Daughter of Nothing

by Eric Kent Edstrom

  Livy fiddled with one of the dog’s ears. “If you loved him, how could you do it?”

  “Because I didn’t want to look weak in front of the older students.”

  Livy pulled the flyaway strands of hair from her mouth and tucked them behind her ear. “Are you going to make me throw Charlie in the fire?”

  “I already said I wouldn’t. Besides, I don’t think you should.”

  “I’m going to starve to death, then.” Livy’s tone was so matter-of-fact that Jacey felt another surge of admiration for her. Most Dolphins were so scared of Dr. Carlhagen that they instantly submitted to his will. Jacey certainly had when she’d come to the school.

  Livy rubbed her stomach. “I’ve already eaten three mangos, and they kind of made me sick.”

  “I have an idea,” Jacey said. “Let’s hide Charlie someplace where only you and I know he is. That way you can come visit him sometimes, but you’ll still be able to get into the school, start your classes, and meet your friends.”

  “But the man won’t let me. He’ll want to see me throw Charlie in the fire.”

  “Do you see that jut of rock over there? That’s Jacques Point. We’ll tell Dr. Carlhagen that you threw Charlie into the waves.”

  “But I don’t want to drown him.”

  “You won’t. But that’s what we’ll tell everyone. Come with me.”

  She led Livy away from the beach toward the cliff.

  Strewn on a natural ledge of rock at the base of the cliff were the strange artifacts students had found over the years, junk that had washed onto the beach, relics of the old world. A buoy, an odd shoe that Sensei called a flip-flop, pieces of bottles, jugs, jars, a medical syringe. Jacey found what she was looking for, a large glass jar with a wide mouth and lid. She unscrewed it.

  “Charlie will stay safe and dry in here.”

  Livy hesitated, but then put the dog inside. Jacey screwed the lid on and handed the jar to Livy. “Where should we hide him?”

  The girl looked around, first at a tree and then at a stone. Jacey didn’t think Livy was up for the task, being tired and hungry.

  Livy surprised her, though. “Let’s bury him,” she said, pointing to a shady spot beneath a tree. Jacey used a wide bit of driftwood to scoop a deep hole in the sand. Livy put the jar in, patted the lid once, and started pushing sand over it.

  “You can remember this tree, right?” Jacey said. “I don’t think you should dig him up. But you can come here, and you can remember him and know that he’s safe.”

  Jacey started for the beach. In three steps, Livy caught up and took her hand. Jacey gripped it and led the girl back to the beach and helped her climb up to Jacques Point.

  Saving the dog gave Jacey a great deal of satisfaction. Not only because it made Livy happy, but also because it was an act of defiance against Dr. Carlhagen.

  But she knew she had to tread lightly. If Dr. Carlhagen was willing to have Vaughan beaten nearly to death, there was no telling what he might do to her.

  12

  The Same Storm

  Jacey wasn’t in a hurry to get back to campus because she didn’t want to face the other students. But the longer she delayed, the more trouble Livy would get in.

  “Who’s that?” Livy asked, pointing down the path.

  A runner approached in the distance. He ran alone, arms pumping.

  “I think it’s Elias,” Jacey said.

  Sensei had probably assigned him laps to separate him from the other boys. Jacey hoped the martial arts master had spoken to Elias’s Nine and told them to shape up.

  She waved as he approached, but he didn’t acknowledge her, didn’t even slow down.

  The path was narrow, cutting through a patch of wiry thornskipple bushes. Jacey stopped in the middle of it. He didn’t have any choice unless he left the path and shredded his shins.

  Dark-haired and lean, Elias always wore an intense look and said very little. Vaughan said Elias had a good sense of humor, but Jacey had never seen evidence of it. He greeted her with a stormy expression, dark brows pinched and mouth turned down.

  “What do you want, Jacey?” He didn’t even look at Livy.

  “Humphrey said the boys in your Nine are blaming you for what happened to Vaughan.”

  Elias didn’t say anything. He kept his eyes focused past her, as if she wasn’t there.

