All We See or Seem

by Leah Sanders

A birth? And then what? They had used the term replaceable — like she was a commodity who could outlive her usefulness. She knew it was an honorable assignment, second only to Codes Violet and Green. Code Green. Gryff. Oh, Joseph, how she missed him.

  ****

  “That went well.”

  “She’s sharp, doctor. A natural — quick to comprehend and a good little actor. They usually have to have it explained several times... I know what’s done is done, but are you certain it was for the best to make her suspicious so soon?”

  “The decision has been made. The replacement is already in production. She’ll serve her purpose, and then we’ll transfer her to the research facility.”

  “I can’t help but feel bad about deceiving her.”

  “Don’t. It’s like tricking a dog into going to the vet. You’ve gained her trust. Now you can guide her where we want her to go. She’ll depend on you for reliable information.”

  “You’re right, of course, doctor.... All set for Act Two?”

  “After you, my dear.”

  Chapter Nine

  The party was a bust. Aaron had no idea how his parents could possibly know so many excruciatingly boring people. The only excitement the evening held for him was the anticipation of how the next person he met would outdo all the others by achieving new heights of monotony.

  After enduring an exhausting hour of tedium, he started to search for an avenue of escape. His mother, seeming to sense his desire for flight, had posted a vigilant watch over the stairs. Aaron would never be able to sneak by undetected.

  His father, on the other hand, had made himself comfortable near the back door leading into the kitchen. Aaron considered it as an option for a moment, but he knew what his father’s response would be. “I feel your pain, son. I really do. But if I have to endure it, you sure ain’t getting out of it. Besides, you remember the old adage — That which does not kill you only makes you stronger.” Aaron didn’t know which would be worse, the party or the lecture. At any rate, the back door was not his best exit strategy.

  There were the French doors in the sitting room that led out to the veranda, but to get there he’d have to run the gauntlet of senators’ wives — all of whom were certain they knew of the perfect eligible young woman for him. Another escape route hardly worth the trouble, sounded like a torture straight out of the pages of one of those Regency novels Mom loved so much.

  For such an impressive house, there were surprisingly few exits. The front door was out of the question — his mother had a full view of it from her post by the mahogany staircase. That left only Dad’s office. The buffet table was strategically situated next to the entrance. If he acted nonchalant, like he was going for the hors d’oeuvres, Aaron might be able to manage a stealthy spin move and duck in under the radar. He just prayed it wasn’t locked.

  Yes, he had promised his mother he would be sociable, but he had put in a good hour, and even Bobby — Mr. Social — had disappeared after only twenty minutes. Knowing Bobby, Aaron realized his escape plan had probably been worked out days in advance. After all, Bobby had been to several of Mom’s parties, and all of them more recently than Aaron’s latest subjection. Why hadn’t Bobby warned him to get out quick? Well, that was just Bobby. Not a whole lot mattered if it didn’t affect him directly.

  Aaron began his journey to the food table, careful to seem purposeless as he sauntered with his hands loosely in his pockets. He smiled and made casual conversation with a few of the guests as he passed them.

  “Enjoying yourself, Senator Abel? — Looks like you need a refill, Judge Williams — Secretary Tavish, I didn’t know you were back in town!” His parents’ circle of friends had included politicians and high-ranking officials ever since he could remember, so Aaron had long since developed his own art of polite and diplomatic avoidance.

  Finally, he arrived at his destination. He lifted a small plate from the side table and began selecting a few of the more appetizing offerings. If Aaron was going into hiding, he would need provisions. He caught his mother’s glance while he piled his plate with crab-stuffed mushrooms and mini-quiches, so he offered her what he believed to be an irreproachably innocent smile and pretended to inspect the fruit tarts.

  When he was satisfied she had stopped watching him, he made a quick scan of the area for surveillance and then made a covert escape into his father’s office. Phew! It was unlocked.

  Ah! Sweet freedom, he thought as he made his way through the unlit room to the outside door. Aaron could see through the glass it was only beginning to get dusky outside. He opened a door and stepped out onto the deck.

