Volunteer (Selected Book 3)

by Robin Roseau

  "Fine."

  A moment later I accessed the main menu. She had, indeed, given control back to me.

  "Please eat now."

  "Administrator Brighteyes, you call this just a game. Does my reaction suggest it stopped being a game to me?"

  "Yes."

  "Does my reaction suggest I'm not having fun?"

  "Yes."

  "I paid a price to never see the inside of this cell again. As I am back in here, I am no longer paying that price. You can inform Violet Beamer or I will."

  "I understand."

  "Our friendship is over. I will make other arrangements for my last term. And if I don't find a way to forgive Violet, who hasn't even apologized, then my relationship with her and her entire family has also ended."

  "Skye, you're overreacting."

  "Well, that's what we immature humans do. We overreact in the face of manipulation, betrayal, and broken promises." I terminated the call.

  I collected the dinner and moved back to the bed. I choked two bites down before I started crying.

  * * * *

  The guards came twenty minutes later. I was a mess. I wasn't sure I cared. Two women stepped into the cell, and one asked, "Will you cooperate?"

  "Yes." I stood up and set the tray back into the delivery nook, moved the center of the cell, and turned my back.

  "In front of you is fine," said the woman. They bound my hands, the visor dimmed, and then we left the cell.

  It would become a familiar walk.

  I could neither see nor hear, but I felt when they pushed me into a chair and set my hands on the table. The chair swallowed my legs and the table swallowed my arms. Then I sat there, deaf and blind.

  A moment later, tentacles wrapped around me. I hissed. "Don't touch me! I mean it." The tentacles didn't withdraw, so I started screaming. "Don't touch me! Don't touch me!"

  I couldn't even hear my own voice, but apparently Violet could. She withdrew, and I sat alone.

  Finally, sound returned, and then the visor brightened. Audra was seated across from me, and she looked every bit as upset as I was.

  "Are you all right?"

  "Not really. You?"

  "No."

  She glanced over. "Violet looks upset."

  "Do I look like I care?"

  "No."

  Those were the last words either of us spoke until the end. Jasmine ran the meeting. She offered choices and opportunities to steer the next event. Neither Audra nor I made any reaction. We just stared into each other's eyes.

  Violet and Posey both tried to get us to interact. They steered us towards particularly egregious choices and told us if we didn't stop them, we'd hate the next challenge.

  Audra and I just stared into each other's eyes. We let the Catseyes make any choices they wanted.

  Finally the selection process ended. Audra and I wouldn't be competitive. I didn't care. I didn't intend to compete.

  The guards returned, although the visor didn't dim yet. They took my arms, and then the chair and table released me. I stood and turned, and Violet was there, standing in front of me. She reached out a tentacle, but I told her, "Don't!"

  "Skye-"

  "You set us up. You betrayed us. I've been paying a price to never see the inside of that jail cell. That price has ended. Permanently. And right now, I don't see how our relationship survives knowing you picked whatever game Jasmine is playing over Audra and me. I now know promises to me are meaningless to you. If I ever want you to touch me again, I will tell you. Now get out of my way. I have a jail cell to get thrown into."

  Her tentacles were quivering in desperation long before I finished, and it grew worse when I pointed out the damage to our relationship.

  But she reached for me again.

  "Don't touch me!" I screamed, shying away. The guards didn't even stop me but let me step backwards.

  Violet stepped aside.

  * * * *

  The competition was to be a race. We were to gather a bunch of components from bins around the arena and assemble them into some structure. I hadn't paid any attention, so I didn't know what we were to make. I didn't care.

  I'd kept my back pointed towards the Catseye since we arrived, and I largely ignored Jasmine's final instructions. But she set us up at the starting point and called begin.

  I promptly sat down in the dirt of the arena. Audra took a look at me then stepped in front of me and sat down, facing me.

  "You should go do it," I said. "You'll come in third, but that should get you out of the cell."

  "We're in this together."

