Part 64 (1/2)

It wasn't like being stupid with people, people, where s.e.x could hurt you. where s.e.x could hurt you.

Kids were supposed to be curious. And there was no way anybody could find out she was using them. Just Catlin and Florian, and they wouldn't mess with her stuff. She could do private things now, real private, and uncle Denys couldn't know.

When she got settled in. You didn't do Entertainment tapes just anytime you wanted, no more than you had all the food you wanted. You got your regular work done.

Even if you thought about how interesting it would be, and what there was to find out, and how the teaching-tape had felt.

Meanwhile the cabinet stayed closed.

”It's all right, come on,” she said, and brought Amy and Maddy past the Security guards and up the lift. !

She used her keycard on the door and let them in. The Minder told her that Florian and Catlin were not there, they were off in cla.s.ses doing make-up work, the way she had told them they should.

She saw Amy and Maddy look at each other and look around at the huge front room, real impressed.

Something said to her she ought not let anyone see all all of where she lived, or know how things were laid out: she knew Catlin would worry about that. But she showed them the middle of it, which was the big room in front and the kitchen and the breakfast room with the gla.s.sed-in garden where nothing was growing yet-and back to the main front room and into the other wing, where there was the big sunken den and the bar and then her office, and her bedroom and the bedrooms that had been Florian's and Catlin's (and were again). of where she lived, or know how things were laid out: she knew Catlin would worry about that. But she showed them the middle of it, which was the big room in front and the kitchen and the breakfast room with the gla.s.sed-in garden where nothing was growing yet-and back to the main front room and into the other wing, where there was the big sunken den and the bar and then her office, and her bedroom and the bedrooms that had been Florian's and Catlin's (and were again).

They had oh'ed over this and that at the start, when she said that there were rooms down past the kitchen, mostly offices and stuff. And over the garden. But when they got this far, into still another living room with more rooms yet to go, they just stared around them and looked strange.

That bothered her. She was used to figuring people out, and she couldn't quite figure what they were thinking, except maybe they were worried about there being something dangerous about this, or her, or uncle Denys.

”We don't have to meet down in the tunnels anymore,” she said. ”We can be up here and there's no way they can find out what we're doing, because Florian and Catlin have this place checked over so n.o.body can bug us. Not even uncle Denys.”

”They can still find out who we are,” Amy said. ”I mean, they know me and Maddy, maybe Sam, but they don't know all of us.”

That was it. She had wondered over and over how much to tell them-particularly Maddy. She worried about it. But there were things they had to know, before they got the wrong ideas. ”It's all right,” she said, then took a deep breath and made up her mind on a big secret. ”Let me tell you: I've got it set up so if any of you or your families gets a Security action, I know it the second it goes in.” was it. She had wondered over and over how much to tell them-particularly Maddy. She worried about it. But there were things they had to know, before they got the wrong ideas. ”It's all right,” she said, then took a deep breath and made up her mind on a big secret. ”Let me tell you: I've got it set up so if any of you or your families gets a Security action, I know it the second it goes in.”

”How can you?” Maddy asked.

”My computer. The Base I've got. My clearance is higher than yours-maybe not higher than somebody who could put a flag on and keep me from finding out stuff, but I've got my Base fixed so if there's information I'm not accessing it tells me it's going on.”

”How?” Maddy asked.

”Because I'm in the House system. Because I've got a real high Base and a lot of clearances a kid isn't supposed to have. They come with this place. Lots of things. You don't have to worry. I've got an eye on you. If anything goes into the system about you, it calls me right then.”

”Anything?”

”Not private stuff. Security stuff. And I'll tell you something else.” Another deep breath. She shoved her hands into her belt and thought very carefully what she was saying and how much she was giving away; but Amy and Maddy were the highest-up in the gang. ”You tell this and I'll skin you. But you two don't have to worry anymore. None of my friends do. I know why the Disappearances happened, and I don't think it's going to happen anymore. Except if I asked it to. If there was somebody I really, really wanted not to see again. Which isn't any of you, as long as you're my friends.”

”Why did they?” Amy asked. did they?” Amy asked.

”Because-” Because things had to happen to me. Like Ari senior. That's too much, a whole lot too much about my business. Because things had to happen to me. Like Ari senior. That's too much, a whole lot too much about my business. She shrugged. ”Because I wasn't supposed to know things, because my uncles figured they'd tell.” She shrugged. ”Because I wasn't supposed to know things, because my uncles figured they'd tell.”

They were quiet a long time. Then Amy said, very carefully: ”Even your maman?”

