The few days until the trip passed uneventfully. Ava had made an unsuccessful plea to Master Daray to interfere with Howard’s plan to pursue Lena as a named heir. Master Daray had more or less ignored her, probably believing that the Council would never approve a woman.
She used the free time she had since “graduating” to read a few books, assist Howard and Mrs. Ralston with their daily chores, and talk on the phone with Hesper more often. Before she knew it, the day of the trip had come.
Lena stuffed her boarding pass into the automated reader at the gate and grabbed the stub that popped out the other side.
“Have a good flight.” The woman at the gate chirped.
She nodded at the flight attendant and walked down the jet way, immersed in the smell that all airplanes innately gave off—a mechanic-automation smell; it smelled slightly of rushing ionized air, grease, hydraulic fluid—cold and awakening. It was the smell that Aaron Collins always had in his clothes.
She looked down the gap between the jet way and the plane as she stepped over the threshold and savored the fleeting moment of vertigo. She took in the miniature kitchen and the stacked plates of desiccated airplane food, the flight attendants, the horrifically dated orange fabric that covered the stiff and uncomfortable chairs, and the narrow aisle between the seats where she would inevitably smack a leg on an unforgiving arm rest. Except that this time possibly she wouldn’t; it was the first time she had ever flown first class.
“Lena? Is everything okay?” Behind her, Mrs. Ralston was already shoving her carry-on into an overhead bin. Lena took her seat, put her own bag on the floor, and pushed it under the seat in front of hers with her foot.
“Yeah, it’s all here.” Lena said, still looking around.
Their eyes met. Mrs. Ralston smiled. She sat down in the seat across the aisle from Lena. In the galley, Ava had already found someone to harass.
“…and a glass of white wine…well then, as soon as I can have it!”
Ava took her seat next to Lena. Her hair was already ruffled and she seemed to have realized that wearing a stylish dress onto a ten-plus hour flight might not have been the best idea. She’d brought along two carry-ons, one of which was in her lap, the other of which was being stowed by an annoyed-looking attendant. She looked over at Lena, who was greatly bemused.
“I hate traveling,” she murmured, shaking her head and licking her lips. “Too many memories.”
The flight passed more slowly and miserably than any other flight Lena could remember. Ava took a sleep aid and then drank a glass of wine, which made her more or less dead to the world for the duration of the flight. Mrs. Ralston had brought a book, and sat quietly with her magnifying reading glasses perched on her nose for most of the flight. Lena looked out the window, or else sat back in her chair with her eyes closed, imagining. She wondered where she would be, right in that moment, if her father hadn’t died; it was possible that she would have been on a plane. Maybe even this plane.
The flight ended too soon. Greg Mason picked them up from the airport and drove them back to the house; they arrived early in the morning, but already tired. Lena woke up that afternoon to go back to the airport. Mrs. Ralston and Ava had given consent for her to go with Eric to pick up Hesper so that they could correct their sleep schedules.
As Lena and Eric sat in a smallish and overpriced airport café, enjoying generic coffee of the sort that Lena had been missing since the train accident in Egypt, they heard Hesper’s approach before they actually saw her.
“Oh! My! God!”
Lena twisted around in her seat to see Hesper strutting toward her, a large wheeled pink suitcase in tow. Her broad smile was somewhat negated by the look in her eyes.
“What the hell, Lena? What the hell!” She made an exaggerated gesture with her free hand.
“What?”
“You’re petitioning to become an heir! Are you crazy?!”
Lena stood up, grabbed Hesper’s arm, and walked as far as she was legally permitted, given that Eric was supposed to be keeping a close watch on her.
“So?” She asked.
“So?! People are pissed! And I don’t just mean the ones who already didn’t like you—like, everyone. You pissed off the entire Silenti community in one fell swoop. While I do find that impressive, and I am a little jealous, this isn’t going to make life any easier for you! And more importantly, I have to hear about it, like, all the friggin’ time because Griffin’s Butt-Kissing Brigade is always at my house!”
Hesper stopped to take a breath. She sighed; Lena was half smiling.
“This isn’t funny.” Hesper said in a high-pitched voice.
“‘Butt-Kissing Brigade.’ Good one.”
“Yeah, I thought it up somewhere over the Pacific Ocean.”
