by Jamie Davis
Cass slid to the side and stood in front of her father, inserting herself between him and Shelby. “She didn’t do anything to me, Dad. I am still the same. I just learned that everything is not exactly how you said it is.”
“You don’t know everything I know, Cass. Haven’t we taught you? Haven’t we warned you enough? People like her aren’t human anymore. They don’t have emotions. They don’t love. They’ve become machines. You can’t trust them.”
“Don’t say that about her, Dad. I love her.”
James Armstrong laughed out loud. “How can you love a machine? That’s what she is, you know. She gave up her humanity when she became a thing connected to the Mantle.”
Shelby jumped to Cass’s defense. “I’m a human just like your daughter is Mr. Armstrong. You have no idea who I am or what I’ve been through. I have every right to do what I want with my body. It doesn’t make me any less human.”
James turned away from Shelby to look at Cass. “I don’t talk to machines. She’s nothing but an AI pawn. Cassidy, I’m so disappointed in you. How could you let this sub into your life?”
“Don’t call her that.”
“I’ll call her what she is. She’s sub-human. I thought I raised you to understand these things. I’m calling the police. It’s clear to me she has some sort of unnatural influence over you.”
Cass reached out and grabbed her father’s hand as he reached into his jacket pocket for his phone. “That’s enough, Dad. You can’t treat people that way. Shelby is my girlfriend. She’s as human as I am. If you can’t accept that, then you need to leave.”
James stared at Cass for a few seconds, glanced over her shoulder at Shelby once, then turned and walked to the door.
When he reached the doorway, he stopped and turned to look back at Cass. “I’m going to contact the college president. I happen to know he has some sympathy in our direction. I’m going to make sure he moves you to another room. A room that doesn’t have an infestation in it like this one.”
“Daddy, I’m not moving anywhere.”
“We’ll see about that. I’m not going to tell your mother about this. It would destroy her. We’ll take care of it between us.”
“Why not tell Mom?” Cass said. “Are you afraid she’ll side with me?”
“No, I’m afraid she’ll be heartbroken. You were always her favorite. I’m afraid she’s going to disown you over this, Cass. I understand you’re not yourself right now. That can be fixed once we get you home at the end of the semester. You’re finished here at this school. Your mother’s opinion of you can’t be fixed so easily. I’d rather she didn’t know you took one of these things to your bed.”
Shelby came up behind beside Cass and put an arm around her shoulder. “You can call me what you want, Mr. Armstrong. I have done nothing to your daughter except care for her and show her how much I love her. If you can’t accept that, then you should leave. You can’t stay in this dorm if we don’t want you here. We can have you ejected.”
Cass turned and stared at Shelby. She knew technically, Shelby was correct. She didn’t think it would be something Shelby would ever do. Now, however, she wasn’t sure.
Cass turned back to her father. Having security come and throw him out would only make things worse if that was even possible. “Dad, Shelby is right, I think you should leave. If you want, we can talk about this in the morning before you leave. I’m not moving from this room, though. You’ll have to deal with how mom responds when you get home tomorrow. I’m going to call her when you leave. She deserves to hear about it from me, not you when you’re worked up like this.”
James started to say something, stopped himself, and shook his head. Without another word, he turned around and left.
Cass stared at the empty doorway for a long time after her father disappeared down the hallway. She monitored his progress all the way out of the building via her implant. Shelby walked over and closed the door.
As the latch clicked shut, Cass turned and fell to her bed, collapsing on it as the tears began to flow. After the dinner with her father had went so well, after she’d managed to hide her own implant from her dad, everything still fell apart. Why hadn’t she closed the door when she came in the room?
Shelby came over and sat next to her and leaned over to hold Cass close as she continued crying. “It’s going to be all right, Cass. You’ll see. Your father can’t control you anymore. You’ve proven him wrong. You’ve proven everything he’s ever taught you is wrong.”
Cass pulled away from Shelby. “It’s not that simple, Shelby. I don’t necessarily disagree with everything he believes in. I’ve learned that some of the things he taught me about the world are not what they seem to be, but that doesn’t mean everything I was raised to understand is wrong.”
“How can you say that when you just saw how he reacted to me?”
“Shelby, I came to your defense. I told him to leave.”
“Then how can you say that you still believe anything that man and others like him believe?”
“Because I’m not going to just change everything overnight. I’m not the same person I was when I got here, that’s true. Still, I’m going to be my own person and form my own opinions about things.”
“Well, you better figure this out, Cass. Your father is not going to make things easy on us. He’s right about one thing. I know the college president isn’t a sympathizer to people like me. He can make our lives difficult if he wants to.”
“I’m not necessarily sure what we can do. I’m going to make sure he doesn’t separate us, though.”
“Let me talk to my brother,” Shelby said. “He’s already been through school here. He might have some insights into how we can navigate this.”
“You do that. I need to get on face chat with my mom and talk to her about this before Dad does.”
“Do you want me to sit with you while you call her?” Shelby asked. “I don’t mind. I won’t say anything. I promise. At least you can introduce us.”
