back?”
Daria picked up her beadwork and plunged her needle into a pile of pale yellow beads. “People get in trouble when they talk about history.”
“How come all the old people are afraid?”
“Maybe you need fear to live a long life on this ship.”
“What do you mean?”
Daria’s voice had fallen to a whisper. “The accidents down here . . . you think they’re all really accidents?”
Ruby flinched, dropping a bead. She saw Nona’s dying look again. “No.” She searched for another bead, accidentally poking the long, thin needle into the index finger of her other hand and biting her lip.
Daria’s voice went soft, almost to a whisper. “Anything they don’t like, you keep quiet.”
“Who do you mean when you say they ?”
“Ix and the reds.”
“Ix is a machine.”
“Ix is the one who sees everything, hears everything.”
Ruby looked around the walls for emphasis. “Not in our habs. It’s not allowed.”
“Taping inside our habs isn’t allowed as evidence against us, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen.”
Suri had always told her they could say anything they wanted in the hab. But come to think of it, The Jackman was always careful.
Daria hadn’t answered her question about history. And she couldn’t search the library without leaving a record.
The Jackman. She and Onor had talked about that, but he’d said that if the reds were watching anyone, it was The Jackman. She swallowed the knot of fear the idea drove into her sternum and picked up another bead, waiting for Suri.
She finished the necklace and started another.
The door let her little brother Ean in first. It slammed open, and she smelled him before she saw him; he always smelled of the medical creams he worked with, almost like robot grease but sweeter. Freckles flashed across his face, and his nose turned up like her father’s must have. Macky looked like Suri, Ean was supposed to look like their dad, and she was in the middle. He grinned at her. “Hi, Sis. Mom’ll be along in a minute. She sent me ahead to make sure you didn’t escape to another pod before she gets here. She blames you, you know.”
But his voice made it a joke, and Ruby let the string of blue and silver pool on the table beside her so she could fold Ean in her arms. “I missed you.” She hadn’t actually thought of him much, but now that she was happy to see him she knew she had missed him. “I really did. What have you been doing?”
“Taking care of Mom, you dope. Someone had to.”
Her cheeks flared hot, but she didn’t say anything about the cut in his comment. “Where is she?”
“Dragging luggage.”
Ruby eyed the puddle of beads, but Daria was up hugging Ean next, exaggerating about him being knee high last she saw him. He rolled his eyes and mouthed the word “help” over Daria’s shoulder.
“Daria, watch the beads.” She grabbed Ean’s hand and dragged him out the door.
Ean narrowed his eyes and grinned widely. “What? Are the beads going to run away?”
She stifled a giggle and whispered, “It will take her a minute to think that through.”
He gave her a knowing look and picked up his pace until they rounded the corner and almost ran into two reds on patrol.
The reds glared at them. One of them put up his hand in a slow-down gesture.
She nodded at the red, slowing, and whispered, “Why didn’t Macky come?”
“He’s important now. Got an inspection job he doesn’t want to lose.” They turned a corner. “And a girl.”
Ruby grunted, trying to hide her relief.
When they came face to face with Suri, she was pulling a wheeled cart laden with packed boxes and bags, everything taped and neatly labeled. A light sheen of sweat brightened her brow as she stopped, frowned, and then dropped everything and raced forward. “Ruby, you’re okay.”
Even though she’d just been dragging the cart, Suri’s primary scent remained the soft perfume of juice-flowers, and for a moment Ruby felt small in her
Daria picked up her beadwork and plunged her needle into a pile of pale yellow beads. “People get in trouble when they talk about history.”
“How come all the old people are afraid?”
“Maybe you need fear to live a long life on this ship.”
“What do you mean?”
Daria’s voice had fallen to a whisper. “The accidents down here . . . you think they’re all really accidents?”
Ruby flinched, dropping a bead. She saw Nona’s dying look again. “No.” She searched for another bead, accidentally poking the long, thin needle into the index finger of her other hand and biting her lip.
Daria’s voice went soft, almost to a whisper. “Anything they don’t like, you keep quiet.”
“Who do you mean when you say they ?”
“Ix and the reds.”
“Ix is a machine.”
“Ix is the one who sees everything, hears everything.”
Ruby looked around the walls for emphasis. “Not in our habs. It’s not allowed.”
“Taping inside our habs isn’t allowed as evidence against us, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen.”
Suri had always told her they could say anything they wanted in the hab. But come to think of it, The Jackman was always careful.
Daria hadn’t answered her question about history. And she couldn’t search the library without leaving a record.
The Jackman. She and Onor had talked about that, but he’d said that if the reds were watching anyone, it was The Jackman. She swallowed the knot of fear the idea drove into her sternum and picked up another bead, waiting for Suri.
She finished the necklace and started another.
The door let her little brother Ean in first. It slammed open, and she smelled him before she saw him; he always smelled of the medical creams he worked with, almost like robot grease but sweeter. Freckles flashed across his face, and his nose turned up like her father’s must have. Macky looked like Suri, Ean was supposed to look like their dad, and she was in the middle. He grinned at her. “Hi, Sis. Mom’ll be along in a minute. She sent me ahead to make sure you didn’t escape to another pod before she gets here. She blames you, you know.”
But his voice made it a joke, and Ruby let the string of blue and silver pool on the table beside her so she could fold Ean in her arms. “I missed you.” She hadn’t actually thought of him much, but now that she was happy to see him she knew she had missed him. “I really did. What have you been doing?”
“Taking care of Mom, you dope. Someone had to.”
Her cheeks flared hot, but she didn’t say anything about the cut in his comment. “Where is she?”
“Dragging luggage.”
Ruby eyed the puddle of beads, but Daria was up hugging Ean next, exaggerating about him being knee high last she saw him. He rolled his eyes and mouthed the word “help” over Daria’s shoulder.
“Daria, watch the beads.” She grabbed Ean’s hand and dragged him out the door.
Ean narrowed his eyes and grinned widely. “What? Are the beads going to run away?”
She stifled a giggle and whispered, “It will take her a minute to think that through.”
He gave her a knowing look and picked up his pace until they rounded the corner and almost ran into two reds on patrol.
The reds glared at them. One of them put up his hand in a slow-down gesture.
She nodded at the red, slowing, and whispered, “Why didn’t Macky come?”
“He’s important now. Got an inspection job he doesn’t want to lose.” They turned a corner. “And a girl.”
Ruby grunted, trying to hide her relief.
When they came face to face with Suri, she was pulling a wheeled cart laden with packed boxes and bags, everything taped and neatly labeled. A light sheen of sweat brightened her brow as she stopped, frowned, and then dropped everything and raced forward. “Ruby, you’re okay.”
Even though she’d just been dragging the cart, Suri’s primary scent remained the soft perfume of juice-flowers, and for a moment Ruby felt small in her
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