Allister and Lennox aren’t supposed to call until ten, but by nine-thirty I’m too nervous to sit still.
“I’m going for another walk,” I tell my parents. They’re watching some Duchas television show while my sister finishes her homework, the puppy curled in her lap.
“So late?” Mum asks in surprise. “On a school night?”
“I won’t go far. Just…need some fresh air.”
Adina looks up. “Ooh, are you meeting—?”
“Maybe.” If Mum thinks I’m with Sean, she’ll be less likely to worry if I’m gone a while.
As I expect, she brightens at once. “Have fun, dear, but try not to be too late.”
I leave the complex through the back entrance and cross Ruby Street toward the annex they’re building with more apartments. It’s nearly finished already—not surprising since our people are helping with the construction to create more Echtran housing. No workers are here at this hour, of course, which is why I chose this location for tonight’s conversation.
The annex is laid out similarly to the existing complex, with several two-story apartment buildings arranged around a central courtyard. After scoping the whole place out, I decide a stairway facing the courtyard, screened on all sides from nearby roads and sidewalks, will be my best place to sit. For ten minutes I pace back and forth, taking deep breaths to calm my nerves. Then my phone vibrates in my pocket.
My heart leaping into my throat again, I fumblingly pull it out, then unlock it with the retinal scan as I move to the middle stairway. “Hello?”
To my surprise, Allister’s face appears on my screen. Our past conversations have either been texts or voice only. “You are alone and unlikely to be interrupted?”
“Yes.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yes.”
He glances off to the side, then nods. “Excellent. If you’ll touch the holo control on the lower left-hand side of your screen, we can begin.”
That’s a button I haven’t used yet. As soon as I touch it, a thin beam of light emanates from my phone and scans me from head to toe, then surrounds my face. Suddenly, I’m back in the main room of the house in Dun Cloch where I previously met with Allister and Lennox—or that’s how it seems. Both men are sitting opposite me on the couch and the woman, Enid, in a straight-backed chair behind them.
“How…how did you do that?” I gasp.
“We equipped your phone with standard holo capability but Enid has only recently enabled it to work on our end,” Allister explains, gesturing at an omni on a low table in front of them. “I’m surprised you’ve not experienced the technology, as it’s been in use for years.”
By Royals, maybe, I think but don’t say. I now recall Sean mentioning that Echtran Council members who don’t live in Jewel often attend meetings this way. Cautiously, I reach down with one hand to touch the seat beneath me. I’m slightly reassured to feel concrete and not upholstery, proving I haven’t really gone anywhere.
“Now you’re here, let’s get started,” Lennox says briskly. “Allister tells me you’re having second thoughts about the advisability of removing the Sovereign from power?”
“Er…I just said it might be a good idea to keep her around in case the Grentl come back.”
Allister snorts. “As I already explained, there are others, like myself, who can deal with the Grentl should they ever return. Surely you still agree that a sixteen-year-old girl is no fit leader for our people?”
“I confess,” Lennox says before I can answer, “that I was disappointed to hear your commitment might be wavering. Crevan Erc spoke so highly of your dedication to the Populist cause. Do you no longer adhere to their aims?”
I swallow, trying to remember my carefully rehearsed speech. “I definitely believe all of our people should have a voice in our government, which is the central pillar of the Populist platform. But after getting to know the Sovereign a little better, I think we might make more progress by working with her instead of against her. Especially since I get the impression that once she feels she’s no longer needed as Sovereign, she’ll step down on her own. So if we just wait until—”
“Don’t be absurd,” Lennox snaps. “The longer she is in power, the more accustomed to it she will grow and the less willing she will be to give it up. From the start, her arrogance was evident in her refusal to be guided by Allister or other members of the Council, particularly in the matter of young Stuart. Between them, she and that boy have the potential to destroy any viable future for our people, both on Mars and on Earth. Nor is that Regent of hers likely to prevent it, as he’s the boy’s grandfather. Time is of the essence.”
Even knowing what Lennox tried to do to Rigel, the venom in his voice startles me. It must show in my expression, because Allister quickly waves Lennox to silence, then leans forward with an ingratiating smile.
“I have no doubt Emileia has been very convincing, Kira. She has, after all, managed to persuade a large majority of our people to throw their support behind her, despite her obvious shortcomings. The question is, are you still willing to help us? In our efforts to further the Populist cause, I mean.”
