The Triad

by Sarah Ettritch

  All those years she’d told herself that she wasn’t missing out, that she was content to be on her own, that families only let you down in the end, that the only person she could truly trust was herself… how much higher would she soar, now that two women would be there to catch her when she fell? How long would it take for the joyful tears to wash away the shameful ones? She’d believed that the Incident hadn’t hardened her heart, that the cold fingers of cynicism and indifference hadn’t wrapped themselves around her spirit and squeezed away all hope—until her Chosens’ persistent dedication to the spirit of the Way had broken through the barriers she’d erected. Love’s light had shattered her delusion and illuminated her huddling and afraid, and trust had coaxed her to take its hand and return to the living, leaving the dead behind.

  *****

  With a quiet sigh of relief, Lesley turned away from those at the Falcon table. Her life had changed so much since she’d last seen her fellow pilots that it felt as if decades had passed since they’d spoken.

  “I’ve already forgotten most of the names,” Jayne said when they were out of earshot of the table.

  “I wouldn’t worry about it. Who knows when we’ll see them again?” Mo said.

  The sadness in Mo’s voice didn’t escape Lesley’s ears. “Yearning to be back on tour?” she asked.

  “No. Well, maybe a little, but only because I miss the camaraderie. I mean, sure, I see the same pilots on 72, but I’m up and down. It’s not the same as being in each other’s pockets for six months. I guess seeing everyone made me realize that we’re growing apart.” Mo brightened. “But hey, I enjoy the teaching, I don’t mind flying supply, and I’ll take you two over a tour any day.”

  Lesley slipped her arm around Mo’s shoulders and squeezed her, then wondered if Jayne wanted to do the same. Jayne rarely touched Mo when the three of them were together. Lesley appreciated her deferential manner. She wasn’t ready to throw her arm around Mo, only to discover that Jayne had beaten her to it. Perhaps in time she’d chuckle and rest her arm on Jayne’s, rather than wanting to push it away. But not today.

  “Oh!” Mo waved and pointed. “There’s Ross. Come on, I want to introduce you.” She grasped Jayne’s arm.

  “This Ross is the same one they were all talking about, right?” Jayne said.

  Mo nodded. “Most of them graduated from the C6 Military Academy.”

  Lesley lifted her arm from Mo’s shoulders when someone else caught her eye. “You two go ahead. I’ll catch up.”

  Mo followed Lesley’s gaze and nodded. Lesley watched her two Chosens walk toward Ross, then maneuvered her way to Laura, nodding at those whose eyes met hers, but discouraging conversation by quickly looking away. Laura was talking to Caroline Johnson, who lived several estates away from the Thompsons. Both women turned to Lesley as she approached. Caroline murmured a hello and quickly excused herself. Laura gazed after her. “She’s probably relieved that you rescued her. I don’t know why she’s always so tense when she talks to me. She has nothing to worry about. Anyway, let me see it.”

  Lesley opened her mouth to ask what Laura wanted to see, then clamped it shut and held out her left hand. Laura peered at Lesley’s Chosen ring. “It’s not every day you see three names on the ring,” she said as Lesley slowly rotated the ring on her finger.

  “Do you have your triad’s Chosen rings?” Lesley asked.

  Laura’s head lifted. “No. I don’t know who has them. I assume they went to their eldest daughter and then down that line. I descend from daughter ten, so even if they’d split them up, we wouldn’t have them.”

  “What was daughter ten’s name?” Lesley asked dryly.

  “Ruth.”

  “Whose biological daughter was she?”

  Laura slowly shook her head. “Tsk, tsk. The only reason I won’t tell you off at your own Joining supper is because I know the nuances of the Chosen Tradition in regard to triads aren’t at your fingertips, especially regarding children. They will be.”

  Lesley’s face tightened. She hated making mistakes, especially in front of someone like Laura.

  “Children belong to the entire triad. Your children will be yours, Mo’s, and Jayne’s. You’ll know who the biological parents are. Rymellans who know you will know who the biological parents are. But that information will never go into the public record, and everyone must treat all three of you as the parents, because you will be.” Laura’s mouth turned up at the corners. “When the time comes, I’m sure we’ll issue an interpretation of the relevant articles as a mandatory bulletin. Nobody will have an excuse for doing something like rejecting a permission form signed by the non-biological parent.”

