“Just let me know when and where. But don’t forget, I have to work. It’s not like I can take off in the middle of the sol.”
Lotus made a dismissive gesture. “Your grandfather is the Under-Secretary of One Gov. Who’s going to say anything if you miss a few hours? And don’t give me the bullshit speech about your job and your responsibilities and how you’re not an extension of the men in your life. You agreed to be godmother; that’s the only responsibility I care about.”
“Thank you for reducing me to a mere prop in your life.”
“You’re welcome. I’ll shim you the details and the sols that work for me.”
I sighed and pushed away from the table, my legs a little unsteady. Wonderful. Drunk at a baby christening. “I’ll let you know what fits into my schedule. In the meantime, I think I need some air.”
I waded my way through the crowded kitchen filled with relatives, friends, and the eclectic mix of acquaintances my family seemed to collect as we breezed through life. Celeste caught me before I’d gone too far.
“Can we talk?”
Bemused, I nodded. “Sure. What’s up?”
“Not here. Come with me.”
She led me to an empty bedroom at the end of the hall. It was the master bedroom, the one she shared with her husband, Hamilton. It was also one of the few rooms that wasn’t filled with napping babies. Sparsely decorated with a few family holo-shots on walls set to a muted gray, it contained little in the way of furniture. A large bed, a chest of drawers, a wardrobe serving as an extra closet, and a free-standing mirror, all made of cheap synth-wood. My closet at home was bigger than this whole room, and I felt a stab of shame at my earlier thoughts. How could I complain when I had so much and Celeste lived in an easy-to-assemble mobile home?
Celeste closed the door behind us. When she spoke, her tone was conspiratorial. “Sorry, I didn’t want anyone to overhear. Family is wonderful, but there are gossips out there who can spread a story like wildfire.”
“You pulling me aside isn’t going to stop them. They’re probably in the hall with their ears pressed to the door.”
“Maybe, but it can’t be helped. There are some things we need to talk about, and you’re not going to like them.”
Celeste was reverting to her self-appointed role as both queen bee and mother hen of the Sevigny clan on Mars—and the entire tri-system if she thought she could get away with it. Before she had died almost seven years ago, it had been my great-grandmother Granny G who held us all together and kept us grounded. With the position vacant, it seemed like we had factions vying for control—as if being chief busybody in a family chock-full of crazy eccentrics was a role to which we should all aspire.
“First, I wanted to ask if everything was good with you. I mean, are you and Alexei doing okay?”
Despite my sluggish, bordering-on-gloomy, and very possibly drunken thoughts, warning bells sounded in my head. Danger! This couldn’t possibly be good. “We’re fine. Why would you even ask?”
“I’m old. I know things.”
I laughed in spite of myself. “I know you keep up with your Renew treatments. You’re not old—you’re sixty-two.”
“Okay fine, but I have more life experience and when I see what’s happening with you, I worry. I watch Mannette Bleu’s CN-net feed religiously. I saw your conversation with her about having children. I know you, Felicia, and seeing that made my heart ache for you.”
My stomach dropped and I felt ill. Who else had watched the broadcast and had these same thoughts about me? Was the whole tri-system gossiping about the state of my uterus? Time to do some damage control and assure her none of this mattered.
“It wasn’t as bad as it seemed. She caught me off guard. Mannette likes to do things for maximum impact. I love her company but hate when she tries to turn my life into ratings.”
“I know,” she said, her tone gentle, “but despite what you claimed to Mannette, Lotus told me that’s not true. You and Alexei are trying for a baby. When I saw your reaction, it concerned me.”
“Don’t be. Everything is fine between Alexei and me.”
“I’m sure it is, but ever since you had the fertility inhibitor removed, you have to realize you’ve put your relationship on a countdown. If One Gov decrees you’re an incompatible pairing, you need to move on.”
“I already know all this. I’m not sure why you feel the need to bring it up now,” I snapped, frustrated, upset, and all of it made worse by my champagne-fueled emotions.
