still
liked
him, he was brave and good-hearted, and from disarming muggers to helping refugees he’d proven himself tonight. This morning, she’d expected to meet a callow selfish spoiled brat, but Joshua was more than that. She wanted him to like her. She wanted him to
admire
her. Which meant fixing this mess.
She skirted the orange grove and walked on, finding an iron park bench. If this place really
was
made from Genevieve’s mind, she probably wasn’t far off.
Marla sat on the bench. “Genevieve,” she said. “Could I have a word?”
“You’ve been here before,” Genevieve said, appearing on the other end of the bench. “Haven’t you?”
“There are some scared people over there,” Marla said. “They don’t belong here. Can you take them back?”
“Back? People? What?”
“You know what it’s like to be afraid,” Marla said. “Do you want to make other people afraid?”
Genevieve began humming to herself.
“Will you walk with me?” Marla said.
Genevieve frowned at her. “I will walk,” she said, rising, and set off toward the orange grove. Marla hurried after her. “Nasty things there,” Genevieve said, gesturing at the trees. “Used to be pretty, but ugly things get in everywhere, everywhere.”
“There are some people I want you to see,” Marla said, not touching Genevieve, but guiding her with gestures to the top of the hill. “See? Those people don’t belong here.” None of the people below looked up, all of them enthralled with Joshua, who seemed to be telling a story.
“I’m tired,” Genevieve said.
“Damn it, don’t you understand me?” Marla said. “Those people. They need to get back to Felport. Do you understand me?”
“Is it cold?” Genevieve said. “Are you cold?”
“It’s not cold, it’s—”
But then it
was
cold, bitterly, and the hill was gone. Marla fell several feet to the sidewalk, barely managing to land in a crouch that made her ankles pop but, fortunately, didn’t do anything worse than jar her bones. They were on the snow-covered quad of Adler College, about a mile from the hospital where these people had started out.
“It’s okay!” Joshua shouted above the general hubbub. “Everyone, come to me, it’s okay, we’re back now! I told you we’d be safe!”
For the moment,
Marla thought. Genevieve was gone, but she’d touched these people, and that meant they might vanish back into her dream world at any time. Marla wished she could believe she’d convinced Genevieve to bring them all back, but talking to her had been like talking to a river. If the woman wasn’t stopped, somehow contained, Marla could have a serious state of emergency on her hands. She opened her cell and called Hamil, who answered sleepily.
“Send four or five cars,” she said. “And a few doses of that special forget-me-lots potion. I’ve got some short-term memories to blur here.”
“Is this about Genevieve?” Hamil said.
“The lady gets around,” Marla agreed, and told him where they were.
“You were pretty good back there,” Marla said, when she and Joshua were alone again in the back of a car driven by one of Hamil’s employees. The refugees had been sent back to the hospital with confused memories, already filling in their harrowing experience with plausible inventions—low blood sugar, fainting spells, sleepwalking. Ordinaries were good at covering over the cracks in reality.
Marla wanted to snuggle up to Joshua, but she kept herself on her side of the car with an effort. It had been easier to resist his charms when she thought he was probably a bastard, but he’d come through tonight, and now the magical attraction was joined by genuine admiration. The whole point of lovetalkers was that they
made
you love them, but Marla now thought Joshua was probably
worthy
of love.
“You were wonderful, too,” he said. “You brought us back from that place. I’m not ashamed to say I was frightened.”
“I did promise you working for me
liked
him, he was brave and good-hearted, and from disarming muggers to helping refugees he’d proven himself tonight. This morning, she’d expected to meet a callow selfish spoiled brat, but Joshua was more than that. She wanted him to like her. She wanted him to
admire
her. Which meant fixing this mess.
She skirted the orange grove and walked on, finding an iron park bench. If this place really
was
made from Genevieve’s mind, she probably wasn’t far off.
Marla sat on the bench. “Genevieve,” she said. “Could I have a word?”
“You’ve been here before,” Genevieve said, appearing on the other end of the bench. “Haven’t you?”
“There are some scared people over there,” Marla said. “They don’t belong here. Can you take them back?”
“Back? People? What?”
“You know what it’s like to be afraid,” Marla said. “Do you want to make other people afraid?”
Genevieve began humming to herself.
“Will you walk with me?” Marla said.
Genevieve frowned at her. “I will walk,” she said, rising, and set off toward the orange grove. Marla hurried after her. “Nasty things there,” Genevieve said, gesturing at the trees. “Used to be pretty, but ugly things get in everywhere, everywhere.”
“There are some people I want you to see,” Marla said, not touching Genevieve, but guiding her with gestures to the top of the hill. “See? Those people don’t belong here.” None of the people below looked up, all of them enthralled with Joshua, who seemed to be telling a story.
“I’m tired,” Genevieve said.
“Damn it, don’t you understand me?” Marla said. “Those people. They need to get back to Felport. Do you understand me?”
“Is it cold?” Genevieve said. “Are you cold?”
“It’s not cold, it’s—”
But then it
was
cold, bitterly, and the hill was gone. Marla fell several feet to the sidewalk, barely managing to land in a crouch that made her ankles pop but, fortunately, didn’t do anything worse than jar her bones. They were on the snow-covered quad of Adler College, about a mile from the hospital where these people had started out.
“It’s okay!” Joshua shouted above the general hubbub. “Everyone, come to me, it’s okay, we’re back now! I told you we’d be safe!”
For the moment,
Marla thought. Genevieve was gone, but she’d touched these people, and that meant they might vanish back into her dream world at any time. Marla wished she could believe she’d convinced Genevieve to bring them all back, but talking to her had been like talking to a river. If the woman wasn’t stopped, somehow contained, Marla could have a serious state of emergency on her hands. She opened her cell and called Hamil, who answered sleepily.
“Send four or five cars,” she said. “And a few doses of that special forget-me-lots potion. I’ve got some short-term memories to blur here.”
“Is this about Genevieve?” Hamil said.
“The lady gets around,” Marla agreed, and told him where they were.
“You were pretty good back there,” Marla said, when she and Joshua were alone again in the back of a car driven by one of Hamil’s employees. The refugees had been sent back to the hospital with confused memories, already filling in their harrowing experience with plausible inventions—low blood sugar, fainting spells, sleepwalking. Ordinaries were good at covering over the cracks in reality.
Marla wanted to snuggle up to Joshua, but she kept herself on her side of the car with an effort. It had been easier to resist his charms when she thought he was probably a bastard, but he’d come through tonight, and now the magical attraction was joined by genuine admiration. The whole point of lovetalkers was that they
made
you love them, but Marla now thought Joshua was probably
worthy
of love.
“You were wonderful, too,” he said. “You brought us back from that place. I’m not ashamed to say I was frightened.”
“I did promise you working for me
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