  “The girls in my Nine blame me. I think everybody does.”

  “Shouldn’t they?”

  “No. It wasn’t like Dr. Carlhagen made it sound. Vaughan and I were in the bell tower for a very good reason, and Humphrey was there, too.”

  “That’s not an explanation. And if all three of you were there, why was only Vaughan punished?”

  “I don’t know.” Her instincts told her it had something to do with the conversation she’d had with Dr. Carlhagen about her and Humphrey having linked futures. But that didn’t explain anything. When Scions violated school rules, the punishment was always swift and severe.

  But when she had demanded her punishment, all it had done was anger Sensei.

  “You saw what happened in the dining hall this morning.”

  “I wasn’t there,” Elias said. “My own Nine wouldn’t listen to my instruction. They said I should have followed Humphrey’s example and refused to kick Vaughan. But Vaughan kept telling me to do it.”

  “Who’s Vaughan?” Livy asked.

  “He’s our friend. He’s the leader of Elias’s Nine. We should get back to campus,” Jacey said. “I’m sorry you have to go through this Elias. It’s not fair.”

  She tried to get past him, but this time he blocked her way, arms folded across his chest. “Why were you guys in the bell tower?”

  Jacey hesitated. She wanted to tell him the truth. She had wanted to tell everyone the truth of what Dante had said. But even if she’d had proof, the story would lead back to the walkie-talkie they’d used. And that would get Vaughan put in the pit.

  “Tell me, Jacey,” Elias said. “You owe me an answer. I wouldn’t be in the position I am now if you guys hadn’t messed up.”

  “Swear to me you won’t say a word to anyone.”

  “I swear.”

  “And Livy, you too.” Normally, Jacey wouldn’t have trusted a Dolphin with a secret. But Livy was different since they already shared a big secret.

  “After the graduation ceremony, Vaughan told me that Dante had concealed a radio transmitter in his uniform. Vaughan, Humphrey, and I went to the bell tower to listen in to what was said after the graduates went into the medical ward.”

  Elias unfolded his arms and leaned forward. “Really? What did you hear?”

  Jacey recited the conversation again, mimicking the voices of each speaker. When she was done, she opened her eyes.

  Elias stared at her, mouth agape, shaking his head in disbelief. “Our parents? Jacey, we need to tell the Scions.”

  “Elias, you promised.”

  “But this is different. This is—” His expression alternated between shock, wonder, and anger, the same storm of emotions that she had been swept up in.

  “I’m not surprised,” Livy said. “I’ve always known my mother is out there somewhere.” Her voice was so matter-of-fact that Jacey thought she might know something.

  “Did Mother Tyeesha tell you that?”

  “No. She said that my parents died and that a rich sponsor paid to have me raised here. I never believed it.”

  “Why not?”

  “I saw it in Mother Tyeesha’s eyes. I think it’s the only lie she ever told me.”

  Elias let out a huge breath. “If this is true, everyone has a right to know it.”

  Jacey waved a finger at Livy and Elias. “You both need to keep this to yourselves. I don’t want word getting around about how we found out. Vaughan had the radio Dante had supposedly lost. The one he spent a night in the pit for losing. If Dr. Carlhagen finds out Vaughan had it all along, who knows what the punishment would be? Certainly worse than he’s already received.”<
br />
  Elias sucked air through his teeth before giving a grudging nod. “I guess you’re right. I won’t say anything.” He let out a disgusted laugh. “No one would listen to me anyway.”

  “Livy?”

  “I won’t say anything.”

  “Good,” Jacey said. “Besides, we don’t have proof that Dante was right. All we know is what he thought he saw.”

  “But you think he was right?” Elias asked.

  “I do.”

  “Was it worth it?” Elias toed the hard-packed dirt of the path. “If Vaughan dies . . .”

  He left the rest unfinished, but Jacey knew what he meant. If Vaughan didn’t make it, the Scions would never forgive either of them.

