Truth (20 page)

“Damn.” Wei stared at me for a good minute, before saying, “Did you tell Chris?”

“No, I wanted to tell you first. And, Wei, Brie called me earlier. She and Dorrie and Mag got the whole rescue plotted out for Joan. It’s set for Tuesday. But what are we going to do?” It was hard enough not to tell the Jenkinses about the rescue, and now this so-called deal from Lessig was making everything so much worse. “Pops—I can’t let him die. And I can’t give Lessig information about your dad. What do I do?”

“Correction. What do
we
do? It’s time for a meeting. A family meeting.”

“What about Dee? I can’t put her in danger.”

“Okay.” Wei pondered for a moment. “Not Dee. Let me get Mom up here. We need to tell her everything—even about Joan. Dad will go along with whatever she says.”

“And Chris?” I was already worked up, so any blushing went unnoticed.

“He’ll make his own decision. I’ll go get Mom.”

I hoped she was right. I’d already lost so much of my family. I couldn’t afford to lose them all, too.

***

“Nina, I respect your decision,” Mrs. Jenkins said. “A hard one to make, but I believe it is the right one.”

“Thank you.”

“I’ll get ahold of the Sisterhood about the change in plans for tomorrow,” Wei said. “Don’t worry, it will work out.”

I tracked down Dee in the kitchen, helping Chris clean up. I glanced at the cook center clock. It was nine. There was something about nine o’clock on Sunday. Skivs! The interruption with my drawings! With everything that had happened, I’d almost forgotten.

“Do you ever watch
Vacation Destinations of the Ultra-Riche
?” I asked.

“I’ve been known to.” Chris smiled. “You planning on becoming ultra-rich? ’Cause you just had your Holiday vacation.”

“May I turn it on?” I asked.

“Sure. Something special going on?”

“Actually—yes.”

Wei came downstairs. “Mom’s having that conversation,” she said when everyone’s attention was on the FAV.

The wheels were in motion, and I was powerless to stop them. Might as well enjoy my artistic triumph. It could be the only one I’d ever have.

“You guys all watch this with me,” I said.

Dee, Chris, Wei, and I sat around the kitchen table watching as top-tier families traveled to the week’s themed resorts. This Sunday was tropical fantasy islands. Right in the middle of a mid-twentieth-century Hawaiian luau, the picture flickered. The next image was the first of my homeless series, with music I’d never heard before backing it.

“Nina!” Dee grabbed my arm. “Those are your pictures!”

“I know.”

Chris leaned over and whispered quietly in my ear. “You keep amazing me,” he said. “Like no one else.”

As we watched my sketches broadcast on the FAV, with the haunting music Dorrie’d chosen behind them, I wondered how amazed he’d be if he knew what I was planning.

XXXVIII

F
irst day back to school after Holiday, and Mr. Haldewick gave us a pop quiz. I glanced over at Wei, who was doodling with her rapido, already done with the test. Up the aisle, Mr. H scrutinized the class, most of whom were bent over their desks, writing furiously. Like Wei, I was finished, and . . . my life as I knew it was about to be finished. The meeting the night before hadn’t gone like I thought it would. There were things I had to do that I wasn’t sure I could do. But Lessig had given me no choice. And lives were at stake.

Then there was the whole Chris thing. How could I have kissed him like that? I’d gotten so lost in his kisses that I hadn’t wanted to find my way out. The thought of his lips on mine made my cheeks burn and my insides tingle.

Sal wasn’t in school at all today. And I hadn’t heard from him in days. I fingered the half heart dangling from my necklace. We were in love. Weren’t we? I mean, I loved him. Didn’t I? Whether or not he loved me, I wasn’t sure anymore. I didn’t love that he thought I needed protecting. I did love how it felt when he held me. I didn’t love that he was gone all the time. I had no idea what we were anymore.

I wondered if that’s how Ginnie had felt when my dad “disappeared.” She’d had to go through years of having the world believe he was dead. Seeing him only at clandestine meetings in the park, when he could get away from whatever Resistance work he was doing. Then, when she got pregnant with Dee, she’d had to . . . Ugh, Ed. That was the beginning of Ed. And then my dad was out of her life forever.

Was that what I wanted? A boyfriend who came and went like a specter—someone who was never there when I needed him but who made me feel like he was everything when we were together?

I remembered, when I was little, crawling into bed with Mom because of some scary dream. As I was drifting back to sleep, I felt her sobbing.

“Mommy, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing, sweetie pie.” She stroked my hair. “Go back to sleep. I’m here. Everything is all right.”