  "I need to know you're going to be okay, Audra."

  "I'm tough," she said. "I'll be fine. Are you really breaking up with Violet?"

  "I don't know. No one has apologized or attempted to explain. I don't know how to forgive someone who doesn't seem to care what she's done."

  "I think she cares."

  "And yet, not enough to apologize."

  "Have you given her a chance?"

  "She's perfectly able to talk over me, and she's perfectly able to send a text that asks me to let her. She hasn't done either."

  If Posey and Violet realized Audra and I weren't competing, I don't know it. I don't know how they couldn't have noticed.

  Jasmine declared a winner. The guards returned and pulled Audra and me to our feet. They turned us to Jasmine. "You two are making a mistake."

  "The game is rigged," I said. "I do not knowingly play rigged games."

  "What she said," Audra added.

  "Take them to their cells," Jasmine said.

  * * * *

  An hour later the visor told me Violet was trying to call me. I thought for a moment then accepted.

  "Please don't hang up," were her first words.

  "Are you calling to explain why you did this to us?"

  "You're going to calm down," she said. "Please don't burn bridges, Skye."

  I terminated the call then directed the visor to block further attempts to call me. Lunch came, and I ate it, then shortly after, Posey tried calling.

  "What do you want?" I asked.

  "Violet is really upset."

  "Oh gee, imagine," I said.

  We stared at each other for a while. "What do you want, Posey?"

  "Aren't we friends?"

  "I thought we were, but I don't know anymore."

  "Skye," she said, hurt in her tone.

  "Tell me I shouldn't feel betrayed," I said. "Explain to me how I'm supposed to laugh. It's just a game. Yeah, one that starts with being set up and ends with betrayal. I don't know why none of you get it."

  "Skye, we all love you."

  "Yeah. I'm your pet human. Look. We can pat her on the head, and she wags her tail."

  "That's not it, and you know it."

  "No, Posey, I don't. Unless you're calling to either explain why you helped do this, or to grovel for forgiveness, I don't want anything to do with you. Leave me alone." I terminated the call, but I didn't block her.

  She left me alone.

  * * * *

  The third challenge was in one of the larger venues. I paid it even less attention than I did the second, and at the start, Audra and I both sat down.

  Violet and Posey spent ten minutes trying to convince us to at least try. Audra and I stared at each other and managed to avoid saying a single word. Eventually the two Catseye held a competition between themselves.

  * * * *

  The fourth competition was to be the final event. Jasmine stepped in front of Audra and me. "Are you listening to me?"

  "No," we said together.

  "This is the final event."

  I sighed. "I heard that."

  "You won't go back to the cells."

  "I knew you'd get tired of feeding us eventually."

  She paused. "Your vacation is to Australia, I am told. The prize to the winners is a shopping spree paid by Bluebell and Azalea."

  "How sweet of them," I said.

  She then described a simple r
ace. We watched her blandly, and then she stepped away. She called start.

  Audra and I both sat down.

  "You should go," I said. "Give it a try."

  "We wouldn't win anyway," she said.

  At that point, Posey and Violet sat down, one to either side of us, forming us into a square.

  "Don't you have a rigged race to go run?" I asked.

  "We'll give you two a head start," Posey said. "There's really good shopping in Sydney."

  "Go ahead, Audra," I said. "I'll hold down the start line and make sure it doesn't get away."

  "No thanks. I wouldn't feel right taking Bluebell's money." She sighed. "How am I going to finish school?"

  "Wait," said Posey. "Just wait. Please. Both of you. You're making a mistake."

  "Audra," I said. "Listen to me. You won that scholarship fair and square. There's nothing about it that says you have to play nice with them."

  "You two are both overreacting."

  Together, Audra and I turned to look at Violet. "Shut up," we said together. Then we turned back to each other. "I don't know," she said slowly.

  "Finish school," I told her. "Ignore the rest of it."

  "What about you?"