  She decided then that she absolutely had to see Vaughan. The problem was getting past Nurse Smith’s desk.

  “Have a good run, Elias,” she said. “Come along, Livy.” She started down the path toward the campus.

  There was one thing she could try, though it made her sick to think of it. But if it worked, she could get in to see Vaughan. And maybe, hopefully, clear her reputation.

  13

  All Their Socrateses

  Everyone was in class by the time Jacey and Livy returned to campus. Jacey stopped in the dining hall. The Snakes always left an array of fruit and veggies for Scions to take if they needed a snack between meals. She took a banana, and Livy chose an apple.

  “Let’s get you cleaned up,” Jacey said. “Then I’ll introduce you to Socrates.”

  After ten minutes in Girls’ Hall, Livy had showered, brushed her teeth, and changed into a uniform. She still didn’t have her Dolphin pin, but that could wait.

  In the girls’ classroom the other students were already at their desks, each deep in conversation with Socrates. They seemed to make an effort not to notice Jacey’s and Livy’s entrance.

  Since Livy was the youngest of Jacey’s Nine, her desk was at the front, directly facing Jacey’s, which faced back toward her Nine. She showed Livy how to summon Socrates by placing her hands on the glass surface.

  The bearded professor materialized and smiled. “Ah, Livy. Good to finally meet you.”

  Jacey gave Livy an affectionate pat on the head, then went to her own desk. Socrates already had his book open when he appeared above her desk. “We’ll review what you’ve memorized of Macbeth. Please begin your recitation when ready.”

  Jacey closed her eyes and imagined the three weird witches sitting around their cauldron. As long as she had the starting image, she could find the thread of sounds she’d memorized.

  wen|shal|wee|three|meet|uh|gen

  in|THUN|dur|LITE|neeng|or|in|rayn

  wen|thuh . . .

  Worries about Vaughan and what she intended to do later that morning broke through her concentration.

  She tried again, this time taking deep breaths, willing herself to focus.

  wen|thuh . . .

  Her plan was audacious and would require making a scene. Not something Sensei condoned. She shook her head as if she could somehow fling the distractions from her mind.

  Socrates held his book open, his finger marking the spot where she’d left off. “I know you know it, Jacey. Your reader shows that you listened to the first three acts.”

  “I did. But it was after Sensei discovered me and Vaughan alone together.”

  “I see.” The book in Socrates’s hands disappeared as he folded it closed. “There is nothing you can do about the past.”

  “But what about the present? Vaughan was nearly killed. Why can’t I go in to see him?”

  “You’re asking a question I cannot answer.”

  “Why not? You have to know how Vaughan is doing. Aren’t you connected to all the computers on campus?”

  “You’re asking questions I cannot answer.” He put special emphasis on the word “questions.” Usually when students asked questions that were not allowed, he would frown and threaten to report them to Sensei or Dr. Carlhagen.

  “But those are the questions that are distracting me,” she said. “I don’t see why Vaughan’s condition needs to be secret.”

  And why is the existence of our parents a secret? And why won’t anyone tell us what’s in store for us after graduation?

  The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. “And why haven’t I been punished? I am as guilty as Vaughan.”

  “Dr. Carlhagen has his reasons, I’m sure.”

  “Which are?”

  “I must warn you against going down this line of thinking, Jacey. I don’t want to have to report you to Sensei.”

  She didn’t see what difference it would make. If Dr. Carlhagen wouldn’t punish her for being alone with Vaughan, what did these little questions matter?

  She decided to test it out.

  “What was my mother’s name?”

  The old professor usually showed facial expressions natural to any human. Jacey thought it was because he’d been programmed to be more human-like for the benefit of the students. Usually, when asked these kinds of questions, he scowled and admonished students to turn their attention to their studies.

  Socrates just stared at her and blinked. “In accordance with my programming, I’ve notified Sensei of your question.”

  Jacey didn’t care. “What happens to Scions after graduation? Where are Dante and the others?”

  “In accordance with to my programming, I’ve notified Sensei of your line of questioning.”