They walked back over to where Eric was sitting. He smiled politely at Hesper, asked if everything was okay, and then they walked to the car and started the long drive back to the Mason residence. Although Lena had decided that Eric was young enough to still be considered a cool adult, she wasn’t comfortable discussing her highly politicized situation with him. He was very quiet about his own political beliefs, and since the incident with Astley, she’d been wary of people who didn’t openly express their affiliations; in retrospect, Eric had hung around entirely too much during the last meeting. He gazed into the rearview mirror and at Hesper.
“Was it a good flight over?”
Lena gave Hesper an apologetic look.
“It was fine, thanks.” Hesper turned and looked out the window with a sly smile. Eric stared at her a moment longer, and then kept his eyes on the road. The rest of the drive passed in silence, and they didn’t arrive until after dark.
The Masons owned a good deal of farm-type property on the outskirts of Inisfail, Australia. Smack in the middle of it, there was a red two-story house with a gravel drive-way, framed by some surrounding foliage. Eric carried Hesper’s suitcase in for her and up to the room that she would be sharing with Lena. The rest of the house was already asleep; Hesper and Lena were still on U.S. time, and so decided to stay up talking in the kitchen for a while.
“Thanks for coming. I mean, Daisy and Rose are cute, but they’re not exactly great conversationalists.”
Hesper shrugged. “Hey, I told you—I wouldn’t miss it for the world. This is going to be great. But we really need to talk about—“
Lena cut her off in exasperation. “Look, it can’t be that serious, can it?”
“Yes. It really can. I can’t even believe Howard is trying to do this…”
It’s unheard of. But it’s a step in the right direction. Would you girls like something to eat?
Hesper and Lena went silent as Serena Mason walked into the kitchen. Lena had only had one brief conversation with Serena since arriving at the house, but she seemed nice enough. She had long, dark hair that was often pulled back into a ponytail, a thin frame, beach tan skin, and bright, challenging green eyes. She wasn’t like most of the other women and wives Lena had encountered in the Silenti world; she was outspoken, well-educated, and had a commendable amount of common sense which Ava lacked. She was a very confident woman, and Lena wanted to stay on her good side.
“I’m sorry…we didn’t mean to wake anyone up.”
“You didn’t. I’ve been waiting up. It’s good to see you again, Hesper. I’m making sandwiches. Turkey? Ham? Hesper’s a vegetarian, of course.”
“You are?” Lena looked over at her friend, surprised that she’d never noticed.
“Since I was thirteen. It’s great for the figure.” Hesper struck a pose, making Lena stifle a laugh.
As Serena walked over the threshold and into the kitchen, she rolled her eyes. “Sweetie, complain about your figure when you’ve had two kids. Complain about your figure when you’re forty. But trust me when I say your figure doesn’t need any work or complaints now.” Serena pulled out the necessary implements and made a stack of sandwiches. She set the plate in the middle of the table and sat
down with Lena and Hesper. “Now. Have you decided what you’re going to say to the Council?”
“What I’m going to say…?” Lena asked.
“You get to give an exposition.” Serena nodded. “A campaign speech, of sorts. And probably a really fantastic one, if you’re hoping to get in.”
Lena’s stomach churned. Howard hadn’t said anything about giving a speech.
“There’s a few different angles to consider. Master Daray’s supporters don’t want you in at all, and they’ll likely only let you in if you present yourself as submissive and malleable: an extra pocket vote for Old Faith interests. The Integrationists won’t let that happen; they want you to be independent—an insider that supports and encourages Daray’s house arrest. Of course, everyone is going to be a skeptic, because there’s never been a woman before. So what’s your angle?”
Serena picked up a sandwich and started to munch. Lena looked desperately at Hesper, who rolled her eyes. I told you, it’s a big deal…
“I haven’t really…I don’t know.” Lena said, wide-eyed.
Serena smiled and nodded knowingly. “Well, try not to worry too much about it. I’ll even help you if you need…it’d be a great thing for equal rights if this happens. But enough of that now—what do you want to do tomorrow?”
“Well, I suppose I should go shopping. I somehow managed to forget that it’s winter down here…I’ve been away from travel too long.” Lena sighed.
“We can do that.” Serena nodded.
Hesper’s eyes lit up. “Can I pick your clothes? You’ll need makeup, too. And some jewelry—have you ever considered piercing? Oh, wait! Manicures! Can we get manicures? Or what about a trip to the spa?”
Serena smiled broadly. “Well, of course! And I know of this great place where we can—“
“Lena?” Ava’s head poked in through the kitchen door. She looked very sternly at Serena and the plate of sandwiches. “It’s time for bed. You need to get your sleep pattern on track. You too, Hesper.”