  "I'll be fine," I said. "I'm one term from graduation. The school will work with me."

  "Right," said Posey. "Sister?"

  "Right," said Violet. They both stood up. Then Violet reached down, wrapped tentacles around Audra, and picked her up. Posey did the same to me.

  We both began screaming. They ignored us but instead began walking the race course. I struggled with Posey, but she just wrapped more tightly around me. I yelled, and she ignored me. From the sounds, Audra wasn't having any more success with Violet than I was with Posey.

  "Put me down, god damn it!" I screamed.

  We reached the finish line, but didn't cross it.

  "All right," said Posey. "I'll put you down." And she set me on my feet as gentle as you please, but she still held me firmly. Violet set Audra down right next to me.

  Then they pushed us over the finish line together.

  "Darn," said Violet. "The humans won."

  Jasmine tried to congratulate us. I stood there, quivering with anger. Audra looked stunned and unsure, so I stepped over to her and hugged her. "Let them finish paying for your school. Please, Audra. I need to know you're going to be okay."

  "I'll think about it," she said. "Let's go home."

  "Right." I accessed the visor menu and turned it off. Once Audra saw me remove mine, she did hers, although it took her a little longer. I collected it from her and walked to Jasmine, holding them out.

  I didn't say a word to her.

  Instead, I walked over to Audra and threw an arm over her shoulder. She slipped one around my waist. And together, we turned towards the arena exit. But then I whispered to Audra, "Just a minute."

  I released her and turned back to the Catseye. Violet and Posey both looked deeply upset, their tentacles waving erratically. I stepped up to them. "I will not be going to Australia. I cannot speak for my sister, but I do not believe she intends to go, either. Violet, you've made no effort to explain or apologize. We're through. I never want to see you again. I need to find a way back to Mount Holyoke, and I need to make arrangements to finish my last term. This might take a little time, but I will vacate your mother's apartment as quickly as I can. I hope she won't be vindictive and evict me before I have time to do so."

  "Skye, no," she said. "Please don't do this."

  "Fuck both of you."

  And I turned my back. I would see them again, but it would be quite some time.

  Graduation

  It took quite a bit of my saved money to get back to Boston, and more to get to Mount Holyoke. I went to my apartment and found I could still get in, but minutes after my arrival, the house security system began pestering me.

  I walked to the panel, and Bluebell was on the screen.

  "Professor Beamer," I said. "Am I to be given sufficient time to make new arrangements, or do I need to vacate your apartment immediately?"

  "Skye, please put your visor on so we can talk this over."

  "I'm not touching it. It will be in the safe when you take possession of the apartment."

  "Skye, Violet and Posey are both miserable."

  "Neither of them offered even a token apology, Professor Beamer. It's awfully difficult to forgive someone who doesn't express some regret for her actions. Will you please answer my question? Are you kicking me out today?"

  "Skye, I'm not going to kick you out. Please, take some time and calm down."

  "What is going to change, Professor?"

  "Skye, please. We all love you. I know you hurt right now. Maybe after you punish Violet for a while, you'll feel better."

  "Do you think I'm playing a game, Professor? Do you think this is me punishing her? I assure you, it's not. She and I are through. How soon do I have to vacate the apartment? I would like to end this conversation so I can make an appointment with the financial aid office. I need to find a way to pay for my last term."

  "I'll pay for your last term."

  "I do not care to take any further charity from your family, Professor. I believe I can make other arrangements by the middle of January. Will that be soon enough?"

  "Skye, I know you're angry. I think it's clouding your judgment. It's not my family. It's our family. You're a part of it, even if you're angry at Violet and Posey right now. You were family before you started dating, and we don't give up our family."

  "Don't you?" I asked. "Violet and Posey gave up Audra and me to Jasmine's game. Or maybe it was really their game, but I think it's far more likely to have been Jasmine's."

  "Skye, you're still angry. Please take a few days to calm down."