  “Where exactly was Sarah assigned to go? What specific skills of hers will she use as she takes her role as a leader of men? How many people will follow her? What is the climate like where she’s been sent? Is it likely she’ll catch one of the plague diseases? Why did Dr. Carlhagen give me a dress and frilly underthings if the outside world is bare of resources?”

  She was shouting.

  The eyes of all the Scions and all their Socrateses were on her. Belle glared at her before barking at her Nine to return to their work.

  Jacey cleared her throat and looked down at her Socrates. “Is Sensei on his way here to collect me for punishment?”

  “No.”

  “If there are no consequences for breaking rules, then I shall take the rest of the morning off.” Jacey stepped away from her desk and walked down the aisle. Despite Belle’s orders, the girls from both Nines stared at her, some confused, others disgusted.

  Livy seemed the least disturbed by Jacey’s outburst. “Can I come with you?” she asked, catching up to her.

  “No. I doubt my immunity will extend to you.”

  She continued toward the door, stopping at her Second’s desk. “Wanda, don’t forget Livy at lunchtime.”

  Jacey walked into the warm day and scanned the quad. A bougainvillea hedge caught her eye. Perfect.

  She unclipped the radio Sensei had given her when he’d sent her to find Livy and stuffed it among the blooms. Remembering Dante’s night in the pit caused her hands to shake as she did so. But it would be a true test of her immunity. If she wasn’t punished for losing the radio, then she could get away with anything.

  She headed for the graduation platform, which still stood on the east side of the quad. Lizards and Crabs would be tearing it down later that day, but not before Jacey got one more use from it.

  She climbed to the top and lay down on the wooden planks, closing her eyes against the sun. But it did little to warm her or settle the trembling in her limbs.

  14

  Contained Violence

  “I understand your concerns, Nurse Smith,” Dr. Carlhagen said. “I’ll have Janicka removed during the next lockdown. Goodbye.”

  With unsteady hands he dug his andleprixen bottle from the drawer and popped a dose. It wasn’t due for another few hours, but he didn’t care. He would be out of his decrepit body soon anyway.

  Janicka’s situation was inconvenient. But better her than Silvio or Elizabeth. Knowing Janicka, she hadn’t told anyone where she was going. Fortunately, the other three were doing very well, already off the
island and pursuing whatever lives they’d chosen. The final payments—forty million dollars each—had appeared in his account that morning.

  Dr. Carlhagen summoned Michael. The professor’s holo blurred into existence over his desk.

  “Have you completed the analysis of Janicka’s transfer?”

  With a magician’s flourish, Michael materialized a three-ring binder. “I have done a bit for bit comparison of the synaptic neural mapping prior to transfer and post-transfer. They are 99.78% identical. The difference reflects regions retained to preserve Sarah’s muscle memory for athletic and dance performance as well as her improved mathematical capacities. Almost exactly the same ratio as we retained of Elizabeth and Silvio’s Scions. Nothing in the data accounts for Janicka’s reaction. Except . . . But no, that couldn’t be it.”

  “Please, Michael, don’t play with my patience today. If you have a theory, spit it out.”

  “I noted that Janicka was the most hesitant of the Progenitors. And Sarah was the most improved of all the Scions, bearing little resemblance to Janicka at age eighteen.”

  Dr. Carlhagen considered this. The psychological makeup of the Progenitor was apparently a more significant variable than he’d believed. He decided he would have to change the procedure for future transfers. It had been a mistake, letting the Progenitors meet their Scions. That would be problematic, though. After all, who would be willing to transfer into a new body sight unseen?

  He put it out of his mind. “That will be all.”

  “In accordance with my programming,” Michael said, “I officially notify you that Jacey has been asking many of your so-called ‘forbidden’ questions.”

  “What of it?”

  “She is quite aware you haven’t punished her for being alone with Vaughan in the bell tower.”

  “If I were to punish her, I would have had to identify her, which would most certainly lead to her disgrace.”