Canvas Skies (Reliance on Citizens Makes Us Great!) (4 page)

I hopped into the shower first. After drying
off, I pulled on a pair of clean boxers and a bathrobe. Then I
began to make breakfast: scrambled eggs, toast and bacon. Despite
my best efforts to teach her, Keira's meals, though thoughtfully
prepared were mediocre at best. I also set out a bowl of
strawberries. Fresh fruit, especially when out of season, was
reserved for the Elite. The Working Class would have to make do
with canned fruit until the local produce was ready to harvest.

From across the apartment, I heard Keira
singing in the shower. I smiled to myself. She really loved
Depression era songs from the early 20th century, and she had a
great voice. It always amazed me what she did know, despite her
Working Class education.

Just as I finished setting breakfast on the
table, there was a knock on the door followed by the sound of a key
in the lock. My heart jumped to my throat as a man and woman
entered the apartment. The man turned to punch in the security
code.

Sounds from the other room had all but
disappeared. I have to get to her before she...I'll greet them and
then warn her.

I hurried over. “Hello Mother, Father.” I
planted a gentle kiss on my mother's cheek and nodded to my father.
“Why don't you two sit down and enjoy breakfast?”

My mother looked at me in surprise. “Why
thank you, but you could have dressed first.”

“You got our message then,” my father said
as he patted me on the shoulder. “Good, we have a lot to
discuss!”

I'd tried hard to avoid this particular
conversation, and now it was upon me.

“Why didn't you set a place for yourself?”
my mother said, as Keira walked in from the bedroom. Keira's hair
dripped, and she wore a lovely matching set of emerald green satin
undergarments and nothing else. She gave a little yelp and dove
back into the bedroom. The door slammed behind her.

My father raised one eyebrow and asked, “Who
was that?”

I hurried away and called over my shoulder,
“Excuse me. I'll need a few minutes.” I closed the door behind me
and turned to Keira. “I'm so sorry. They just showed up. It's not
like them. Usually they call.” I looked at my transceiver on the
dresser. “Did someone call while I was in the shower?”

She looked at my transceiver too. “Yes.
Those are your parents, aren't they?”

I nodded.

“This is so not good.” She shook her head,
and her hand flew to her wet hair. “This is very, very bad.” She
began to pace and wring her hands.

“Keira, I need to ask you something
important, only this isn't at all how I'd imagined it would be.” I
knelt down.

She stopped and turned to face me.
Incredulity emanated from every pore.

I reached out my hand. “Will you marry
me?”

I dried myself and started to dress when my
stomach grumbled with displeasure. Just then a delicious aroma
wafted in from the kitchen. I turned away from the closet. My
clothes would still be there after breakfast.

When I walked into the dining room, Guy
turned. He looked startled and...terrified? Directly behind him
stood an older couple. Company? No, not just company. In that
second, I knew. The man's blue eyes and the woman's sandy brown
hair were identical to Guy's.

I jumped back into the bedroom and slammed
the door,then leaned against it. What a wonderful first impression,
Keira. Way to go! You've been with their son for over a year, and
this is how they meet you?

Seconds later, the doorknob turned. I
stepped back, out of view and heard Guy mumble something about
needing a few minutes.

Then he asked it, the big question. The one
we'd never even discussed because it was impossible and so very
much against everything I believed in. Marry him? Absolutely not!
Give the Gov an easy way to track me? It was ridiculous! I couldn't
marry him. I couldn't marry anyone.

I took another step back and shook my head.
“No, I can't.”

“Why not?”

I looked into his deep blue eyes and was
surprised to see confusion. “For starters, I'm a wanted fugitive,
and you're an upstanding bachelor of the year!” I spat, referring
to the newsvid that had aired on New Year's Eve.

We'd both laughed when he'd been classified
as one of Tkaron's 20 most eligible bachelors. I'd laughed even
harder, when Brody had topped him. Guy hadn't laughed at that.
Maybe he'd never laughed at all. Had he considered marriage even
then?

