XVI

by Julia Karr

  “Quit being a jerk,” she said. “I was just fooling around. But since you’re being that way, I won’t tell you about Ed.” She flounced off and headed to her room.

  Racing after her, I spun her around. “Dee! What about him? Tell me now!”

  “What’s all the commotion?” Gran called from the kitchen.

  “Nothing,” I called back while dragging Dee into my room. “Now, what about Ed?”

  “You’re hurting me!” She struggled to get away.

  “Dee. This isn’t a game.” I pulled her down on the bed next to me. The book dug into my gut, but I didn’t dare remove it or she’d start questioning me. “I’m sorry. Just tell me about Ed. Please. I’m afraid he’ll try to take you away, or maybe even hurt you.”

  “Nina, he won’t hurt me. He’s my dad.”

  I had to stop myself from blurting out the truth. If Dee knew she wasn’t Ed’s daughter, she’d act differently around him, or worse, she might slip and tell him. I couldn’t put her at more risk. I couldn’t tell anyone. “Dee, what exactly happened?”

  “He called me. He said he missed me and he wants to see me. Maybe even go to the zoo with me, like fathers and daughters do.” She smiled. “He said since Mom’s gone, I need a father.”

  I couldn’t breathe. My whole body shook and fear overwhelmed me. The edge of the book dug into my leg, and I grabbed my blanket pulling it tightly around me, keeping the book hidden away. “When, Dee. When did Ed say he wanted to see you?”

  “He said he wanted to talk to you first. He tried to call you, but you must have been in a dead zone since you didn’t pick up.”

  I stopped and focused for a moment, controlling my breath, trying to act casual. “Yeah, I must’ve been. There’s dead zones everywhere. I guess he’ll call me again. Hey ...” I stood up, still wrapped in the blanket. “Promise me you won’t talk to him again until I do, okay? For Mom’s sake?” I was pulling out everything I could to keep things under control. I could hardly believe I’d said that—that I’d use Ginnie’s memory to manipulate my little sister. But it got the desired result. Dee promised and sulked off to her own room.

  Dropping the blanket, I pulled the book out of my jeans and stared at the cover. Ginnie’d been right about it containing answers. But the answers were far more dangerous than the questions. At least I’d moved closer to finding out all kinds of truths. Now, if I could only figure out where Ginnie and my father’s “secret place” was...

  My PAV beeped. For a moment, I thought it might be Ed, but it was Sandy. Her shrieks were deafening. “He chose me! I’m in! I’m going to be a FeLS! Can you believe it?! Of course you can. Ed was the Chooser. I knew that he’d choose me because of your mother. He came and I reminded him that you and I were the best of friends. I hope that doesn’t bother you, Nina.”

  “No. Sure, Sandy. That’s okay.” I felt as though the wind had been knocked out of me. No, Sandy, no ... I had forgotten that the Cementville Choosing took place before my school’s. I listened as long as I could stand it, all the time seeing Joan’s face, thinking about what Wei had said about the program. “There’s no way out?”

  “Way out? Nina! Why would I want to get out? I’m going to be rich and famous!” She laughed. “The only thing left is the physical. And I’ll pass that, no prob. Finally, I get to be in FeLS! It’s—it’s just the ultra?! Oh, Nina, I wonder if we get to have sex during training? Speaking of that, how’s Sal? Have you had sex yet? If Sal was my boyfriend—”

  “Sandy, I—” My stomach churned. “I’ve gotta go. See you tomorrow.”

  I ran down the hall and puked my insides out into the toilet. When I stood up, Dee was in the doorway.

  “I knew you were sick. You were acting so weird. I’m getting Gran.”

  I grabbed her arm. “It’s okay, Dee. I feel better now that I threw up. If I lie down for a while, I’ll be fine.”

  I knew she wasn’t entirely convinced, but we both went to our own rooms and shut our doors.

  I stuck the baby book under my mattress and flopped onto the bed. Staring at the ceiling, I thought about how Ginnie’d loved my dad and me and Dee enough to give up her whole life for us.

  I thought about the way I’d acted with Sal down by the river, what I’d said about the government, NonCons ... I knew I’d been wrong, but I didn’t realize how wrong.