“No, you go and talk to Eric. That’s important too.”
“Okay, but I’ll be nearby if you need me for anything.”
Cass nodded. She wondered whether she should tell her mom about her own enhancements, too. Perhaps it was best to come clean about everything at once. Cass shook her head and decided it was better to take things one step at a time. She’d gauge her mother’s response as she talked with her.
She picked up her tablet and tapped the icon connecting her to her home.
Her sister Elena answered. Elena’s face filled the screen. Her dark brown curls framed her face as she leaned close to the camera.
“Hey sis,” Elena said. “What did you do to Dad? He’s on the phone with Mom. He sounds pissed. I could hear him yelling even without it being on speaker.”
“That’s why I’m calling. He and I had a fight about something and I need to talk to Mom about it.”
Elena looked over her shoulder and then back at the screen. “I think she’s going to be on the line with him for a while. Do you want to talk to me instead? You can, you know.”
Cass considered it for a few seconds before answering. “You know what, you’re right. I can tell you. Maybe you can help get through to Mom and Dad for me before I have to come back home.”
“Wow, it must be pretty serious. Don’t worry sis, I’ve got your back.”
“It’s about my girlfriend, Shelby.”
“Did Dad meet her finally?”
“Yeah, and she’s not the type of person he’s inclined to accept in my life.”
A puzzled frown crossed Elena’s face. “What do you mean?”
“I guess maybe you should meet her,” Cass said. “Then you’ll understand.”
Shelby had been listening. She came over and sat down next to Cass so she could be in the video’s frame with her girlfriend.
Elena’s eyes widened on the other side of the connection, taking it all in. “You’re dating a sub? No wonder Dad’s so pissed.”
> Cass’s anger boiled to the surface. “Don’t call her that. Don’t ever call her that. She’s my girlfriend. You don’t know anything about her. People with enhancements aren’t what you think they are, Elena. They’re not what anybody taught us about them. They’re people just like us.”
Elena was silent for a long time, staring at Cass and Shelby through the screen. Eventually, she found her voice.
“This explains why Dad is upset. Mom’s not going to be happy either. Look, Cassie, I’m sorry I said what I said. It caught me by surprise. Hi, Shelby. I’m Elena.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Elena. I’ve been after Cass to introduce me to you all for a while. I’m looking forward to getting to know you. I don’t have a little sister of my own.”
Elena smiled, then frowned again. “Um, I guess I should apologize to you, too. I shouldn’t have called you that word.”
“It’s just how you were raised, Elena. Hopefully, I can help you understand that things are different from what you’ve been taught.”
Elena didn’t say anything in response and everyone fell into silence again. Cass realized that her little sister was processing a lot right then. She didn’t want Elena to get caught in the middle of this. That wasn’t fair when she was stuck home with their parents alone.
“Elena, listen to me. I changed my mind. I don’t want you to get between me and Mom and Dad. Just tell Mom I called and ask her to face chat me when she gets a chance. If you want to run interference in the background without letting on you know anything, that’s fine, but don’t do anything to bring their wrath down on you. Understand?”
“I understand. I can take care of myself, Cassie. Things have been different since you left. Mom and Dad seem to actually like me for a change.”
“They’ve always liked you, Squirt,” Cass said. “You just felt like you couldn’t be your own person with me around. I’m sorry if I made that worse for you. Hopefully, now that I am gone most of the time, things will lighten up.”
“They already have,” Elena said.
“Good. I’m glad. Look, I’m going to go. Make sure you get Mom to call as soon as she gets a chance.”
Elena nodded and then reached out and closed the connection on her end.
Shelby turned to Cass as the screen went blank. “I don’t know your sister, Cass, but she seemed okay with us once she got over the initial shock. Is that a good sign? Does this mean she’s on our side?”
“I think so,” Cass said the words. Inside, though, she wasn’t so sure. She and her sister had always been rivals in many ways. Even so, growing up she’d felt like she could rely on Elena to help her when she really needed her to. She liked to think she could count on her now.
“Let’s hope my mom calls soon. I don’t think Dad’s going to talk to her that long.”
“Don’t worry, Cass,” Shelby said, holding her close. “I’ll be here with you the whole time. Moms sometimes have a way of getting around the problems people have in their families. I know my mom always comes back to me after we have a fight.”
“I hope so. Somehow, though, I think this might be different.”
Chapter 19
Cass’s mother never did call her back. Initially, it upset her. The more she thought about the whole situation, though, the angrier she got with her parents. The one good thing that had come from the argument with her dad was how it solidified some things in her mind that had been altered for a while. Her father’s reaction to Shelby was ugly and born of an irrational fear of something he didn’t understand.
That revelation helped Cass see that perhaps there was a way she could help fight against such misconceptions. She now understood where both sides came from. Maybe she could somehow bridge the gap between the two viewpoints to show them the error of their ways with both extremes.
She knew Eric was planning a counter-demonstration for the upcoming Sapiens rally. Based on some of his comments, she got the impression from him that he’d show up with or without a permit to march. That could lead to violence. Cass hoped by getting involved, she could change that.
