Computer Jack adjusted his glasses. One side was a little askew. “It’s a big day? Why?”
Diana laughed in her knowing way. “We’re going home for a visit.”
“Home?” It took Jack a few seconds to click. “You mean to Coates?”
“Come on, Jack, say it like you’re excited.”
“Why are we going to Coates?”
Diana came to him and put her hand against his cheek. “So smart. And yet, so slow sometimes. Don’t you ever read that list Caine has you keep? You remember Andrew? It’s his happy fifteenth. We have to get up there before the hour of doom.”
“Do I have to go? I have all this work to do….”
“Fearless Leader has a plan that includes you,” Diana said. She spread her hands, dramatic, like she was a magician revealing the payoff of an illusion. “We’re going to film the big moment.”
Jack was both frightened and excited by the idea. He loved anything involving technology, especially when it gave him an opportunity to show off his technical knowledge. But, like everyone, he’d heard what happened to the twins, Anna and Emma. He did not want to see anyone die, or disappear, or whatever it was they did.
Yet…it would be fascinating.
“The more cameras the better,” Jack mused aloud, already working on the problem, already picturing the layout. “If it happens in a flash, we’ll have to get lucky to get a shot at the precise second…. Digital video, not stills. As expensive and high end as Drake can find. Each one has to have a tripod. And we’ll need lots of light. It would be best if we had a simple background, you know, like a white wall or something. No, wait, maybe not white, maybe green, that way I can chroma key. Also…” He stopped himself, embarrassed that he’d gotten carried away, and not liking what he was about to say.
“Also what?”
“Look, I don’t want Andrew to get hurt.”
“Also what, Jack?” Diana pressed.
“Well, what if Andrew doesn’t want to just stand there? What if he moves? Or tries to run away?”
Diana’s expression was hard to read. “You want him tied down, Jack?”
Jack looked away. He hadn’t meant to say that. Not exactly. Andrew was nice enough…for a bully.
“I didn’t say I want him tied down,” Jack said, emphasizing the word “want.” “But if he moves out of frame, out of where the cameras are pointed…”
Diana said, “You know, Jack, sometimes you worry me.”
Computer Jack felt a flush crawl up his neck. “It’s not my fault,” he said hotly. “What am I supposed to do? And, anyway, who do you think you are? You do whatever Caine says, same as me.”
It was as angry as Jack had ever allowed himself to be in front of Diana. He flinched, waiting for her biting reply.
But she answered softly. “I know what I am, Jack. I’m not a very nice person.” She pulled a rolling chair up and sat down close to him. Close enough that her nearness made him uncomfortable. Jack had only recently begun to really notice girls. And Diana was beautiful.
“Do you know why my father sent me to Coates?” Diana asked.
Jack shook his head.
“When I was ten years old, Jack, younger than you, I found out my father had a mistress. Do you know what a mistress is, Jack?”
He did. Or at least thought he did.
“So I told my mother about the mistress. I was mad at my father because he wouldn’t get me a horse. My mom freaked out. Big scene between my mom and dad. Lots of screaming. My mom was going to get a divorce.”
“Did they get a divorce?”
“No. There wasn’t time. Next day my mom slipped and fell down the big staircase we have. She didn’t die, but she can’t really do anything anymore.” She pantomimed a person barely able to hold their head up. “She has a nurse full time, just has to lie there in her room.”
“I’m sorry,” he said.
“Yeah.” She clapped her hands together, signaling the end of sharing time. “Come on, let’s go. Pack up your little techie bag. Fearless Leader doesn’t like hanging around.”
Jack obeyed. He began stuffing things—small tools, a thumb drive, a juice box—into his Hogwarts shoulder bag.
“It doesn’t mean you’re bad just because your mom got hurt in an accident,” Jack said.
Diana winked. “I told the police my dad did it. I told them I saw him push her. They arrested him, it was all over the news. Messed up his business. The cops finally realized I was lying. Dad sent me to Coates Academy, the end.”
“I guess that’s worse than what I did to get sent to Coates,” Jack conceded.
“And that’s only part of the story. What I’m saying is that you don’t seem like a bad person, Jack. And I have a feeling that later on, when you realize what’s going on, you’re going to feel bad about it. You know, guilty.”
He stopped packing, stood with a set of earbuds dangling. “What do you mean? What do you mean about what’s going on?”
“Come on, Jack. Your little PDA of doom? The list you keep for Caine? All the freaks? You know what that list is about. You know what’s going to happen to the freaks.”
“I’m not doing anything, I’m just keeping the list for you and Caine.”