Except everything had not been all right. My dad should have been there with her. To comfort her. To help. Could he have been?
Should
he have been? I’d never know. Maybe sometime I could ask him, but even he wouldn’t have the answers for what had gone on in Mom’s head and, more importantly, in her heart.

Matters of the heart were a whole lot harder to know.

An insistent tapping disturbed my concentration. Cutting my eyes down to the left, I saw Mr. Haldewick’s pointer
rat-a-tat-tatting
on the floor beside me. Then following it upward, I ended at his face, which was contorted into a frown.

“Are you going to submit your test answers or sit there wool-gathering for the remainder of the period, Miss Oberon?”

“Submitting now.” I pressed the holographic Send button hovering in the lower-right-hand corner of my desk.

“Thank you.” He pursed his lips and moved on to his next victim.

***

“You okay, Neens?” Mike shoveled a handful of fries in his mouth. “You seem kinda spacey.”

“Yeah, I guess.” Even though Mike was one of my closest friends, I couldn’t tell him what I was really thinking. “It’s just, you know. Everyone’s avoiding me, or staring at me. They probably all believe that broadcast.” Unrelenting melancholy hung over me like those rain clouds in cartoons.

“Well, we don’t,” he said. “And we’re the only people who count. Right, Der?”

“Yep,” Derek said. “I think you need some F-U-N. Riley and I are playing Saturday. Wei’s coming.” He glanced over at her. “Right?”

She smiled up at him, her fabulous, warm smile. “I wouldn’t miss it.”

I was afraid she would.

“Hey,” Derek said. “Did you catch that great vid interruption? I nearly missed it, but Riley called and said that these ultra drawings were being accompanied by some amazing ancient spirituals. It was über-ultra! I’ve never seen anything like it.”

I grabbed a fry and allowed myself a brief moment of pride. It would pass soon enough.

***

After school I headed straight to the Institute. Even though I knew he had an event later on, I had my fingers crossed that Martin would still be in his office. As luck would have it, he was.

After our conversation, I asked, “Will I need anything special to get my friend in?”

Martin handed me a token. “Give this to the guard. It’s a building pass. You won’t have any problem getting her in. As far as the rest, I’ve got it covered, don’t you know?” His hand lingered on mine. “Nina, you’re sure this is the right thing?”

“It’s the only thing,” I said. “I’m sure.”

“I hate to leave you,” he said. “But there’s an estate acquisition I have to oversee.”

“I understand.” I rose up onto my tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “I’ll miss you.”

He drew his lips into a strained smile. His eyes misted over. “It’s been my pleasure, my dear. Unequivocally.”

I spent half an hour cataloging the loan of several late-fifteenth-, early-sixteenth-century paintings by Hieronymus Bosch. His triptych of
The Garden of Earthly Delights
—the Hell side—seemed particularly suited to my situation. Like those poor, tortured souls, I had no way out.

I left work at four-thirty. The trans ride took forever, and I was terrified that I’d get home and Fassbinder would’ve come and gone and Pops would be killed. But I got off the trans with a good hour to spare.

Chris was still at work, Mr. Jenkins, too. Mrs. Jenkins, Wei, and Dee had left me a note that they’d gone to visit Gran. Gran. What would she think of me? I might never know.

I knelt on the sofa, looking out the window, waiting for Angelo Fassbinder to drive up. He was prompt. Three minutes to six. Just enough time to gloat before I gave him my answer.

I was at the door before he could knock. “Come in,” I said.

“All alone, are we?” He nodded up the stairs.

“Yes.”

“Good. No reason to get comfortable, Miss Oberon. A simple yes or no will suffice.” He held his wrist out, taking stock of his chronos. “Mr. Lessig is waiting for my call. And your answer is?”

I took a deep breath. The entire conversation with Mrs. Jenkins flashed through my brain. “Yes,” I said. “I’ll do it.”

“Hmmm.” He sized me up. “Mr. Lessig demands proof of loyalty. Tomorrow afternoon. Receipts from Mr. Jenkins’s trip to the Southern Protectorates shouldn’t be difficult to find. I hear he’s quite anal about keeping things. Oh, and Mr. Lessig will want you to confirm what you know about the blocking devices that are in use in this building. A schematic would be good. After school. I’ll be waiting.”

As soon as he was out the door, I snuck into Mr. Jenkins’s office. The receipts were easy to find. The schematic for the house? No way.

I called Dorrie. “Can you have me something by three?”

“I’ll send it to your PAV.”

Twenty-four more hours.

XXXIX

“W
hat are you doing?”