I stared at him and tried to figure things
out quickly.

“I can't be here right now. You need to talk
with your parents alone. Get dressed, and give me a minute to
think.”

Guy disappeared into the walk-in closet. He
emerged a few minutes later in tan slacks and a navy blue polo
shirt. He walked over to the bed, sat and pulled me down next to
him. He spoke quietly. “They're pushing for me to marry. A young
bachelor in his 20s, that's just fine, but when I hit 30...they
expect me to settle down. Everyone does.”

“Can't you remain a bachelor?”

“Not easily. Not without uncomfortable
questions being raised. A man of my social standing, hoping to
continue the family business...avoiding marriage won't be
acceptable by anyone's standard.”

“But if I say yes, and you present me as
your fiancee, the news coverage will be everywhere. I won't be able
to lay low, I won't be able to help Aimee and I certainly won't be
able to meet Brody for drinks and dancing every Tuesday. Then how
will we get people through airline security? No.” I shook my head.
“There's too much at stake.”

Guy took both of my hands in his. What could
he possibly say to change any of that?

“Aimee is one of the Elite now. The best
place for her to hide is in plain view. As for Brody, he's already
Elite, and if you marry me, you will be too. There would be no
reason you two couldn't be friends. We can do this!”

“No.” I shook my head again. “It's too
risky.”

“Keira, I've been thinking about this for
months, about how it could work, and I have some other ideas too.
This could be an opportunity for us, but we need some time to
discuss it. The other option...well, I don't like it.”

“What are you talking about?”

He looked away. “The Elite marry each other
all the time for reasons other than love. Sometimes they don't even
live together. Sometimes there's someone else on the side.”

“You'd marry someone else? Making me your
mistress...” my voice trailed off. Since we'd been together, I
hadn't even taken any jobs that would have required...and now to
have him consider it. It felt like I'd swallowed a lump of
lead.

Guy wouldn't look at me. “I don't want that,
but it would be better than losing you altogether.”

I reached over and gently turned his face
toward mine. I kept my gaze steady and called his bluff. “You would
never marry someone else and lie to them about it.” He closed his
eyes. I took a deep breath and sighed. “You said you had some
ideas.”

He stood and pulled me up with him. “Yes,
and it begins with you leaving in an angry huff right now.”

“What?”

“Will you trust me on this?”

I nodded slowly. “What do you want me to
do?”

“We need to make them think I picked you up
last night. Put on something appropriate. When you leave, be rude
and hurry past them. Try not to let them see your face.”

I entered the closet and quickly pulled on a
short, tight red skirt and skin tight top, not the sort of outfit
worn by the Elite. I let my hair hang down.

Guy waited by the open bedroom door. He
moved in front of it and handed me a small black handbag. Then he
leaned down and gently placed a kiss on my cheek. His breath was
soft on my ear. “Eberhardt's key is in your purse. Wait for me
there.”

I pushed him away and put everything I had
into my performance.

“Fine, I'll go!” I yelled and slapped him
across the face, hard. Then I began to cry. I hurried out of the
room and across the apartment. I wiped my tears with my arm and
kept my gaze turned away from his parents who sat and waited to
enjoy the breakfast that was supposed to have been ours.

Just before the front door slammed behind
me, I heard his mother say, “What was she expecting, a proposal?” I
hurried down the stairs. My tears had unexpectedly become real.

I sat on the cushioned window seat,
enveloped in darkness, and gazed out at the sparkling nighttime
cityscape. A warm breeze filtered in through the open window. It
caused the sheer drapes to flutter next to me and caressed my skin.
In Parisio, every house had access to light and energy all of the
time. A year ago, I wouldn't have believed such a thing was
possible, not in my lifetime anyway. In contrast, Tkaron was a cold
and lonely city after the sun went down, unless you had wealth. In
just under two weeks, I would return to that dark place.

