“No. Sure, Sandy. That’s okay.” I felt as though the wind had been knocked out of me. No, Sandy, no… I had forgotten that the Cementville Choosing took place before my school’s. I listened as long as I could stand it, all the time seeing Joan’s face, thinking about what Wei had said about the program. “There’s no way out?”
“Way out? Nina! Why would I want to get out? I’m going to be rich and famous!” She laughed. “The only thing left is the physical. And I’ll pass that, no prob. Finally, I get to be in FeLS! It’s—it’s just the ultra?! Oh, Nina, I wonder if we get to have sex during training? Speaking of that, how’s Sal? Have you had sex yet? If Sal was my boyfriend—”
“Sandy, I—” My stomach churned. “I’ve gotta go. See you tomorrow.”
I ran down the hall and puked my insides out into the toilet. When I stood up, Dee was in the doorway.
“I knew you were sick. You were acting so weird. I’m getting Gran.”
I grabbed her arm. “It’s okay, Dee. I feel better now that I threw up. If I lie down for a while, I’ll be fine.”
I knew she wasn’t entirely convinced, but we both went to our own rooms and shut our doors.
I stuck the baby book under my mattress and flopped onto the bed. Staring at the ceiling, I thought about how Ginnie’d loved my dad and me and Dee enough to give up her whole life for us.
I thought about the way I’d acted with Sal down by the river, what I’d said about the government, NonCons… I knew I’d been wrong, but I didn’t realize how wrong.
I thought about Sandy, heading off to who knew what. At least there was a chance she could go to the right training center. If only she wasn’t a virgin… Could anyone persuade her to have sex before the physical? I ran through the list of guys we knew in my head… Mike, Derek… A little voice in my head squeaked, Sal. My heart sank. What about Sal? She’d been so hot for him before, I was sure it wouldn’t take much… But I wasn’t sure I could make that kind of sacrifice, or ask him to.
XLI
The next morning, I was up early and had coffee ready when Gran came into the kitchen. I needed to find my father and Ginnie’s favorite place, the “secret place” Ginnie referred to in the letter. I was afraid that coming straight out and asking about it might set off alarm bells, but couldn’t think of any other way.
“Did my dad and Ginnie have any favorite places besides Robin’s Roost?”
Gran poured herself a cup and sat down at the table. “No, I don’t think so. Ginnie particularly loved the view from the roof. The minister who married them was terrified of heights. You should have seen the look on his face when Ginnie insisted that he stand near the edge of the roof so that she and Alan could look out over Lincoln Park as they took their vows. Poor man.” She took a sip of the coffee. “You’re getting pretty good at making the real thing.” She smiled at me. “It helps to know how to do some things without the help of cookers and chillers and all these other kitchen gadgets.”
I ignored her compliment. “Did they go up on the roof a lot?”
“I think they did,” Gran said, narrowing her eyes at me. “Why the sudden interest?”
“No reason,” I lied. “I’m just trying to learn all I can about my father.”
“Sometimes too much knowledge is a dangerous thing.” Gran put down her coffee cup and got up. “Time to get breakfast going. Your grandfather will be up soon.” She took some ingredients from the cook center. “You know, I do remember that every year on their anniversary, Alan would rent the roof of Robin’s Roost for the two of them. He and Ginnie would spend the night dining and dancing above the city lights. It was very romantic.”
That settled it. I needed to get to the roof of Robin’s Roost, and soon, before they demolished it. But first things first. I’d already promised Gran I’d help her clean the apartment, and we’d take Dee to the aquarium. Though I was worried about Ed—as always—knowing that Wei’s parents had people keeping an eye on me made me slightly less nervous. By the time I got home from the aquarium, it was nearly time to go to Soma.
Wei showed up early. I could tell by her expression that she wanted to know what we’d uncovered in the book. But I knew that if I told her, she’d be in danger, too.
As we passed Dee’s door, I glanced in. “Remember…”
“Gah, Nina. I promised, didn’t I?”
It was freezing outside and Gran insisted on wrapping a tensalite scarf around my neck before she’d let us leave. I felt like I was five again.
Wei and I got on the trans and headed to the back.
“I’d better call Sandy and tell her we’re going to be a little late meeting at Soma.” I tried her PAV several times, but there was no answer. I left a message. “There’s somewhere we have to stop at before we get there.”
“It has to do with your meeting with Mom?”
“Yep. Are your dad’s friends still hanging around?”
“I don’t know—I don’t think so, since we’re together.”
At Lincoln and Wells, Wei and I did a thorough scope-out to be sure no one was watching us, then snuck around back of Robin’s Roost. I knew there had to be a way inside, other than the front door. I was prepared to break a window, but luckily the door at the bottom of the stairs swung open easily.
Wei stuck her head inside. “This is cool!” She dug around in her pocket. “We can use this for light.” She clicked on her PAV receiver and shone the light on the floor of the storage room.
I pulled her inside and shut the door. “I think it’s DZ here.” I tried calling Sandy again. No tone at all. “Yep. Definitely DZ. Listen, we’ve got to get up on the roof. I’m sure Ginnie left something up there for my father. We have to get it.”
“Wait, is that what was you and my mom found in the book?”
“Yes.” I explained, leaving out the part about Dee being my real sister. “Come on.” I pulled out my receiver and turned on the light, too, leading the way down the narrow hallway. The door at the end opened into what had been a kitchen. The place was a mess. Cabinets had pulled away from the walls and were hanging by who knew what. Things were strewn all over. Old cook centers, prep tables, and debris littered the room. A chiller lay faceup on the floor; its door was nowhere to be seen. Up by the ceiling a row of grime-covered windows let in a sickly bit of glow from the late afternoon. There was no reason to worry that anyone outside would see our pathetic PAV lights.
I shuffled through the dirt and pieces of pipe and plasticine until I reached the door on the other side of the room, with Wei close behind me. Through it and up a short ramp was a banquet room where the skeletons of chandeliers, with broken bulbs and loose wires, were hanging from the ceiling. There were no windows in the space. One of the doors to the lobby hung by a rusty hinge and light filtered in through the opening. When I pushed on it, it fell with a crash.
Wei and I held our breath until we were sure no one had heard.
“Look!” On the dusty floor in front of us I saw footprints. They looked relatively fresh, considering the years of grime that covered everything. “Those have to be Ginnie’s.” I put my foot over one. My foot and the print were the exact same size. Just like my feet and Ginnie’s had been. I started to run into the room, but Wei grabbed me.
“People can see in those doors.” She gestured toward the front, where a month earlier Sal had surprised me when I first found Robin’s Roost. “Turn off your PAV light. We don’t want anyone outside to see. We have to be careful.”