SEVENTY-FOUR: And Nephilim makes Four

Being from Alippiana had its benefits.  The two Nephilims that worked in the kitchen at Rose House knew the Diofe.  It only took one secret ViH-Dot passed by MiJin and one meeting with gifts for them to agree to help her.

MiJin came to Arous’ room to help her get ready.

“What do you need me to do?” MiJin asked.

“First, I need you to hold my hands for a few minutes. It will make the shimmer stronger,” she said.  “You checked with the Nephilims to make sure they were still okay with us using the kitchen closet for 20 minutes.”

“Yes, positive,” said MiJin.  “Yes, they’ll do anything if they think its subversive and Lady Rose won’t like it.”

“Great.”

“What’s a shimmer?”

“You’ll see,” said Arous. “Hold out your hands, I’ll grab them, then I’ll hug you for a minute and then you’ll see.”

MiJin put out her hands and Arous grabbed them. She then hugged MiJin for a few minutes.  When Arous pulled back, MiJin gasped.

“You’re me!”

Arous helped MiJin sit down on a cushion before she completely collapsed.

“Almost,” she said, “I look like you, I sound like you. And because you stayed still and let me hold you for a very long time, this will stay strong for a very long time, even under stressful conditions, not like the made-up kind.”

“Wow,” said Mijin, “Where did you learn to do that?”

“Alippiana, from a very wise Skin-dancer.”

“Wow.”

There was silence a minute while Arous let MiJin catch her breath.

“What now?” MiJin asked.

“I’ve arranged to have Siobhan distract Simon and Jude will be, I don’t know, he said he’ll take care of Jellina. We’ll go to the kitchen together.  I’ll turn the shimmer there and you’ll wait in the closet until I come back for you.”

“What’ll you do then?”

“I’ll find Ricci.  He should be with Jellina.  Siobhan will have excused herself and as soon as I find Ricci, shimmering as you.  Jude will take care of Jellina.”

“Why Ricci, Arous? Do you think he can help you with your mother?”

“I don’t know.  He has something to do with her, but I don’t know what.”

A hoveh-sine picked-up MiJin and Arous and took them to Rose House where the Ambassador’s Ball was taking place. There was a large yard with a rose garden behind the house. Large enough to fit the exclusive guest list of the rich and visiting dignitaries from other Pantaganents.

Before long people were there milling about; as soon as she saw Siobhan she grabbed her and pulled her into a closet in the kitchen.

Arous then shimmered into MiJin for a second then out.

“Convincing?”

“Oh, my,” she said. “Do that again.”

“No, way,” she said, “Look, are you ready to do what I asked you?”

“How do you do that?” she asked.

“Focus, Siobhan, I need your help still.”

There was a loud rap at the door.

“Look, we have to go. Just take care of Simon after they announce his appointment.  The second we come off stage, got it?”

“Are you sure you can trust these, what do you call them?”

“Nephilim.”

“What if they blow your cover, tell Lady Rose? Mijin could get, well, cooked goose comes to mind.”

“Have you ever heard one of them talk, Siobhan?”

“No.”

“Then I guarantee no one else has.”

There was one loud rap at the door.

Arous stepped out and walked into the garden pulling Siobhan along behind her.  She waited until they were mingling among people she didn’t know to start again talking to Siobhan again.

“Do whatever you have to but be ready to roll when we get off the stage.”

“What are you going to do?”

“Mijin and I will duck into the kitchen where she’ll stay and I’ll corner Ricci.”

“What about Jellina?”

“Jude’s taking care of her.”

At that moment Simon walked by and stopped.

“Good evening, Ladies.”

“So, you got this detail? Lucky dog,” said Siobhan.

“I’m the star of the show,” said Simon smiling.

“Yes, before Ricci announces his new entourage.”

“You think it will be all three of you?” asked Arous.

“It’s a possibility, a real possibility. Though, I don’t know how MiJin has managed.”

“Jude’s here, somewhere,” said Simon.

“How’d he get to come?” asked Siobhan a little shocked.

“Oh, he comes every year, you’ve just never noticed him before.”

“So, it’s true about him working for Ricci,” said Siobhan.

“I’ll never tell,” said Simon. “I’m as mum as a ghost.”

