motioned to me.
She led us down the hall to a door. The tall woman picked Button up and thrust him inside the small room. “Wait here,” the short one said to me.
“Why?”
“Just do what we say.”
“He has to go outside,” I said. “He should have been sent out before.”
The shorter woman shoved me into the room; the door slid shut. I touched a panel on the wall, then realized that we had been locked inside.
Button lunged at me; I knocked him aside. He slid across the shiny floor and hit a wall. As he stumbled to his feet, I raised a hand. “You’d better behave.”
“I hate you. I wish you were dead.”
“You have to go outside. You’re going, whether you like it or not.”
Button ran to the door and screamed as he beat it with his fists. I sank to the floor. When his voice grew hoarse, he went to a corner and curled up, whimpering. I tried to pity him but could not. It was his fault that Mother was being watched, his fault that Shayl had rejected me.
The room was bare, without even a screen; I was sure we would not be kept there long. The patrolwomen would have to summon Mother, and maybe my action would convince her that she should let Button go now.
He stopped crying. “I’m sorry,” I said. He glared at me. “I don’t know why you have to make such a fuss. You’ll have to go out sometime, and nothing’s going to change that.” He didn’t reply.
We waited in silence. At last the door opened again. Mother was outside; the patrolwomen were with her. I forced myself to look up.
Button ran to her; she patted his head as she gazed at me. “What were you trying to do?” she said sadly. I had expected a harsher tone.
“I was taking him to his father.” I stood up. My legs were shaky, my hands cold. “You wouldn’t bring him, so I did.”
“But you knew they wouldn’t let him go without my authorization.”
“I don’t care. I thought you’d finally see things my way. Eilaan would be on my side. You’ve ruined everything for me. Shayl doesn’t want to live with me now.” Mother lifted a hand to her lips. “Let him go now, Mother. Don’t wait.”
“I have to wait. You know that. I have to wait for…” Her voice trailed off.
“He looks old enough to go, older than many,” the tall patrolwoman said. “Maybe you should listen to your daughter.” In spite of her words, she seemed to sympathize with Mother, and her tone was gentle; perhaps the patrolwoman had once grown too attached to a son.
“He’ll be going soon enough,” Mother replied. “I’ll take him home now.”
I followed Mother back down the hall; the patrolwomen saw us to the door. It was already dark outside; the tunnel was a long snake of light over black ground. Button kept near Mother as we walked toward the tunnel and shrank away from me whenever I came too close to him.
“You should have let him go,” I said. “It’s just going to be worse for him later.”
She stopped next to the tunnel entrance and turned toward me. “Do you hate him so much that you can’t let him have the bit of time that’s left?”
Button would not look up. I knew that I had frightened him badly, that he would be fearful during the days he had remaining to him. “I don’t hate him,” I said. “I hate what he’s done to you. I don’t want to see you in trouble.”
“You don’t want to see yourself in trouble. People will know that my own daughter turned against me. That was what you wanted, of course, to protect yourself, but it won’t make things easier for me, and you’ve made the whole business harder for Button as well.”
“I want people to know I brought him here,” I burst out. “At least they’ll see I know my duty. I don’t want anyone to think I’m like you.”
“Of course.” Her voice was flat. She led Button to the tunnel, not seeming to care whether or not I followed.
I did not ride with Mother and Button but took another car. I forgot to punch in my route, and my car came to a stop
She led us down the hall to a door. The tall woman picked Button up and thrust him inside the small room. “Wait here,” the short one said to me.
“Why?”
“Just do what we say.”
“He has to go outside,” I said. “He should have been sent out before.”
The shorter woman shoved me into the room; the door slid shut. I touched a panel on the wall, then realized that we had been locked inside.
Button lunged at me; I knocked him aside. He slid across the shiny floor and hit a wall. As he stumbled to his feet, I raised a hand. “You’d better behave.”
“I hate you. I wish you were dead.”
“You have to go outside. You’re going, whether you like it or not.”
Button ran to the door and screamed as he beat it with his fists. I sank to the floor. When his voice grew hoarse, he went to a corner and curled up, whimpering. I tried to pity him but could not. It was his fault that Mother was being watched, his fault that Shayl had rejected me.
The room was bare, without even a screen; I was sure we would not be kept there long. The patrolwomen would have to summon Mother, and maybe my action would convince her that she should let Button go now.
He stopped crying. “I’m sorry,” I said. He glared at me. “I don’t know why you have to make such a fuss. You’ll have to go out sometime, and nothing’s going to change that.” He didn’t reply.
We waited in silence. At last the door opened again. Mother was outside; the patrolwomen were with her. I forced myself to look up.
Button ran to her; she patted his head as she gazed at me. “What were you trying to do?” she said sadly. I had expected a harsher tone.
“I was taking him to his father.” I stood up. My legs were shaky, my hands cold. “You wouldn’t bring him, so I did.”
“But you knew they wouldn’t let him go without my authorization.”
“I don’t care. I thought you’d finally see things my way. Eilaan would be on my side. You’ve ruined everything for me. Shayl doesn’t want to live with me now.” Mother lifted a hand to her lips. “Let him go now, Mother. Don’t wait.”
“I have to wait. You know that. I have to wait for…” Her voice trailed off.
“He looks old enough to go, older than many,” the tall patrolwoman said. “Maybe you should listen to your daughter.” In spite of her words, she seemed to sympathize with Mother, and her tone was gentle; perhaps the patrolwoman had once grown too attached to a son.
“He’ll be going soon enough,” Mother replied. “I’ll take him home now.”
I followed Mother back down the hall; the patrolwomen saw us to the door. It was already dark outside; the tunnel was a long snake of light over black ground. Button kept near Mother as we walked toward the tunnel and shrank away from me whenever I came too close to him.
“You should have let him go,” I said. “It’s just going to be worse for him later.”
She stopped next to the tunnel entrance and turned toward me. “Do you hate him so much that you can’t let him have the bit of time that’s left?”
Button would not look up. I knew that I had frightened him badly, that he would be fearful during the days he had remaining to him. “I don’t hate him,” I said. “I hate what he’s done to you. I don’t want to see you in trouble.”
“You don’t want to see yourself in trouble. People will know that my own daughter turned against me. That was what you wanted, of course, to protect yourself, but it won’t make things easier for me, and you’ve made the whole business harder for Button as well.”
“I want people to know I brought him here,” I burst out. “At least they’ll see I know my duty. I don’t want anyone to think I’m like you.”
“Of course.” Her voice was flat. She led Button to the tunnel, not seeming to care whether or not I followed.
I did not ride with Mother and Button but took another car. I forgot to punch in my route, and my car came to a stop
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