  The evening breeze was a welcome relief in the July humidity. Of course, the climate in D.C. was nothing like his desert post, so he sure wasn’t complaining.

  It was a little stuffy in the house — or was that just the guest list? Aaron leaned his forearms on the deck rail and looked over his parents’ grounds.

  His mother had always enjoyed doing her own yard work, but the acreage here at the new place was too much for one person, so Aaron’s dad had finally been able to talk her into hiring a gardener. The argument that “All the other wives have one” had never gone over well, but after a month of trying to handle it herself early last spring, she was able to swallow her gardening pride and concede the need for the extra help. Of course, she still had a section that was off limits to the hired professionals — uniquely hers, just enough to indulge her pleasure in gardening without sucking every spare minute from her day.

  Aaron might be slightly prejudiced, but in his opinion, his mother’s section was the best part of the whole estate.

  Mechanic laughter resonated from the veranda around the side of the house. The sound made Aaron cringe. The worst party ever. And he’d been to some doozies in his lifetime. Actually, he couldn’t put his finger on exactly what was so horrible about this party. He had a sneaking suspicion it was the anxiety of knowing it was a going away party. Although he was excited about his new stateside assignment, there was always a twinge of fear of the unknown destiny. Destiny? Really? You really are getting sentimental, Aaron, he scolded himself. It was weird. Leaving had never bothered him this much before, and he’d left a lot.

  A click of the office door startled Aaron from his thoughts. He stepped away from the rail and ducked back by the wall. Whoever it was, Aaron wasn’t ready to be taken captive back into the party. Just a few more minutes, then he’d surrender of his own volition.

  “Joe?”

  It was his father’s voice. Relief flooded Aaron. Good. They weren’t looking for him yet.

  “Yes, I got your message.”

  Dad must be on the phone. It’d probably just be a short call. Aaron had never known him to make a business call during a party. Mom would skin him if she knew.

  “A status update? Yes… I have been observing closely… No. Cary hasn’t noticed.”

  Cary? Why would she be involved in this conversation? She never had anything to do with Dad’s work.

  “Listen, Joe, I gave you the current update… Yes, I realize you like to keep close tabs on your replacements… No… No… You know what? You’ll have all the tabs you want next week when he gets out there… Yes, but do you understand we are just trying to deal with the adjustment?”

  Robert’s voice grew tenser. Aaron could tell he was fighting back the urge to rip into the idiot on the other end of the line. Must be somebody important if he was going to all the trouble of restraining himself so carefully.

  “Okay, Joe… Hey, I’ve got to get back to Cary’s party… Yes, of course, I’ll call you if I notice any problems… You just take care of business at EROMI. I’ll deal with it on this end… Yes… Goodbye.”

  Aaron heard the beep signaling the end of the call and waited, holding his breath. He could tell his father was seething quietly in his leather desk chair. Only when Aaron heard the violent thump of his father’s clenched fist on the desk and the creak of the chair as Dad stood and strode out of the room, did he exhale
and begin to breathe again.

  EROMI. He had heard of that before. It was in his new commission orders. He’d be posted there as a military intelligence liaison — the project he was going to be overseeing. Okay. But if that’s the case, why was his dad getting those calls? They should be for Aaron. He began working back through his memory of the contents of his father’s side of the conversation. Something about an observation of a replacement. Surely Dad would fill him in later. It was his assignment, after all. The conversation was haunting him though; he’d have to do some reconnaissance work, but he was good at that. He turned to go back through the office, but jumped when he heard his mom’s voice floating to him through the portico.

  “Aaron! There you are!” She was pacing toward him rapidly with someone in tow. “I’ve been scouring the house for you! Look who just arrived?” She stepped out onto the deck, dragging her guest with her.

  “Tricia,” Aaron sighed. His mother shot him a stern look, and he tempered his tone with a forced smile. “So nice to see you.”

  Chapter Ten

  “I’m sorry, she insisted I see you. I didn’t have the heart to refuse her,” Tricia explained. Aaron’s mother had quickly excused herself to return to the party, leaving the two of them alone on the deck.

