by Simone Pond
The conversation is too distressing and starting to bring me down. I only came here to see if George, the gadgets guy, could fix Noah’s pocket watch. Now I can’t stop thinking about how much worse things are. Changing the world isn’t on my agenda. Getting Achilles home is. I pull out Noah’s pocket watch. “I know your specialty is technology, but do you think you could fix this?”
George’s eyes brighten at the sight of the watch. He carefully takes it from my hand, admiring its craftsmanship. “Horology is by far my favorite science. I started with timepieces and clocks.”
“Do you think you could fix it before the event tonight?”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
“I appreciate it. It’s a surprise for my friend, so please don’t say anything.”
He gives me a nod, and before I can say another word, he’s gathering up tools to take apart the watch.
Searching the enormous house and getting lost a few times, I finally find Noah sitting in a rocking chair on the front porch.
“There you are, Father Time,” I tease.
“Hey, Kalli.”
I sit in the adjacent rocking chair, glossy with excitement thinking about seeing my brother tonight. I want to share the excitement with Noah; however, his mood is quite dour. “What’s wrong?”
“Just thinking.”
“Why are you so morose and gloomy?”
“I heard about the event tonight,” he says.
“You should be thrilled. This is what we came for! Achilles will be there.”
“Yeah.”
“You don’t seem very happy for me. Is this about your brother? Don’t worry, we’ll keep looking. I bet these guys can find out something for you. They’re connected.”
Noah stares across the front lawn toward the canopy of oak trees lining the narrow drive. The sunlight flooding through in the distance looks like a light at the end of a tunnel. The light at the end of my tunnel, marking the finish of a very long journey.
“You want to know what’s bugging me?” he finally says.
“Besides being stuck with me in some no-longer-relevant historical mansion in the middle of the deep south?”
He glances over with a hint of a grin. “Actually, I don’t mind being out here. It’s beautiful. But what I do mind is these people lying to you. Leading you on.”
“What on earth are you talking about?”
“Achilles hasn’t been captured by anyone. He’s not in trouble.”
“You sound ridiculous. Of course he’s in trouble. Otherwise he’d be able to come back home.”
“No, Kalli. He hasn’t come home because he’s working for the Technocrats. The very people you despise. I was talking to George this morning, asking about how to fix your DOD, and he gave me the low down.”
“First of all, why were you talking to George about my DOD? That’s none of your business. Second of all, my brother would never work for the Technocrats. They killed our mother.”
The hollow pit that started in my chest while I was talking to George begins to deepen. I stand to get some air into my lungs. As I pace the length of the porch, Noah’s words sink in and click into place. I recall the letter Achilles sent. He mentioned he was in a compromising situation, but he never actually said he was captured. I just assumed he was. Maybe he’s being forced to work with the Technocrats as part of his punishment for leaving the grid? Tears of confusion and disappointment rise up, and I feel dizzy.
Noah walks over to where I’m standing at the far end of the porch. He gently rests his hand on my shoulder. “I’m sorry to be the one to tell you this. I knew something was off. These guys are looking for him because they want to dismantle the DOD program. They’ve been trying to get to your brother for years. Now that they have you they have a better chance of getting to him.”
I step away. Noah’s hand falls to his side. I wipe the tears from my eyes. “It doesn’t matter. I still want to see him. And if getting to that party is the only way, so be it. I’ll go along with their plan.”
“Do you realize how dangerous this is?”
“Why do you care?”
Noah glares at me. He starts to say something, but then storms into the house. He probably couldn’t wait to deliver the bad news. Anything to shatter my one moment of happiness. But I won’t let him, or anyone else, ruin this for me.
After stewing on the porch, waiting for Noah to return with a humble apology, I realize he’s not coming back. I shouldn’t be bothered with him anyway. I need to find Johnson and set things straight. Figure out what’s really going on with this whole scheme and my role in it. As I pass by the library, someone calls my name. It’s Noah. He’s standing with Johnson and the others.
