Remy
The Senator hadn’t come back to the children’s room for the past two days. Either he was really busy, or he’d been ordered to stay away . . . or he was avoiding me. As I stood in line for breakfast, I wondered if I’d see him today. Truth was, I desperately missed human interaction, which was ironic because he wasn’t a freaking human, but he’s the only “person” who wanted to chat me up these days. Nobody at Primo Town would talk to me for more than a few seconds, and I understood their fear.
I sat with my watery scrambled eggs and dense brown bread. We even had weak black coffee, which I didn’t love, but I drank in honor of Amber. I missed sugar though. The loose jeans I’d been wearing when I arrived, were falling off me. When I asked one of the female guards if I could have a belt or a scrap of fabric to use as a belt, she brought me a dress instead. Like, something from Little House on the Prairie minus the neck ruffles. Not even kidding.
I wore it at breakfast, noticing how half the other women wore them too. They looked homemade from random materials, and I realized that some of the Primo Town sewers had made them. Mine was plain, short sleeved, coming down past my knees. Lovely how the Baelese wanted to keep its humans in high fashion.
When a plate landed next to me, I startled and looked up, stomach jumping to see Tater’s stern face. He was sexy, no doubt about it. I could stare at his wavy brown hair, chocolately eyes, tanned skin, and lean muscles all day. The shape of his face was gorgeously squared in all the right places. I just wished I could hear his loud, carefree laugh again—a chortle that always changed his face into something so striking I couldn’t tear my eyes away.
I quickly looked back at my plate, pretending to be disinterested as I took a bite.
“What are you doing here?” I whispered to my food.
“Checking on you,” he said in a low voice to his own food, shoveling in a mouthful.
We had agreed not to sit together. Not to speak. Not to act like we were close. To have him so near, to hear his voice and know he was concerned, it made me tearful. I sniffed and swallowed, taking another bite. We’d left things between us in limbo back at Dugway. Our relationship had been complex anyway, but now I didn’t know where he stood, except that he cared for me and I cared for him. Maybe it was better that way.
“I’m doing okay,” I whispered. “Are you?”
He didn’t answer, instead pressing for more from me. “I heard he’s been talking to you.”
He didn’t need to say Senator Navis’s name. I refused to call him Bahntan. Apparently Tater and Linette found time to talk these days.
“Yeah, but nothing important,” I assured him. We spent the next minute in silence, looking straight forward as the patrol guards passed us. A bout of loneliness overwhelmed me.
“I miss you.” It slipped out of my lips, making my grip tighten on my fork as I waited. I shouldn’t have said that. What was wrong with me? When he didn’t respond, I risked a peek, and my chest squeezed to see his jaw locked, lips pursed. It was the look of anger I’d become acquainted with the past six months, and it scared me more than anything. Tater had to behave. He had to survive this with me.
“Everything is going to work out,” I promised, though I had no idea if it would. “Please don’t give up. Don’t let them see the real you.” His jaw finally loosened, and I exhaled.
We both took another bite. And then another. Others around us were already finishing and washing their dishes. Once Tater and I were done, we would not be allowed to linger.
I slowly chewed my last bite of bread as Tater cleared the rest of his plate. Just before he stood, he said, “Please, be careful,” and then he left me.
Tater was still on my mind when I got to work. I prayed and prayed that he wouldn’t lose it and freak out, getting himself killed. I had no idea if or when we’d ever get out of here. For all I knew, we’d grow old in this encampment, but I had to hope for more. Hope was all I had. I just wished I could give some of that optimism to Tater.
My mind was in a worried fog throughout the morning’s lesson. When it was lunch time, I started to pull out my paper bag with a peanut butter sandwich, until I looked up and saw Senator Navis walking in carrying a tray of food in each hand. I glanced around to see who he might be heading for, but the only person there was me. The children had filtered out, and two guards stood by the open doors.
I got to my feet to greet him, feeling suddenly self conscious of how I might look in the plain, light blue dress. Come to think of it, if they’d given me a white apron, I’d look like Alice in Wonderland. Great.
He walked straight to me, eyeing me up and down before setting down the two trays. I wondered who he was expecting for lunch, and why he’d chosen this room. I remembered passing an ornate dining room on my first day. My mouth watered at the slices of beef with gravy and mashed potatoes with green beans. We definitely weren’t eating like this over at Primo Town. I looked up at him, clasping my hands in front of me.
“Hello, Senator Navis. I hope you’re well.”
“Very well, thank you. I was hoping you’d have lunch with me.”
That food was for me? Hold it together, Remy.