After nearly a year, my cauchemars, as Noah
called them, had finally begun to subside. I concentrated on the
good times. Although life in Parisio was amazing, life in Tkaron
hadn't always been bad, especially with Keira and Scott around. I
sighed. Parisio had only been a temporary reprieve, and I didn't
really belong here. Where I'm going next has to be better than what
I left behind. And my new role would fund rescue efforts for people
like April, the me of the past.

I turned my head as a baby's cry echoed from
the last room at the end of the hall. Nadine had awakened, and
Danielle would tend to her. Noah was so proud to be a big brother.
Nadine belonged here, with a brother who would befriend her, with
parents who already loved her without reservation, in a society
that was willing to care for her needs.

***

The next night I worked on just one more
painting at Art Fantastique, my seventh today. I'd tried to
convinced myself that the fifth and the sixth were my last, yet
here I was. I'd spent the afternoon cataloging incoming artwork,
Guy's latest black market shipment from Tkaron.

A noise from the front of the shop drew my
attention away from the painting. Someone had arrived, though the
store had been closed for nearly two hours. A voice called, “Aimee,
are you here?”

“I'm in the back!”

Danielle appeared in the doorway. Her long
dark hair had been fastened back with a pale blue silk scarf. She
leaned against the door frame. “It's late, well past dinner. Were
you planning on coming home tonight?”

I smiled sadly and set down the book I'd
been studying. “I don't want too much downtime. I'd rather keep my
thoughts occupied.”

Danielle sat in the chair next to me. “May
I?” She gestured toward the book, and I handed it to her. She
looked at the painting on the easel and then at the book. “Do you
think it's authentic?”

I considered the painting one more time. “I
think it's an extremely well done copy. It's definitely worth
something but not worth the risk of sending it overseas from
Tkaron. We could sell it in another city in Terene.”

She set the book on the table and turned to
face me. “I'll miss having you around.”

I sighed. “I'm going to miss you too, and
the other art students in my classes, they've all been so kind. And
you, you've taught me so much! I don't think I'll ever be able to
repay you for that.”

“Oh, please! You don't owe me anything.”

I looked away.

Danielle hesitated, then said, “May I ask
you something?”

My shoulders tensed. “I guess.”

“You said you've been trying to keep your
thoughts occupied. What are you avoiding?”

A few silent tears trailed down my face as I
whispered, “Nadine.”

She nodded. “Are you still planning to talk
with Keira about that, or have you changed your mind?”

A few months ago, shortly after Nadine's
birth, we'd met with an attorney. He'd drafted the adoption
documents. Scott and Danielle were legally Nadine's parents. I
hadn't changed my mind about that. It was the other part. What
would Keira say?

“I'll talk with her. I'll let you know if
she doesn't agree.”

“Alright.” Danielle reached for my hand and
thankfully changed the subject. “If we hurry home, you'll have time
to read Noah a story before bed.”

Guy found me a few hours later on
Eberhardt's couch. I'd been watching a popular telecast called
Everyday Elite. It showcased a few select members of the Elite
every month and had a dual result: it made them even more
pretentious than usual and put them on edge as they wondered if
anyone would hire a Freelancer to sabotage them. Before I'd joined
the Resistance, I'd made it a priority to find a teleview and watch
this show in order to discover potential targets and their
vanities.

I turned off the vidscreen and looked at
Guy. He folded my aquamarine sundress over the back of a chair in
the dinette area, then moved closer and dropped into Eberhardt's
favorite overstuffed brown leather chair.

He glanced around. “Where's Eberhardt?”

“I don't know. You gave him the day off,
remember?” I removed the key from my purse and handed it to
him.

Guy twirled it around before he pocketed it.
“I really didn't mean for it to happen like that.”

“But you did mean to propose?”

He nodded. “You can't come back to my
apartment, not for a while. I've packed your things. They're in the
car.”

I shrugged. “That's okay, I guess. I was
going to move in with Aimee anyway.” I turned away and peered out
the window. The grey clouds matched my mood.

“Have you eaten?”

Without looking, I pointed to a box of
crackers and an empty can of beer that sat on an end table. My
stomach had let me know how displeased it was with those
choices.