  When the time comes…the triad still had issues to work out, but they wouldn’t want to wait too long to start a family.

  “To answer your question about Ruth, I don’t know, and it doesn’t matter. They all brought her up. They’re all my ancestors.”

  Lesley understood the pride in Laura’s voice. “Thanks for sending the excerpt from Eleanor’s journal. It did inspire. She was a formidable woman. They all were.”

  “So are you and your Chosens. I’m not worried about this triad, Lesley. I know you’ll make it work. The triad couldn’t have asked for a better Principal.”

  Blood rushed to Lesley’s cheeks. She could almost forgive herself for her earlier mistake. Almost.

  “You know, I might try to find out who has their Chosen rings,” Laura said. “We’re not close to many of the other families. It’s been too many generations. But I wouldn’t mind seeing the rings. I’ll start by asking my mama how we got copies of the journals.”

  “If you find the rings, can I—we—see them, too?”

  Laura nodded. “I can’t think of anything more fitting than your triad examining those rings.”

  *****

  Jayne watched Commander Ross walk away and felt like pinching herself. The notion of conversing with a commander no longer terrified her. Unbelievably, she’d soon be Joined to one. If her imagination had ever dreamed up a ton of military at her Joining supper, they would have been there to keep an eye on her, not as guests—and her Chosens! She couldn’t help but chuckle.

  “What are you thinking about?” Mo asked.

  Jayne eyed Mo’s dress uniform and bit her lip. “I was just thinking that Commander Ross seems nice. There was a time when she would have frightened me.”

  “You haven’t seen her chew out a pilot. She doesn’t do it very often, though. You really have to screw up to upset Ross.” Mo shifted her weight. “I have to go to the bathroom.”

  “Okay. I’ll go talk to Carol,” Jayne said, but she scanned the room for someone else as soon as Mo left. Lesley was still talking to Laura. Good. This would be the perfect opportunity to do what she’d been avoiding all evening. According to the agenda Adelaide had drilled into Jayne’s head, they would have to leave soon. She couldn’t delay the dreaded conversation any longer.

  She found Robert, braced herself, and headed over to him. Fortunately he was with Kelly, and not a bunch of other relatives she’d rather not see. Kelly spotted Jayne first; her face lit up and she beckoned Jayne over to join them.

  “Let me see the ring,” she said, her voice too shrill. Jayne obligingly held out her right hand and stared at Kelly’s bent head. “I’d love to meet your Chosens,” Kelly said.

  “Lesley’s talking to her commanding officer, and I’m not sure where Mo is.” Jayne was glad Kelly couldn’t see her face. She liked Kelly and wouldn’t mind introducing her to Lesley and Mo. Why Kelly had stuck by Robert was a mystery; Jayne could appreciate how difficult that must have been after the Incident. Robert and Kelly had been together for longer than Lesley and Mo. Kelly must see something in him that eluded Jayne. Had Kelly asked Robert why he’d abandoned his younger sister? Had she encouraged him to visit Jayne, or had she been too busy defending Robert to her family and everyone else who’d urged her to dump him? It didn’t matter; Robert, not Kelly, should have looked out for
her.

  Argamon! Robert managed to get under her skin merely by standing next to her. Her resentment, disappointment, and bewilderment at his betrayal…they’d never be resolved. He didn’t care, and she needed to look forward, especially here, at her own Joining supper. Say what you came to say and move on. She gently pulled her hand away from Kelly and forced herself to turn to him. “Thank you for agreeing to stand on the steps with me.”

  “He’s your brother. Of course he’d stand on the steps with you,” Kelly quickly said.

  Robert scowled at her. “I’m apparently not good enough to sit at the main table, though.”

  Kelly’s face fell. “Rob, don’t—”

  Jayne held up her hand. “It’s not a matter of you not being good enough. It’s that we’re not close. Carol’s been a part of my life all these years. You haven’t.”

