The Exile Waiting by Vonda N. Mcintyre

Author:Vonda N. Mcintyre [McIntyre, Vonda N.]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: General, Fiction, Science Fiction
ISBN: 9780812545524
Google: gv6xAAAAIAAJ
Amazon: 0812545524
Publisher: Tor Books
Published: 1975-01-02T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 10

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Gemmi expanded through Mischa's consciousness, laughing with delight despite having been forced to seek her out. Mischa cringed. "No," she said softly. "Not now. Go away." But she was speaking to herself, not to Gemmi.

Gemmi could not understand.

Mischa stilled her mind, stilled her body, hoping Gemmi would lose her, and waited. Gemmi could be reliving old memories; they came sometimes, unbidden, and the child had no way of stopping them. But this was real: screaming, she found Mischa again and whimpered, telling her to come, afraid of being hurt.

Mischa had been expecting the summons, knowing at least one was inevitable before Subtwo was likely to leave Center. She had not worried about it too much; as long as she continued to keep her plans secret, everything should proceed as usual. But the command had come at the worst possible time.

"I can't come now," Mischa yelled into her lonely room. "I'll come later.

Tomorrow. Go away." Her voice echoing back and forth in Mischa's mind, Gemmi cried, and screamed again. Mischa knew that no reassurance but her own approach could calm her sister. She got up and pulled her cache from its hiding place, a fissure in the rock wall behind a tapestry. Under her jacket, the leather surface of the box of eyes was smooth against her skin.

With the bag of lesser gems nestled in an inside pocket, she left her room.

Going down the hall, she met Jan. Greeting her, he smiled, but sobered when he noticed her grim expression. "What's wrong?"

"I have to leave."

"What about tomorrow morning?"

"I'll try to be back," she said. She would, but she knew there was no way of getting to the edge of the city and back by the time she was supposed to meet Subtwo. "I can't help it, there's something I have to do." Gemmi felt that she had stopped, and began to scream again. Mischa closed her eyes to concentrate on calming her. "I'm coming," she whispered.

Jan took her arm to steady her. "Are you all right?"

She looked up at him. His pale eyebrows were drawn together with concern; Mischa realized dully around the screaming in her head that she wanted to ask his help. "Yes," she said, in a resigned exhalation of her breath. There was nothing she could ask him for. She started away.

"Mischa?"

She turned back quickly, impatient now.

"If I can help—"

She shook her head. "No. Thanks. There isn't any way."

After the regular tunnels of Center, the caves began to twist downward.

Mischa's family, when it had been a family, had lived in the roots of the system, almost in the deep underground. As Mischa walked, Gemmi pecked at her, urging her on faster. Mischa neither sped up nor tried to push her sister away. Gemmi was not being beaten now. Their uncle had stopped that since the time he had made her sick.

Mischa sometimes hoped he would kill her.

Gemmi screamed at the thought of death. The fear swept Mischa like the taste of molten copper. The intensity of emotion shook her, but she recovered herself and soothed her sister until Gemmi only whimpered.

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