“I’m on your side, Felicia. I care about you and I want you to be happy. I just don’t want to see you make a mistake you’ll regret.”
I felt hot tears prick at my eyes and swiped them away with a careful finger so as not to smudge my makeup. “I know, and it means a lot to me, but I swear Alexei and I are good. Don’t worry about us.”
“Then why haven’t I seen him all afternoon? Usually, he hovers.”
“Hovers? He doesn’t hover.”
Celeste gave me a look that said I was an idiot. “Yes, he does. He’s always nearby, looking out for you and making sure you’re comfortable—and not in a showy, obtrusive way that sets everyone’s teeth on edge. It made me realize he isn’t the monster One Gov makes him out to be. He loves you and that love is redefining who he is. Yet today, I’ve barely seen him.”
“Maybe he’s tired of the christenings. Lotus said Stanis has had more than enough.”
“If that’s what you’re selling, I’m not buying. If there are problems, deal with them. For example, maybe it’s your job that’s causing stress. After all, you’re One Gov and he’s Consortium. That must be tricky to balance, right? It must be hard for you fitting into that world, what with all the tech and the gene modifications. Post-human. What does that even mean? People beam their brains into the CN-net, which is just a mass computer simulation, not real life. Everyone acts like that’s more important than what’s in front of you.”
She gave me a level look that made me squirm with guilt. “Alexei and I don’t let work get in the way. And the CN-net isn’t all that bad once you get used to it. It can even be kind of…fun.”
Celeste’s eyes narrowed. “What exactly does that mean?”
“I got t-mods,” I blurted, unburdening myself. “The Consortium tech-meds implanted me with two so I could access the CN-net.”
“Oh, Felicia!” she gasped in horror. “How could you put such poison in your body? T-mods will kill you!”
“I knew you’d say this. That’s why I didn’t tell anyone.”
“What if they cause long-term damage? What if they’re the reason why you can’t get pregnant? Maybe they’re making you sick! You need to get them out right away.”
I gritted my teeth. “One has nothing to do with the other, and they’re not coming out. They’re not making me sick, and I need them. I can log in to staff meetings and talk to people on Venus, and really make a difference. You have no idea how bad it is there.”
“But they’re changing you. You’re losing sight of who you are.”
“Changing me how? Two seconds ago, you didn’t even know about them. Did I suddenly become a different person?”
“Well, no, but I can predict what might happen. Maybe it’s even happening now! You’ll pull away from the rest of us and forget where you came from and the people who truly matter. The CN-net and all its simulated glamour will take precedence. You’ll become obsessed with your fake friends and your online life the same way Mannette Bleu is, but none of it has any substance. It doesn’t last and it can be gone just like that.” She snapped her fingers dramatically to illustrate her point.
“Celeste, you’re being ridiculous. None of that will happen, and I certainly won’t become a Mannette wannabe. The CN-net isn’t my life and I’d never turn my back on the family. You know that. This family needs to stop being so closed-minded and thinking biology trumps technology. Having t-mods doesn’t make me any less human. After all, didn’t you just give Alexei your stamp of approval?”
Celeste sighed. “I didn’t say they made you less human. That’s not the issue. And yes, Alexei is a damn sight better than some of the other useless dullards this family has tracked in over the years. Poor Yasmine—I never liked that boyfriend of hers. My heart just breaks for her parents. Imagine putting them through something like this.”
“Or imagine your father dropping you off with your grandmother and great-grandmother, saying it will only be for a few days, but then he never comes back for you,” I said, wondering if I still sounded bitter twenty years after the fact.
Celeste gave me a sympathetic look. “And I’m sorry for what happened to you too. Julien was too charming for his own good and everything in life was so easy for him. When it fell apart, he did as well. We all thought he was stronger than that, and it’s one of the reasons I worry so much for you.”
“Because you think something’s going to go wrong and I’ll flake out like my father? I’m not like Julien and I’m not going to get sucked into the CN-net world. I know who I am and I’ve got it under control.”
