by Jamie Davis
Shelby stopped and turned to look her way. “Yeah?”
“Thanks.”
Shelby’s infectious grin spread across her face. “Sure thing, Roomie. We’ve got to stick up for each other, don’t we?”
Cass smiled back and nodded then followed Shelby out and down the hallway. Cass’s connection to her roommate seemed to grow each time the two of them went out together like this. She liked it and wondered if it meant there was more there than just a friendship between two roommates.
Chapter 5
A few weeks later, right before fall break, Shelby bounced into their room right after lunch one day, humming to herself.
Cass looked up from studying for her intro to poly-sci midterm. The approaching exams frightened her a little and she wanted to be prepared for anything the professors might throw her way. She scowled at Shelby as the girl puttered around the room humming to herself. The noise her roommate made irked Cass. Shelby was singing along with a song playing in her head via her Mantle connection.
“Hey, can you keep it down? I’m studying for my poly-sci test.”
“Oh, sorry. I’m kind of excited. I got an awesome invite today.”
“What’s it for?” Cass asked.
“Remember Lisa, from my psychology class? She asked me if I wanted to go with her and some of her other friends to her parents’ condo in the Caribbean on our fall break next weekend. We have Friday and Monday off, which would give us plenty of time to hang out on the beach and hit the clubs at night. The plan is to come back late Monday night in time for class Tuesday morning.”
“Is this the girl you think is so cute?” Cass asked.
“It is,” Shelby said, blushing a little. “But she’s got a girlfriend already so I’m outta luck.”
The v-tat on the inside of Shelby’s right arm changed to a blushing emoji face. It fascinated Cass how the v-tats changed spontaneously when Shelby wasn’t paying attention to them.
Cass smiled at her roommate. “That sounds like a lot of fun, Shelby. You should go.”
Shelby turned around to look at Cass. “I will if you will.”
Cass looked up. The offer caught her by surprise. “Me? I thought maybe you’d want to go by yourself to be with your friends.”
“You’re my friend too, Cass. You can’t stay in our room all the time. Come on. Come with us and have some fun for a change. You’re always studying and I don’t see you going out with anybody to do anything at all on the weekends.”
“Yeah, well I did have to go home that one time for my sister’s birthday. The rest of the time, I just felt more like hanging out in the room. Besides, my parents are expecting me home for break.”
“Well, I think you should tell your family your plans have changed and you’re going to go on this trip with me. You need to get out for a change. Come on, what part of this idea don’t you like? Is it the white sandy beaches or the clear, blue water? Just think how much fun it will be to just hang out and do nothing for a change.”
Cass did like the beach. The offer tempted her, but she was unsure what her parents would say.
“I’ll have to see what my mom and dad say. I’m sure the answer is going to be no.”
“Then you have nothing to lose. Let’s make a deal. Call them up. If they say no, you don’t have to go. But if they say yes, you’re in.”
Cass was sure her parents would say no to the trip, so the decision to call Shelby’s bluff was easy. Shelby didn’t understand the dynamic with her parents and how things worked in the Armstrong family. Her parents had always been so protective, there was no way her dad would say yes. He made all the important decisions in the family, and her mother just sort of went along with whatever he wanted.
“I’ll have to see what they say. I’m supposed to face chat with them this afternoon. I guess I can bring it up to them. They’re not going to say yes, though, so don’t count on winning the bet.”
“There’s no hurry. You can let us know as late as the night before we leave. I’m sure there’ll be room on the flight.”
Cass smiled as she thought about the offer of the trip. Despite her reservations, the trip sounded fun. Cass knew she’d cut herself off to put some distance between herself and everyone else here on campus. Other than Shelby, Cass avoided talking with anyone unless it was absolutely necessary.
Part of the problem was she didn’t want anyone knowing about her family or her father and his position in the Sapiens movement. Her argument with Shelby the first day on campus made her wary of sharing too many details about herself with anyone else. Most other students seemed pretty liberal in their views and the Sapiens movement wasn’t popular with most people on campus.
Later that afternoon, while Shelby was at her late class, Cass sat on her bed on face chat with her mother. After a little random conversation, Cass decided to get the request out of the way so when her mother said no, she could move on to talk about when her dad would arrive to pick her up and bring her home for break the next weekend.
“So, Mom, I was wondering if I could go on a weekend outing with Shelby and some of her friends over fall break? We’re off from Friday through Monday and they wanted to do something fun together that weekend.”
Her mother’s response caught Cass completely by surprise.
“Oh, really? That’s so funny. Your father and I were just talking about this. You didn’t seem to be doing much socializing with anyone there at school and we were both worried you weren’t making friends. You should go. If you have something fun to do with friends, that’s a better idea than coming home. Where are they planning to go?”
Even though her mom said yes to the initial request, there was no way she’d agree to the actual trip once she had the details. Cass would be leaving the country alone for the first time. Her passport was up-to-date from a family trip to Europe that previous summer so her father could attend a Sapiens Europe event. She’d never gone anywhere on her own before.