“I . . . are you sure?” I didn’t dare look at the trays again. It was killing me to smell them. I had no doubt they allowed the use of salt for the aliens.
“Of course.” He motioned to my chair. “Please, have a seat.”
I did, feeling awkward. I took the napkin on the tray with a shaking hand and placed it over my lap. I waited for him to begin, and then I took my fork and knife, carefully slicing a bite of meat and bringing it to my mouth.
Oh. . . . holy . . . wow. Flavor! My eyes watered a little, and I felt ashamed. But it tasted like my mom’s Sunday roast. I brought the napkin to my mouth as I chewed, praying the bout of reminiscing would subside quickly.
“Is it okay?” he asked with concern.
I swallowed and gave him a bashful smile. “More than okay. Thank you.”
I managed to eat the rest without getting emotional. It was richer than what I was used to, and a bigger quantity, so I ate slow. He did the same, watching me. I could tell he was thinking. A lot. And normally I’d be creeped out by someone eyeing me in silence. The fact that I felt kind of comfortable with him probably meant I was going crazy. Maybe Primo Town had broken me already. Linette would totally be on her guard, and attempting to get information. Which made me wonder . . . what kind of information could I possibly get from him without being all obvious?
Before I could think of anything, he set down his napkin and said, “I would like to accompany you back to town after your lessons today. Check on the workers. See how everything is coming together.”
“Oh.” I blinked at him. “Yes. That would be good.”
“Wonderful.” He stood and picked up the trays. I blushed when I noticed there was still food on his plate and mine was empty. “I will see you soon.”
I stood and nodded. As he turned to go, I called out, “Thank you for lunch.”
He turned and gave me a smile, then left me. I stood there, spooked at how genuine his smile looked. I knew he was trained to act like a human, but was it all an act, or did he feel the emotion that went along with the actions of smiling and laughing? Could Baelese learn to feel emotions like us by mimicking our behaviors until they became engrained? How about empathy? What emotions did they have in common with us, and which ones were not part of their nature? I shivered as he exited the room.
I thought for sure Vahni would be able to talk him out of visiting Primo Town, but the Senator was waiting for me when I finished. Guards surrounded us as we walked outside to the Jeep. The Senator was ushered to the front seat, and I was put in the back. When our six-vehicle entourage showed up, workers who were just finishing their day slowly made their ways to the gates to see what was going on. I saw both Linette and Tater on opposite sides of the crowd, moving back to give space for the gates to open.
Guards jumped out, brandishing their guns and yelling, “Get back!” I glanced at the Senator, who watched the interaction of aggressive guards and meek humans with an expression of concern. It was the same look he used to wear when he was shown on television dealing with different crises around Nevada—draught issues, school shootings, crime in Vegas. What was he really feeling, if anything at all?
When we parked, guards swarmed the Jeep. I reached for my handle, but the Senator gracefully jumped out and opened my door for me. I stepped out and smoothed down my dress. The Senator tilted his chin up and gave the workers a confident, small smile as we walked forward.
“Good evening people of Primo Town. Some of you may know me as Senator Navis. Others refer to me as Bahntan, leader of the Baelese people. I have come today to witness the good works you are doing.” And here, he sobered. “I know each of you has lost something. Someone. And I find it immensely hopeful to see you working together, striving for something better. Rebuilding. That is what I want, as well. I want us to work together.”
My gut churned and I had to swallow several times as he went on.
“You are each here because you showed willingness and open minds. It is my promise to you that though things are undoubtedly different, they will continue to get better. The next generation of humans will have no idea what it means to struggle as so many of you have. It is my goal for humanity to thrive without poverty, without crime, finally achieving the true equality that Americans have strived for. You see, the Baelese people have enjoyed those very things for centuries now. Our people are at peace. There is no war among us, and soon, there will be no war on Earth either.”
One of the women let out a sob, covering her mouth. It could have easily been construed as being overwhelmed with gratitude at his words, but I wasn’t so sure. The Senator gave her a comforting glance, then grazed the silent crowd with his eyes. Nervous about the lull of silence, I brought my hands together in applause. Slowly, people began to clap, until the whole crowd was quietly applauding, faces mostly blank. My eyes found Tater again, and saw him glowering at the Senator. Definitely not clapping. I glared until he saw me and schooled his features.
The Senator met my eye and brandished an arm outward. “Show me around?”
“Me? Um . . .” I looked around at the humans looking back and forth between us, and the guards with their menacing stances. “Okay.” I noticed the surprise on Linette’s face, and quickly looked away. “Well, first, over here we have the farm area.”
