Xvi (24 page)

Sal nudged me to look at Mike. His elbow was on the table, his chin firmly seated on his hand; he was hanging on Sandy’s every word like she was giving directions to the lost treasure of San Cabalo—or the nearest free all-you-can-eat buffet.

As he leaned close, Sal’s lips barely touched my earlobe. “Looks like he’s smitten,” he whispered.

That can’t be,
I thought. Mike being infatuated with Sandy would not be good, not at all. Even though she herself was low tier, she looked down her nose at welfare families. No matter how low you are, you can always find someone lower, I thought. Two of my best friends on a collision course with disaster; I knew which one would be crushed.

I noticed Wei’s eyes were glassed over and her smile looked more than a little forced. Sandy’s babbling on about FeLS and boys definitely had that effect on people. I started to intervene, but Derek and Riley took care of interference by playing again.

The crowd loved them so much they did three encores. When they finished, Riley went to the table where his twentieth-century music clique was sitting. They were going nuts, pounding him on the back and yelling like he’d just won a free trip to Galacticaland.

“Well ... ?” Derek avoided direct eye contact with all of us, he was so nervous. “What’d you guys think?”

“I loved it!” Wei said.

“It was cool,” Sandy said, leaning forward so her shirt gaped open more. Then she tossed her hair just like the girls in the
XVI Ways
how-to guide.

“What kind of music is it, Derek?” I hoped to steer Sandy off course.

“Zydeco. From New Orleans.”

The blank look on all our faces demanded an explanation.

“Oh, come on, guys. The city that was totaled after the Cat Six hurricane in 2025. What was it called? Hey, Ri,” he yelled across the tables. “What was the name of that storm that took out New Orleans?”

“Sandra!” Riley yelled back.

“That’s the one—Sandra.”

“That’s my name,” Sandy squealed.

“Huh?” Derek shook his head and went on: “It was like the third hurricane to hit in a couple of decades. It washed away so much land, there wasn’t anywhere left to rebuild.”

“After that storm and the multiple oil disasters in the Gulf, that’s when they finally got serious about alternatives for oil, wasn’t it?” Sal asked.

He, Derek, and Mike started to talk about fuels, which I knew would lead to a discussion of transports. We’d be there forever if I didn’t interrupt.

“Can we go?”

“What?” Derek asked.

I held up the napkin so he could read it, and mouthed, “Ed.”

“Is Dee okay?”

“Yes, but we need to, you know ...” I gestured toward the napkin. “Come on, let’s go.”

“I’ve gotta put my guitar away.”

“Just do it, then.” No sooner were the words out of my mouth, and I saw his reaction, than I felt awful. It was his big night and I had just ruined it by being a bitch. “Derek, I’m sorry,” I called after him as he walked back to the makeshift stage and put his guitar in its case. He either didn’t hear me or he didn’t want to.

Wei’s eyes followed him as he packed up his music.

“I should’ve been nicer,” I said.

“Yeah,” Sandy replied. “That was über-B. What’s got into you?”

“You need to hear the whole story first.” Wei turned her back on Sandy. Reassuring me, she said, “He won’t mind once he finds out what happened.”

Over Wei’s shoulder I saw Sandy’s eyes narrow and I knew what was coming next. The last thing anyone needed was Sandy losing her temper.

“I’ll apologize, okay?” I directed my words at Sandy.

She shrugged and proceeded to fuss with her hair and straighten her jacket. I noticed a couple of guys checking her out. I glanced at Mike. The look on his face was unquestionably fanaholic.

Derek’s shoulders slumped as he walked back to us, guitar case in hand.

On the way out I whispered, “I really am sorry. You were great. Everyone loved you guys.”

“Yeah, thanks.” He repositioned his guitar between us, eyes intent on the sidewalk.

Tangling with Ed had been bad enough, but hurting one of my best friends felt worse. Derek had always been there for me, and I’d just stomped all over him. I’d have to make it right, somehow.

“Where can we go?” I asked.

