by Sandra Elsa
"Keep guessing, Sweetheart. Follow me in five minutes. Follow the directions on your seat." She looked around at the surrounding land one more time before turning around. She left the note I’d written, crammed the boxes in the back seat of the Prius, then hopped in and drove back toward District Six.
She was nearly back to the dome when Jallahan moved. He returned to the Bug and picked the paper up off the seat. After pulling the rebreather off his face he read the note, looked slowly around and started the car. He drove into the loose dirt off the end of the parking area and approached the gully, leaving the car running, but shifting to park.
I drew out my nine mil and rose, slowly scrambling up the incline on one leg and an arm, dragging my rebreather along. At the top, I took a moment to catch my breath and balance upright. His eyes were fastened on me in the rearview mirror as I leaned against the car. Catching my breath in the thin air was difficult, but after about fifteen seconds I hopped to the passenger door of his car and opened it. He reflexively raised his rebreather, then lowered it as I closed the door.
We stared at each other for a long time without saying a word. There was not a doubt in my mind, my father sat across from me. He finally tore his eyes away from my face to look down at my rebreather. "Did it malfunction?" His caution at getting around to anything near personal was commendable.
I shook my head. "It bothered me. Harrison said his father claimed the air was breathable so I decided to test the theory."
"Harrison's safe?"
I nodded. "Last I saw him. I'm certain you're aware we're both on separate adventures today."
"You get along with him?"
"Sometimes. Other times I’d like to pop him between the eyes and be done with mages."
"That's honest enough. Then why the marriage license?"
"Where's Drover looking right now?"
He took a moment before answering. A smile spread across his face. "Then you don't plan to marry him?"
"I do plan to marry him."
"Why?"
"Judging by your words to my friend, you've figured out what I am. What do you think Drover will do if his precious rainmaker marries a null?"
"That could go two ways. He could either try harder so he makes sure he has control of any offspring, or he could let you alone and swoop in to play the doting grandfather when any children are old enough to be bribed to his cause. This whole thing has been a rather large embarrassment to him so he would most likely back off and take his time tracking you down."
"We're counting on the second. Trying to buy a little breathing room. Do I have to go through all those boxes to see if you've tagged them?"
"If I told you no, would it stop you from doing it anyway?"
"Probably not."
"You won't find anything. How much do you know about magic?"
"Enough to wonder what skills I might have inherited from my father besides the ability to kill just about any spell or charm."
"Enough to be dangerous then."
"I don't need magic for that."
"No…I guess you don't. Who put the trooper and the Mages to sleep?"
"My friend. I don't possess anything like that."
"I suppose she's not interested in being registered either?"
"I seriously doubt you'd convince her to leave District Eleven without a fight on your hands. She's good people. She's stuck by me when some of my other friends are grasping at Drover's reward."
"What was your relationship with the watch sergeant Jordan felt certain would lead him to you."
"We were friends. He hired me to tail his wife three years ago, caught her screwing some mechanic out in Eighty-one. Apparently everybody but me knew he wanted to ask me out, so on the day he finally gets up the nerve, life as I know it gets flushed because a damned mage couldn't stay where he belonged."
"What made you accept Harrison as a client?"
"Well shit…he broke into my house, broke into my office. Then came back later to break into my house yet again and beg me to help him. I have a glowing neon sign that tails me around lit up in big red letters spelling 'SUCKER'. I nearly sent him packing but he was bleeding and exhausted, so I let him stay. And then Drover completely pissed me off, so here we are. It's part of the reason I don’t trust Harrison. He pushed all the right buttons to get my sympathy. Poor boy's been fucked by one siphon, nearly killed by another, sliced himself up jumping through a window…two windows. What was I supposed to do, turn him out so he could finish the job?"
"According to Nan that sympathy came with a pretty hefty price tag."
"Girl's gotta eat. It was only five hundred a day more than my normal prices. Just so you realize I'm not completely mercenary, his father offered me five thousand a day to get him back. "
"If he's playing his father's game, Nan doesn’t know anything about it. She's been panicked since he disappeared."
"Most of the time I believe he's on the up and up. Just sometimes I want to--" I stopped speaking suddenly aware I was speaking to a mage. A mage that had already admitted the president could persuade him to do things he didn’t want to do. "Nevermind."
"Pop him between the eyes?"
"I wouldn't. No matter how much I might want to. Besides it'd be more satisfying to wring his neck."
"So what is it like to be a null?"
"What is it like to wake up every morning? Do you tell yourself, two legs, two arms, head? Check. Still breathing? Still have magic? Check, and check again. Or do you wake up in the morning and get your ass in gear to try to stay ahead of the world for one more day?"
"I'm more of the first sort of person. That would be part of being the university's head of research and development."
I laughed. "Well it was meant to be sarcasm. I didn't know anybody lived like that. Being a null is just part of my normal existence. Except I put a good deal of effort into staying away from people who might notice I don't react to their spells."
"And what will you do now?"
"We have plans."
"Can I message you?"