I began walking, and the crowd parted. Keeping an appropriate distance between us at all times, I showed the Senator around just as I’d been shown my first day. I was pretty sure he’d already been to this compound and seen it, but wanted to appear interested and caring for the newer people. The crowd stayed with us even though dinner was surely ready. Everyone was desperate for a change from the monotony.
When we made our way full circle, ending up at the dining hall, I stopped and clasped my hands in front of me.
“This is the kitchen and dining hall.”
He peered in at the rows and rows of tables and chairs, nodding. Then he looked at me.
“Thank you, Ms. Haines.” He looked out at the crowd again. “Thank you all, and I hope you have a lovely evening.”
He gave me a nod of good-bye, which I returned, and then out of nowhere, someone was pushing their way through the crowd. The guards pointed their weapons, and Linette slipped out, putting her hands up with a look of innocent surprise.
“Don’t come any closer!” a guard shouted.
The Senator chuckled and held up a hand, motioning for the guards to lower their weapons. “She is an unarmed woman.”
“You are not to touch the Bahntan,” a guard warned Linette as he lowered his gun.
“Of course not,” she breathed, looking at him with fanatic adoration. Her hair had grown longer, and she tucked it behind her ears, looking rather ragged from a day of work. But she still had killer cheekbones, intensely sexy eyes, and legs for days.
She smiled at him. “I just couldn’t let you leave without thanking you. I’m so glad to be here.” It was so sickly sweet that I had to refrain from telling her to tone it down. The Senator gave her his generic smile.
“I am glad you are here as well.” Now he glanced at me and the falseness seemed to melt away. “Thank you for the tour, Ms. Haines.” He gave a small bow. “Until tomorrow.”
“Good-bye,” I said.
The Senator turned to go, and the guards gathered around him so tightly I could barely see his head in the center as they moved through the gates, which were tightly sealed shut the moment he was gone.
Everyone shuffled past, hungry now that the excitement was over. Linette gave me a hard stare, and I turned to go inside, ignoring whatever she was up to. I took a small plate of spaghetti from the line and a cup of water, then went to my seat in the far corner. The room felt more energetic than normal, with everyone staring around at each other in question, but hardly anyone spoke.
A few seconds after I sat, Linette took a seat catty-corner across from me. Close enough to whisper without being obvious. Then, to my surprise, Tater sat catty-corner on the other side, down the bench from Linette, making a triangle between the three of us.
For a full two minutes we ate in silence, surrounded by the sounds of metal and plastic clinking, and mouths slurping noodles and water. Then, without looking up from her plate, Linette said, “He likes you.”
I froze, an icky feeling trickling over me. Her words were loaded, and I didn’t like where this was going. I flitted my eyes over to Tater, whose fork had paused mid-twirl on his plate. With his entire body like a statue, just his eyes moved to me, filling with a hatred so deep, so reckless, that the hairs rose on my arms. Hatred for the Senator.
“He doesn’t like me,” I hissed under my breath to both of them. “He’s using me to be a go-between so humans don’t riot or something. A human liaison.”
“Now is not the time to play sweet and innocent,” she hissed right back. “He obviously feels comfortable with you, and has fucking heart eyes for you. He barely looked at me.”
I clenched my teeth and Tater dropped his fork to his half-eaten plate.
“Please eat,” I told him. Then to Linette, “So what if he’s comfortable with me? I am never alone with him. Guards are always around, and his second in command hates me.”
Linette took another bite and chewed, her whole body appearing tense as a guard rounded our table. Tater continued eating until the guard was out of ear shot.
“Find a way to seduce him, Remy. Don’t act like you can’t.”
“So, that’s the only thing I could possibly be good for, huh? Being a whore?”
“Is that what you think I am?” she asked.
I shook my head. No. That’s not what I thought of her, but her situation with the Baelese prisoner in Utah had been different than this. Fear clawed at my belly. “They’ll shoot me if I accidentally brush against him.”
“If you care about saving humanity, find a way,” she reiterated before taking her last bite and standing to leave.
I trembled, appetite completely lost. Tater had gone still again.
“What does she want me to find out?” I whispered. And what could she possibly do with the information? “I wouldn’t even know where to begin! I can’t get him alone, Tater—there’s no way.” The weight of it was like carrying a boulder, the pressure enough to crush me.
“Don’t let that motherfucker touch you, Remy.” He shoveled the last bites into his mouth, his forearms flexed with tension as he chewed and swallowed. “Linette is wrong. You hear me?”
“Yes,” I breathed.
I was still shaking, staring down at my macabre-looking plate as Tater stalked away.