just perfect!”

***

“Let me see again.” Wei was in the backseat of the trannie with me, admiring my tattoo. “This is ultra-ultra. It’s magic. Hell, yeah! The other girls will be crazy about this.”

“I don’t know how to thank you guys.”

“No thanks needed.” Chris’s eyes met mine in the rearview. “I wanted you to have it. It fits you perfectly.”

I felt my neck redden. “Thanks anyway,” I said quietly to Wei.

***

Later on, Chris dropped off Dee and me for a brief visit with Gran.

“I am so glad you’re here.” Gran was sitting up in bed, still attached to the monitor, but it sounded strong. “What’s this?” She snatched my hand. “Oh! Nina! It’s beautiful.” Her eyes misted. “You designed this, didn’t you?”

“I did.” My chest swelled with pride. Dee smiled at me, too.

“Ginnie was right to put you in those art classes. You have real talent.”

I dared not tell her the ideas I had for using that talent.

“Oh, girls, I’m so happy. With everything—” Her voice cut off, and her eyes got watery.

“I know Gran. At least this part is okay,” I said, hugging her close. “I wish we could stay longer, but they won’t let us stay past the allotted time. Even though it’s Holiday Eve. I love you.”

“I love you, too, Gran,” Dee said.

“I love you both, girls, more than you know.” She clutched Dee’s hand tight.

I leaned down and kissed Gran on the forehead. “I love you. I can’t wait until you’re home again. Happy Holiday.”

***

I was hoping for a repeat of the night before, with all my friends, except we were going to watch Holiday vids instead of listening to Rogue Radio. Chris had gone out with some friends. And Sal’s NonCon duties had called him away, again. He didn’t know how long he’d be gone. Again. It wasn’t fair. I’d seen my boyfriend for a nanosecond the last few days.

At least everyone else was there. It was almost like old times for me, hanging with Derek and Mike again. And Dee and Wei, too.

The warm apple pie in the kitchen was the fruit of Dee’s latest labor. I was really impressed with her cooking. She was getting good—really good. She was also beat and fell asleep halfway through the second vid. Snuggled up together on the couch, Derek and Wei were not paying attention to anyone else. That left Mike and me munching on pie and watching
Joy on Mercury Way
.

“That’s a good one,” I said when it ended. “Let me find
Home for Holiday
.”

Out of the blue, Mike said, “I’ve been meaning to ask you something about this whole FeLS scandal.”

I froze. I hadn’t expected this from Mike. But I should have. Joan was his sister.

“Do you think Joan was involved with that somehow? I mean, her two years were up a while ago. And we’ve never heard from her.”

“I don’t know,” I hedged. “Maybe she got a job in one of the countries she was sent to. Sometimes girls . . .” Knowing what I knew, it was hard to come up with any kind of excuse.

“Joan isn’t like that. Mom hasn’t heard from her since a week after she left. It kills her. Especially at Holiday.” He fiddled with the fork on his empty plate. “I miss her, too.”

I felt awful keeping what I knew from Mike. It wasn’t like he had a lot in his life. And he and Joan had been really close before she left. Like I’d done with Mom, after Ed beat her up, Joan had taken care of Mike after his dad’s beatings. I longed to tell him about her, but his knowing the truth would put Joan in danger, and Mike, too. Especially if he saw the conditions she was forced to live in. I knew Mike, I knew what he’d do—rush in first, think later, and probably get himself arrested, or worse.

“I’m sure if she’s heard about the investigation, she’ll be in touch. I bet a lot of girls who haven’t contacted their families will now.”

“I sure hope so.”

I said, “Me, too.” Even though I knew she wouldn’t be contacting anyone, at least not for a while.

XXVI

I
’d expected Dee to be the one bounding out of bed at five a.m., not me. Although I didn’t exactly bound. Even my usual burrowing under the covers couldn’t coax more sleep, so I got up, went to the kitchen, and started our usual Holiday morning routine—fresh cinnamon rolls, coffee, and orange juice.

Dee padded into the kitchen as I was taking the rolls out of the cook center. “It smells just like Holiday.” She sighed. “I wish Mom was here.”

“Me, too.” I filled a cup with coffee and stirred in two spoonfuls of sugar. Making the cinnamon rolls might not have been my best idea. Ginnie had always done it, though. I didn’t want the day to be sad, but maybe that was just wishful thinking. How could it not be without her. Without Gran and Pops.

“What are you doing?” Dee asked. “You hate coffee.”

“I’m learning to like it.” I took a sip of the murky brew and promptly spat it into the sink.