That last bit is obviously an afterthought, which confirms what I’d already suspected. The Populist cause means nothing to them except as cover for their own, more sinister agenda.
“I’m sorry. I’m really not comfortable deceiving Emileia and her friends to dig up ammunition you’ll use against her. Not when I no longer believe undermining her is the best way to achieve the Populists’ goals.”
Lennox turns to Allister with a frown. “I was afraid of this. We never should have trusted a child with such an important mission.” He reaches for the omni on the table in front of them. “Now we have no choice but to—”
“No.” Allister grabs his wrist before he can disconnect the holo-call. “Not yet.” Turning back to me, he summons a not-very-convincing smile. “Not to worry, my dear.” His tone is almost fatherly, though he’s still gripping Lennox’s wrist. “Of course we can’t ask you to do anything that makes you uncomfortable. You, ah, haven’t happened to mention to anyone else that you’ve been in touch with us? One of your new friends, or a family member, perhaps?”
I expected this question. “No. No one, I swear. If anyone suspected I was working with the Populists they’d probably kick me out of Jewel, since the Council thinks they were behind an attack on the Sovereign last month.”
“Yes, well, every movement has its fringe elements.” Allister keeps his smile in place. “You’re likely quite correct about the consequences should anyone learn of your mission. Ah, former mission. You’d almost certainly join us permanently in Dun Cloch, though I imagine your accommodations would be rather more spartan than ours.”
He lets that sink in for a moment before continuing. “If you are certain you don’t wish to help us any longer—?”
“No, sir. I’m sorry.”
“Ah, well. We shall be sorry to lose you. To minimize both our risk and yours going forward, we will need to remove your tracking chip and exchange the phone we gave you for your original one. Once those potentially incriminating bits of evidence are disposed of, we can go our separate ways.”
I let out a cautious breath, trying not to let my relief show on my face. Can it really be this easy? “That…sounds fine to me, sir. How? And when?”
Lennox shoots Allister one last glare, then turns and whispers something to Enid that I can’t hear. She nods and whispers something in response. Lennox then turns back to me with a smile that positively creeps me out, it’s such an abrupt shift from the expression he wore just a moment ago.
“Enid assures me she is willing to travel to Jewel personally to take care of everything, as we are unable to do so ourselves. Where are you now?”
“In an unfinished apartment complex behind Diamond View Terrace. Nobody’s living here yet and all the construction workers are gone at night.”
His creepy smile widens. “Then that should be an excellent place for the, ah, extraction and exchange to take place. Enid will message you when she arrives to arrange a specific time to meet.”
I nod eagerly. “That sounds perfect. Thank you all for understanding.”
“We’re reasonable men, not monsters.” Allister’s reassurance isn’t quite as reassuring as I’d like. “We’ll speak with you again soon, probably for the last time. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we’ll leave Enid to deactivate your tracking chip until it can be removed, as there is no point in keeping it functional. She will let you know when it’s safe to close the connection.”
Swiftly, they both stand and exit the room, leaving their omni on the low table between me and where they were sitting. Meanwhile, Enid starts fiddling with a device she’s holding.
“Um, thanks for doing this, Enid,” I say when the silence becomes uncomfortable. “I really appreciate it.”
She flicks a glance my way, then continues whatever she’s doing without replying. I got the impression when I met her in Dun Cloch that she positively idolizes Lennox. She probably thinks I’ve betrayed him by backing out of our agreement.
Another five minutes creep awkwardly past before she finally says, “Almost done now.”
Even as she speaks, the back of my neck suddenly burns. I involuntarily clap a hand over the spot. “Ow! What—?”
“Ah. Good. I believe we’re finished now.”
“You mean it’s supposed to hurt like this? Why?”
“Just a side effect of the deactivation. The discomfort will soon fade. Expect to hear from me within a few days. Ending transmission.” She moves to the omni on the table and abruptly I’m alone, looking across the unfinished apartment complex courtyard.
The back of my neck has nearly stopped burning by the time I cross Ruby Street again. As the pain fades, so does my lingering anxiety. I’m still amazed by how well that interview went. I expected them to argue more, to try to win me back to their side, tell me more terrible stuff about the Sovereign. Is it possible they’ve realized she’s not as bad a leader as they thought—or at least that she’s necessary because of the Grentl thing? I can only hope.
