The Significant (8 page)

      
Remus hesitated.

      
“I called Companion and hired a
Significant for you for a month,” he said, his words a little faster than
normal. He did not look at Isa, his eyes focused on the wine. However, he could
feel Isa’s eyes on him get wider.

      
“You did
what
?” she hissed. “Remus…”

      
“Isa, you need to talk to someone,” Remus
said. “Someone who
isn’t
me.”

      
“Remus, you know I severely dislike
Significants,” Isa groaned, turning away from Remus and walking to one of the
benches on the balcony. “I would get rid of the practice all together if I
thought the nobles wouldn’t assassinate me.”

      
“You refuse to go back to Paul. I needed
to do something. You’re starting to slip again.”

      
“I am not slipping,” Isa said, turning to
him before sitting on the bench. “It’s been a busy few weeks, so I haven’t been
particularly pleasant. I may have a glass or two of wine to get my brain to
calm down in the evenings, but I’m not being destructive.”

      
“I’m not talking about the drinking,”
Remus said, sitting next to her. “You’re losing weight, and your performance is
starting to decline once more. Before things get worse, you should take some
time and gather your bearings.”

      
“I have my bearings, Remus.”

      
Remus hesitated. “It’s barely been a year
since you last went into the hospital. You have a habit of jumping back into
the deep end before you’re ready.”

      
“That was a bad mix of medication for the
flu and the assassination attempt. That’s why I was back in the hospital. That
hardly—”

      
“Isa,” Remus said, placing his hand on
her shoulder, stopping her, “you can’t risk your health. Dr. Busen said that if
he saw you in the hospital again within the next eighteen months, he would have
you confined to the hospital until you were in the same state as when you were
first made Golden Elite.”

      
Isa sighed heavily, closing her eyes.

      
“I hardly think that’s fair,” she
grumbled. “I don’t even think
magic
could get me the way I was when I was seventeen.”

      
“That’s why we have science,” Remus chuckled.
He gently rubbed her shoulder. “The Significant is going to be here for your
month leave.”

      
“Month leave?” Isa repeated, turning to
her Silver Elite with an incredulous look. “Pardon?”

      
“I’ve already informed the other Elites
that you are out of the Syndicate for the next month. For the first week you
are instructed not to work at all. After that, you can work remotely from
home.”

      
“You’ll never get this cleared through
Venus.”

      
“I already did,” Remus said. “She agreed
that she needed you healthy. But, because it is Venus, you still have to work
after the first week, just remotely. Dr. Busen also agreed that it was
important you rest.”
 

      
“Oh, and Venus wants me to have a
Significant?” Isa said skeptically. “The possibility of a scandal would be
enough for her to say no.”

      
“Actually, she agreed that you probably
needed some form of contact with new people,” Remus said. “As long as it was a
woman, she agreed.”

      
Isa groaned and rubbed her forehead.

      
“I can’t believe you are doing this to
me…”

      
“Isa,” Remus started, his voice pleading,
“I’m just worried about you. I let this get out of hand before and I refuse to
let it happen again.”

      
“You need to stop beating yourself up
about that,” Isa murmured, closing her eyes. “You did the best you could.” She
turned to Remus. “I’ve been off the medication for nearly seven months. I’m
alright.”

      
Remus looked at Isa, his hand still
rubbing her shoulder.

      
“I just want you to have someone to talk
to who is outside of the situation,” he murmured, his hand stilling. “Please?
Humor me?”

      
Isa sighed and smiled, shaking her head.

      
“You worry about me too much,” she
chuckled. Remus’ hand tightened on Isa’s shoulder as she moved closer, leaning
against the Silver Elite. “If everything I’ve been through in my life hasn’t
killed me yet, nothing will.”

Chapter
Seven

      
Kailynn did as she was told.

      
She had her small bag with her clothes,
but the bag felt surprisingly heavy. Even though she had agreed to meet with
the Syndicate Elite as a secret client, as she was standing outside Anon Tower,
staring up at the impressive structure of glass and steel, her nerves were
getting the best of her.

      
She steadied herself, remembering of the
money promised.

      
Then, she walked into the front lobby,
punching in the five-digit code for guests into the electronic lock.

      
The building was practically silent.
There was the gentle humming of the machines that ran the building, but the
foyer was devoid of people. The sounds from Kailynn’s shoes echoed in the
cavernous space and made her feel even smaller.

      
She walked toward the elevators, but
passed them, as she was told, going to the door marked “Caretaker.”

      
She knocked on the door three times and,
no more than two seconds later, the panel on the door lift up, depicting a man
with clean-cut, black hair and brown eyes.