“Sure…We’ll go up in a little while. We’re just making plans for tomorrow.”
“Five minutes, Lena.” Ava stood in the door until they had all said good night, and then walked Lena and Hesper up to their bedroom. Lena waited until she was out of earshot.
“Geez. I wonder what crawled into her girdle…”
Hesper didn’t seem concerned as she pulled out her makeup bag and started to wipe off her face. “Oh, it’s just your mom. As always. Serena’s, like, the foremost in equal rights leadership here, and it just doesn’t mesh with Old Faith ideals. She’s probably doubly ticked because of your political antics.”
“Well, whatever.” Lena yawned. Out in the hall a floorboard creaked. Both girls looked in the direction of the door.
It’s your mom… Hesper rolled her eyes.
They changed into their pajamas and went to bed.
The next day flew by, as did the rest of the week. Serena was the most fun that Lena had ever had with an adult, and while she annoyed Ava, which was expected, the tattoo across her left shoulder was more than Mrs. Ralston could handle.
“It’s not right to treat one’s body as a billboard.” She had said in her driest tone; Serena had laughed and pulled her cover-up back over her swimsuit, sending the Latin script into hiding.
Eric was hanging around uncommonly too much again, always looking and watching Hesper. Lena was happy that for once someone was paranoid about a person that wasn’t her because it made her feel trusted, but at the same time she was very worried for Hesper. Obsessed people could be very dangerous, and given the political situation that Hesper’s family was in…
Lena hadn’t said anything to Hesper because she didn’t want her to worry. Even though she was an integrationist, she was also a believer in the Old Faith, and the threat on Lena’s life several months earlier had greatly deepened the divide between Old Faith and New Faith believers. The Masons, to Lena’s knowledge, were New Faith believers.
“We should go out to dinner tonight.” Hesper smiled and winked at Lena; they’d been trying all week to lose the adults and spend some time in town alone since the night they had noticed Ava eavesdropping. And while Serena was fun, she hadn’t let up on Lena about the Council situation. It seemed she wanted to turn her into some sort of political prodigy, and talked incessantly about how great it would be to have a woman on the Council pushing women’s issues.
“Not tonight girls…Greg’s working late and I need to watch Rose and Daisy.” Serena was in the kitchen washing dishes and watching her daughters play in the yard outside. “But you’re welcome to the car, Ava, if you want to take them.”
Ava glanced up from the sofa in the other room, where she was watching TV and winding down with Mrs. Ralston and Eric. They’d been to the beach again that day; it was an activity that Ava found particularly taxing.
“Not tonight, Lena. I’m too tired.” Ava didn’t look away from the television.
“Well, I’m technically an adult now, so I think I’ll go anyway.” Lena said in an annoyed tone.
Ava turned around and stared at her daughter. “Excuse me, young lady?”
“I’d like to go out with Hesper, so we’re going out.”
“I’ll chaperone…” Mrs. Ralston, looking tired after chasing teenagers all week, started to get up out of her chair.
“Not unless I’m going, and I’m not going.” Ava glared at Rosaleen, who sank back into her seat; even after all the time the two had spent together, Ava still thought Mrs. Ralston was untrustworthy. Ava steadied her gaze back on Lena. “Neither are you. You can’t go unless chaperoned, and you have no chaperone.”
“Mom, why do you always…”
“Me? No. That’s the law, Lena. We all have to abide by it.”
By ‘we’ she had meant the entire Daray family, who were under supervision for the chaos that many believed they would bring upon the world if left to their own devices. Triumphantly, Ava turned back to the TV.
Sitting in the chair across the room, his eyes fixed on Hesper, Eric spoke up. “I’ll take them.”
Hesper smiled. Lena’s heart dropped. Ava was now glaring at Eric, who realized too late that he had just challenged the authority of a mother on the edge. He glanced nervously at Rosaleen, who gave a reassuring look and then shook her head slowly; she’d given up on Ava being reasonable the day she’d met her—a spoiled, rich, arrogant little girl who preyed on the ambitions and hopes of others.
Lena shook her head, trying to get him out of the corner he had backed himself in to. “Oh, no…Eric, if my mom says…”
But Hesper was determined to go. “Lena, don’t be ridiculous. Eric is an approved chaperone, so why not?”
“Really, it’s okay. We can just—“
Lena! Shut up! Hesper gave her a strict glare.