  I thought about Sandy, heading off to who knew what. At least there was a chance she could go to the right training center. If only she wasn’t a virgin ... Could anyone persuade her to have sex before the physical? I ran through the list of guys we knew in my head ... Mike, Derek ... A little voice in my head squeaked, Sal. My heart sank. What about Sal? She’d been so hot for him before, I was sure it wouldn’t take much ... But I wasn’t sure I could make that kind of sacrifice, or ask him to.

  XLI

  The next morning, I was up early and had coffee ready when Gran came into the kitchen. I needed to find my father and Ginnie’s favorite place, the “secret place” Ginnie referred to in the letter. I was afraid that coming straight out and asking about it might set off alarm bells, but couldn’t think of any other way.

  “Did my dad and Ginnie have any favorite places besides Robin’s Roost?”

  Gran poured herself a cup and sat down at the table. “No, I don’t think so. Ginnie particularly loved the view from the roof. The minister who married them was terrified of heights. You should have seen the look on his face when Ginnie insisted that he stand near the edge of the roof so that she and Alan could look out over Lincoln Park as they took their vows. Poor man.” She took a sip of the coffee. “You’re getting pretty good at making the real thing.” She smiled at me. “It helps to know how to do some things without the help of cookers and chillers and all these other kitchen gadgets.”

  I ignored her compliment. “Did they go up on the roof a lot?”

  “I think they did,” Gran said, narrowing her eyes at me. “Why the sudden interest?”

  “No reason,” I lied. “I’m just trying to learn all I can about my father.”

  “Sometimes too much knowledge is a dangerous thing.” Gran put down her coffee cup and got up. “Time to get breakfast going. Your grandfather will be up soon.” She took some ingredients from the cook center. “You know, I do remember that every year on their anniversary, Alan would rent the roof of Robin’s Roost for the two of them. He and Ginnie would spend the night dining and dancing above the city lights. It was very romantic.”

  That settled it. I needed to get to the roof of Robin’s Roost, and soon, before they demolished it. But first things first. I’d already promised Gran I’d help her clean the apartment, and we’d take Dee to the aquarium. Though I was worried about Ed—as always—knowing that Wei’s parents had people keeping an eye on me made me slightly less nervous. By the time I got home from the aquarium, it was nearly time to go to Soma.

  Wei showed up early. I could tell by her expression that she wanted to know what we’d uncovered in the book. But I knew that if I told her, she’d be in danger, too.

  As we passed Dee’s door, I glanced in. “Remember ...”

  “Gah, Nina. I promised, didn’t I?”

  It was freezing outside and Gran insisted on wrapping a tensalite scarf around my neck before she’d let us leave. I felt like I was five again.

  Wei and I got on the trans and headed to the back.

  “I’d better call Sandy and tell her we’re going to be a little late meeting at Soma.” I tried her PAV several times, but there was no answer. I left a message. “There’s somewhere we have to stop at before we get there.”

  “It has to do with your meeting with Mom?”

  “Yep. Are your dad’s friends still hanging around?”

  “I don’t know—I don’t think so, since we’re together.”

  At Lincoln and Wells, Wei and I did a thorough scope-out to be sure no one was watching us, then snuck around back of Robin’s Roost. I knew there had to be a way inside, other than the front door. I was p
repared to break a window, but luckily the door at the bottom of the stairs swung open easily.

  Wei stuck her head inside. “This is cool!” She dug around in her pocket. “We can use this for light.” She clicked on her PAV receiver and shone the light on the floor of the storage room.

  I pulled her inside and shut the door. “I think it’s DZ here.” I tried calling Sandy again. No tone at all. “Yep. Definitely DZ. Listen, we’ve got to get up on the roof. I’m sure Ginnie left something up there for my father. We have to get it.”

  “Wait, is that what was you and my mom found in the book?”

  “Yes.” I explained, leaving out the part about Dee being my real sister. “Come on.” I pulled out my receiver and turned on the light, too, leading the way down the narrow hallway. The door at the end opened into what had been a kitchen. The place was a mess. Cabinets had pulled away from the walls and were hanging by who knew what. Things were strewn all over. Old cook centers, prep tables, and debris littered the room. A chiller lay faceup on the floor; its door was nowhere to be seen. Up by the ceiling a row of grime-covered windows let in a sickly bit of glow from the late afternoon. There was no reason to worry that anyone outside would see our pathetic PAV lights.