  “Well, she is certifiably insane. You’re safer just doing what she says,” Aaron joked. He had no desire to be stuck in this conversation. Whatever his mother’s obsession with the two of them somehow ending up together, it was never going to happen. He’d explained this to her in seven different ways; she simply wouldn’t accept it.

  “I know we don’t owe each other anything, but I might as well tell you, I’m seeing someone.”

  “If you’da told her that, she’d’ve let you off the hook.”

  “Are you kidding me? I did! She told me that until I say my vows, there’s still reason to hope.”

  Aaron laughed. “Yeah, that sounds like Mom. Sorry about that.”

  “No big deal. Actually, it’s ironic…” Tricia smiled dreamily and turned to look out at the garden.

  When it seemed she wasn’t going to complete the thought, Aaron became curious.

  “What’s ironic?” he prompted.

  “I don’t know if I should tell.”

  “Oh, come on! You don’t say something like that unless you’re dying to tell,” Aaron coaxed teasingly.

  “I suppose not.” She grinned.

  It was evident from the pink in her cheeks, Tricia was too embarrassed to explain what she meant. Aaron decided not to push her. They used to be close friends before he joined the military. People always assumed they would transition into something more, but it was never Aaron’s intention. Whether or not Tricia had had other plans, he couldn’t say. But who knows how women think? At any rate, he knew her well enough to know when to stop going after what she had decided was a secret.

  The silence could have easily waxed awkward, but it was interrupted by the unmistakable sound of Bobby rustling in the bushes right in front of them. He always thought he was so sneaky. Then, of course, he jumped suddenly up through the shrubs in front of them with a roar, just like he had done to them a thousand times before, back in the old house when they were teenagers.

  Bobby hopped over the rail and plopped himself right between Aaron and Tricia. “Did I scare ya?” he teased.

  Tricia giggled nervously.

  “Sure, Bobby, right out of our wits.” Aaron yawned for effect.

  The covert look exchanged between Bobby and Tricia wasn’t lost on Aaron, and the meaning of Tricia’s irony suddenly donned on him. He raised an eyebrow and allowed a half-smile to play at the corner of his mouth while he appraised the subtle overtures between them.

  “Oh, I get it. You’re right, Tricia. Mom’ll love the irony.” He laughed at the shocked look on her face. “Really? You do know what I do for a living — right? Or… did we just meet? Remind me.”

  She slugged him in the arm. Bobby smiled and tried to hide his amusement by stepping behind Tricia and wrapping his arms around her waist.

  “I told you he would know… brain damage and all.” Bobby chuckled.

  “Oh sure, use the woman as a shield, Bob.” Aaron shook his head in feigned disappointment.

  “It’s only because I know you’re afraid of them, dude.”

  “Them?” Aaron was immediately sorry he asked when he saw the broad grin spread across his brother’s face.

  “Women!” Bobby kissed Tricia on the cheek abruptly, hopped back over the rail, and ran. He knew what was coming. Aaron lunged for him but missed and thought better of wasting the energy.

  “He’ll be back.”

  “He’d better be. He’s supposed to take me home.”

  “So… you and Bobby, huh? When did that happen?”

  “I don’t know. It just happened some time while you were gone. Bobby’s… he’s different, you know?”

  “Oh, yeah. He’s quite unique. Good. I’m glad for you two. But do you think you could do me one little favor? I mean, even though we don’t owe each other anything?”

  “Sure.”

  “Will you please tell Mom!”

  “Wow, Bobby was right. I’m surprised I never saw it before. You really are afraid of women.” Tricia laughed and patted Aaron on the head. “I’ll see you at Christmas.” She turned and walked back through the portico.

  Aaron rolled his eyes in disgust and murmured, “Afraid of women. Bull sh—”

  “It was nice Tricia could come.” Oh good, Mom is back.

  “Ah. Back for another pound of flesh, Mother?”

  She laughed and slipped her arm around him. “Yeah, sorry about that.”

  “You know that’s never going to happen, right?”

  “Mmm… Wanna hear the kicker? I already know about Tricia and Bobby.” She giggled.