  “That makes sense, right?” Kelly patted Robert’s arm. “We’re at the family table with everyone else.”

  “It’s still a slight,” Robert snapped.

  A slight? Jayne couldn’t believe it. He was upset because she hadn’t treated him like a brother for one flaming event? What about him not treating her like a sister for thirteen flaming years? Could he not see past his own nose?

  “And I was only on the steps because the other two families wanted me there,” he added sullenly.

  “The Thompsons wanted you there. I don’t think the Middletons cared one way or the other,” Jayne retorted before she could stop herself.

  “I’m surprised they wanted you there,” Robert spat.

  Kelly gasped.

  Robert twisted toward her. “What? I didn’t say they didn’t want her there. I said I’m surprised that they did. Let’s face it, when I heard about the triad, I wondered whether she’d make it to the steps. I couldn’t have been the only one. Her two Chosens are in the military, after all.” His feigned innocence didn’t jibe with the venom in his voice just seconds earlier.

  Jayne quashed her rising indignation and the urge to shout that her Chosens had wanted to Join with her. Wouldn’t he love to see her humiliate herself by insisting that her Chosens truly cared for her? How many ways would he try to twist her words and, in the process, insult Lesley and Mo? Forget it! She wasn’t playing this game anymore.

  She’d never understand why he’d written her off when she’d most needed him. Maybe he’d been too shell-shocked to worry about anyone but himself. Maybe he’d been a frightened and hurt seventeen-year-old trying to save his own skin. Maybe, in trying to make sense of an incomprehensible situation, he’d blamed the Incident on her. Or maybe he was a self-absorbed, petty man, who only cared about himself. She didn’t care anymore. If he ever wanted to have a mature conversation with her, she wouldn’t turn him away. But she was done.

  She forced a smile. “It’s all right, Kelly. I was surprised, too.” Surprised, and gratified, that her Chosens had looked past her name, and that she’d looked past their cloaks. Robert was welcome to read her statement any way he wanted to. “Anyway, I just came over to say hello and to thank you for coming. Enjoy the rest of your evening.” With a nod, Jayne whirled and strode away from him.

  “Hey, Jayne!”

  She looked to her right. Nathan pointed at his empty glass and jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “You want a drink?”

  “Sure.” She fell into step with him, and blinked back the tears that suddenly sprang to her eyes.

  *****

  Mo left the bathroom and strolled back along the carpeted corridor toward the reception hall. Two boys were peering into a room off the corridor, giggling and nudging each other. “What are you two—”

  They jumped and gaped at her, then raced away.

  She shook her head, and slowed her pace as she passed the room. The door was only open a crack. She crept closer to it and listened. Silence. Curiosity got the better of her; she peeked through the crack. Her brows shot up. Argamon! It was a good thing she hadn’t snacked recently. She quietly pulled the door shut and wished the infirmary could erase the last five seconds of her memory. She didn’t need that image of Andrew and Ann sucking face bouncing around in her brain.

  What did it mean? Had they reached some sort of compromise regarding Andrew going to 72, or had hormones won the day? She sighed. What was it with those two? Were they infatuated with each other, or was it love? Would they be at each other’s throats again tomorrow? Do I care? Well, she supposed she did. Two lovebirds were better than Andrew moping around the house and Ann spreading her misery around 72. Next time she felt sorry for someone because they didn’t have a dance partner, she’d stay out of it.

  As she continued toward the reception hall, she wondered how she’d feel when she saw Les and Jayne kissing. She doubted they’d ever be all over each other in front of her, but even small displays of affection would be jarring. They’d decided they’d all sleep together the first time, but that would be different. Mo would be involved, not a spectator on the sidelines. When she saw them kissing or hugging or patting each other’s hands, she’d have to try very hard to remember that they both loved her, too, that she could go right up and kiss them, too, if she felt like it. Her head would still feel like exploding and she’d still want to curl up into a ball and howl in pain, but too bad.

