Part 32 (1/2)

Ollie brought back the drinks. He was pale, but he was doing quite well, considering. She managed to smile at him when he handed her hers, and he looked at her again when he sat down with his own drink in hand.

She had taken half of hers down without noticing it. ”I'll be all right,” she said, and lifted the gla.s.s. ”Skoal, Ollie. Back where I came from. Going home, finally.”

And on her second double: ”It feels like I was twenty again, Ollie, like nothing of Reseune ever happened.”

Or she had gotten that pan of her numb for a while.

iv Phaedra was not at the playschool. Nelly was. Nelly was easy to get around. Sam could push her in the swing really high. Nelly worried, but Nelly wasn't going to stop them, because she would be mad at Nelly and Nelly didn't like that.

So Sam pushed her and she pushed Sam. And they climbed on the puzzle-bars.

Finally Jan came after Sam and Nelly was walking her home when uncle Denys met them in the hall.

”Nelly,” Denys said, ”Security wants to talk to you.”

”Why?” Ari asked. Of a sudden she was afraid again. Security and Nelly were as far apart as you could think of. It was like everything else recently. It was a thing that didn't belong.

”Nelly,” Denys said. ”Do what I say.”

”Yes, ser,” Nelly said.

And Denys, big as he was, got down on one knee and took Ari's hands while Nelly was going. ”Ari,” he said, ”something serious has happened. Your maman has to go take care of it. She's had to leave.”

”Where's she going?”

”Very far away, Ari. I don't know that she can can come back. You're going to come home with me. You and Nelly. Nelly's going to stay with you, but she's got to go take some tape that will make her feel better about it.” come back. You're going to come home with me. You and Nelly. Nelly's going to stay with you, but she's got to go take some tape that will make her feel better about it.”

”Maman can too come back!”

”I don't think so, Ari. Your maman is an important woman. She has something to do. She's going-well, far as a s.h.i.+p can take her. She knew you'd be upset. She didn't want to worry you. So she said I should tell you goodbye for her. She said you should come home with me now and live in my apartment.”

”No!” Goodbye. Goodbye. Goodbye was nothing maman would ever say. Everything was wrong. She pulled away from Denys' hands and ran, ran as hard as she could, down the halls, through the doors, into their own hall. Denys couldn't catch her. No one could. She ran until she got to her door, her place; and she undipped her keycard from her blouse and she put it in the slot. Goodbye was nothing maman would ever say. Everything was wrong. She pulled away from Denys' hands and ran, ran as hard as she could, down the halls, through the doors, into their own hall. Denys couldn't catch her. No one could. She ran until she got to her door, her place; and she undipped her keycard from her blouse and she put it in the slot.

The door opened.

”Maman! Ollie!”

She ran through the rooms. She hunted everywhere, but she knew maman and Ollie would never hide from her.

Maman and Ollie would never leave her either. Something bad had happened to them. Something terrible had happened to them and uncle Denys was lying to her.

Maman's and Ollie's things were all off the dresser and the clothes from the closet.

Her toys were all gone. Even Poo-thing and Valery's star. She was breathing hard. She felt like there was not enough air. She heard the door open again and ran for the living room. ”Maman! Ollie!” ”Maman! Ollie!”

But it was a Security woman who had come in; she was tall and she wore black and she had got in and she shouldn't have.

Ari just stood there and stared at her. The woman stared back. The uniformed woman, in her living room, who wasn't going to leave.

”Minder,” Ari said, trying to be brave and grown-up, ”call maman's office.”

The Minder did not answer.

”Minder? It's Ari. Call maman's office!”

”The Minder is disconnected,” the Security woman said. And it was true. The Minder hadn't said a thing when she had come in. Everything was wrong.

”Where's my mother?” she asked.

”Dr. Stra.s.sen has left. Your guardian is Dr. Nye. Please be calm, young sera. Dr. Nye is on his way.”

”I don't want him!”

But the door opened and uncle Denys was there, out of breath and white-faced. In maman's apartment.

”It's all right,” Denys panted. ”Ari. Please.”

”Get out!” she yelled at uncle Denys. ”Get out, get out, get out!”

”Ari. Ari, I'm sorry. I'm terribly sorry. Listen to me.”

”No, you're not sorry! I want maman! I want Ollie! Where are they?”

Denys came and tried to take hold of her. She ran for the kitchen. There were knives there. But the Security woman dived around the couch and caught her, and picked her up while she kicked and screamed.

”Careful with her!” Denys said. ”Be careful. Put her down.”

The woman set her feet back on the floor. Denys came and took her from the woman and held her against his shoulder.

”Cry, Ari. It's all right. Get your breath and cry.”

She gasped and gasped and finally she could breathe.

”I'm going to take you home now,” Denys said gently, and patted her face and her shoulders. ”Are you all right, Ari? I can't carry you. Do you want the officer to? She won't hurt you. No one's going to hurt you. Or I can call the meds. Do you feel like you want me to do that?”

Take you home was not her home anymore. Something had happened to everyone. was not her home anymore. Something had happened to everyone.

Denys took her hand and she walked. She was too tired to do anything else. She was hardly able to do that.

Uncle Denys took her all the way to his apartment, and he set her down on his couch and he had his azi Seely get her a soft drink.

She drank it and she could hardly hold the gla.s.s without spilling it, she was shaking so.

”Nelly is staying here,” uncle Denys said to her, sitting down on the other side of the table. ”Nelly will be your very own.”

”Where's Ollie?” she asked, clenching the gla.s.s in her lap.

”With your maman. She needed him.”