"I can’t stop you. Won't guarantee I'll answer them." As a matter of fact, I didn't figure my handheld would work very far away from a dome so even if I wanted to, I couldn't respond.
"But you might?"
"I might."
"What did I do wrong with your mother?" He held up his hand. "Let me rephrase. I know what I did wrong. I was a stupid youth who thought that finding herself pregnant the ravishing and delightful Star, would jump at the chance to be the wife of a respectable mage. I only went outside Seven with Jordan and his crowd. And I only got invited along because they needed me. After your mother ran away, I began to look at what they were doing…what I did…with newly opened eyes. I didn't realize until then how our ways made everybody else detest us. The registration suddenly made sense, except they needed to have methods of containing a mage's power when they threw them all in one melting pot. To be honest I think you're the descendent of a genetic experiment. I think you were meant to be the control valve for the imprisonment. Imagine a picket who was a null. There's no way out except the gate. If the pickets could have seen and been immune to the first mages who slipped the noose, they could have kept us entombed."
"So how did we end up inside the pen until we discovered we could walk out of it?"
"The people in charge of the genetic experiments weren't nulls. Somebody with the power to persuade, probably convinced them it was a bad idea before they began using the nulls. I'm of the opinion that the original nulls didn't walk away, but were killed until somebody discovered they could breed stronger mages by using them. Eventually the nulls began to realize their own power and the fact that nobody could keep them from leaving. One by one they made the opportunity to depart."
"So you're saying I come from a long line of independent, hardheaded, people."
"On your mother's side, yes, I suppose that's what I'm saying. One good thing did happen from my indiscretion. The next time Jordan wanted to go to Eleven, I
had enough fortitude to withstand his persuade. I never again enabled them to indiscriminately breed. But I need to know, did your mother hate me for what I’d done to her, or simply because I was a mage. Knowing she was a null, it's much easier to believe she just hated me because I was a mage."
"Mom and I were very close. She hated mages in general. If anything, I suppose she thanked you for me. Didn't mean she ever wanted to see you again."
"I'm glad she didn't resent you because of me. Of course I’d seen enough of her personality, I was pretty sure she'd be a great mother."
"You never answered my question."
"I'm sorry. Which would that be?"
"What other magic do we possess?"
"I’d rather not tell you since it doesn't sound like I’ll have the opportunity to train you in its use. Whether you intended it or not, you did blow up that building."
"I am so sick and tired of being accused of being the reason Johnny Girlo got away--"
"I'm not saying you did it on purpose. But either because you're a null, or because the talent to turn things off spiked at an inopportune moment, you most assuredly did set off that bomb. Nearly killing yourself in the process."
"So you're saying I have other dangerous talents?"
"I didn't say that."
"You implied it. If it was something cheesy like creating illusion you wouldn't worry that I could hurt myself or others with it."
He pursed his lips and nodded his head, more an absent motion than agreement. "I thought dealing with students kept me on my toes. They didn’t come close to preparing me to meet my own child."
I frowned at him.
"Daughter then?"
I ran my fingers under my hair, tugging it backwards. "I suppose."
He took that little victory and withdrew. "Thank you for meeting me. I suppose if I'm gone much longer, someone will notice. Is it all right to tell Nan the things you've told me about Harrison?"
"I don't suppose I could stop you. Which is why I haven't really given you anything."
"Far more than she's had to hope by for the past four weeks."
"Christ, why does everybody act like he's a child. He actually seems to do pretty good by himself. He had a bit of bad luck running into the siphon, but they had a lot of bodies in that room. As a matter of fact, if you get the chance, you might want to talk to Jerry. Harrison said the siphon came looking for him because his cousin was in need of help. To me that says that either Jerry was a two bit loser who tried to sacrifice his cousin to save himself, or somebody else set them both up. Either way, there seems to be a rat in District Seven."
His eyes widened, lips pursed in a thoughtful expression, finally he slowly nodded. "That makes sense. I’ll look into it. They brought Jerry home yesterday. Can I drop you someplace?" The last rays of sunset faded on the horizon leaving a glittering burst of dots across the sandy surface.
I debated telling him I’d wait here, then decided to trust him. "If you don't mind dropping me at the corner of Fourth and Main."
"Someone will give you a ride?"
"I've made arrangements."
"And while you grudgingly allow me to drive you back to the District, you don't trust me enough to expose your friend to a mage. You've given me more than I hoped for. I doubted you'd show up."
"Exactly."
He started the car and pulled back to the road. "Do you think there will ever come a time when you consent to eat dinner with me?"
"I don't know. We plan to go far, far, away."
"I can't believe I found you, just when you're leaving."
"Thank your buddy, Drover."
"Guess I should be happy it's not me you're running from. Message when you can. I'll be writing everyday. And if your life ever settles down and you feel safe. Or somebody assassinates President Drover--"
"Now there's the best idea I've heard in awhile."
"That wasn't serious, Francesca."
"So that's where I got my wit from."
"Will you tell me about your life? Where you grew up? What your favorite field of study was? Did your mother ever marry?"