“The park,” Sal said. “Not far from your moun—by that place where we met. There’s a vert tower near there, it’s not total DZ but it scrambles everything.”

“Not like anyone’s paying attention to us anyway,” Derek said, scuffling his feet along.

Wei caught up to him. “I wouldn’t be so sure ...” She began whispering to him.

Sandy tried to catch up with them, but the best she could do was a precarious wobble in her stiletto-heeled boots. It was pathetically sweet when Mike grabbed her arm to steady her.

“Hey,” he said, “they got some new calves at the zoo. Want to go see them tomorrow?”

“Yeah, maybe.” She leaned on him, her gaze intent on Derek’s and Wei’s backs.

No sooner had we gotten to the park than a police trannie cruised up in front of us—and stopped. Two officers, one male, one female, got out.

“You girls, over here.” The female officer pointed to a spot by her. “Boys there, with Officer Gorton.”

Sal squeezed my hand quickly and then we separated. Wei sidled up next to me, Sandy was on my left. She looked over her shoulder at the policeman and sighed. I would’ve thought it was funny if I hadn’t been a trembling mass of jelly inside. Ed might have sent them looking for me. I had, after all, attacked him. I’m sure they’d believe a government Chooser’s word over mine.

“This way!” the female officer barked. “Where are you all going?” Before we could answer, she added, “Get your IDs ready.”

She trained her LED on our faces. I could see Wei’s expression, as cool as the marble in her home. She put her hand out. Sandy, meanwhile, had dropped her purse, spilling the entire contents of makeup and who-knows-what all over the ground. I turned my hand over, hoping the cop didn’t notice how badly it was shaking.

“Wrists.” The officer sounded bored.

We all turned our arms over. She shone the LED on them. One bare and then there was Wei’s. The colors of the thistles popped in the light.

“A Creative?”

I detected a note of derision in the woman’s voice.

“Yes, ma’am,” Wei said. “It’s on my ID.”

The officer squinted into her scanner. “Huh. Like I asked. Where are you going?”

“Down by the horses.” Wei was in complete control. “It’s cool to see them at night. Don’t you think?” She had one of her most charming smiles on—and it seemed to have the desired effect.

Sandy’d been kneeling on the ground collecting her things. When the policewoman got to her, she jumped up, flipping her hand. “My dad was a policeman. Killed in the line of duty.”

“Uh-huh.” The officer made a cursory glance at scan. “Wrist.”

Sandy turned her arm over. “He was on a foray when he was—”

“You better pick that stuff up,” the cop said.

Sandy knelt down again, busying herself with getting everything back into her purse. I could tell her feelings were hurt.

“Oberon?” The woman read from her scanner and shined her LED on my face again.

I was beginning to hate my name. I tried to smile, but the result was probably more of a grimace. I really wished I had some of Wei’s composure.

“Are you related to ...”

I felt my insides shrink. What was I going to say? If they had a portable DNA reader, they’d know in a second who my father was. I took a deep breath and held it, waiting.

“... the Oberon who was hurt in that explosion down in Florida? It was years ago.”

I hid my relief as best I could and exhaled, saying, “That’s my grandfather.”

“Shame how he and that other guy had to fight to get what was due them.” She turned off her LED. “My uncle was on that job. Lucky for him it was his day off.”

Leaving us standing there, she joined her partner. It was our first chance to see what was happening with the guys.

Like us, they were standing in a line. The policeman had apparently asked to see inside Derek’s guitar case, because it was lying on the ground, open.

The two officers conferred for what seemed like forever. Eventually the policewoman returned. “Everything seems to be in order. There was an incident earlier, some thug accosted two men over on Lincoln.” She pointed in the direction of Robin’s Roost. “He got away. A big guy, over six two, if you believe those wimps he beat up on.” She snorted. “Anyway, be careful, he’s still at large. And you ...” She motioned me over and lowered her voice. “Tell your grandfather some of us think he deserved better.”

They got back in their trannie and sped off.