I lifted my head to see Dee standing in the doorway. “Looking for some clothes to give to a friend. She, uh . . .” I couldn’t tell Dee the truth. Not now. She couldn’t know about Joan, about any of what I was planning. “There was a fire. She doesn’t have anything. She’s about Ginnie’s size.”

“Oh, that’s nice of you. Are you going to see her tonight?”

“No.” I selected a pair of Ginnie’s jeans and a sweater that wasn’t too expired. Dee and I had already pulled out anything that was important for us. I felt bad lying to Dee about Joan. But I felt worse being so enveloped in the smell of my mom. And knowing that after tonight, I’d never smell it again. Ever. I was using one of her scarves, but it smelled more like me now. Don’t think about that; focus on the task at hand, I told myself. “How’s Gran?” Another never again. “Did you tell her I love her?”

“Of course. She missed seeing you. She’s doing really well. Dr. Silverman was there, and he said she’ll be out by February first.” She frowned. “She asked about Pops, but I didn’t know what to tell her. You think Pops might be out by then?”

Pops. This was all for him. “I hope so, Dee. I really hope so.”

She picked out one of Ginnie’s dresses, a fancy one she never wore but used to let Dee play dress-up in. “Remember how I’d dance around the room like I was at a ball?” She held it up to herself and gazed in the mirror. “I bet Mom looked beautiful in this.”

At that moment, Dee looked a lot like Ginnie. I couldn’t help tearing up.

“What?” Dee dropped the dress on the bed. “Did I say something wrong?”

“No. I have something in my eye.” I ducked my head down quickly so she couldn’t see my face.

My PAV rang—Wei. “Can you come up? We need a quick run-through with everyone.”

“Be right there.” I clicked off. “I’m going upstairs for a few.” I left Dee with the box of memories.

***

Up in Wei’s room, the Sisterhood was present via PAV projection.

“Paulette, you and Mag will provide distraction in the main lobby, if needed,” Wei said.

They both nodded.

“Brie and I will land at three minutes to four. That gives Nina and Joan exactly enough time to get to the helipad. Nina, be sure to unlock the door, so if anything happens, we can get inside and leave some other way. The veljet is untraceable. It’s expensive, but better it should get impounded than any of us get caught.”

“Everything will go perfectly,” I said. “And you and Joan will end up in Japan. And Brie leaves with me as my visitor.”

“That is the plan.” She smiled at me. “See everyone tomorrow.”

“You didn’t tell them what’s really happening?” I said after she shut down the projection.

“Dorrie’s the only one besides you who knows. She’ll tell Brie right before they leave to go to the Institute.”

“This is going to work, right?” I tried to keep my voice steady, but it shook slightly.

“Mom says Dad has everything in place at B.O.S.S. to get your grandfather out. We’ll all be watching the sun rise from the mouth of the Hoke no Domon on Hokkaido. Mom says Aunt Hiroko will be able to help Pops and Joan, too. She’s a healer.”

“I can’t believe your family is doing this for me.”

“You’re part of our family, too.” She put her arm around my shoulder. “I wish we could take Dee and Gran, too. But Mom says they’ll be safe, and we’ll get them out eventually.”

I was trying not to think about leaving Dee behind—even for a little while. How would she cope without me? I thought back to Dee twirling around holding Ginnie’s dress to her. How strong she was—even now, at eleven, she was stronger than I’d ever felt. More aptly, how would I deal without her?

“Maybe the GC will get taken down,” I said, knowing as the words came out of my mouth that it was just an idealistic hope. “The truth about FeLS and the lies that Lessig is spreading have to be exposed at some point.”

“I sure hope so.” Wei ran her hand across her bedspread. “Then we could come home. You know, this is the only home I’ve ever known.”

I couldn’t help the twinge of jealousy I felt. I’d lived in four different places in sixteen years. And none of them was home anymore. Even the people who made them home weren’t there.

“Have you heard from Sal?” she asked. “I know you can’t tell him what’s happening, but I had hoped he’d call you.”

“Nope. Nothing.” I shrugged. Sal. That was the worst of all. I hadn’t heard from him in days. And the way I’d left things . . . “Maybe we were just fooling ourselves about how we felt.”

“Not Sal,” she said. “He might be mad at you, but he would never stop loving you.”

But what about me? I thought. Would I stop loving him? Had I already? Sal still meant so much to me. Surely I couldn’t feel so connected to Chris if I was still in love with Sal. And how could I have let anything happen with Chris if I’d loved Sal the way I thought I did? Or maybe Sal was just the first guy to make me feel that way—to make me realize that I could fall in love. That I even wanted to fall in love. “What about Chris?” I asked. “Has he decided what he’s doing?”