I look at all of them, unable to hold back my disgust. “What’s this? A conspiracy party to put the finishing touches to take out my brother?”
Leo quietly observes, while George scuttles into the background, not wanting to be any part of the discussion. But Harper reaches for my hand to calm me. “It’s not like that, Kalli.”
I bat her hand away. “What is it then? Were you planning to tell me about Achilles? Or were you afraid if I knew the truth I wouldn’t go to the party?”
Johnson is about to say something, but Harper steps forward, exuding all sorts of southern-belle charm. “We know how important he is to you. Johnson thought it would be better if we eased you into the truth.”
I scowl at Noah. “Well, Mr. Brenson over there decidedly dropped the bomb in my lap, causing some serious damage. Now I don’t trust any of you.” Noah tries to speak, but I cut him off. “So, what was the plan? Have your informant set up a meeting, I go in none the wiser, and then what? You’d attack my brother?”
The room remains quiet, so I figure I nailed it. I’m about to froth over. Tears burn my eyes, and I brush them away before they have a chance to fall. Noah winces at my shameful display.
Johnson steps forward, assertively. “We wanted you to lure your brother outside to the gazebo, where we’d be waiting. We weren’t going to attack him, but we were going to take him somewhere and coerce him to provide information about the SOB server on Jekyll Island.”
“Coerce him with what?”
Johnson looks down at the floor. “You.”
“So, basically use me as bait, then threaten to kill me if he didn’t give you information?”
The only sound in the room is the crackling from Leo’s headphones on the desk. I sit in one of the frayed chairs and catch my racing thoughts. I don’t tell them my theory—that Achilles is being forced to work for the Technocrats—because they won’t listen. But I know Achilles would never do anything to intentionally hurt people. He protected me my whole life. There’s still time to get to him and convince him to go back home. We’ll figure things out together and get things back on track. The only way to do that is to get in front of him.
“I’ll go to the party,” I say. “I need to see for myself.”
Relief ushers through Johnson’s face. “You’re doing the right thing, Kalli. We need your help to stop him. To make things equal and right for everyone.”
His words make my heart cringe, but I plaster on an agreeable smile. “Whatever the outcome, at least I’ll get to see my brother one last time.”
Johnson’s beaming. Though I want to punch him in the gut, I fully understand. I know what it’s like to be so close to something you’ve been chasing for so long. He pats my back in a celebratory fashion. “With your help, we might be able to get to the server and remove the DNA records and kill the SOB. Wipe out every single DOD assignment throughout the southern grids. We’ve been trying to get to Achilles for a long time.”
Everything in my body is shaking with fury. They’ve been looking for Achilles for a long time? What about me? I’ve sacrificed years of my life and ruined my DOD. They have no idea what I’ve been through, and their excitement is making me angrier by the second.
Harper squeals and gives me a ginormous hug to which I remain stiff. “You�
��re going to help us change history.”
The atmosphere in the library has shifted from angst to exuberance. Even Leo has a slight grin. But I can’t partake in their celebration because I don’t think—for one second—Achilles is involved with the Technocrats. And it’s going to crush them when they realize the truth.
“The plan is for you to show up at the party with Noah, posing as a couple. Our informant, Roman, will find you and bring you to Achilles,” Harper explains.
I look at Noah, surprised he hasn’t objected to this plan. “And you’re okay with this? Being my date?”
Noah reaches for his pocket watch out of habit, but comes up short. He stares at me. “It’s the only way I agreed we’d go through with it.”
I’m abashedly tongue-tied.
Johnson continues breaking down the plan. “After your reunion with your brother, all you have to do is get him outside to the gazebo. At that point, we’ll intervene.” Johnson pauses a moment, studying me. “We won’t use any violence, Kalli. Nobody needs to get hurt. We just want information.”