  I shuffled through the dirt and pieces of pipe and plasticine until I reached the door on the other side of the room, with Wei close behind me. Through it and up a short ramp was a banquet room where the skeletons of chandeliers, with broken bulbs and loose wires, were hanging from the ceiling. There were no windows in the space. One of the doors to the lobby hung by a rusty hinge and light filtered in through the opening. When I pushed on it, it fell with a crash.

  Wei and I held our breath until we were sure no one had heard.

  “Look!” On the dusty floor in front of us I saw footprints. They looked relatively fresh, considering the years of grime that covered everything. “Those have to be Ginnie’s.” I put my foot over one. My foot and the print were the exact same size. Just like my feet and Ginnie’s had been. I started to run into the room, but Wei grabbed me.

  “People can see in those doors.” She gestured toward the front, where a month earlier Sal had surprised me when I first found Robin’s Roost. “Turn off your PAV light. We don’t want anyone outside to see. We have to be careful.”

  “We have to follow those footprints,” I said.

  “Okay. Just keep behind things so if anyone looks in they won’t see you.” Wei took over, leading the way through the lobby. First behind the front desk, then a large sofa, an oversize table, and other pieces of furniture. Eventually, we made it to the other side. We followed the footprints to a door near the elport, which opened onto a stairway.

  “The building is only ten stories high,” I said. “Come on.”

  The stairwell was as black as the Chicago River at night. If we hadn’t had our PAVs, it would have taken a lot longer to get to the roof. The door at the top of the stairs wasn’t locked, but it was a bit harder to open than the one in the basement. It took both Wei and me ramming ourselves against it, but it finally gave way. A drift of snow on the other side had been the problem. When we walked out onto the roof, I checked my PAV—still no signal, still DZ. Of course, like Gran had said, this used to be a B.O.S.S. building; they’d have it rigged to keep it a DZ, and keep out any kind of surveillance.

  “There are no footprints,” Wei said. “The snow has covered everything.”

  “Ginnie left something up here. I’m sure of it. We just have to figure out where.”

  “I’ll take this side,” Wei said. “You take the other.”

  I walked over to the edge of the roof. Streetlights were coming on everywhere and Lincoln Park twinkled like a fairyland. I stopped for a moment and looked out over the skyline and the city. This was the view Ginnie’d loved, and I understood why. I went and got Wei; she had to see it, too. When we got back to where I had been standing, my foot caught on something. I knelt down and felt around. My pulse quickened. “There’s something here.”

  I swiped the snow aside and there was a metal cover. I snatched at it with my fingers, nearly tearing them to shreds. It had no intention of giving way. “I need something to pry with.”

  Wei searched the roof and eventually returned with a rusty length of metal. “Here, try this.”

  I worked it under the cover and tried to lever it with all my strength. I felt a few wet flakes of snow—we had to hurry. At the same moment as the piece of metal broke, there was a pop and the cover opened.

  I shined my PAV into the hole. Inside, wrapped in all-guard, was a packet. Wei and I sat down in the snow and I opened it. There was a note in Ginnie’s handwriting and three chips. The note said, Here’s the proof. FeLS is a cover for sex trafficking. I know you can stop this ...

  I didn’t read any further because the heavy wet flakes of snow started coming down harder. I wrapped everything back up and stuffed the packet in my jeans.

  “Let’s go,” I said. “We’ve got to get this to my father. Do you think your father’s been in touch with him lately?”

  “I hope so.” Wei went back into the building first. “Be careful on the steps,” she said. “My shoes tracked in some snow and it’s slippery.”

  She wasn’t kidding. My foot nearly skidded off the first step. I grabbed onto the banister to keep from falling and felt the metal give under my weight.

  We hurried down the stairs as quickly as we could, Wei in the lead. I’d just rounded a corner when I heard a thump in front of me.

  “Wei?” I hissed. No answer.

  “Wei?” I stepped carefully down the flight of stairs. Wei was lying at the bottom of the landing.

  “Wei, are you okay?” Nothing.