She broached the subject with Shelby at breakfast the next day.
“Shelby, can you get in touch with your brother for me?”
“Sure, what for?”
“I think I’d like to volunteer to help out with the upcoming counter-rally to the Sapiens march.”
Shelby smiled. “Cass, that’s wonderful. I can’t believe you decided to do something like that. It’s a huge step.”
“Don’t misunderstand me, Shelby. I’m doing this because I think there’s a place in the middle for both sides to meet. I kind of hope that I can help steer Eric in the right direction to that middle ground.”
Shelby shook her head. “I don’t know, Cass. My brother is passionate about this, much more so than I am. I know how I feel about the Sapiens party line. He’s a hundred times more committed to the cause of eradicating everything the Sapiens stand for.”
“Maybe if I talk to him about how I grew up, he’d understand we’re not all horrible people. Most of us are just people like you. Maybe we learned some things that weren’t true. It doesn’t mean we can’t learn when confronted with the truth. If there’s some sort of violent confrontation, no one wins and everyone thinks the worst of the others.”
“I guess it doesn’t hurt to try talking with him. I know he’ll listen to your side better than your father did.”
“I hope so. Because I’m not going to be as patient with him as I was with my father.”
“You were patient with your father?” Shelby asked with a laugh. “Please don’t try to use that kind of patience with me, okay?”
“I promise,” Cass said with a smile. “I guess I got a little angry with Dad last night.”
“You could say that,” Shelby agreed. She reached across the table and grasped Cass’s hand. “I’ve never seen you like that. It was kind of nice the way you came to my defense. I liked it.”
Cass smiled and leaned over to place her other hand atop Shelby’s. She gave it a gentle squeeze. “I didn’t like the way he talked to you. He had no right to treat you that way. He doesn’t know you the way I do and he doesn’t understand what I’ve learned since we’ve been together.”
“You have to accept the fact he may never understand,” Shelby said. “I know I told you they might accept your implants. Now that I’ve met him, I don’t think he’s going to change, Cass. No matter what you do or how hard you try to show him, he may never come around or even believe you’re the same Cassie he raised. He may not be the person you thought he was before all of this.”
Cass sat still, staring past Shelby for a moment as she processed her girlfriend’s words. She didn’t like what they suggested. She didn’t want to think her father was intractable and unable to change when faced with evidence he was wrong.
Cass decided to change the subject. “Shel, even if my father will never come around, I still want to help out some with the counter-protest. I think it’s important to stand up for what we believe in and who we are.”
“Cass, getting involved actively to oppose your father this way isn’t exactly what I meant when I said you need to stand up to him. If he finds out, he’ll be furious, won’t he?”
Cass nodded. “He will but I also think he’s already angry at me. It’s time somebody stood up to him. Maybe that someone has to be me.”
She reached up and touched her face where the skin patch still adhered to her cheek from the night before, covering her implant. Cass ran her finger along the seam. As she did, the patch’s edge lifted up. She grabbed it with her forefinger and thumb and peeled it away, placing it in the plastic case Frederick had given her for it. Cass put the plastic case in her purse.
“Come on, let’s go for a walk, Shel. We can try and talk about something fun for a change, like our upcoming finals in a month.”
“Haha, very funny. I, for one, would rather talk about anything but finals. You’re right, though. It’s a good idea for us to
get out, get some fresh air, and be around people who aren’t judging us all the time.”
The two of them got up and left the cafeteria together. Cass cherished the way her hand felt in Shelby’s as they walked along. She’d had only one serious relationship before, in high school, but that didn’t begin to approach the level of feeling she had for Shelby. She loved this dynamic, passionate woman and would do anything for her.
Later that evening, after classes, Shelby reached out to contact Eric on Cass’s behalf. As the face chat opened and Shelby greeted her brother, Cass came over to sit next to her girlfriend to join in the conversation.
“Hey bro,” Shelby said. “Cass wanted to ask you something and I thought it would be important enough to check in with you as soon as possible.”
“You know it’s never a problem to chat with my little sister or the person attached to her right hip. What’s up, Cass?”
“Well, I thought that maybe I could help out in some way with your upcoming rallies. It’s something I think is important for me to do right now.”
Eric’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Really, because I would think somebody with your connection to the Sapiens movement would want to keep a low profile.”
“That was before my father decided to say something nasty about your sister. I think people need to understand something about people who have grown up the way I did. We can change. Showing that is important. We all need to talk to each other to help foster understanding. Maybe doing it through an open and public rally is the way to go.”
“I think that would be great, Cass. If you want to jump in right away, there’s an event coming up this weekend. It’s a precursor to the main one in two weeks. We want to raise awareness for our cause before those bigoted bastards come and march through our city.”
“Eric,” Shelby said, interrupting her brother. “Some of them are Cass’s family and friends. They’re not all evil. I met her sister and she seemed nice. Cass is trying to show you they’re not all the people you think they are.”