  As she grasped the handle on the reception hall’s door, her Chosen ring drew her eyes. There was no backing out now, so they’d either learn to accept that they all loved each other, or they were in for one flaming mess of a miserable life. Mo knew which outcome she wanted, and that it would take every shred of self-control and maturity she had to get there. But she’d do it. She’d stay on the right side of the razor-thin line that separated love from hate.

  As soon as she entered the reception hall, she spotted Laura talking to her daughter. No sign of Les, but there was Jayne, with Nathan. Mo strolled up to them. “Have you seen Les?”

  They shook their heads. “Maybe she’s gone to our designated meeting spot,” Jayne said.

  Mo swung up her comm unit and checked the time. “We’re not due there for ten minutes.”

  “Do you know where Andrew is?” Nathan asked.

  She shrugged. “No idea.”

  “He said he was going to the bathroom. That’s the last I saw of him. Maybe he—” The band segued into another tune. Nathan’s eyes lit up. “Oh, I like this one. I’m going to dance. See you later.”

  “Have fun,” Mo said absently, her eyes on Jayne. “Do you want to dance?”

  Jayne hesitated. “After this one, there probably won’t be time for another.”

  “I doubt Les will hold it against us. It’s the last dance for tonight, not of our lives. We have many more dances in our future. All three of us.”

  “All right.” Jayne accepted Mo’s hand. “But if we see her, I’ll leave the dance floor and tell her to finish the dance with you.”

  Mo was about to protest, then reconsidered. “No. We’ll both leave the dance floor. But only because it’s our Joining supper.” At some point, they’d have to stop keeping score. She tugged on Jayne’s hand. “Come on.” Not for the first time this evening, Mo would do what she’d thought impossible when she’d lain awake at night worrying about whether she and Les were Chosens. Leading a Chosen who wasn’t Les onto the dance floor at their Joining supper? Nah, she’d considered that possibility. Leading a Chosen she loved, and who wasn’t Les, onto the dance floor? Not in a million years, or so she’d thought. Two Chosens. Argamon.

  *****

  Lesley tugged at her collar as she stood waiting for Mo and Jayne in the small room off the reception hall. Funny, it hadn’t bothered her at all today—until now. Even on the steps, her concern for her Chosens had eclipsed everything else. But the day was finally winding down, at least for the triad. The supper, the image-taking, the dances; greeting one Rymellan after another and working the large hall…she couldn’t wait to return home with her Chosens and let it all sink in.

  The muffled music suddenly grew louder as the door
swung open. Mo and Jayne came into the room and shut the door behind them. “So this is where you’re hiding.” Mo reached for Lesley and embraced her. “We didn’t know where you were,” she said as she stepped back. “Last I knew, you were talking to Laura.”

  “We ended up talking longer than I expected. Sorry I didn’t come over when you were still with Ross, but I’ll drop in on her when I’m at the Military Academy.” When she’d finished talking to Laura, Mo had been nowhere in sight, and Jayne had been speaking with Robert and a woman Lesley didn’t know. She’d considered joining them, but since Jayne hadn’t seemed keen on spending time with him and hadn’t made a point of bringing her Chosens over to him earlier in the evening, Lesley had stayed away. “I had a quick word with Karen and William, then came here.”

  Mo met Lesley’s eyes. “We decided to have one last dance.”

  “If we’d spotted you, we would have come off the dance floor,” Jayne said.

  “We figured you wouldn’t mind,” Mo added.

  Lesley could see the uncertainty in Mo’s eyes and had heard the anxiety in Jayne’s voice. “I don’t. If I’d felt like dancing, I would have stayed in the hall.”

  The door swung open again. “Good, you’re here,” Mama declared. Papa came in behind her and pushed the door shut. “Well.” Mama put her hands on her hips and surveyed them. “Two new Thompsons, and I’m sure it won’t be long before there are more.”

  Mo snorted. “Give us a chance, Adelaide. We’ve only been Joined for five minutes.”

  Mama gave her a pointed look. “You and Lesley have been together for how long?”

  “The triad hasn’t been together for very long,” Lesley said.

  “They’ll want to be in their own home first,” Papa added.

  Four months. According to William, that was how long they’d have to endure Mama bringing up the subject of children at the breakfast table.