“Well, that was fun,” Sal said.

“Yeah.” Derek glanced over his shoulder at the disappearing trannie. “That cop messed up my music, and I think he swiped one of my picks.”

“At least he didn’t take any of us,” Mike said. “Stupid checker—”

I poked Mike in the ribs. “Remember Sandy’s dad,” I whispered.

“Oh, uh ... yeah.” He cleared his throat. “Need some help with that?” He knelt down beside Sandy, who was still squatting on the sidewalk, retrieving a comb and some lipstick.

We had to step off the sidewalk and into the grass, which made Sandy’s progress even slower. Her stiletto heels kept sinking into the ground. For a moment, I thought Mike was going to carry her. He didn’t, but he stuck with her. I’d only seen that side of him when he was working with the zoo animals, particularly baby calves that needed to be hand-fed. He was just as gentle with them. Sandy kept directing questions at Derek, but he and Wei were too far ahead of her and too engrossed in each other, for answers.

Something rustled behind me. My fingers tightened on Sal’s arm. Lights from an apartment building at the park’s edge cast a pale beam on some shrubs from where the sound originated.

Sal pushed me behind him and grabbed Wei. She, in turn, grabbed Derek and they stood like a shield in front of me. Sandy and Mike bumped right into my back.

“What the heck?!” Sandy exclaimed. “Why’d you—”

“Shhhh,” Wei hissed.

“Don’t sh—”

I stuck my hand over Sandy’s mouth. “There’s someone over there,” I whispered, pointing at the silhouetted bush. “It could be Ed.”

As I peered between Sal and Wei, the bushes crackled again.

“You guys stay with Nina,” Sal whispered to Derek and Mike.

He motioned for Wei to circle around the bush on one side; he took the other.

Their reconnaissance became unnecessary when two sets of legs kicked partway out from under the bushes. One pair was bare and obviously female. The other pair had jeans pushed down around the knees. It didn’t take a gallacticon scientist to figure out what was going on under the dark branches.

I was glad Sal couldn’t see how red my face was. Or had been able to read my mind. Not that I wanted to be having sex with him ... just thinking about it made me quiver. I had to stop myself.

We sat under the shadow of the vert tower on a huge concrete pad. Our presence was partially blocked by a row of trees to one side and fencing that surrounded the tower on the other.

At first, no one said anything. I wondered if anyone besides me had had those embarrassing thoughts after seeing that couple in the bushes.

“Well, that was pretty crazy, wasn’t it?” Sandy said, readjusting her boots. “I’d never do anything like that. Euwww! Think about all the crawly little things in the grass.” She swiped imaginary insects off her pants. “Yuck!”

In a moment of huge collective release, everybody laughed. That was one of the things I loved (and sometimes hated) about Sandy. She spoke her mind about how she felt—about anything.

We were in a circle, Sal and I next to each other. On my right, Sandy was absorbed in straightening her clothes and sneaking glances at Derek. Couldn’t she tell he was with Wei? Or didn’t she care?

Mike was by Sandy’s side. He hadn’t taken his eyes off her since she’d walked into Soma. Derek and Wei were toying with some pebbles on the concrete. It felt like a bunch of friends hanging out—almost normal, except for the whole Ed thing hanging over my head.

Sal’s fingers intertwined with mine. “You were at Robin’s Roost, weren’t you? When you ran into Ed?”

“Robin’s Roost—” Wei’s pointed look made me feel the tiniest bit guilty.

“What’s that?” Derek asked.

“It’s an old condemned hotel at Lincoln and Wells. It was really special to my mom and dad. I wanted to feel close to them,” I said.

Sal squeezed my hand reassuringly. I had to tell them. Out tumbled the whole story about Ginnie, the Infinity machine, and Dee’s baby book. “Because of what Ed said tonight, about me having something he wants, I don’t think it’s just Dee that he’s after,” I said. “It sounded like he knows what Ginnie said to me in the hospital. But we were alone when she told me about the book.”