Genesis Girl

by Jennifer Bardsley

  So I say “Yes!” and leap into Seth’s arms, encircling my legs around his waist.

  Seth barely closes the door behind him before he can’t manage anything else but me.

  “What do you want to do today?” Seth asks me, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear. He looks out of place here on my bed, lying on top of the velvet coverlet. Like a giant smudge on something pure and holy. But I let him trace his hands down my back, and it feels good. It almost feels like they belong there.

  “What do you want to do?” I ask, so he’ll think he’s making the decision.

  “Besides this? Hmm … Maybe I want to teach you to ride my motorcycle. You seemed like you had a good time the other night.”

  “I did,” I admit.

  “So what do you say? Do you want to spend the day out in the sunshine?”

  The sunshine? I’ve never done that before. Talk about reckless. I can only imagine what Headmaster Russell would do if he found out. But Cal wouldn’t mind. “Whatever it takes,” he said.

  Then for some reason I bury my face into Seth’s neck. It feels good knowing that his arm is around me. It’s peaceful, like I’m safe and protected. I’m so confused. I almost wish I could be with Seth without trying to control him. But then I’d be powerless and ineffective. So I lead with an old standby.

  Get someone to agree with you by starting with a “Yes-Yes.”

  It’s one of Barbelo’s best techniques. Ask your target two questions you know they will say “yes” to, and then follow with what you really want.

  “You want to teach me to ride?” I ask.

  “Yes.” Seth kisses my neck.

  “You want to spend all day with me?”

  “Yes,” he says. “Of course.”

  “Okay. Let’s do it. I’ll learn here on the estate and then you can stay for dinner.”

  “What? Dinner? There’s no way I’m—”

  “I thought you wanted to spend all day with me!”

  “Yes, but I—”

  “I can’t keep ditching your dad. If you want to see me, then you have to deal with him too. It won’t work otherwise.”

  “But couldn’t we—”

  “No,” I say. “We couldn’t. That would be pushing it.”

  Seth rolls over on his back and blows out air. “Fine. It’s a deal.” Then he regards me slyly. “Make sure to wear leather.”

  I’ve never been out on the grounds in daylight before. It’s hard to see in so much sunlight. I feel like my eyes are on fire. How do people deal with this? I guess I should have worn sunglasses.

  Being outside also makes me feel super exposed. I know there’s a ten-foot wall around the perimeter of the estate, I know there’re security cameras, and I know Alan’s watching the front gate, but still … All that blue sky above is intimidating. It takes me a bit to be able to focus on what Seth is saying.

  “Okay, no shoelaces, ever! They could get caught on something. And always wear a helmet.”

  “Definitely,” I answer. It’s hard to imagine there ever being a time when I would take off joyriding on a motorcycle. I’m only going through with this lesson to get Seth to come to dinner.

  “The left side of the bike is for gears; the right side is for breaking. Do you know about gears? Wait … Do you know how to drive a car?” Seth looks at me like I’m a potential idiot.

  “Yes!” I snarl. I don’t bother to tell Seth that my entire road experience involves driving around the underground parking lot of Tabula Rasa. I’ve never technically driven with other drivers on the road, but I’m exceptionally good at parking, and I understand old-fashioned maps.

  Seth sounds relieved. “Okay, good. So the first thing you do is you turn the key, and then the fuel injection kicks on. Hear that?” The bike rumbles to life.

  I nod, feigning interest.

  “Then this light flashes, and that means the bike is ready to start. Here,” Seth says. “Climb on in front of me.”

  I begin to straddle the bike.

  “Wait!” Seth says, stopping me. “That was a test! Where’s your helmet?”

  Oh, right. The helmet. I pull it on, and the world gets a bit darker. Then I climb on the bike in front of Seth, and he puts his arms around me.

  That’s when things get interesting.

  Because when I’m sitting there, in the front, it finally hits me. I see where Seth was going with this whole thing. If I learn to actually do this, I could go wherever I want. I could ride off into the sunset, and nobody could stop me. Not even Headmaster Russell. It’s a power trip, sitting on this bike. It’s the taste of freedom.