  "I will vacate the apartment as soon as I am able. Thank you for everything you've done for me, Professor. I hope you understand I'll ask for a different academic advisor when I defend my thesis. Please leave me alone now. I have packing to do."

  I turned my back on the panel and walked away.

  * * * *

  It took two days to meet with someone from the financial aid office. I was lucky to get anyone at all, as it was winter break. But a door opened, and I wondered if Bluebell had meddled for me.

  I met with Mr. Davidson, one of the financial aid advisors. "Mr. Davidson, I am a senior with one term remaining. My scholarship has terminated abruptly, and I need to make arrangements to complete my final term. If you check my records, you will see I have been a good student earning excellent grades while carrying a difficult course load."

  "Of course, Ms. Andrews," he said. He tapped at his computer for a few minutes, frowning. When he turned back to me, he wasn't smiling. "Ms. Andrews, I'm quite sorry. We are unable to help you."

  "Excuse me?"

  "If you wish to attend another term at this institution, you must pay the full amount."

  I stared. "I see. How much is it?"

  He wrote a number down on a piece of paper and slid it to me. I picked it up and looked at it. "Do I have enough credits to graduate now?"

  More computer tapping. "Yes, but you haven't defended your senior thesis. It is a graduation requirement."

  "I see. So if I do not come up with nearly twenty-thousand dollars, I don't graduate."

  "I am afraid that is the case, Ms. Andrews. I'm terribly sorry."

  I leaned back in the chair and looked at him. He actually did look unhappy. "Mr. Davidson, will you answer a question?"

  "I'll try."

  "Is there a note associated with my records that is probably not on anyone else's records?"

  "I'm not supposed to answer that."

  "What does it say?"

  "Financial aid is denied. I really am sorry. I don't understand."

  "It's not your fault."

  "There's a second note, Ms. Andrews."

  "Oh?"

  "Tell her to call Bluebell. I don't know what that means."

  "I do. Thank you, Mr. D
avidson. This isn't your fault."

  "I'm really sorry, Ms. Andrews. Normally we would find a way to work with you. We don't typically let a change in financial situation cause this much difficulty, especially not one term from graduation."

  "I understand."

  * * * *

  I went to the bank next, asking for a loan officer. Two minutes later found me sitting across the desk from Tanya Lawrence. She smiled in a perky fashion, and I was reminded of myself. I hoped it was myself. I wasn't feeling perky.

  I explained the situation, or at least the high points.

  "Have you approached the financial aid office? Normally they would work with a student in your situation."

  "They weren't able to help me, and the term resumes next week. I don't have time to go through a lengthy process. I'm really hoping you can help me."

  "Well, let's collect some information, and we'll see. I'm sure we can do something."

  We spent about twenty minutes at it, entering information on her computer. She asked me to verify everything before turning the screen back to herself. She then did more tapping, and her perky demeanor evaporated.

  "I'm sorry, Ms. Andrews," she said. "You have no income, very few assets, and twenty thousand dollars is a lot of money. We're not going to be able to help you."

  I looked away. "I understand," I said in a small voice. "Are you able to access my account here?"

  "Of course."

  "I wish to close the account. Can you please handle that for me? I'll take cash, please."

  "Ms. Andrews-"

  "Ms. Lawrence," I said. "I want my money before it, like the rest of my future, evaporates from underneath me. Please, can you just give me my money?"

  Ten minutes later, with a little over two thousand dollars in cash, I walked from the bank.

  I walked back to the apartment. I wandered for a while, heart stricken. Then I walked to the security panel and spent a few minutes learning how to place a call.

  Bluebell declined the call but sent a message. "If you wish to speak with me, it will be via visor."

  I wrote back, "I'm not touching those things. I have a pretty good idea the kind of things you can do with it."

  "I only wish to talk to you, Skye. No tricks. But it will be via visor or not at all."

  I stared at the screen. I had things to say to her, and I wasn't going to do it via text.