Eric glanced nervously at Hesper. Ava’s icy stare was still fixed on him.
“I mean, everyone wins. We’ll be out of your hair, and probably out so late that we’ll be too tired to do anything tomorrow…” Hesper’s voice died into the silence.
“Griffin said we should spend some time out together.” Lena wasn’t sure if it was a lie or not; Hesper was certainly acting desperate enough to give it a try, though.
Ava turned back around and looked back and forth between the two girls, considering. “I want a phone call every half hour. If I don’t pick up, leave a message.”
Lena smiled at Hesper, who was already headed out the door. Eric gave Lena an ambiguous glance before following Hesper out to the car.
A moment later, and they were cruising off the property and off towards city lights.
“Where are we eating, ladies?”
Lena looked over at Hesper, who had produced an array of makeup in her lap and was putting on a fresh coat of lipstick using a compact mirror.
“Well…” Lena said uncertainly.
Hesper’s mirror snapped shut. “What about that place we saw yesterday?”
“You’re too y
oung.” Eric kept glancing into the rearview mirror.
“You’re saying I look it?” Hesper’s tone was challenging.
Lena shot another look at Hesper, eyebrows raised.
“I’m saying she does.” In the rearview, Lena saw Eric’s eyes fall on her.
“Well, what about that other place? The one out on the beach?” Hesper asked.
“You want me to drive all the way out there?”
Hesper smiled at Lena. All the way out to the beach…
“Lena?”
Lena met Eric’s gaze in the mirror. “Yeah, that sounds great.”
And the forty-five minute drive commenced. Lena glanced over at Hesper several more times before she finally took the hint.
What’s up? You really wanted to stay back at the house?
Lena checked to be sure Eric wasn’t watching before shaking her head.
You want to go somewhere else?
She shook her head and threw another look at Eric. Hesper pursed her lips.
What about him?
Lena rolled her eyes. Hesper knew she wasn’t able to use private thought-speak; anything she said could be heard by anyone within the vicinity.
Hesper sighed. Look, it’s a complicated situation. We’ll talk later. “So Lena. Anything interesting happening at Waldgrave lately?”
“Not in the slightest. And how is California?” Hesper lived with her parents on a private horse ranch in Northern California; many Silenti had made the trip out to visit in the past few months to mooch off of Griffin’s newfound political situation.
“Well, you know. Bunch of old guys hanging out and kissing Griffin’s butt. And Eric, how are you?”
“Well, I’m going out to dinner with two lovely ladies who’re making small talk to fill an awkward silence.”
“Indeed?”
The place Hesper was talking about, it turned out, was called the Sand Dollar. There was an ocean-front deck strung up with holiday lights and fake Tiki memorabilia; the smell of charring beef and shrimp permeated the atmosphere inside and directly outside the restaurant. A waitress seated them at a table out on the deck, and Eric excused himself to the restroom after making Lena swear not to move and to scream for help if anyone so much as looked at her for too long. After he disappeared back into the Dollar, Lena looked over at Hesper to continue their conversation from earlier. She was fixing her lipstick again.
“You’re doing that a lot lately.” Lena observed in an annoyed tone.
Hesper pursed her lips and blotted them on a napkin. “Those of us who wear makeup know it requires maintenance.”
“No, even for you you’re doing it a lot lately…Are you nervous, or something?”
Hesper’s mirror clicked shut. She carefully capped her lipstick and stuck it back into her handbag. Lena’s eyes narrowed as she watched Hesper carefully compose herself before looking over.
“No. I’m not nervous.”
“Yes you are.”
“I’m not and you can’t prove it. I’ve blocked you out completely, since you’re in such a prying mood.”
“I don’t need to read your mind to know you’re nervous.”
Hesper pulled her lipstick back out of her purse. “And how would you presume to know otherwise?”
Lena sat back and waited until Hesper was absorbed in fixing her makeup. “You’re doing it again. You just did that less than a minute ago.”
“So?” Hesper shot an annoyed look at Lena, who sighed. Lena wondered if Hesper had any ability, outside of her inhuman empathic abilities, to read what others were thinking or feeling.
“Is it Eric?” Lena asked.
“It’s nothing for you to concern yourself with…”
Lena shook her head. “Look, there’s something going on here, and I wish you’d just tell me what—“
“Has the waitress been through yet?” Eric sat down and picked up his menu. Hesper and Lena stared determinedly across the table at each other before Hesper looked out across the surf. The tide was coming in, and a spectacular number of stars were out. “Nope. No waitress yet.”