Dee laughed. That was a better start to the morning.

“Let’s go see if any presents miraculously appeared,” Dee said.

I knew there would be one for Dee, from me.

“Lookie here.” She sounded just like Pops. “A present for Little Bit.” She handed me a thin rectangular box, wrapped in silver paper with a gold bow on top.

“Lookie there.” I’d hidden her present behind Gran’s poinsettia. “Something for Deedles.”

She retrieved a loose roll of paper with a ribbon tied around it. “I hope Pops is okay. Did you call?”

“Yeah. They won’t let him have visitors.” I didn’t want Dee to start crying, or me either, for that matter. “I wonder what this could possibly be?” I held up the present she’d given me. “It’s definitely not alive.” Shaking it, I said, “No small parts. Hmmm . . .” I studied it. “I wonder what it––”

“Open it already!”

“You think?” I teased the ribbon loose and unsealed the paper. Inside was an animated digi of Ginnie and me. “Oh, Dee! It’s ultra! How on earth did you do this?”

“Chris helped. He’s so great.”

Yeah, I thought, he is pretty great. First my tattoo, well, first helping us move and everything else he’d done since then . . . and how sweet he was.

“So what is this? A telescope?” She held the roll to her eye. “Nuh-uh. A straw?” She tried to get her mouth around it. “No way.”

“Dee!”

“Yes, ma’am!” Untying the ribbon, she unrolled the paper to reveal a drawing of her at five years old, sitting in Mom’s lap. They were reading a real book. She sucked in her breath. “It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” Her cheeks glistened. “This is the best present ever.”

We finished off breakfast and had just settled in front of the FAV to watch
Home for Holiday
, since Dee’d slept through it last night and I could watch it a million times, when Dee’s PAV beeped.

After a brief conversation, she clicked off and said, “That was Miss Maldovar. She’s going to bring by some presents at ten.”

“She is?”

Dee got up. “Yep. You think she’d like it if I made her cookies?”

“I’m sure she’ll like anything you do.” I did not understand this woman’s big interest in Dee. Was it just a tender heart toward a girl who’d lost her mother? I was not likely to figure it out in the next few hours, so I turned on the FAV and zoned out on my favorite vid.

I kept an eye out for Miss Maldovar, not wanting her arrival to bother the Jenkinses. When a hire trannie pulled up, Dee was in the kitchen, so I ran to the front door. She came in, followed by the driver, who was loaded down with bags and boxes. He deposited the packages inside, and I couldn’t help but notice his face when she tipped him. His Holiday was made.

“It smells wonderful in here,” she said. “Who’s the baker?”

“Dee. She’s making some of our grandmother’s Holiday recipes.”

“I’m not surprised. She’s so smart.” She shrugged off her coat and threw it over the back of Pops’s chair. “I hope you don’t mind that I got a few presents for Dee. I know how difficult it must be for you with all the family issues you’ve had. I’m sure finding credits for presents was not high on your list of priorities.”

“That’s very nice of you.” Something about the way she talked to me raised my hackles. The woman was a definite trigger for my danger radar—especially with the obscene number of presents she’d brought. One or two would’ve been normal; this was excess to the outer limits. “You really didn’t need to do anything.”

“I know. However, I wanted to. Dee’s been such a big help to me so far. And as the semester progresses, I’m sure she’ll continue to shine as my assistant.” She glanced at the mountain of gifts. “I might have gone a little overboard, but it was so much fun buying for a Pre.”

Dee came in from the kitchen. “Miss Maldovar!” She wiped her floury hands on the apron she was wearing, then she noticed the presents. “Those are for me?”

“Nearly all of them,” Miss Maldovar said. “I did buy a few things for your sister.” She flashed me an all-teeth, no-eye-crinkles smile. “I didn’t want you to feel left out.”

“Thanks.” I should have been curious, and maybe I was a little, but mostly I wanted to know what was behind her generosity. “Would you like some coffee? Maybe some cookies?”

“Cookies for sure!”

Dee brought in a plate of cookies and set it on the table. Miss Maldovar watched as Dee unwrapped what ended up being an entire wardrobe of clothes and accessories from Mars 9. It must have cost Miss Maldovar a fortune.

She had gotten me a beautiful ultrachic sweater, TT brand all-weathers, and a gift certificate for two hundred credits at Mars 9. More than I could possibly have imagined.

Dee was modeling her new clothes for us when Wei came downstairs. It was her first introduction to Miss Maldovar, who was as smooth with Wei as she was with me.