Cass stammered a bit as she continued with the trip details. “Uh, there’s this resort in the Bahamas they’re going to. One of Shelby’s friends has a family condo down there.”
“All the way to the Bahamas?” Faye asked. “Hmm, I’ll have to ask your father. You know how he feels about some of the other countries around the world.”
“How I feel about what?” Cass’s father asked from off-screen. He must’ve just walked into the room.
James Armstrong slid into a chair next to Cass’s mother and smiled when he spotted his daughter on the screen.
“Hi, Cassie. What’s up?” He looked at his wife.
“Cassie wants to go on a trip to the Bahamas with some school friends.”
“Yeah, Dad, Shelby invited me to go with her and some other girls from our classes.”
Her father glanced at her mother who gave a little shrug. James looked back at Cass and a broad smile crossed his face. “You know what? I think that is a great idea. I’ve been worried. It seemed like you were always in your room whenever we called. You never talk about anyone but Shelby. It makes me happy you’re finally making friends.”
“I am not a hermit, Dad. I have made a few friends,” Cass lied. “I’m focused on school to make sure I do well in my studies. I want to make you and Mom proud.”
“You’ll always make us proud,” her father said. “There’s nothing you can do that won’t make us happy. Just be careful. Let me know how much the trip will cost. I’ll transfer the money to your account so you can take care of the arrangements. You have your passport with you, right?”
Cass nodded. The shock they’d said yes still kept her from answering right away. She found her voice after a few seconds. “Yes, yes I do. Um, I don’t know what to say.”
“You can say thank you,” her father replied with a wink.
“Um, sure. Thanks.”
“That reminds me,” her dad said. “When are we going to get a chance to meet Shelby. Every time we call over there, you tell us she’s out of the room.”
“Yeah, she’s a little bit different from me in that respect. She likes to be out socializing a lot more than I do.”
Cass’s mother frowned. “She’s not partying too much and keeping you from getting things done, is she?”
“No, Mom, she’s not like that. She’s just out hanging with other friends all the time. She does study in her own way, probably as much as I do.”
Cass hoped that answer would put her parents off on the subject of meeting Shelby for a little while. This wasn’t the first time they’d pressed her about meeting her roommate.
She knew how they’d react if they saw how many cyber enhancements Shelby had. Cass knew she couldn’t keep it a secret from them forever. She also knew her parents were going to freak out when they found out she was living with a cyber-human.
“Maybe, when we come to see you, Shelby can come along and go out to dinner with us?” James offered.
“We’ll see, Dad. As I said, she’s usually out with friends or watching some event on campus. She’s not usually around to do things like that.”
“Like what? Hang out with your stuffy parents?” her father asked with a chuckle. “Don’t worry about it, Cass. We won’t embarrass you in front of her. I promise.”
Cass smiled. Her father got along with all of her friends back home. Half of them called him Dad because they were always hanging out at Cass’s house. Maybe she was wrong. Maybe he’d get along just as easily with Shelby, too.
“I’ll let her know there’s a standing offer.”
“All right, honey,” her mom said. “We’ve got a dinner tonight with some of our friends from the movement. Sterling is in town and he wants to meet with your dad about an upcoming event.”
Her dad smiled and picked up the conversation. “It’s actually down there near the university. It would be a great opportunity to show you off to the movement’s leadership. There’s no time like the present to talk to them about your aspirations to work alongside me when you graduate.
“That would be nice,” Cass said. She hesitated a little. Something about having a Sapiens rally so close to campus bothered her.
“Good, I’ll let you know my plans when you get back from your trip,” James said. “Send me the travel details when you have them along with the cost. I’ll forward you the money so you can pay on your end.”
“I will. Bye.”
“Bye,” her parents said as they reached out and closed the connection.
Cass smiled and leaned back in bed and stared at the ceiling. Her parent’s unexpected reaction meant Shelby won the bet. She’d be happy Cass would be joining the others on the trip.
Cass pushed down her apprehension and decided it would be nice to do something social and relaxing for a change. She’d never worked as hard as she had these last six weeks. It would be great to not worry about school for a few days.
“You know,” Shelby said from the doorway, “You can’t keep me a secret from your parents forever.”
Cass spun around. “How long have you been standing there?”
“Long enough to realize you still haven’t told them about your roommate, the dirty sub.”
“Shelby, you know I don’t feel that way about you. I’m not ashamed of you or how close we’ve become. It’s just…”
“It’s just that you’re ashamed of all the things I’ve done to make me who I am.” Shelby held up her enhanced left arm and wiggled her fingers in the air. “You’ve come to grips with understanding I’m as much a human as you are. Tell them you’ve had a change of heart and understand things differently now that you’ve come to know me.”
Cass shook her head. “You don’t understand. This isn’t just something my parents came up with on the fly. My dad and mom are true believers. They think all enhancements, even medical ones, are bad for humanity.”
“I get it. They think I’m subhuman since I have non-human parts.”
“Don’t use that word. I don’t call you that.”