She gave me a level look that said she wasn’t satisfied but there was no point in continuing this conversation. “If you say so, then I won’t mention it again. It doesn’t mean I won’t stop worrying, but I will cut back on the pestering.”
“Good.”
“While we’re on the subject of your father and home, that lets me bring up the other reason I wanted to talk. Suzette sent me a shim the other sol and asked that I pass a message along to you.”
That startled me speechless and my jaw dropped. Talk about an awful conversational segue. Suzette Sevigny was my grandmother and Julien’s mother. I hadn’t spoken to her since I’d left Earth. We’d been on bad terms for years, as if it were my fault I’d brought my deranged mother into everyone’s lives and driven away her only son. When Julien had dumped me off on her front step, she and Granny G had raised me. I’d grown up worshipping the ground Granny G walked on, and terrified of incurring Grandmother’s wrath and displeasure.
The breaking point had come at Granny G’s unexpected death, when I’d inherited her prized Tarot cards. My family didn’t have much and the Tarot cards were an heirloom passed down from generation to generation. For them to be left to me? The horror. Outrage all over town. A travesty. It had been war between us ever since. Yet now Suzette wanted to talk? I couldn’t decide whether to be annoyed or curious.
“If she wants me so badly, why’d she shim you?” I demanded, settling on pissed and annoyed, which was easy to do when fueled by champagne fumes.
Celeste waved a hand that encompassed me in all my irritated glory. “That’s why. She knew you wouldn’t talk to her and hoped I could break the ice.”
“If I’m angry, it’s her fault. She’s been nothing but a bitch my whole life. And now when she needs something, she tries to suck you in so you’ll be on her side and I’ll be labeled the unreasonable one if I say no. Gods, that is so like her! She’s the queen of manipulating people.”
“I suppose she can be…bracing, but I get the sense she really needs your help.”
“Great, so she comes to me only because she’s desperate?” I sneered.
“I think she’s ashamed and afraid. And yes, desperate. She said she had a gut feeling prompting her to reach out to you.” Celeste eyed me levelly, her expression serious. “You know I don’t understand when the family goes on about gut feelings, but I know they’re important. That’s why I’m suggesting you talk to Suzette.”
Crap. “Do you know what she wants?” I relented a little, knowing I’d be pulled into Grandmother’s vortex regardless. The luck gene was at work—not mine this time, but hers. Whatever was coming for me would be unavoidable.
“No, she wouldn’t say. All she asked was how often we talked and if I could pass on a message. I got the feeling she’s glad you’ve settled in here on Mars. Deep down, I think she wants the best for you. She’s moved beyond whatever animosity she felt over Granny G’s cards and realizes those details don’t matter in the greater scheme of things.”
My unease began the slow slide into panic. “Gods, is she dying?”
Celeste snorted a laugh. “No, nothing like that. She needs help and believes you’re the only one qualified to give it.”
Grandmother and I were not close, but family was family and I’d just given Celeste the big speech about not changing who I was or turning my back on what mattered. If Grandmother needed me, I had no choice.
Slipping my travel case off my shoulder, I unsnapped the latch and drew out the cards. They’d been facedown, so only their rich ebony backs with the picture of the Milky Way was visible. That picture seemed to spin in its own mesmerizing pattern, always catching the viewer off guard.
“I feel like I could get hypnotized just watching that void spin,” Celeste said in a soft voice.
“You wouldn’t be the first,” I murmured as I fanned out the cards and held them up for her inspection. “You talked to Grandmother last. Pick one.”
Without hesitation, she drew a card from the deck and showed it to me. The Nine of Swords. I winced. Celeste gasped softly.
“This is bad,” she said.
Bad? Bad wasn’t the word I would have chosen. It wasn’t capable of conveying the true gravity of the situation or expressing how a single card could represent death, despair, utter failure, and anxiety over the loss of everything you valued. I took the card from her and put the deck back in the box, snapping the lid closed. I bit my lip, afraid to speak in case some word from me might commit us to the wrong path and there would be no turning back.