Either way, I’m done. No more conspiring to betray people I’m starting to like. Especially Sean.
Feeling about a hundred pounds lighter than I did an hour ago, I hurry back to our apartment. I don’t even mind when Aggie jumps on me, demanding to be picked up and petted. Grinning, feeling at peace with the world, I scoop her up and hold her close enough to my face that she licks my nose.
“I guess you really are pretty cute,” I tell her.
Adina and my parents stare, clearly dumbfounded.
The wary look Sean gives me when I board the bus the next morning makes me realize how much my behavior yesterday must have worried him. To make up for it, I take his hand as soon as I sit down, reveling in the comfort and strength his touch now gives me, along with the pleasure I felt from the start.
“Sorry I couldn’t walk with you last night. Maybe tonight?”
His happiness and relief are almost palpable, making me feel even guiltier for being so aloof and distracted yesterday. “Sure! After the game, maybe? You coming?”
“Sure.” Though I’d completely forgotten there’s another football game tonight, I don’t hesitate. I refuse to think about Allister and company again until I have to, sometime late tomorrow. For today I can enjoy being a normal high school girl. Well, a normal Echtran girl, anyway, with no hidden agendas.
“Great! I’ll ask Mum and Dad if I can have the van—though they may be planning to go, too. They do sometimes, what with Mol on the cheer squad and all.”
“Either way, we can sit together, right?”
“Definitely.”
We talk about other school stuff for the rest of the bus ride. At one point Sean suggests again I should try out for the girls’ basketball team and this time I agree it sounds fun. My whole future looks a hundred percent brighter than it did yesterday.
In Physics, Alan again tries to convince me Sean’s just leading me on, but I’m in way too good a mood for his snark to bother me.
“If it makes you feel better to believe that, go right ahead,” I tell him cheerfully. “Personally, I think your time would be better spent getting to know his sister, Molly. Last I heard, she’s not going out with anyone.”
He looks startled, then thoughtful.
Smiling to myself, I open my textbook.
At lunch, Sean and I again get a table to ourselves, but only briefly. We’ve barely started eating when the Sovereign and Rigel plunk their trays down across from us.
“So, everything good with you guys today?” she asks brightly, though there’s nothing casual about the way her eyes probe me, then Sean.
“Fine,” Sean answers easily. “Why?”
She shrugs. “No reason. Yesterday you both looked a little…tense.”
“I, um, was kind of distracted about some stuff going on at NuAgra. With my mum’s research, I mean.”
Lying to the Sovereign makes me feel oddly guilty—especially when she gives me a quick, sharp look. Crap. Does she have the same ability Sean’s mother does? He never mentioned it… But then she smiles again.
“I guess it must have gone okay, though, huh?”
“Yeah, though I was probably more hindrance than help,” I say, truthfully this time. “I kept mixing up the seedling containers. Luckily, Mum knows her stuff.”
Rigel glances from me to Sean and back. “You guys coming to the game tonight?”
We both nod and Sean says, “You’re still bringing it down a notch from that game a couple weeks ago, right?”
He laughs. “Yeah. Maybe even more than last week, we’re already such favorites. Making it close might—” He breaks off, frowning at me. “Don’t mention I said that, okay? Shaving points is seriously frowned on by the athletic association.”
“But you kind of have to, don’t you?” I ask, then glance at Sean. “Both of you? So will I, if I end up playing on the girls’ basketball team.” That idea has started to grow on me. “If I do, I’ll need tips.”
That topic dominates the rest of the lunch period, Rigel and Sean talking about the challenges of playing well without being too good and M about how she has to hold back in Taekwondo—not that she does it competitively.
As we gather our trays afterward, M turns to me. “I’ve been meaning to compliment you—all of you—on your accents. I’d never guess you were all living in Nuath just a few months ago instead of upstate New York.”
Rigel nods. “The only thing slightly off is saying ‘mum’ instead of ‘mom,’ but you can pass that off as a regional idiosyncrasy if anyone questions it.”
“They told us that in Dun Cloch,” I admit, “but Adina could never manage it consistently, so I figured we’d better match.”
As we all head to Government class together, I see Molly just ahead walking with Alan and have to smile again. It’s wonderful to think that from now on I can just be friends with these people, with no ulterior motives. Especially M and Rigel. I now have a much greater appreciation for all they’ve been through and everything they’ve accomplished.
And…they really are nice.