SEVENTY-THREE: Hamlet to England

Siobhan’s fear was strong. Arous had held on to her long enough that the images of her memory burned into my brain.  Octavius could smell her fear, sending it back to me making the vision even stronger.  I’ve never liked reading in through people’s fear but I had to know what Arous was in for and maybe find out what Ricci was really up to.

Siobhan and Arous’ mom were on a job, a last minute, thrown-together type of job.  They were in a big, fancy hotel room in the Delusion.  A knock came to the door. Siobhan answered it. There was a member of the elite special forces unit of the Spartan Guard called the Gray Guard.  He was tall with a grey suit and red-rimmed, mirrored glasses. His deliberate words fell from cold lips.  His skin glistened. He held a V-dot in his open palm.

“A private V-gram. For Lady Siren Grey.”

“I’ll take it.”

“No. It’s confidential.  Is the Lady here?”

Arous’ mother marched to the door.

“Yeah?”

Arous’ mom took the red dot with a V, popped it in her mouth and swallowed. It took only seconds for it to attach itself to her cranial nerve, vibrate its message and dissolve. She listened to the V-dot emotionless.  She faced the door, away from the clients.  Her body tensed a bit but didn’t move.  Siobhan thought she detected a slight change in her countenance before she smiled.  Lady Grey was the consummate actor.

“Well, lady and gentlemen, surprise, surprise. There’s something special in the kitchen.  Siobhan and I have been instructed to bring it up and give it to you personally. We’ll be right back. Compliments of Ephor Ricci who will be here within the hour.”

Something made Siobhan ask if she should take her scarf that she had left draped across one of the chairs.

“Nonsense.  We’ll be right back.”

Lady Grey linked arms with Siobhan and walked out the door to the end of the hall.  As soon as she got to the elevator she turned and look toward the room.  She turned back to the elevator, the smile had vanished.

“What’s going on?” asked Siobhan.

“Never, I mean, never again bring something that might be left, no coat, no scarf, no bag. We leave without a trace, understand?”

The elevator chimed ‘Bienvenue’ and the door opened. Men in grey suits and red rimmed, mirrored glasses glided out of the elevator. One of them looked down at Arous’ mom and nodded, giving a quick knowing smile.

Siobhan and Lady Siren Gray walked into the elevator and the doors shut.

“Perfect timing.  He’s trimming it closer and closer.”

“What is happening?” By now Siobhan was shaking.

“Have you ever read Hamlet?” Lady Grey asked.

“Yeah.”
            “You remember why King Claudius sends Hamlet to England?”

“Yeah,” said Siobhan.

“Well, let’s just say if Hamlet is in that room and the Grey Guard we just saw were England, Claudius would have been successful,” said Lady Grey.

“Who’s Claudius?”

“Aah-aah.  Don’t ask that question.  Never ask that question.  The less you know the less you have to lie about later,” said Lady Grey.

SEVENTY-TWO: Myth of the Gift

“That’s a myth,” said Siobhan.  “The Thirteen who save us from aliens and we all live happily ever after and never die. Bleh.”

“No one knows. I mean, everyone has their own idea of what the Prince Charming might look like but – it’s never the same is it?” said Mijin. “I always imagined him as a body of light.”

“Why, why do you think there is some big PC, someone out there to choose us, to take us away, to save us? Why do you insist believing this, this crap?” Jellina countered her as before, but this time more impassioned.

“Why not?” asked Mijin.

“Did your mom make you sell yourself to a house?” said Jellina.

“No.”

“Well, my mom did. You know why? Because there is no one who wants me for me.  I am nothing unique or special unless my pretty face or smile or charm can make it that way.  My mom knew it. Because she knew there was no such thing as Prince Charming!” said Jellina.

Silence, again.

MiJin looked at Jellina her eyes winced in pain. She looked to Arous for stability but Arous was staring off into space.

“I chose this,” said MiJin.

“And, what? You’re giving me some argument, trying to spin my life positive, for what?!? For something even you don’t believe in?” said Jellina.

“Don’t.” She paused. “Coming here. Doing this, it wasn’t about belief,” said Mijin.
            “Okay, okay, it’s getting a little rough in here, talking about ‘belief’,” Siobhan got up sauntered across the room and sat by Arous. She leaned against her and draped her arms over her. Arous didn’t even blink in recognition.