“What are you going to order?”
“Salad—“
“Chicken—“
Hesper and Lena looked at each other again and went completely silent. Eric looked from one to the other. “Is there something going on here?”
“I don’t know. Is there?” Lena looked at Eric. Eric glanced at Hesper, who was staring back out to sea, and then took uncommonly too long to answer.
“I think I’ll get the crab legs. Would anyone like an appetizer?” Eric finally said into the tense silence.
Hesper was digging into her purse again. She pulled out her mirror and a tube of mascara. “Some of those cheese biscuit things would be nice.”
They ordered and ate. Eric insisted on paying even though Ava had sent Lena with enough cash to treat everyone. Lena couldn’t help noticing that Hesper had been avoiding eye contact the whole time, as well as the fact that Eric seemed to always be looking at her. It was a little creepy, but Lena reasoned that as long as she and Hesper stayed together, nothing could happen to either of them. He couldn’t leave Lena alone because the law decreed so, and as long as Hesper stayed close, they could protect each other.
After dinner they wandered down the street to where some shops surrounding the late night bars were open. One of them happened to be a higher-end lingerie store, which Lena insisted on going into, and Eric offered to sit out front and wait for them.
“Do you know what he’s going to think we’re doing in here?!” Hesper was more annoyed than she normally was in such a situation. Most of the time, she wouldn’t care, or would even flaunt, being in a store that her parents wouldn’t approve of. Lena reasoned that Griffin’s situation was starting to get to her.
“Buying bras?” Lena looked over at a store model that vaguely resembled an extraterrestrial in undergarments made out of dental floss, fake flowers, and latex. “Really weird bras…”
Hesper glared at her from under her dark eye makeup.
“Look, I’m just getting a really creepy vibe off of him. I don’t think it’s a good idea that we’re out alone with him.” Lena pleaded.
Hesper gave a slight laugh. She walked over to a bin of underwear and began to quarry through them. “You’ve got a creepy vibe? A creepy vibe? You suck at this—he’s completely harmless.” She picked up a pair of blue lace panties that were studded with large rhinestones and held them up to model. She then smiled and made an exaggerated wave at Eric, who quickly turned back around to face the street on his bench.
“You’re just trying to make me feel better about this.” Lena accused.
Hesper laughed, but still sounded annoyed. “No, I’m really not…”
“Yes, you are.”
“You’re way off base. Trust me, he has no unsuitable intentions concerning you or your health. He’s no Warren Astley.”
Lena followed Hesper to a wall covered in sleepwear. “Hey, I’m getting better at it—Mrs. Ralston says I’m fair at blocking my thoughts now, so I don’t go around wearing my every thought where others can feel them, and I’m even starting to pick up on other people’s thoughts. A little. It’s not me I’m worried about.”
Hesper picked up a set of pajama bottoms with a frog pattern printed on them, and then turned around with a broad smile on her face. She was far too arrogant for Lena’s liking; she was too much like Griffin at times, and it was bad for her health.
“I’ll be fine. Trust me.”
“Hesper…”
“Lena,” She reached and put a hand on Lena’s shoulder, “You might be getting good at this, but trust me when I say I’ve got a handle on the situation. And I swear I’ll tell you if I ever get in over my head.”
“You swear it?”
“On Griffin.”
Lena paused for dramatic effect. “Not good enough.”
They shared a laugh. Hesper shook off the previous conversation, and seemed to go back to her
old self. “So, since we’re here, have you ever been lingerie shopping before?”
Lena looked around the store again. The faceless extraterrestrial underwear models with jutting hips and bald heads were watching her. “No.”
“Have any desire too? I mean, just for the heck of it? Because this may be our only chance to ever do it alone?”
Hesper and Lena picked out some matching pajama sets. Lena picked out some bras that weren’t the conservative white that Mrs. Ralston always got her—nothing that would qualify as lingerie, but much prettier than she was used to. Hesper started a competition to see who could find the ugliest bra, and then another one to find the piece or outfit that Mrs. Ralston would find the most offensive. She went around the store and picked out a few items for herself, then a few “to scandalize her mother,” they made their purchases, and finally walked out to find Eric.
Hesper threw a daunting smile at him. “I believe we’re ready to go back to the house now.”
“Okay.” Eric got up off his bench and they walked back to the car. Lena watched him looking into the rearview mirror at Hesper the whole way home.
*****