Celeste was having none of that. “Felicia, I may not read the Tarot, but I know what the Nine of Swords means.”
To that, I said, “I’ll shim Grandmother when I get to work on Jovisol. The equipment is more sophisticated at One Gov headquarters. I can boost the c-tex and reduce the time lag with Earth. Once I talk to her, I’ll have a better idea of what we’re dealing with.”
She grabbed my hand, forcing me to meet her eyes. Hers were narrowed, angry and scared. “Don’t try to bullshit me with the ‘let’s not worry yet’ speech you give your clients. I know what this means, and it’s bad.”
I nodded once because Celeste seemed determined to push us down this road. “Yes,” I murmured, as if agreeing with her would make things more manageable. It didn’t. “It’s bad.”
5
As far as I was concerned, the Nine of Swords meant the party was over.
I’d stayed and chatted a little longer in the hopes Azure might turn up. When she didn’t, I decided it was time to find my errant husband and head home.
I found him in a neighbor’s mobile home playing cards. When I opened the door and stepped inside the trailer, a haze of sweet-smelling smoke assaulted me, paired with an underlying odor of alcohol, the sound of men’s raucous laughter, and the soft click of betting chips. It was a far cry from the standard-issue christening games I was familiar with. Then again, we all had christening fatigue, so maybe the drugs just kept things interesting.
I didn’t see Alexei at first. Then I heard men’s voices coming from the back of the trailer and saw a Consortium chain-breaker stationed in the living room. That alone let me know I was on the right path.
I should have pinged him, but the sweet smoke left me lightheaded. My thoughts felt harder to put into order. As a result, common sense took a backseat and I wasted a few minutes wondering at the best way to extricate Alexei from the card game. Then I saw Azure. She sat on a couch with a few other family members, looking chill and at ease. Had she been there all along?
The closed-in room felt warm, and the smart-fabric of my floral-print wrap-dress compensated by cooling a few degrees. As I picked my way over to Azure, I was glad I’d gone with hot pink ballet flats instead of heels. The sweet smoke demolished my balance along with my thoughts. It took everything in me to keep myself steady.
Conversation stopped as I approached and the women stared at me. Uneasy looks pas
sed between them. Well, there was nothing for it but to bulldoze my way forward. I’d been on Mars just shy of one Earth year. Azure and I weren’t close and building relationships took time.
Azure had the same dark hair and green eyes the majority of the Sevigny clan possessed. However, she looked more interesting than pretty; without One Gov’s basic genetic enhancements, most of the Sevigny clan fell on the edge of acceptable genetic specification guidelines. We met the standard, but just barely. The only reason I’d even come close to hitting the genetics bull’s-eye was thanks to my mother’s enhanced MH Factor. If I ended up being prettier than the rest, it was only because my mother and grandmother had been gorgeous and all that fancy DNA had to go somewhere.
“Hi,” I said, tossing it out like a challenge. Nothing like going in fighting. If she didn’t want a reading for her baby, she could say so to my face. “How’s the card game in the next room?”
“I think your husband might have the biggest pile of chips,” my cousin Hannah said with an airy wave toward the back room. “Then again, Stanis is holding his own. They’re intent on out-strategizing each other so watching them is entertaining.”
“Especially when they started fighting,” the third cousin, Ione, said. “I thought the game might end right there, but they got back to it quick enough.”
My eyebrows rose in surprise. “Alexei and Stanis fought over cards?”
“Only a few punches. Barely a bloody lip or black eye between them,” Ione continued dismissively.
This was definitely a topic I’d need to take up with Alexei later. “Any idea how much longer they’ll be?”
“It should be finished soon,” Hannah said, then grinned. “Most of them don’t have many gold notes left.”
“I think it’s all about bragging rights,” Ione added.
Before it could seem like I should wander off in search of my husband, I pounced. “Azure, did you want the baby’s cards read before I go?”
The Game of Luck Page 6