      
“Welcome to Anon Tower. I am Caretaker.
How may I assist you?” the robot asked.

      
“I am a visitor,” Kailynn said slowly,
trying to strengthen her voice.

      
“What room are you visiting?”

      
“Code 7734,” Kailynn said nervously.

      
“Thank you. I shall page that room.
Please enter the first elevator.”

      
Kailynn turned to see the first elevator
door slide open. She was curious about the secrecy of the code to get to the
Elite’s level of the building, since she was sure no one would try to storm the
tower.

      
She stepped into the elevator and the
doors closed.

      
As the car of the elevator ascended,
almost silent, Kailynn concentrated on her breathing, being sure to keep
herself from shaking.

      
She had never seen an Elite before and was
unsure how they differed from humans. They were treated almost as if they were
mythical beings, ones only seen in the light of a full double moon. The reality
that she was about to meet an Elite—let alone spend a month with said Elite—was
overwhelming.

      
The elevator slowed to a stop and
Kailynn’s stomach flipped.

      
When the doors opened, Kailynn was
startled to see a young woman standing in the hallway. She was young but she
had a very natural and innocent beauty to her. She was dressed in simple
clothing, but that did not diminish the brilliance of her smile. Her long, dark
blonde hair was pulled into a braid that draped over her shoulder.

      
“Jacyleen?” the young woman asked.

      
“Yes.”

      
“Good morning,” the woman said with a bow
of her head. “I am Tarah, the caretaker of the household.”

      
“Tarah…caretaker? Are you old enough to
be working as a caretaker?” Kailynn asked.

      
“Yes,” Tarah said, surprised by the
question. “I am seventeen.” She motioned for Kailynn to follow her. “Please,
come with me. I will show you to your room.”

      
Kailynn slowly followed the young woman
down the short hallway to the only other door. The door opened automatically
and Kailynn had to stand in the doorway for a moment admire the beautiful home.
There was a large sitting area filled with expensive furniture and a table that
served as a dining space. The lighting was installed into the white ceiling and
a fireplace was on the wall that curved outward into a wall of glass, giving a
spectacular view of the city skyline from the large balcony.

      
“Please, do not be shy, come in.”

      
Kailynn had been to several of the homes
of the nobles of Anon, but the elegance and simplicity of the level at Anon
Tower was unlike anything she had seen before.

      
“Thank you for coming to stay here,”
Tarah said with a smile. “Please feel free to make yourself at home. If you are
in need of anything, do not hesitate to let me know.”

      
“Thank you,” Kailynn said nervously.
“Um…where is…”

      
“She’ll be out momentarily,” Tarah
assured, understanding the question. “Allow me to show you to your room.”

      
Kailynn was, once again, surprised to see
that, when she rounded the corner, there was a bar with mirrors behind the glasses
and bottles of alcohol. She would have commented on the sheer number of
bottles, but the bar set up was so beautiful that she was captivated with the
way the light reflected off the glasses.

      
She followed the young caretaker through
the door on the other side of the bar. There was another hallway beyond with
four doors, two on each side. Tarah turned to the first door on the left and it
immediately opened.

      
“This will be your room.”

      
Kailynn walked in, her eyes captivated by
the grandeur of the large bed and desk with computer. She set her bag down on
the bed, her eyes wide.

      
“Please take your time to settle,” Tarah
said. “Come to the main room whenever you feel comfortable.”

      
Once Tarah left, Kailynn immediately went
to the bathroom and splashed her face with water, trying not to notice the
luxury of the bathroom as well. She told herself to calm down and that there
was nothing to be nervous about. The Elites also had to be careful if they
wanted a Significant around. Jak had assured her that they had dealt with
Elites before. Kailynn just needed to be careful and discreet and not allow
herself to be overwhelmed.

      
She dried her face and checked herself
over once before returning to the main room.

      
Kailynn was not prepared to be confronted
with the most beautiful woman she had ever seen in her life.

      
The Elite was stunning. She was tall and
well-built, lined with lithe muscle. Her hourglass figure was accented by the
casual Elite attire, but the dark colors were in sharp contrast to her
alabaster skin and light blonde hair. But what took Kailynn’s breath away was
the vivid blue color of her eyes.

      
Their eyes met and, for those brief
seconds, everything else in the universe disappeared.

      
“Miss, this is Jacyleen,” Tarah introduced,
standing across the bar from the Elite.

      
“Jacyleen,” the beautiful woman said with
a perfect smile. “Thank you for agreeing to be here.”

      
“It is my pleasure,” Kailynn barely
managed to utter, still captivated by the blue eyes. “How…how should I address
you?”

