his tongue against his teeth and shake his head as if he agreed. "My mother wasn't there. How would she know what happened?"
"She raised you. She knows your history."
"You can't listen to her! Do you have any idea what it was like growing up with her as my mother?"
Ava's slight hesitation encouraged her.
"She kept us locked up in that morgue, day and night. If we did anything wrong, left a smidgeon of food on our plates or...or forgot to pick up a toy, she'd put us in the cooler with the dead bodies and turn off the lights."
"Do you have any proof of that?" Ava's voice was less strident.
Kalyna had managed to evoke some doubt. But how could she prove her words? She couldn't.
"No, of course not. We didn't dare tell anyone or she'd do worse."
"When you say we, you're talking about your twin sister?"
"Yes, Tatiana."
"Wil she corroborate these events?"
Kalyna began to chew on the ends of her hair like she used to do as a child. She wasn't completely certain of her sister anymore; maybe it hadn't been smart to drag Tati into this. "I don't know," she muttered. "She might have blocked it all out. Besides, it wasn't quite as bad for her."
"Why not?" Ava sounded doubtful again.
"My parents liked her better. They stil do."
"Do you have any other siblings?"
The heat was causing her clothes to stick to her. It was nearly nine o'clock but it didn't cool off in Arizona the way it did in California. "No. My 88
adoptive parents had fertility problems. They did have one son, but he was only two when he drowned in a neighbor's pool."
"I'm sorry to hear that."
"I didn't know him. That was before my first set of American parents gave us up. But my mother never got over his death. I could never measure up to her own precious child." She added some extra bitterness to her voice for good measure but secretly smiled at how she'd tormented her mother over Robert's death. She used to get his little shoes out of the attic and place them on Norma's bed, shove his blanket between the sheets, knock his picture from the wall.
"Why didn't you go to school, Kalyna?" Ava asked.
"My mother wouldn't let me or my sister. She home-schooled us. I told you that already."
"Yes, you did. You said you followed the curriculum just enough to keep the state off your backs."
"That's true."
There was another pause, then Ava said, "Your mother told me you sometimes used to hurt yourself."
"You think that's where I got those injuries?"
"I'm wondering."
She wiped the sweat from her upper lip. It wasn't only the heat; it was nerves. She felt like she was melting. "That's ridiculous! How many people do you know who purposely cause their own injuries?"
"I don't know any," Ava conceded. "But I've heard it happens."
"With psychos, maybe. But I'm not psycho. How could my own mother say such a terrible thing?" The tears that began to fall were real.
Kalyna felt hemmed in on all sides. First her parents had let her know they weren't happy to see her. Then Tatiana had played the intermediary, making it plain that she held far more sway with them. And now this. Kalyna couldn't take much more. Everyone was turning against her. "She's always lied about me. She wants to make sure I have no one I can talk to who'l trust me. She enjoys hurting me, enjoys alienating me from any friends I might make."
"Kalyna, calm down," Ava said.
But Kalyna couldn't calm down. If she allowed Ava to believe she was 89
lying, Ava would feel obligated to tell Major Ogitani, and then Major Ogitani would very likely drop the case. After that, Kalyna would have no hope of ever speaking to Luke again. They'd assign her to a new flight squadron or possibly transfer her off the base. Or worse...bring her up on charges. Even if she stayed at Travis and managed to avert legal trouble, he'd go out of his way to avoid her. He'd get with another woman who was just as eager to be his lover, and she'd be left as she was before--with a craving only he could fulfil .
At that thought, she
"She raised you. She knows your history."
"You can't listen to her! Do you have any idea what it was like growing up with her as my mother?"
Ava's slight hesitation encouraged her.
"She kept us locked up in that morgue, day and night. If we did anything wrong, left a smidgeon of food on our plates or...or forgot to pick up a toy, she'd put us in the cooler with the dead bodies and turn off the lights."
"Do you have any proof of that?" Ava's voice was less strident.
Kalyna had managed to evoke some doubt. But how could she prove her words? She couldn't.
"No, of course not. We didn't dare tell anyone or she'd do worse."
"When you say we, you're talking about your twin sister?"
"Yes, Tatiana."
"Wil she corroborate these events?"
Kalyna began to chew on the ends of her hair like she used to do as a child. She wasn't completely certain of her sister anymore; maybe it hadn't been smart to drag Tati into this. "I don't know," she muttered. "She might have blocked it all out. Besides, it wasn't quite as bad for her."
"Why not?" Ava sounded doubtful again.
"My parents liked her better. They stil do."
"Do you have any other siblings?"
The heat was causing her clothes to stick to her. It was nearly nine o'clock but it didn't cool off in Arizona the way it did in California. "No. My 88
adoptive parents had fertility problems. They did have one son, but he was only two when he drowned in a neighbor's pool."
"I'm sorry to hear that."
"I didn't know him. That was before my first set of American parents gave us up. But my mother never got over his death. I could never measure up to her own precious child." She added some extra bitterness to her voice for good measure but secretly smiled at how she'd tormented her mother over Robert's death. She used to get his little shoes out of the attic and place them on Norma's bed, shove his blanket between the sheets, knock his picture from the wall.
"Why didn't you go to school, Kalyna?" Ava asked.
"My mother wouldn't let me or my sister. She home-schooled us. I told you that already."
"Yes, you did. You said you followed the curriculum just enough to keep the state off your backs."
"That's true."
There was another pause, then Ava said, "Your mother told me you sometimes used to hurt yourself."
"You think that's where I got those injuries?"
"I'm wondering."
She wiped the sweat from her upper lip. It wasn't only the heat; it was nerves. She felt like she was melting. "That's ridiculous! How many people do you know who purposely cause their own injuries?"
"I don't know any," Ava conceded. "But I've heard it happens."
"With psychos, maybe. But I'm not psycho. How could my own mother say such a terrible thing?" The tears that began to fall were real.
Kalyna felt hemmed in on all sides. First her parents had let her know they weren't happy to see her. Then Tatiana had played the intermediary, making it plain that she held far more sway with them. And now this. Kalyna couldn't take much more. Everyone was turning against her. "She's always lied about me. She wants to make sure I have no one I can talk to who'l trust me. She enjoys hurting me, enjoys alienating me from any friends I might make."
"Kalyna, calm down," Ava said.
But Kalyna couldn't calm down. If she allowed Ava to believe she was 89
lying, Ava would feel obligated to tell Major Ogitani, and then Major Ogitani would very likely drop the case. After that, Kalyna would have no hope of ever speaking to Luke again. They'd assign her to a new flight squadron or possibly transfer her off the base. Or worse...bring her up on charges. Even if she stayed at Travis and managed to avert legal trouble, he'd go out of his way to avoid her. He'd get with another woman who was just as eager to be his lover, and she'd be left as she was before--with a craving only he could fulfil .
At that thought, she
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