“Yeah, but you’ve heard your dad and mom use it before, haven’t you? They don’t think it’s a dirty word. They just use it all the time to describe people like me, don’t they?”
Cass frowned but didn’t say anything. She couldn’t argue with Shelby’s insight and she wouldn’t lie to her. Shelby knew exactly how her parents talked. She’d probably had people use that word right to her face. Denying her parents talked that way wouldn’t change anything.
“Let’s change the subject,” Cass said. “You and I aren’t going to change my parents or their opinions on people with enhancements. At the end of the day, Shel, does it matter what anyone in my family thinks but me?”
“No,” Shelby said. To Cass’s surprise, she ran her fingers through Cass’s hair and brushed a strand away from her face. “It was good news that they’re letting you come on the trip with us. It was already going to be fun. It’ll be much more so now that I know you’re coming along. I’m looking forward to having some quality time alone together.”
Cass smiled. “I guess I’m looking forward to it, too. I can’t believe my mom and dad actually said yes.”
“Me either, honestly. I’m glad they did, though. I’ll get you the information on the trip and how you book your flight.”
On impulse, Cass reached out and brushed her hand against the back of Shelby’s cybernetic hand. She marveled again at the warmth of the metallic appendage. It didn’t feel like a machine at all.
“That’s only the second time you’ve touched my arm since we met, Cass. Are you surprised by how real if feels?”
Cass nodded. Her breathing grew faster and could feel her heartbeat through her chest.
“I’m not ashamed of who you are, Shelby. I’m worried how my parents will react, that’s all.”
“I can take care of myself, Cass. I’m a big girl and I’ve dealt with people like your father before.”
“Not like my father, you haven’t. Sometimes I think he would do anything for the movement. He’s made comments about some things he and Sterling Noble have discussed. I don’t think he knows that I picked up on what he was saying. I’m afraid of what he would do if he found out about you.”
Shelby leaned in and tilted Cass’s chin up as she bent over. Her lips brushed against Cass’s in a gentle caress.
“What about Lisa?” Cass whispered.
“She’s not the one I want to go on a trip with. You are, silly.”
Cass discovered her own feelings shifting as she finally saw herself through Shelby’s eyes. It had never occurred to Cass her roommate would ever be interested in someone like her. As Shelby bent down to kiss her again, Cass realized she was wrong.
Chapter 6
Cass marveled at how their relationship changed overnight after that first kiss as she and Shelby planned their trip. Cass’s father transferred the money into her account the next day and she booked her flight the day after that.
She got lucky and booked a seat on the same flight with Shelby and the other girls. She even scored the seat next to Shelby.
Cass admitted to herself this get away was sorely needed. After being so focused on her studies and hiding herself away in the dorm room most of the time, the prospect of a Caribbean vacation filled her with a level of anticipation she hadn’t felt in a long time. She couldn’t wait to get down there and have some time away. It would be an opportunity to explore a new side of her relationship with Shelby.
Cass wasn’t new to air travel. She’d flown on family trips a few times before, always on chartered flights with other members of the enclave, though. For her, they’d been fun and full of activities for the children and families in general.
Those chartered jets had been configured for the Sapiens movement passengers so there was no connectivity or AI interface. This was Cass’s first trip on a fully connected modern jet, though. When she got on the plane, she marveled at all of the technology advancements this plane had compared to the ones she’d traveled on before.
The seat back in front of her housed a
fully automated holographic entertainment center. Its three-dimensional display allowed for full connectivity to the net and Mantle.
After they got settled in their seats before the plane took off, Shelby showed how she connected directly to the plane’s entertainment system via her cerebral implant. As Cass watched, Shelby accessed the menus on the holoscreen without having to manually change anything using the touch interface.
The more she thought about the way the airliner’s systems connected to the Mantle, the more the whole thing had Cass a little freaked out. She wondered what there was to keep someone from hacking into the plane’s flight software and crashing the jet simply to prove a point?
Cass noticed her anxiety level ramping up. She shook her head, trying to put the thoughts of crashing planes out of her mind. The horror stories about the dangers of being connected to the Mantle she’d grown up with, battled with her shifted perspective since she’d been at school. Her point of view had changed a lot since the beginning of the semester, but all the things she’d learned before going away to college weren’t erased overnight.
The other four girls traveling with them consisted of two other couples. After meeting them for the first time on the way to the airport that morning, Cass realized Shelby must have planned on making this trip an extended date with Cass the whole time. Lisa had been in a relationship with her girlfriend, Katie, since the beginning of the semester.
Once Cass got over learning about Shelby’s secret plan, she settled in to enjoy the trip. She got to know the other two couples and found them fun and likable. This was her first trip with other lesbian couples.
While the Sapiens movement accepted homosexual unions as a matter of course in a modern society, there weren’t that many of them. She’d had few role models on which to shape herself and her relationships in middle and high school. As such, she’d kept public displays of affection during her first serious high school relationship with Susan to a minimum when others were around. Now, in the company of other female couples like herself, she enjoyed the new relationship with Shelby even more.