“What I mean is,” said Mijin, then, “I don’t know.  I know this isn’t at all like what I believe the world really is. Believing in Prince Charming is like believing that there is something better out there for me. Life that is more like a gift. Tell them, Arous, you know.  You’re from the Bowl. You know the Diofe.”

Arous was silent.

“Everybody has a gift.  This face is my gift,” Jellina began. “belonging to me.  I do with it what I please. I don’t wait. I don’t wonder. I don’t spend fruitless hours hoping, wishing that somebody will save me when I know they won’t.”

“What if I told you that it didn’t belong to you?  Would you believe that?” Arous’ voice was solid now.

“The kid’s got a point.” Siobhan spoke but she did not move.

 “Look kid. You’re right. My face doesn’t belong to me it belongs to the House, to Lady Rose. Either way, the more I smile and charm and make nice the more money I make. The more money I make the better opportunities I get. The better opportunities I get the less work I have to put in. The faces soon become familiar. Powerful faces. Your mom knew that,” said Jellina.

“How do you know about my mom?” asked Arous.

“Oh, honey, come on, everybody knows about your mom. Rumors circle like vultures about your mom.  She’s a legend. She came from nowhere and became somebody almost overnight. A somebody to the biggest somebody in a million miles. We look up to her. She was a first. Everybody wants to be like her,” said Jellina.

“What do you mean?  What do you know?”

“Look, Arous, I don’t think you should ask these kind of questions. You don’t want to know,” said Siobhan.

“Oh come off your high horse, Siobhan.  It’s okay for the kid to know.”

“But it’s not okay to talk about it,” said Mijin.

“It’s not okay for Siobhan to talk about it, maybe.  But me, what are they going to do to me?” said Jellina.

“They?” asked Arous.

“Listen Arous. Stop this. Stop right now. You don’t know what you are getting into. You’re getting to her the right way, the slow way.  You’re in with Lady Rose, don’t mess that up. This gossip is not going to get you anywhere.” said Siobhan. “Besides, they don’t know anything.”

“I beg your pardon?” said Jellina.

Siobhan stood up, ready to accuse Jellina with more than words. Her fists were clenched.

“Yes.  I have always kept my ear to the ground.  I listen.” said Jellina. “And that’s your weakness, Siobhan.  You don’t listen.  You don’t even ask, you just do.”

“I do my job,” said Siobhan. “I’m a face not a mouth.”

“Siobhan may be right, Arous.  Some of it is rumors,” said MiJin.

“What do you know Mijin? You are on the out anyway.  Can’t stay away from your scummy friends along the South wall,” Jellina shut Mijin up.

 “Look, Arous, if you’re going to talk about this, I’m leaving.”

“Then you should leave,” said Arous.

Siobhan’s face reddened, her eyes wet, she trembled. She looked from face to face then to Arous and back again. 

Siobhan turned to leave but Arous grabbed her by the wrist.

“You understand, don’t you? Don’t you Siobhan?”

Tears were rolling down her cheeks.

“I can’t.”

“Why are you so upset? If you can’t talk about it just say so.”

“I can’t talk about it.”

“I have to know.  We can go somewhere else.  You can tell me, can’t you?”

“I can’t talk about it.”

            Arous released her grip on Siobhan and she left.

“She’s brainwashed.  After they drug your mom off, they got a hold of her and she hasn’t been the same since,” said Jellina.

“Who?”

Jellina didn’t answer but paused more for affect than any real deliberation.

“They who?” asked Arous.

Jellina started to open her mouth but Simon interrupted her.

“Arous,” Simon said, “Siobhan’s right. I can help you get to your mom. Don’t do this.  Don’t listen. It’s all speculation. There are ears -” he trailed off looking toward the wall where Tennant-12 rested.

“You can leave if you don’t like it,” said Arous.

Simon turned to go. Octavius growled.

“And take Octavius with you, he doesn’t like Jellina.”

Simon caught up with Siobhan in less than a block.

“Now, I bet you’re wishing you haven’t given her that letter.”

“Oh, Simon,” she said and began to sob.

“Arous has to know about Ricci by now.  She already knows where her mother is. Maybe it’s time she met Ricci face to face,” said Simon.  “If we hurry, we can still catch him at Rose House.”

Simon hailed a hovexi and they sped off to Rose House.