As much as I want to believe Johnson and his merry band of Borders, I don’t. But I’ll go to the party and pose as a high-society lady. However, I won’t throw my brother to the wolves. I’m going to get him as far away from Savannah as possible.
17
(still 8 days remaining)
Harper comes to my room sometime after lunch and announces, “It’s time to start getting ready.”
I glance at the clock on the nightstand. “The party doesn’t start for another six hours.”
“Like I said, we have a lot of work to do. When’s the last time you bathed?”
“In the river yesterday.”
She eyes The Portrait of a Lady in my hands. “Some preparation for your role tonight?” She laughs.
“Isabel Archer has a lot of grit. I admire her commitment to independence, turning down marriage proposals left and right.” I toss the book onto the bed and reluctantly get up.
“This will be fun. I promise!”
“You’re entirely too excited about this. I should warn you, I’m not exactly the corseted beauty type.”
“Not presently, but I’m going to turn you into the belle of the ball.”
Harper’s blond curls are bouncing all over the place and her charming smile is too beguiling to contest, so I concede and follow her into the bathroom. Steam rises from the claw-foot tub and sifts through the room like fog. Harper adds some flowery scented oils to the water, smiling as she inhales deeply. I remove my boots and clothes, feeling a little shy about being naked in front of her. But she isn’t bothered in the slightest. Definitely a girly girl. And I’m definitely out of my league. I dip one foot into the tub, and the water scalds my skin. Harper nudges me to keep going until my entire body is submerged. I’m surprised my top layer of skin is still intact. But after a while the temperature feels good against my sore muscles and I start to relax.
“Part of the preparation ritual is calming the body and mind,” she says, pouring water over my head.
Streams of warm water trickle through my hair, and I lean back and rest my head, letting my legs stretch out. The rich fragrance of gardenias and jasmine wafts around me, lulling me into a peaceful state. Harper combs through my hair with a gentle touch, while she hums a tune from the old days. The melody sounds like an Appalachia mountain ballad—dulcet and soothing.
“What is that?” I ask.
“Wildwood Flower. It reminds me of you.”
I laugh and glance her way. “You just met me.”
“The words remind me of you…
I'll twine 'mid the ringlets of raven black hair
The lilies so pale and the roses so fair
The myrtle so bright with an emerald hue
And the pale aeronauts with eyes of bright blue…”
I smile sheepishly. “That’s sweet of you to say. I’ve always thought of myself as more of a brick-and-mortar type of gal.”
She hands me a sponge and a bar of soap. “You’re awfully hard on yourself, Kalli. It’s difficult to soften and be vulnerable if we’re always so critical of ourselves.”
“Soft? Vulnerable? Who has time for that nonsense?” I quip.
Harper grins. “Those things don’t make you weak. They make you stronger, regardless of circumstance.”
I stand up and start to dry off. “That’s easy for you to say. You don’t have time restraints hanging over you like an albatross.”
“The SOB has dealt me some pretty unsavory cards. Both of my parents were removed when I was really young. I went into a self-destruction spiral, and things got ugly. But I found my greatest strength through my most vulnerable moments. And I figured out my purpose in life.”
“And what’s that?” I ask.
“To make sure future generations don’t have to suffer what I did.” A strange glimmer flashes in Harper’s eyes. Is it sorrow? Determination? I wonder what happened to her. She takes my hand and leads me to her bedroom. “Come on, let’s get to work on your hair.”
As she’s drying and pinning my hair, I hold back the bevy of questions because I want to respect her privacy. We’re all entitled to our secrets, I suppose. She flitters around me like a butterfly, singing and giving me the occasional wink. I catch myself smiling in the mirror, immediately feeling silly for enjoying this frivolity. I’ve never had a close friend, let alone of the female sort. I’m guessing that in addition to fashion and parties, they also talk about boys.
“So, how long have you been with Johnson?”
Her face radiates. “A few years.”
“How’d you meet?”
“Let’s just say we found each other just in time.”