  Skivs! I put my hand on her neck, felt her pulse, and breathed a sigh of relief. She was still alive, but my PAV light wasn’t bright enough for me to see how badly she was injured. I wasn’t strong enough to carry her. Besides, I was afraid to move her. What if she’d broken something? I started to call Sal before I remembered we were in a DZ. I tried to calm myself and think of what to do next, but my heart was near pounding out of my chest.

  “Wei ...” I tried waking her again. Still nothing, not even a moan. I didn’t want to leave her, but I had to get help. “Wei, I’ll be back.”

  I didn’t even think about anyone seeing me as I crossed the lobby. When I got to the kitchen, I heard a noise and froze. Prickles rose on my arms. Then I heard someone say, “Damn cheap piece of shit! Fucking worthless!”

  Ed! For a second I was paralyzed. Then a voice in my head screamed, Move! I ran to the hallway door and tried turning the lock, but it was rusted fast. I could feel the panic rising up through my body. Think, Nina, think. I looked for a chair to shove under the doorknob, but there weren’t any. Grabbing a small table, I flipped it over and thrust it against the door. Then I threw some other debris on top of that. Enough to maybe buy me a second or two.

  Not daring to turn my PAV light on, I stumbled around the room, tripping over several things. Somehow managing to keep my balance, I fumbled around and grabbed a metal pipe from the floor and ran to one of the counters. Scrambling up on top of it, I tried to reach a window. If I could break one, I could scream for help or climb out. No sooner had I stood up than the countertop gave way beneath me and I tumbled to the floor. I heard the doorknob rattle. I stood stock-still, not even daring to breathe.

  “I know you’re in there, Nina.”

  My heart was going to beat right out of my chest. The table scraped along the floor as the door slowly opened. Ed was getting in.

  “Dead zone, isn’t it? How nice—no one will ever know we’re here. Maybe you and I can have some fun.”

  The sick AV images of his vids popped into my mind. I choked back my terror and ducked behind one of the counters, the metal pipe still in my hand.

  “Might as well show yourself, Nina.” Ed’s voice echoed through the ruins. “There’s no way out of here except through me.” He grunted and I heard a dull thud, and next thin
g, the door was completely open. The table tumbled onto its side. “You think some junk is going to keep me out of here? You can’t escape me, Nina.”

  I heard him scuffling through the pile of debris I’d thrown in front of the door. Every inch of me wanted to scream, to run, to do something ... but I waited, clenching the pipe tighter and tighter until my hands hurt.

  “Don’t be stupid like your blond friend. Would you believe, she actually thought I was taking her for her physical. It didn’t take much for her to tell me where you were.”

  Sandy. The only friend of mine that Ed knew was Sandy ...

  “As soon as she said ‘Wells,’ I knew you’d be here. You know, your mother had a thing for this building, too. Or so I heard.”

  Panic burbled inside of me as his voice grew louder.

  “Come on, Nina, don’t you want to know what happened to your friend? I could tell you all the details. She had those sex-teen ways down pat, but you know, she really was a virgin. Bonus for me.”

  I pressed my lips together to keep from screaming.

  He kept on, like we were having some kind of normal conversation. “You one, too? Or has that scrawny boyfriend of yours already gotten into your pants? Doesn’t matter to me. I’ll enjoy myself either way.”

  Nausea gripped me. I swallowed down a bit of vomit.

  “You know, Nina, we’ve got some business to take care of before the fun begins.” He waved the light randomly around the room and I heard him trip over a pile of rubble. “Goddamn cheap LED!” Dust swirled like a whirlwind in its faint beam. “There are only so many places you can hide in here, Nina. I am going to find you.”

  One of the cabinet doors creaked as he opened it. “You in there?” He slammed it shut. A second later, it clattered onto the floor.

  Every muscle in my body ached. Panic clawed at my insides, trying to get out. What if Wei came to and walked in on this? I shut my mind to all of the crazy thoughts.

  “Ginnie told you to give a book to Alan. Her idea of having you sing that nursery rhyme was clever, but not clever enough. That nurse made out enough of Ginnie’s words. I know your father is alive. What’s in that book? I suggest you give it to me, or I’ll take your sister and you’ll never see her again.”