A second shrug. ”Maman. Valery. Julia Stra.s.sen.” She wanted off the subject. ”I know why they did it. That's all.” My maman agreed to go, but I'm not telling My maman agreed to go, but I'm not telling anybody anybody that. They'd think she didn't like me. And that wouldn't be so. that. They'd think she didn't like me. And that wouldn't be so. ”I know a lot of things. Now they have to watch out, because I know they can't do anything to me, because anything they do from now on, they know I'll hold a grudge. And I will, if they Get any of my friends . . . because I know who they are, and they know how far they can go with me.” ”I know a lot of things. Now they have to watch out, because I know they can't do anything to me, because anything they do from now on, they know I'll hold a grudge. And I will, if they Get any of my friends . . . because I know who they are, and they know how far they can go with me.”

”Then who are they?” Amy asked.

”My uncles. Dr. Ivanov. Lots of people. Because of me being a PR of Ariane Emory. That's what. This was her place. Now it's mine, because I'm a PR. Everything she had is mine. The way there used to be a Florian and a Catlin, too, and they died; and they replicated them for me.”

That took some thinking on their part. They knew about the replicate bit. They knew about a lot of things-like Florian and Catlin. But they never knew how it fit.

”I'll tell you,” she said while she Had them, ”why they won't do anything that makes me mad. Reseune needs me, because if I'm a PR I have t.i.tle to a whole lot of things they want real bad; and because if I'm a minor it's going to be a while before the first Ari's enemies can do anything against me, because of the courts, because if my uncles do any more to me than they've already done they're in a lot of trouble, because they know I'm onto them. I don't forget about maman. I don't forget a lot of things. So they're not going to bother my friends. You can figure on that.”

They looked at her without saying anything. They were not stupid. Maddy might be silly and she had no sense, but she was not at all stupid when it came to putting things together, and Amy was the smartest of all her friends, no question about it. Amy always had been.

”You're serious,” Amy said.

”d.a.m.n right I'm serious.”

Amy grunted and sat down on the big couch with her hands between her knees. And Maddy sat down. ”This isn't any game,” Amy said, looking up at her. ”It's not pretend anymore, is it?”

”Nothing is pretend anymore.”

”I don't know,” Amy said. ”I don't know. G.o.d, Ari, you could park trucks in this place. -Isn't there anybody here at night, or anything? Aren't you scared?”

”Why? There's nothing I can't order from Housekeeping, same as being at uncle Denys's. There's Security watching us all the time. We cook our food, we clean up, we do all that stuff. We can take care of ourselves. The Minder would wake us up if there was any trouble.”

”I'll bet somebody comes in at night,” Maddy said.

”n.o.body. The Minder isn't easy to get by; not even Housekeeping gets in here without one of us watching them every minute. That's how the security is here. Because my Enemies are real too. It's not pretend. If somebody sneaks in here, they're dead, for-real dead.” She sat down, at the other side of the corner. ”So this is mine. All of it. And they can't bug it. Florian and Catlin have been over it from end to end. We can have our meetings up here often as we like and we don't have to worry about Security. We can do a lot of stuff up here, with no Olders to get onto us.”

”Our mothers will know,” Amy said. ”Security's going to tell them.

”It's safe,” Ari said.

”They still might not like it,” Amy said.

”Well, they wouldn't like the tunnels either, would they? That didn't scare you any.”

”This is different. They'll know know we're here. They we're here. They know know people can get in trouble, Ari, my mama is worried about me getting in too much with you, she's real worried, and she didn't want me to take on the guppy business, remember?” people can get in trouble, Ari, my mama is worried about me getting in too much with you, she's real worried, and she didn't want me to take on the guppy business, remember?”

”She said it was all right, then.”

”She still worries. I think somebody talked to her.

”So she'll let you. She won't mind.” .

”Ari, this is-real different. She's going to think you can get in trouble up here without any Olders. And then we could be. They could say it was us. And we'd all be at Fargone. Bang. That fast.”

So she got an idea of the shape of what was wrong with Amy and Maddy, then, even if she couldn't see all of it.

”We're not going to get in any trouble,” she said. ”We d get in a lot more if they caught us in the tunnels. I'm telling you I can tell tell if something's going on in Security. And Florian and Catlin if something's going on in Security. And Florian and Catlin are are Security. They find out a lot of things, like stuff that doesn't go in the system.” Security. They find out a lot of things, like stuff that doesn't go in the system.”

”Not really Security,” Maddy said. ”They're kids.

”Ever since those kids got killed, they're Security, that's where they take their lessons. That's what their keycards say. And they work office operations a lot of the hours they're there. Real operations. They can come in and out of there and they find out a lot of things.”