I answered his questions as we approached the gate. Once inside I was too twitchy to carry on a conversation. I couldn't help searching the sidewalks for people who didn't belong. He pulled up to the curb where Fourth intersected Main. Dee stood on the corner looking so different I doubted he'd recognize her. Technically she wasn't permitted to stand on a street corner in District Six but if she claimed to be waiting for someone, while they might watch her, if said friend showed up, they couldn't arrest her. Of course her attire probably gave her away to Jallahan as surely as if she'd stayed in the sweatpants, t-shirt and rebreather since I’d already told him she worked in Eleven. I tried to convince myself he wouldn't turn her in, but that niggle of doubt remained.
He stretched a hand toward my shoulder and I shrank away. He deflated.
"Don't take it personally. First, you're a mage with far more skill than I have. Second, I'm not a touchy-feely kinda person. Probably the biggest bone of contention between Harrison and me."
"And by that you mean?"
"He thinks he's going to get in my pants, and doesn't even see how wrong he is. Doesn't seem to think a woman can resist him, and I should appreciate that he wants to do me."
He leaned against his door and stared at me. "We're still talking about Harrison Kendrel?"
"Yes. Mr. I-want-to-get-to-know-you-intimately-and-I-won't-hide-that-fact, Kendrel."
"He's always been fairly shy and quiet. I know he's had girlfriends. But he never seemed that direct."
I drew up, brain flying as I learned something new about my housemate. "His personality is altered?"
"I didn't say that. I mostly knew him from a teacher-student point of view."
"He did successfully free himself from his entanglement in District Eleven,” I mused “killing his attacker in the process. He claimed it made him feel like more of a man. I suppose he may have decided life is short and he needs to go after what he wants, no-holds barred. But if this is a personality shift, it's one more thing to suggest he's playing by his father's game plan."
"It's also possible he's never met anyone he was interested in enough to be so forward." His tone was concerned as though he hoped he hadn't just driven another wedge between me and Harrison.
"Don't sweat it. It's just another datapoint in the mystery of what my world has boiled down to."
"So I take it I don't even get to touch my own flesh and blood? The daughter I mourned for over thirty years. Not even a handshake?"
I rolled down the window and Dee said, "Hey Girlfriend, thought you were going to yap all night."
"Do you still have the necklace I gave you earlier?"
"In the car. Right around the corner."
"Could you get it?"
"Sure thing."
She disappeared and returned quickly, dangling the amber pendant from its chain. I turned back to Jallahan. "Give me your hand." He extended it and I slipped the suppression charm around his wrist. "I've never tried to suppress a suppression amulet. If it can be done, I'm sure you can do it with far more finesse than I would, but if it flickers, I'll shoot you. And I see magic well enough." I clasped the amulet, bringing it up between our palms, carefully watching the spell as I grasped his hand. He ran his thumb across the back of my knuckles. Enough was enough. I dropped his hand and looked back at his face.
Tears shimmered in his eyes. He unwound the amulet from his wrist and dangled it in front of me. "And so you know," he blinked his eyes, "It is quite possible to suppress a suppression amulet." The magic flickered out.
I cast a thought at it and the amulet sprang back to full force.
"You cast wide. But your raw talent is greater than mine, how did you know you could turn it back on?"
"Something Harrison said after you left a voice message. Basically it sounded like whether we work toward the same goal, or work against each other, we cancel each other out. He warned me again
st calling you."
"A very bright student."
"We need to get going. Thank you for collecting my belongings."
"I almost didn't. When I got there, I found three troopers more than I expected."
"I'm glad you did. I'm sure every time I brush up against Drover's clucks they'll be more prepared next time. Good-night."
"Farewell, Francesca. Keep in contact." He lowered the amulet and Dee reached through the window and snatched it. He glanced past me at her. "I'm glad you seem to have many good friends in your life."
"The best."
Dee stepped back and I opened the door and backed out of it, her steadying hand on my arm. Once I cleared the vehicle she put a shoulder under mine and nearly lifted me as we headed for the Prius. I stopped her long enough to search the vehicle and boxes for magic, then slid in the car.
My tote lay on the floor and I dug for the Plastipak of pain-meds before sitting up and allowing the seatbelt to pin me in place. I swallowed the pill and Dee drove us back to District Nine without orders.
Chapter 26
Dee dropped me off at the park and I lay down to rest while she went out to search for food, returning shortly with Chinese. "Got you turkey and broc, Girlfriend. Hope you like it."
"Wouldn't it be nice to have some kind of meat besides turkey?"
"Does kinda get monotonous. But the option is vegetables. Which I like, but I was pretty sure you were a meat eater."
"I am. I've just had some things thrown at me recently that started me thinking. We all know there used to be large animals. When I read about horses I can't help but want to try to ride. When I read about the delicious scent of beef searing on the grill, my mouth waters. And a unicorn…I'd love to see one."
Dee laughed riotously. "You're one of the only people I know that would be able to see one if they existed."
"They keep the ancient texts alive so we know what we lost all those years ago. But nobody ever talks about trying to get it back. Am I the only one who'd like to expand my possibilities…to say nothing of my palate?"
