Becky came home quiet from her gyn appointment. Bad news, and a flurry of tests. I’d convinced her to go talk to her mother about it. I had to work that evening to get a report out for stupid Atherton, and when I came home, both Elsie and Becky were crying. Becky’s parents died, and they’d been in that house several days! Elsie had to work all day and someone else’s shift at the call center, so poor Becky didn’t have us until now.
Her nightmare got worse. We all had hopes that trading would give Elsie a better income, and poor Becky expected her mother’s connections in the art world to pan out. Instead, litigation took her parents’ business and their house, so she had to go to the Merit Colony.
I worked so many hours, I depended on Elsie to let me know how Becky was doing. I just looked up and Elsie said Becky’s cancer got worse, and they gave her a week. I found a rescued slave and took him to her, to care for her.
At that moment, I realized how foolish my corporate climb had been. Becky and Elsie were the closest thing to family I had, and I let work get in the way! Merit Colony rules were stupid and I hadn’t had time to jump their hoops. I sneaked Tom in to her. Elsie was working too many hours at the job I got her at one of Atherton’s companies, and I realized she was about to get canned. Black people have it so hard! I didn’t have enough power—but I wanted revenge on Atherton.
Did I think I could take someone like him down? I tried. Elsie vanished. From work, a good-paying job I got her in one of Atherton’s companies that he wasn’t personally involved with, but-- Becky’s gone, Elsie’s gone, and I knew I was next. So, I went to Atlanta Police with my evidence.
They put me in a safe house, but there, an Elshar came, and I tried to scream--
“No, no, no!” I sat up, screaming! Keiley held me--
I moved from place to place in Atlanta, always wondering if he’d find me. I was out on the street and made friends with an Elshar. He took me to Found Sheep and I learned how to help him heal former slaves. Trained Elshar former slaves with a wonderful grandmotherly lady. Slept on one of their cots for a few weeks until I got in as a trainer with Adopt-A-Slave. There, I tried to genuinely help people, now that I couldn’t pad my resume’.
Adopting slaves got me an apartment. But, I liked Zheien, the gentle, twin-fingered people, and they couldn’t last long on Earth. Saved up for an aandat so I could get telepathy. They died. I learned from healers how to keep ‘em going until they got the call to go to their ships. But the call never came before they died.
Atherton’s case got dismissed, and the witness protection program dropped me.
Then, Keiley came into my life. He lasted 6 months. Died in my arms. Then, Nespa got dumped in the pond and I got him to Molly’s.
I thought everything would be okay. Keiley was in Rainbow, and we had to marry fast. By then, I was over my perfect-wedding syndrome and fast didn’t matter. I really loved him. But slavers gave him so many drugs, his heart was shot. He woke up with a nightmare, and his heart gave out.
So many friends I made in Rainbow died when their husbands did, I expected that to happen to me. But I lived. Didn’t I love him enough to die with him?
And, after what that Elshar did to me, when he tried to kill me, there’s only so much a healer can do. I wasn’t very motivated with my tutor. Didn’t learn well. Tried a lot of things.
Nespa loved me, but I was grieving Keiley. He recited a courtship petition, and I shook my head. “Nes, I like you, but I love Keiley. I just—can’t. I’m sorry!”
He fell at my feet and his healer, who was right there, couldn’t save him!
I saw Becky and Tom, but when I ran over there, Tom collapsed and nearly died. Oh, the look in Becky’s green eyes, that haunted look, do I have that? She looked like I felt, full of despair. I saw them a lot in Rainbow but didn’t risk getting near them. A month passed. Two. All I did was cry. No one could find Elsie. Oh, I asked every diplomat going to Earth if I knew about it. Molly promised me all her healers would watch for her.
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Healers ran to Becky and Tom, and both of them died. I sat by their bodies and held Wulai, Tom’s healer, but he went cold. Too much grief.
I was holding his body when healers ran to me, and memories just—ended.
I gripped Keiley. “I can’t lose you again!”
Wulai hugged us both, and his red-gold eyes turned brown. “Nae this sorrow, Bedelia. O, we suffered in Rainbow, but these futures can be changed.”