  Of course, I don’t want to go anywhere on my own. Obviously! I want to stay right here on the manor like Cal told me to. But the possibility? The knowledge that I could go somewhere if I had to? It’s thrilling. That’s worth doing this for.

  “What’s that again?” I ask Seth. He’s saying something about the clutch.

  “It’s on the left handle here. Push down to first, then up to neutral. If you keep going up, you’ll hit second, third, fourth, and fifth.”

  Fifth gear. I can’t imagine going that fast on my own. I bet Beau doesn’t get to go that fast when they shoot his truck commercials. They probably make him drive around in circles on the studio lot until they can get the right picture.

  “The right hand has the accelerator.” Seth puts my glove on the handle, and I feel the untapped power of the bike below.

  “Kick the gearshift here,” Seth says pointing down to my left foot. “Then there’s your back brake over here on the right.”

  I’m listening, but I’m also ready to do this. I let the clutch out slowly and the bike starts to move.

  “Good,” Seth says. “If you let the clutch out too fast, the bike will stall. Smooth clutch control. That’s what you want to shoot for.”

  I nod briefly and then I go for it. There’s a lot of starting and stopping, and sometimes I screw up and the bike pops forward and Seth has to take the controls. But after an hour or two, I’m touring around the house so fast that Cal comes out on the balcony of his office to see what’s up.

  “What’s going on out here?” he calls down. “For heaven’s sake, Blanca? Is that you?”

  I bring the bike to a stop and shut off the engine. Then I take off my helmet, and my hair falls down, sticky around my neck. “Yes,” I shout. “It’s me. But don’t worry. We’re not going anywhere.”

  “I’m not sure this is such a good idea,” Cal says loudly. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”

  “She won’t get hurt!” Seth yells.

  Cal’s about to say something else, I can tell. Something potentially not helpful to the situation. So I ask, “When’s dinner? Seth’s coming too.”

  For the briefest of seconds, Cal smiles. Then he bites his lip hard. “An hour,” he says. “Dinner’s in an hour. Have fun.”

  I shove my helmet back on with determination and twist the key. I’m absolutely going to have fun. I let out the clutch again, and we’re off, all the way down the driveway to the gatehouse. Alan gives a little nod as we make a U-turn and speed back up to the mansion.

  We’re lying on the grass underneath one of the orange trees I saw from the attic window yesterday. The branches hang low with big balls of fruit, waiting to be tasted. Seth picks some for us and peels open the flesh. The oranges taste like sunshine, their sticky juice dripping down my chin until Seth licks it off.

  “Stop that!” I laugh, pushing him back into the grass. I lay my head down on his chest and take a deep breath. I smell oranges, grass, leather, and Seth mixed together. I can feel Seth’s finger-chips buzzing against my arm, but he ignores them. Then he flicks his wrist, and the blue turns off.

  “Sorry about that.” He runs his hands through my hair, and quivers of relaxation overtake me. “This day is all about you and me.”

  “You’re not in tech-withdrawal yet?”

  “I’ve been kind of distracted.” Se
th kisses me, and we roll across the grass a few times for fun.

  And I try hard not to think about any of it. Because if I do, I’ll start imagining crazy possibilities. Like maybe this day is changing my opinion of Seth. I’m having fun and enjoying the company of a Virus. Maybe he isn’t the jerk I thought he was.

  What if Seth is my only ticket to happiness?

  I’m already helping Seth beat his tech-addiction. Would he take out his finger-chips for me? Seth wants me for real, and maybe I could want him too. Is it possible the comfort I feel sheltered in his arms is more than lust? Maybe after the blowout tonight Seth and I could be genuinely together.

  Headmaster Russell doesn’t have to know about Seth and neither do the other Vestals. I wouldn’t have to tell anyone. I could be a Vestal, and I could be with Seth too. All I need is Cal’s blessing, and he might actually give it.