“He didn’t tell Mom,” Wei said. “And he hasn’t talked to me at all. Most likely we won’t know where he’s landed until it’s all said and done.”

It suddenly hit me how monumental were the sacrifices the Jenkinses were making to save me. Sure, Mrs. Jenkins had pointed out that if Lessig was suspicious of Mr. Jenkins’s loyalty to Media, then it was only a matter of time before they’d need to disappear. But to see them uproot themselves entirely, leaving this ultra home and everything they had, everything they’d worked for. Possibly never seeing their daughter, Angie, again. And possibly not even Chris.

Chris. My breath caught. I knew there was a chance I’d never see Sal again. But I hadn’t realized Chris, too. How would
I
deal with that possibility of never seeing either of them again?

***

During dinner, Dee had to reassure me at least twice that no one had harassed her in school over the Alert about Ginnie. “No one under sixteen even thinks about Alerts,” she said. “How about you?”

“Some kids looked at me funny,” I said. “Mostly, they couldn’t care less. I’m just a tier-two nobody.”

“You’re not a nobody.” Dee pursed her lips. “Miss Maldovar says we should cultivate our sense of self-worth.”

“I’ll get right on that.”

“You know what I mean,” Dee said. “By the way, Chris is picking me up after school. We’re going to a place that sells all kinds of culinary supplies.”

“Culinary? You are serious about this, aren’t you?” I was so proud of her.

“Yes, I am. Chris and I were talking, and I’m going to get my Creative in Culinary Arts.”

“I’m sure you will.” I smiled to cover the rush of sadness that I would probably not be around to see that. “And you’ll probably end up a chef in a top-tier restaurant, making a fortune in credits. Will you take care of me?”

“Of course, silly. We’re family.”

My heart nearly broke to hear that, and I had to excuse myself from the table before I burst into tears in front of her.

* * *

Later that night, I started laying out what I’d need. I had already decided what I’d take with me. The animated digi Dee’d given me for Holiday; Pops’s ginger tin; and a digi of Ginnie, Dee, and me. I placed them in my bag, along with my rapidos, my sketch pad, the originals of my bought-out FeLS contract and my Creative designation, and a copy of the court decision about Dee. I laid out my clothes for the morning. The clothes Miss Maldovar had given me were of better quality than anything else I had, so I’d chosen them. Closing my eyes, I smoothed the sweater’s ultra softness against my cheek. Maybe someday I’d have more nice things. But for now, these would have to do.

I went out to the kitchen to sneak a few energy bars and some food pills—just in case. I stopped by Dee’s room to say good night. She was in bed, reading a real book.

“Whatcha got there?”

She handed it to me.
Keena, the First Fem
.

“A history of the founder of the Fems? Since when are you so interested in history? First the Greater United Isles on FAV, and now this?”

“Mom used to tell me stories about Keena when I was little. After that show, I was wondering about Fems. I asked Mrs. Jenkins, and she said I might want to read this.”

“I don’t remember Mom ever talking about the Fems.”

“When you were in school, Mom and I would play ‘what if.’ Like what if Keena was still alive? Wouldn’t it be great to be strong and powerful? Keena is the one who started the Cliste Galad martial arts. That’s what Wei does, isn’t it?”

“Yeah.” I thumbed through the book until I found the chapter Dee was talking about and read aloud: “‘Keena created Cliste Galad—a combination of Scottish warrior traditions and ancient Far Eastern mysticism and martial arts—as a defense against the opposing forces in the Oil Wars.’”

“It worked,” Dee said. “Fems defeated enough of their enemies to bring about the End-of-Wars Treaty and take over power.” She flounced back on her pillow. “Then they lost it. All because of stupid guys.”

“Guys aren’t stupid.” I thought about Sal and Chris, and every other Sisterhood girl’s male friends and relatives who thought they should be protected. That wasn’t stupid. Misdirected concern—yes. But it wasn’t stupid to worry about the people you loved.

“You could be right,” Dee said. “Maybe it’s women who are stupid. We believed what the media said about how it was more important to be safe and have a man than anything else.”

“Women aren’t stupid either. Maybe people aren’t so sure about right and wrong. Although, what’s going on right now is definitely wrong.” I tucked the covers around her shoulders. “We aren’t going to figure it out tonight, though. Lights out.”

I padded on to the kitchen, thinking how I might never be the person to help Dee figure out life. She’d have to learn it like me—the hard way. I didn’t like that. Not at all. But maybe, just maybe, she would be a top-tier chef and her life would be easier. I had to find some bright side to look at, or I’d be lost in the dark forever.