I startled. “They can?”
Keiley stroked my rusty mop away from my eyes. “Eae, my love! How mindless I was, after their herbs! I am more well now. See, I can take bis tia and he calms me.” He waved up five and inhaled the tiny, green leaves. His eyes turned black when he couldn’t calm down!
Greg held a hand up. “Smell this. I wish I could do more, but so many of you have traumatic memories! Be calm. You’re going home to Elshar Zheiea, aren’t you? It’s safe. There aren’t any poisons. Pirad has a clone there, and a lab. He can reclone you stronger.”
Pirad clicked his face into a smug expression. “I already recloned both of them. Two of their clones agreed to stay on Earth. They are Elshar.”
Our doubles—except he had a tan and five-fingered hands, came over. “Hi, Sis! We’re going to take down Atherton’s network! I’ll go to your job and dig up dirt. Diplomats are already working with Atlanta Police, and we have a detective who’s on the ship with his family. His clone’s staying, so he’ll work with us. Think of all the good we can do!”
I hugged her and couldn’t stop crying. “I don’t want you to go die!”
She pulled another sister to me. This one was 16. “Don’t worry! I can live with you, if you want a sister! I’m going with Keiley’s brother to find Margarite!” She hugged me and oh, she looked like my friend Priscilla who died in a car wreck. We used to joke that we were ‘secret sisters’. I met Becky on the cheerleading squad, and Priscilla was there. She’d been friends with Becky’s younger sister who’s missing. Poor thing was so depressed, but out on the field, she was in her element. We worked hard to try to cheer her up.
But, she got her driver’s license and joked about wanting to become a race car driver. On a rainy night, she was going too fast and hit a tree. It wasn’t a high-speed crash, but she went to the hospital and they didn’t keep her. Her parents found her dead in her bed. Mama said they were supposed to wake her up every 4 hours because she had a concussion. Her mother thought her daddy was going to check, and he thought she did. What an awful mess! Of course, Mama would’ve done it better, she said. I didn’t want to let go of Silla.
“Don’t worry, I’ll be back with Margarite, and her family, if they want to come!”
Mama watched her and Keiley Elshar port with an odd expression. Like she didn’t want her to go, either. She grabbed Daddy’s hand and came over. I saw tears in those green eyes! “Bedelia, want to talk for a bit? I think we’re overdue.”
“Sure. Keiley, this is Mama.” I had a death grip on my husband’s hand.
Mama looked from me to him. “I didn’t know you had a boyfriend, dear. Let’s go talk, and we’ll be back soon, Keiley.”
I pulled his hand to my shoulder. “Mama, didn’t they tell you? Keiley got sick and we had to marry! I don’t want to leave him right now.”
She looked him up and down. “He looks all right to me! Nobody has to marry for that reason, do they?”
Daddy glared at Keiley. “Did you get her pregnant?”
Almost as a reflex, I ran a doctor on myself. “Patient is not pregnant. Running birth control.” I did that because I wanted to plan when we had a baby, but Keiley’s hand went cold. We need to talk, too. I flinched because it showed damage to my esophagus. But, healers can heal that. Rainbow had progs to help people lose weight, very gradually, and I could eat anything I wanted. Hoped they’d have them--
Wulai ran over. “I am Jos Keil’s healer, and I demand that you stop! My son did nae dishonor to Bedelia. They were married in another future, and their minds linked. I am his healer. When a couple’s minds reach, they must marry! Jos, nae hide your unwell. Let them see.”
My husband startled. “I wish nae to shock them!”
“You must! To them you appear healthy, and I know you are nae after what our people suffered. Show them, and me.”
He sighed, and health seemed to just drain from him! His sunny yellow skin went gray and dripped sweat. Those blue eyes went from serious blue to black! It hurts when they change darker suddenly, and I rubbed his hand. My husband shook all over. Wulai took him off his feet.
“Wu, nae! I must speak on my feet—”
“You must nae. Where do you wish to meet? My son must rest soon, or I can nae save him!”