dog-paddles to the edge of the pool.
“You think I believe you now?”
I watch her get out and then swim toward the shallow end, conflicting emotions ricocheting around inside my chest like popcorn in hot oil.
I enjoy being with Lani, and when she touches me, I’m filled with warmth and light. But it also confuses me, makes me feel strangely uncomfortable, like a part of me isn’t here and never will be.
Isabel’s gone, mae. She’s been dead for twenty goddamn years. It’s time to let her go.
And yet the queasiness in my gut remains.
“Stay where you are,” Lani says, “and I’ll get the chair.” She climbs up the ladder, grabs a towel, and tosses it over her shoulder.
I watch her walk the length of the pool, her long black braid swinging back and forth as she pads on the balls of her fee t— the movement as graceful and seductive as a geisha. She backs the wheelchair into the water and then turns it around. “I think in a week or two, we’ll have you walking again.”
I swim into the seat and use my arms to push myself up into a sitting position. “And I’m sure it’s going to be a fun-filled fortnight.”
“Don’t go soft on me now.”
“Well, according to your professional assessment, there’s nothing to worry about in that department.”
She tosses the towel onto my lap. “Let’s hope I’m right about the rest of you.”
Chapter 14
Lani: Unchained Memory
I push Diego’s wheelchair toward the Clinic, unable to stop thinking about his “beautiful when you’re mad” comment. He’s the first man since David to mention the unusual color of my eyes, and the only other man to ever call me beautiful.
The last time David did that was nearly twenty years ago. Doomsday was killing like a Biblical plague in third-world slums and refugee camps, and flights had been suspended. All over the planet, biodomes were being built by the thousands, but anyone with a brain could see that only a tiny fraction of the Earth’s population could fit inside.
And then the virus started killing in Mexico Cit y— and shortly thereafter, Los Angeles. Calls went out to institute a lottery, but the rich and famous had no intention of giving up their spots in the lifeboat. Rioting broke out all across the US, and angry mobs attempted to force their way inside the bubble s— why should only the rich survive?
Still, plagues had come and gone before, sometimes killing millions. Humanity survived. Most people just crossed their fingers and got on with their lives. What else could we do?
When two of David’s men showed up on my doorstep, I couldn’t believe my eyes. My brother peeked out from behind me as they explained that a place in the Kirk Biodome had been reserved for me: “One suitcase, one laptop, no pets.” They said I was required to appear the next evening at seven or risk forfeiture, and when I asked about my brother, they glanced down at him and shook their heads. “Only you, miss. I’m sorry.”
The Golden Ticket they handed me was worth million s— but I needed two. And I knew who could get me the second one.
“Tell Mr. Kirk I graciously accept,” I said. “And that I will save my thanks until I can deliver it personally.”
When we arrived the next afternoon, hundreds of people were camped around the biodome. I made arrangements for my brother to wait there with friends, and presented myself at the appointed time, suitcase and computer in hand. I was escorted in through a discreet side entrance where I was scanned, searched, and then made to wait for nearly two hours. There turned out to be a problem with the ventilation system in my sector, so I— and a roomful of other anxious peopl e— were told to come back the following day.
As I was being escorted out, one of David’s men caught up with me. He told me that I didn’t have to leave, that Mr. Kirk was waiting for me, and would I care to join him? My heart was beating so fast, I could barely answer.
Although David and I had
“You think I believe you now?”
I watch her get out and then swim toward the shallow end, conflicting emotions ricocheting around inside my chest like popcorn in hot oil.
I enjoy being with Lani, and when she touches me, I’m filled with warmth and light. But it also confuses me, makes me feel strangely uncomfortable, like a part of me isn’t here and never will be.
Isabel’s gone, mae. She’s been dead for twenty goddamn years. It’s time to let her go.
And yet the queasiness in my gut remains.
“Stay where you are,” Lani says, “and I’ll get the chair.” She climbs up the ladder, grabs a towel, and tosses it over her shoulder.
I watch her walk the length of the pool, her long black braid swinging back and forth as she pads on the balls of her fee t— the movement as graceful and seductive as a geisha. She backs the wheelchair into the water and then turns it around. “I think in a week or two, we’ll have you walking again.”
I swim into the seat and use my arms to push myself up into a sitting position. “And I’m sure it’s going to be a fun-filled fortnight.”
“Don’t go soft on me now.”
“Well, according to your professional assessment, there’s nothing to worry about in that department.”
She tosses the towel onto my lap. “Let’s hope I’m right about the rest of you.”
Chapter 14
Lani: Unchained Memory
I push Diego’s wheelchair toward the Clinic, unable to stop thinking about his “beautiful when you’re mad” comment. He’s the first man since David to mention the unusual color of my eyes, and the only other man to ever call me beautiful.
The last time David did that was nearly twenty years ago. Doomsday was killing like a Biblical plague in third-world slums and refugee camps, and flights had been suspended. All over the planet, biodomes were being built by the thousands, but anyone with a brain could see that only a tiny fraction of the Earth’s population could fit inside.
And then the virus started killing in Mexico Cit y— and shortly thereafter, Los Angeles. Calls went out to institute a lottery, but the rich and famous had no intention of giving up their spots in the lifeboat. Rioting broke out all across the US, and angry mobs attempted to force their way inside the bubble s— why should only the rich survive?
Still, plagues had come and gone before, sometimes killing millions. Humanity survived. Most people just crossed their fingers and got on with their lives. What else could we do?
When two of David’s men showed up on my doorstep, I couldn’t believe my eyes. My brother peeked out from behind me as they explained that a place in the Kirk Biodome had been reserved for me: “One suitcase, one laptop, no pets.” They said I was required to appear the next evening at seven or risk forfeiture, and when I asked about my brother, they glanced down at him and shook their heads. “Only you, miss. I’m sorry.”
The Golden Ticket they handed me was worth million s— but I needed two. And I knew who could get me the second one.
“Tell Mr. Kirk I graciously accept,” I said. “And that I will save my thanks until I can deliver it personally.”
When we arrived the next afternoon, hundreds of people were camped around the biodome. I made arrangements for my brother to wait there with friends, and presented myself at the appointed time, suitcase and computer in hand. I was escorted in through a discreet side entrance where I was scanned, searched, and then made to wait for nearly two hours. There turned out to be a problem with the ventilation system in my sector, so I— and a roomful of other anxious peopl e— were told to come back the following day.
As I was being escorted out, one of David’s men caught up with me. He told me that I didn’t have to leave, that Mr. Kirk was waiting for me, and would I care to join him? My heart was beating so fast, I could barely answer.
Although David and I had
Similar Books