  I’ve always wanted to be wanted. I’ve always wanted a family. That was the hardest part about going Geisha. I never got the Vestal family that was promised to me. “It’s a lonely road,” Ms. Lydia said.

  All my childhood fantasies involved finding the perfect Vestal family after my Harvest. Blanca, I imagined my new Vestal-mom saying. We hoped our corporation would bid on you. Then my new Vestal boyfriend would lead me off into the sunset.

  “What are you thinking about?” Seth asks me. “You look like you’re a million miles away.”

  “I was thinking about you,” I say. “I’m thinking about you and me together, being happy.” At least, I think this is what happiness is.

  “I’m happy too.” Seth kisses the back of my neck. “I think you might be inspiring a new tattoo.”

  That’s the last thing I want to hear! But the sick part inside me is willing to take it. I could put up with anything to stay here with Seth, coiled together in the grass.

  I’m so busy looking at him and so busy feeling his hands on me that I don’t realize what’s happening.

  I hear the gunshot in the distance, but it doesn’t register. I hear somebody screaming, but I don’t understand that it’s Alan, back at the guard station, being shot.

  I don’t realize what’s going on. Not until the flashes start. Not until I finally look up and see people everywhere, taking our picture.

  It’s the viral paparazzi, and they’re here to ruin everything.

  “Blanca, go!” Seth yells at me. He tosses me the keys and shoves my helmet into my arms. Then he’s fighting every last Virus he can get his hands on.

  But they’re everywhere! They pour out of the bushes and climb the trees. Hands are up and flashes are in my face. Everywhere I look, there’s another paparazzi.

  “Go, Blanca! Go!” Seth shouts again. He knees a guy in the head and then kicks another Virus in the stomach. “Take the bike and go!”

  For half a second I actually think about it. I could take that bike and ride away. I could protect myself and stay safe. Stay private. Stay hidden.

  But I need to hide immediately. So I shove on my helmet and crouch down low, like I’m a little ball of white. I put my arms around my knees and curl up into an egg. I close my eyes so I won’t see the flashes reflect off my helmet. Nobody can see me now.

  The Viruses holler at me. “How does it feel to go Geisha?”

  “Does Calum McNeal know you’re betraying him like this?”

  “What do you look like under that helmet, girlie? Why don’t you show us?”

  “Asshole!” Seth yells, and then I hear the sounds of more fists.

  “Get him!” somebody says. “Hold him down so we can get more pictures.”

  “How does it feel, Veritas Rex? How does it feel to be on the bottom?”

  I open my eyes at that. And I see about a million guys holding Seth down, snapping away at him too. He’s trying to shield his face, but he can’t. But it’s not merely the cameras that are the problem; they’re actually hurting him, punching away until his face is bloody.

  “Stop!” I shout. “Let him go!” I stand up tall and get their attention, exactly like they want. “I’ll take off my helmet if you release him.”

  “What else will you take off, Vestal?” one of the men asks.

  “No!” Seth screams, but his voice is muted by somebody’s knee.

  “Let him go, and I’ll take off the helmet,” I shout. “I’ll start with that.” I can hear Seth crying now. I can hear him screaming with rage. When I take off my helmet, his protests get louder.

  “No, Blanca! Don’t do it! Run!”

  The vultures let him go. They’re all too busy standing up and clicking away with their thumb-cameras, uploading me straight to the Web.

  “Take off your shirt!” one of them yells.

  Seth lunges at the guy, trying to strangle him. Then a bunch dog-pile Seth again.

  So many people are yelling at me that I go on autopilot. Do exactly what you’re told. I undo a button. Then one more. Then another. I would keep going except I hear footsteps coming from behind.

  It’s Cal running up the path, like he’s on fire.

  “Leave my kids alone!” Cal roars. He lunges at one of the men taking my picture and wrestles him to the ground. Then he pulls down another. “Fight back, Blanca! Don’t let them hurt you! Fight back!”

  So I do, because I’m really good at fighting, once I get going. I know exactly where to hit a guy too. I kick one of the men holding Seth right in the head.