“But how will you feel then?” Diana asked.
“What do you mean?”
Diana laughed in her knowing way. “We’re going home for a visit.”
“Home?” It took Jack a few seconds to click. “You mean to Coates?”
“Come on, Jack, say it like you’re excited.”
“Why are we going to Coates?”
Diana came to him and put her hand against his cheek. “So smart. And yet, so slow sometimes. Don’t you ever read that list Caine has you keep? You remember Andrew? It’s his happy fifteenth. We have to get up there before the hour of doom.”
“Do I have to go? I have all this work to do….”
“Fearless Leader has a plan that includes you,” Diana said. She spread her hands, dramatic, like she was a magician revealing the payoff of an illusion. “We’re going to film the big moment.”
Jack was both frightened and excited by the idea. He loved anything involving technology, especially when it gave him an opportunity to show off his technical knowledge. But, like everyone, he’d heard what happened to the twins, Anna and Emma. He did not want to see anyone die, or disappear, or whatever it was they did.
Yet…it would be fascinating.
“The more cameras the better,” Jack mused aloud, already working on the problem, already picturing the layout. “If it happens in a flash, we’ll have to get lucky to get a shot at the precise second…. Digital video, not stills. As expensive and high end as Drake can find. Each one has to have a tripod. And we’ll need lots of light. It would be best if we had a simple background, you know, like a white wall or something. No, wait, maybe not white, maybe green, that way I can chroma key. Also…” He stopped himself, embarrassed that he’d gotten carried away, and not liking what he was about to say.
“Also what?”
“Look, I don’t want Andrew to get hurt.”
“Also what, Jack?” Diana pressed.
“Well, what if Andrew doesn’t want to just stand there? What if he moves? Or tries to run away?”
Diana’s expression was hard to read. “You want him tied down, Jack?”
Jack looked away. He hadn’t meant to say that. Not exactly. Andrew was nice enough…for a bully.
“I didn’t say I want him tied down,” Jack said, emphasizing the word “want.” “But if he moves out of frame, out of where the cameras are pointed…”
Diana said, “You know, Jack, sometimes you worry me.”
Computer Jack felt a flush crawl up his neck. “It’s not my fault,” he said hotly. “What am I supposed to do? And, anyway, who do you think you are? You do whatever Caine says, same as me.”
It was as angry as Jack had ever allowed himself to be in front of Diana. He flinched, waiting for her biting reply.
But she answered softly. “I know what I am, Jack. I’m not a very nice person.” She pulled a rolling chair up and sat down close to him. Close enough that her nearness made him uncomfortable. Jack had only recently begun to really notice girls. And Diana was beautiful.
“Do you know why my father sent me to Coates?” Diana asked.
Jack shook his head.
“When I was ten years old, Jack, younger than you, I found out my father had a mistress. Do you know what a mistress is, Jack?”
He did. Or at least thought he did.
“So I told my mother about the mistress. I was mad at my father because he wouldn’t get me a horse. My mom freaked out. Big scene between my mom and dad. Lots of screaming. My mom was going to get a divorce.”
“Did they get a divorce?”
“No. There wasn’t time. Next day my mom slipped and fell down the big staircase we have. She didn’t die, but she can’t really do anything anymore.” She pantomimed a person barely able to hold their head up. “She has a nurse full time, just has to lie there in her room.”
“I’m sorry,” he said.
“Yeah.” She clapped her hands together, signaling the end of sharing time. “Come on, let’s go. Pack up your little techie bag. Fearless Leader doesn’t like hanging around.”
Jack obeyed. He began stuffing things—small tools, a thumb drive, a juice box—into his Hogwarts shoulder bag.
“It doesn’t mean you’re bad just because your mom got hurt in an accident,” Jack said.
Diana winked. “I told the police my dad did it. I told them I saw him push her. They arrested him, it was all over the news. Messed up his business. The cops finally realized I was lying. Dad sent me to Coates Academy, the end.”
“I guess that’s worse than what I did to get sent to Coates,” Jack conceded.
“And that’s only part of the story. What I’m saying is that you don’t seem like a bad person, Jack. And I have a feeling that later on, when you realize what’s going on, you’re going to feel bad about it. You know, guilty.”
He stopped packing, stood with a set of earbuds dangling. “What do you mean? What do you mean about what’s going on?”
“Come on, Jack. Your little PDA of doom? The list you keep for Caine? All the freaks? You know what that list is about. You know what’s going to happen to the freaks.”
“I’m not doing anything, I’m just keeping the list for you and Caine.”
“But how will you feel then?” Diana asked.
“What do you mean?”