“Mom sent me down to tell you that dinner’s in an hour,” Wei said. “And Chris was wondering if Dee would mind helping him with your grandmother’s pie recipe.”

“Let me change.” Dee snatched up her new outfits. “I’ll be right back.”

“Are you spending Holiday with your family?” Wei asked Miss Maldovar.

“No,” she said. “My parents are no longer with us, and my brother is out of the country.”

“Oh, that’s too bad.” She frowned. “Tell Dee to come on up.” As she opened the door, she motioned me over and whispered, “Do you mind if I ask Mom if she can stay for dinner? There’s more than enough food, and it’s kind of sad that she’s alone.”

“I guess not.” I glanced over at Miss Maldovar, who was engrossed in her PAV receiver. “I don’t trust her, but she’s been more than nice to Dee and me. It can’t hurt, right?”

“I’ll call you right back.” Wei rushed up the stairs, taking them two at a time. Practically before I sat back down, my PAV beeped. “Mom says ask her.”

“Would you like to join us at the Jenkinses’ for Holiday dinner?” I asked. “Mrs. Jenkins would love it if you could.”

“What?” Dee came into the room. “Are you going to have dinner with us? That would be beyond ultra!”

“I guess it’s settled, then,” Miss Maldovar said. “Please, tell Mrs. Jenkins I’d love to join all of you.”

“We’ll come up in a few,” I said to Dee. “I don’t want to be in the way.” And, as uncomfortable as I was around Maldovar, I thought maybe a bit of time alone with her might give me a clue as to why.

After Dee left, Miss Maldovar said, “I used to love Holiday. Up until I was a Pre, my parents would always buy my brother and me matching sweaters. After twelve, though, you don’t necessarily want to look like your twin.” She gave a wistful laugh. “Teddy and I were always close, though.”

“You have a twin?” I said. “I’ve never met twins. Do you look alike?”

“No. We’re fraternal.”

“Does he live in Chicago?”

“No. He lives in the suburbs.”

I hated small talk, but I kept on chatting. Something told me there was more to Miss Maldovar’s story. I wasn’t sure what, but I wanted to find out. “Do you see him often?”

“I used to, but I haven’t seen him in a while.” A disturbance crossed her face, so quickly I might have missed it if I hadn’t been looking closely.

“I bet you miss him. I would be lost without Dee.”

She gave me the oddest look. “I do miss him. Although as siblings grow older, they are not always as connected as when they were young.”

I was running out of things to say. “Thank you again for coming to the hearing and giving us your support.”

“I was glad to do what I could to assist Dee. Families should never be torn apart.”

The ensuing silence lasted for what seemed like forever, until Dee walked in. “I want to wear one of my new outfits for dinner.” She beamed at Miss Maldovar. “And I almost forgot the Holiday bread I made yesterday. It’s my present to the Jenkinses.”

Following her lead, I changed into my new TTs and the sweater, and upstairs we all went.

***

Dee and Chris’s dinner was delicious. There was seitan roast stuffed with a nut-and-veggie mixture, mashed potatoes, the most delicious gravy (I’d never tell Gran it was better than hers, but it was!), fruit sauces, and a whole tableful of exotic foods I’d never heard of. And to top it off, Chris had baked two pies—cherry and Gran’s green-tomato mince pie.

It was the first time I’d ever met Wei’s older sister, Angie, and her husband, Leo. Angie and Leo were originally supposed to have our apartment, but they had turned it down. It didn’t surprise me, now that I’d met them. They were so different from the rest of the Jenkins family. It was obvious that Angie didn’t fit in with her family.

“We’re going to Leo’s parents’ at four.” Angie picked at her food.

While Miss Maldovar engaged Leo in small talk, Angie, who was sitting next to me, said, “Nice sweater.”

“Thanks.”

“And your sister”—she nodded toward Dee—“good taste. She looks like a
XVI Ways
vert.”

Angie was right. Dee did look exactly like a Pre was supposed to, which bothered me. But she loved the clothes. Just because she was dressed that way didn’t mean she thought like a Pre, or was going to act like one. People like Wei wore ultrachic, and she was about as far from being a snob or a sex-teen as anyone I knew. As full as I was, my belly felt suddenly empty. You can’t figure out who’s who by appearances. No matter how much the government or the Media, or even your friends, say you can. You can’t know who a person is unless you get to know him or her.
That
was the truth.

Wei snapped me out of my philosophical reverie. “You could take some of this food to your grandmother, if you want. Please?” She bent toward me conspiratorially. “Or we’ll be eating leftovers till New Year’s.”