I glance up to get a read on her, but she’s too pre-occupied with twisting up one final lock of my hair. “Are you happy with him?”
She steps back to admire her work. “Couldn’t be happier. And without the burden of DOD assignments, we’ll continue to have many happy years together.”
Nodding, I try to suppress the haunting reminder emanating from my wrist. I try to forget the memory of my mother falling to the floor after being swarmed to death. I hold out my arm. “What about my DOD? I can’t show up at the party with this glaring date. Everyone will know I’m a Short-Timer.”
Harper gracefully lifts her finger. “Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered, so to speak.”
She goes into the closet and comes out carrying an enormous pile of pale rose colored material—a ball gown. She lays the beautiful dress onto the bed and goes back to the closet. This time she returns with a pair of matching gloves. “To cover your wrist,” she says, making yet another trip to the closet, which is exactly why I cannot handle all of this dressing-up poppycock. It requires way too much back and forth. She comes out carrying a petticoat with all sorts of hoops. She hands me a delicate drawstring purse. “For lipstick,” she explains.
“Lipstick?” I groan.
“Oh, we haven’t even gotten started on your makeup. Let’s do that first, then we’ll get you dressed.”
I stare at the mound of soft rose material and the petticoat on the bed. “You sure I can handle all that? It’s a lot of … dress.”
She smiles, gleefully. “Easy as pie. I can just picture the layers of rose petals swimming in your wake as you twirl around the ballroom.”
“You expect me to dance?”
“Every woman—regardless of her background—should know a few simple dance steps. Don’t worry, I’ll show you some easy ones so you can blend in with the other guests.”
“But I’m a klutz.”
“If I could teach my Johnson how to Waltz, you’ll be a piece of Lane cake!”
Harper rotates me away from the mirror and begins applying my makeup. She spends the next hour soundlessly concentrating like an artist with a paintbrush. A spring breeze wisps into the room, and a wave of nostalgia spills over me. I remember sitting at my mother’s vanity, playing with makeup. Harper’s gentle presence is
helping me to feel more comfortable. Being with her is effortless. Like we’ve always known each other. I follow her instructions—mostly because I don’t want to lose an eye—as she tells me to close my lids, suck in my cheeks and relax my lips.
“All finished,” she sings out. I turn to see my reflection, but she grabs my shoulders. “Not yet. Let’s get you into that dress.”
Sighing, I walk over to the bed to prepare for battle. Though I’m not thrilled about getting into the suffocating attire, I’m finding it difficult to not swoon over the magnificent gown—the cascading layers of rose fabric and the brilliantly sparkling jewels decorating the crest of the plunging neckline and edges of the cap sleeves. But it’ll be a while before I put on the actual dress. Harper starts with the corset first, pulling the laces tight to cinch my waist.
“I don’t know how you stand these things.” I suck in a bunch of air and exhale, knowing this will be my last full breath for a while.
“You get used to it,” she murmurs, as she focuses on the last few pulls.
“I’ll never need to get used to this foolishness.”
She laughs at my rebellious attitude and helps me with the petticoat of hoops. “Perhaps it’s a bit foolish, but it sure is fun!”
“Do you attend a lot of these things?”
“At least once a week. Word of warning—the men can be quite gruesome.” She takes the dress from the bed and motions for me to step into it. “But you’ll have Noah with you.”
“I’m sure once he’s with his own kind he’ll forget all about me.”
Harper steps back after she’s finished with adjusting the glittering cap sleeves. “Oh, Kalli. There’s no way he could possibly forget about you.” She turns me slowly to face the floor-length mirror.
I’m speechless. The words are there, but they’re log-jammed in my mouth. Staring back is a flawlessly poised lady who resembles very little of me.
“Well … What do you think?” Harper meticulously arranges one of my long raven locks to lay over my collarbone.
“That’s not me.”
“Sure it is. The softer version of Miss Kalliste.”