  “The police are on their way!” Cal bellows, and he’s prying the bastards off too. “Get off my son! Leave my kids alone!”

  The whole property swarms with cop cars. There are sirens and flashing lights everywhere, and the Viruses are rounded up one by one.

  But I’m still fighting. I’m kicking every last Virus I can get my foot into. I don’t stop until the cops pull them away.

  And Cal is frantic, screaming at a police officer, begging for an ambulance. Because Seth isn’t moving.

  He’s lying on the grass in a pool of blood.

  Chapter Seven

  Of course I can’t go to the hospital with them. It’s not safe for me there. And I can’t get a message about how Seth is doing because I’m not connected. So I sit on the floor of the great hall and think about the worst. The hearth behind me is cold.

  I remember the white roses from this morning. They mock me now. White roses are the symbol of death.

  I also think about how somebody can do something nice and clueless all at the same time. Like trying to fight when you should run away. I don’t know why Seth didn’t run away. He should have jumped on his bike and escaped when he had the chance.

  I thought all Viruses were selfish. But Seth risked his life to defend me. It doesn’t make any sense. He’s not the bastard I thought he was.

  This is all my fault! I knew that Headmaster Russell would get Seth back for taking my picture.

  Vestals avenge all wrongs, especially when our honor is at stake.

  At least, I think this was Headmaster Russell’s doing. He knows people to call for every situation, even paparazzi thugs.

  But maybe this wasn’t coming from Tabula Rasa at all. I can easily see Headmaster Russell going after Seth, but he never would have told those people to take my picture.

  Now that my stolen pictures are out there for the whole world to see, I’ve shamed the Brethren.

  Vestals are a collective power. We are united by secrecy and code. Privacy is paramount.

  There are some lines that Headmaster Russell won’t cross.

  So maybe this wasn’t about Seth after all. Maybe this was about me being a Vestal. Maybe it was about Viruses hunting me down because I was top pick. Because I went Geisha. Or because they wanted to thrash Veritas Rex, one of the most popular Viruses of all time.

  But no matter why it happened, I’ve failed Cal. Seth didn’t come home for dinner after all. I failed, like the loser I am. Just like Headmaster Russell used to say about me during Discipline Hour. “You’re weak, Blanca.
You need atonement.”

  It’s all my fault.

  I don’t know how I fall asleep, but I finally do, curled up on the marble floor. When I open my eyes, it’s the middle of the night, and a cold draft wakes me.

  Cal has come home, opening the front door and bringing the chill in with him. “Blanca,” he’s says. “What are you doing down here? Why aren’t you in bed?”

  I sit bolt upright and gasp for air. “Where’s Seth?” I ask. “Is he … ”

  “Seth’s okay.” Cal sits down on the floor next to me. “It’s all right.”

  “Where is he?”

  “Back at the hospital, sleeping off the drugs. His nose is broken, and he has a couple of cracked ribs, but other than that, he’ll be fine. He’s coming home in the morning.”

  I don’t think I’ve ever felt so much joy and relief at the same time. Then I look down at Cal’s hands, and they’re bandaged too.

  “What about you, Cal? Are you okay?”

  “Never better.” Cal smiles. “I spent the past eight hours with my son.”

  “Did you talk to him?”

  “Not yet.” Cal sighs. “Later. When the drugs wear off.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “For what?”

  “For failing you.”

  “What do you mean?” Cal asks. “I’m the one who failed you. And Alan! I should have had bulletproof glass in the guard station. I should have—”

  “Is Alan okay?”

  “He’s not going to come home any time soon, but he’ll make it,” Cal says.

  “I’m sorry Seth didn’t come home for dinner like you wanted.”

  “Is that it?” Cal puts his arm around me and hugs me gently. “Oh, my precious girl. You have nothing to be sorry for at all.”

  “But it’s all my fault! If it wasn’t for me, Seth could have gotten away.”

  “But why didn’t you get away when you had the chance? I heard Seth tell you to run.”

  “They were everywhere!” I pull myself back to look at him. “I couldn’t get to the house.”