      
“Just Isa is fine.”

      
Kailynn’s jaw dropped and her eyes shot
wide.

      
“Golden Elite Isa?” she whispered.

      
“You seem surprised,” Isa said gently.
“Were you not informed with which Elite you would be spending a month?”

      
“N-no, it’s not that…” Kailynn said
quickly, trying to disguise her utter shock. “I-it’s just that…I don’t think it
is appropriate to address you so informally.”

      
Isa’s smile widened.

      
“I would actually prefer casual
conversation while you are here.”

      
“Y-yes, of course.”

      
Kailynn could not form any thoughts other
than the fact that she was standing in the same room as the most powerful
person in the Altereye System. She had only heard of the Golden Elite. She had
never seen pictures or video, but she was sure that, even if she had, they
would not do justice to the perfection Isa exhibited. Even her blinking seemed
to be so perfectly timed that they were hypnotizing. Kailynn wondered if all
Elites were so flawless, or if it was only Isa.

      
“Well, Jacyleen, I do hope you will excuse
me, but there are a few matters to which I must attend.”

      
“Oh, yes, sure, okay.”

      
Kailynn’s tongue felt useless as she
tried to form words.

      
Isa thanked Tarah and walked past Kailynn
toward the hall of Kailynn’s room. When the door had closed behind her,
Kailynn’s entire body went slack. She glanced at Tarah, her eyes wide.

      
“I did not know I was going to be here
with the Golden Elite.”

      
“You didn’t?” Tarah asked. “Why wouldn’t
they tell you that?”

      
“I assume because they wanted to freak me
out as much as possible,” Kailynn groaned. She walked closer to Tarah. “That
was really Golden Elite Isa?”

      
“Yes,” Tarah said with a broken chuckle.
“Why are you so surprised?”

      
“I have never been around an Elite
before…” Kailynn said. “I thought it was one of the lower ranked ones, not the
most powerful one in the damn system.”

      
Tarah blinked at Kailynn’s tone. She had
never known Significants before, but she was sure they were not supposed to act
so unprofessionally when it came to their clients. Still, Tarah found herself
smiling.

      
“You are in for quite the month, then,
aren’t you?”

      
“I guess.”

      
“If there is anything you need, please
let me know. Feel free to explore the level. Isa’s office is in the back area.
Try not to disturb her when she is working. Otherwise, please make yourself at
home.”

      
“Um…what should I do?” Kailynn asked
nervously.

      
“Do?”

      
“Normally my clients are in the same room
with me when they want me over,” Kailynn said with a light chuckle.

      
“Oh,” Tarah laughed. “It’s very difficult
to get Isa to stop working. I’m sure that she’ll find you when she’s finished
with what she’s doing. You can do anything you would like until then.”

      
Kailynn was unsure what she possibly
could
do.

      
“Okay.”

      
“Are you hungry? I can make you something
to eat,” Tarah said, trying to make the Significant feel more comfortable.

      
“No, I’m alright.” Kailynn sighed heavily
and looked around. “I guess I’ll just…look around.”

      
“Okay. Let me know if you need anything.”

      
Kailynn watched the teenager move into
the kitchen through the door next to the bar. Kailynn sighed once more and
looked around the living room, noting the expensive pieces of art and the
beautiful, pristine condition of the furniture. The home hardly appeared to be
one that was occupied. It seemed to be for show. She walked around the
perimeter of the room and glanced over the paintings and photographs. She
noticed that there was no television in the room, and that surprised her.

      
She went to the other door in the main
room and it opened automatically. She was surprised when she was confronted
with what she assumed was the Golden Elite’s bedroom. There was a large bed,
the frame intricate designs of gold, holding the mattress and pillows in a nest
form, sunken in the middle and slightly tilted upward. The darker colors of the
room gave the bedroom a subdued and calming aura.

      
Kailynn glanced around nervously before
stepping into the bedroom, wondering if there was anything in there that could
tell her more about the Golden Elite. There was access to the balcony from the
bedroom, but the curtains were pulled closed over the windows to mute the
light. There was a large closet with the door open—Kailynn was sure that the
closet was the size of Raphael’s flat in Trid. There were racks of shoes and
accessories along with clothes of rich fabrics that Kailynn was afraid to
touch.

 
     
Across
the room from the closet was the bathroom, white with marble and silver. Even
after the time she had spent in the houses of noblemen, she was not prepared
for the luxury of the Golden Elite’s home.

      
She left the bedroom, going back into the
guest hallway where her room was located. She assumed that the other three
doors led to rooms that looked like hers, so she continued to the door at the
other end of the hallway.