  “What!? If you already knew, why the h—?”

  “Well, I just like messing with you.” She smiled mischievously. “Call it a mother’s love.”

  Aaron had to laugh then. He put his arm around her shoulders and hugged her.

  “I’m going to miss you, Mom.”

  “Yeah, me too. Just… you know, if you meet someone out there…”

  “Mom.”

  “Sorry. Old habits and all that.” Aaron rolled his eyes. “But seriously, Aaron…” His mother tilted her head to look up at him. “You can bring a girl home sometime. I promise she’ll be safe here.”

  That drew a soft chuckle from Aaron. “Well, I guess I can’t speak for Bobby,” Cary said with a smile. She squeezed his waist and stepped toward the portico. “Come back to the party, Aaron. Have a little fun.”

  Aaron raised an eyebrow at her. Fun? Right. He glanced at the door to his father’s office. It would have to wait until later. Reluctantly he followed his mother to the veranda and death by boredom.

  ****

  “Gem? Gem? Are you there?” His voice was raspy in the dark fog. He stood at the fence, calling her name. There was silence on the other side. Shadow had overtaken the courtyard. Where could she be? He listened for any sign of life, straining to hear her. His hands held the bars of the wrought iron fence, which was suddenly reaching up to the clouds. No way to climb over it.

  As far as the eye could see to the left and to the right were bars. No gate. Gem! He closed his eyes and rested his forehead against the fence. He was too late. She was gone. The pain wrenched his chest, and he felt tears stinging in his eyes.

  He opened them again, and she was standing in front of him. She reached up and covered his hands with hers. They were so cold. “Gem? Are you okay?” She smiled and moved in closer, so close her breath mingled with his between the bars. “I’ve been waiting for you.”

  “I know,” she whispered. He inhaled her sweet scent. What was it? Lilac?

  “Gem, how do I get in there? Where’s the way in?”

  “You can’t come in. They won’t let you,” she whispered again. Her breath warm on his face. She reached through the bars an
d traced his jaw line with her fingertips, coming to rest lightly on his lips. Her touch sent tremors down his spine, and he closed his eyes in response. When he opened them again, her face was dangerously close, and her eyes were gazing into his, but they seemed to be imploring him.

  “Gem?”

  “I need to… I want to…” she said in a voice hardly more than a breath. But she seemed so unsure of herself.

  “It’s okay.” He slipped his hands between the bars and pulled her face in closer until their lips brushed lightly. He felt her tense beneath his touch, and she inhaled sharply and pulled away with questions dancing wildly in her dark eyes. He watched the slow progress of realization in her eyes — from confusion to curiosity to a shy smile as she stepped back to the fence, slipped her hands around to the back of his neck, and pulled his head down to meet her upturned face.

  He reached his right arm around the small of her back and cupped her head in his left. If only the bars would disappear. But instead they seemed to grow thicker, prying them from one another’s arms. Frantically, he willed them to recede. They thinned, though they did not dissolve. It was enough for now. Desperately he closed the distance between them until their lips met again. Her soft, low moan drove desire through him. He had to scale that fence. Reluctantly he pulled back, intending to do just that, but as he released her, she whispered breathlessly, Gryff—

  Aaron sat bolt upright in bed. Then groaned and rubbed his eyes as if in pain. That girl. Always the same girl. She haunted his dreams now. And that iron barrier. Always that stupid wrought iron fence.

  He slipped his feet over the side of the bed and tossed back the covers. Everyone was asleep by now. A good time to investigate his father’s office.

  ****

  Gem’s eyes flashed open in the dark. “Gryff.” His name still fresh on her lips. She reached up to her mouth gingerly. What was that? Her lips. They were tingling. A strange sensation.

  Chapter Eleven

  The house was dark and silent. Aaron was certain everyone was sleeping, but he decided to play it safe and go down the back stairs through the kitchen. That way, if he got caught, he could claim he was on a midnight fridge raid. A flutter of excitement spread through him. It had been awhile since he’d experienced the thrill of spy work, though he’d done more than his share of it before the accident — never in his own home, however.