The Third, Chapter4 by Abel Keogh

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The Third

Four

As Teya followed the sentinel out of the elevator, her feet sank into the soft, gray carpet of a small lobby. A brown-eyed receptionist sitting behind the desk looked up as the sentinel approached. They exchanged a few words, then the receptionist looked over at Teya. She smiled in recognition and waved.

"I see your sister gave you an escort today," she said.

"My sister? What is this about?" Teya asked.

The receptionist shook her head and picked up the phone. "I have no idea, but I'll tell Mona you're here."

While the receptionist waited for an answer, Teya's mind raced, trying to figure out why her sister wanted to see her. Maybe Dr. Collins had called Mona directly and reported her lab results. No, that couldn't be it. As far as Teya knew, Dr. Collins and her sister didn't know each other. There had to be another reason.

The receptionist hung up the phone. "She'll be a few minutes. Why don't you have a seat while you wait?" She motioned to the couch against the wall, then glanced at the sentinel. "The director says you can go now."

Teya slowly paced the lobby until she heard her sister's voice coming down the hall. Around the corner came another sentinel, followed by her sister. Teya's heart skipped a beat, and she felt her legs start to lose their strength. It was a trap after all. Somehow her sister knew about her pregnancy.

"Hey, Teya!" Mona exclaimed. She stepped around the sentinel and bent a little to give her sister a hug. "I'll be with you in just a second."

Teya turned and watched Mona escort the sentinel to the elevator. The man was bald, and thick with muscles. He had a bruise on his temple. He glanced at Teya as he passed, then his head swung around as he looked her up and down. Teya had received that stare many times before, but there was something extra creepy about the way this snatcher looked at her. It was as if he knew about the child growing inside her. It sent chills down her spine.

"I promise we'll find the two who attacked you," Mona was saying. "Now, if you're feeling okay, I need you to go to the infirmary to see how we can improve our security down there. I don't want to lose another patient."

The sentinel nodded and pushed the button for the elevator.

"I appreciate your not filing a report with the police," Mona continued. "But for our own purposes, be sure to give detailed descriptions of your attackers. We need to track these people down."

The sentinel entered and nodded to Mona before closing the elevator door.

Mona turned, smiling at Teya. "I'm so glad you came today," she said, walking across the lobby. "I called the clinic this afternoon and was told you were dropping off the pregnancy report. I hope the sentinel didn't scare you. I've been dealing with some unexpected issues all day and just wanted to make sure we had a chance to talk."

Before Teya could say anything, Mona caught her by the elbow and guided her to the office at the end of the hall.

"Is everything okay?" she asked, glancing over her shoulder. She couldn't shake the feeling the beady-eyed sentinel had given her.

"It is now that you're here," Mona answered. "It's been one of those days. One of our top sentinels was attacked on the tram this morning for no apparent reason. There've been some other security issues as well. Sometimes I wonder why I took this job in the first place."

They stopped in front of a door where the words POPULATION DIRECTOR were written in large, gold letters. Mona opened the door and motioned for Teya to enter.

Mona's office in the south-east corner of the building was filled with diffused sunlight that streamed in through the windows and gave the room a soft, yellow glow.

Mona stretched out in the black leather seat behind the desk. She wore a business suit the same color as the chair. Underneath she wore a white blouse. The suit seemed to emphasize her narrow face and added severity to her dishwater-blonde hair. Their mother's features weren't quite as soft on Mona.

Teya took one of the two chairs on the opposite side. She glanced down at the desk. Amid the papers scattered across it was an open folder. Attached to it was a picture of Nicole Archer, a color version of the picture Teya had seen in the newspaper. Her hair and eyes were the color of dark chocolate, and it appeared there were freckles on her face. A stack of papers an inch high lay beneath the photograph.

Mona closed the folder and moved it and a few papers to the side of her desk.

"Okay, I've got some good news," she said. "What are you guys doing for New Earth Day?"

Teya was caught off guard by the question. She still had a queasy feeling in her stomach, thinking that any moment, Mona was going to call her out on the pregnancy. She paused as she tried to remember what she and Ransom had planned. "I think we're taking the boys to the parade."

"Perfect!" Mona exclaimed. "I just learned this morning that we have an opening on the Census Bureau float. A family canceled at the last minute. So, I thought of a perfect family that could fill in." She gave Teya a quizzical look.

Teya gave her a half smile in return, not sure what to say.

"Come on, sis, this is a great opportunity."

"I'm sorry, Mona. What is it you want my family to do?"

"I want you, Ransom, and the boys to be part of the Census Bureau float."

All at once, the worry she had carried since Dr. Collins had dropped by her lab evaporated. She felt like crying with relief. "I—I don't know what to say," she said, fighting back the tears.

"Say ‘yes.'" Mona laughed. "Just think of how much fun your boys will have. Instead of standing on a hot, crowded sidewalk, they can be part of the action. It's a day you'll all remember for the rest of your lives."

Teya thought of James and Warren riding atop the float and smiled. "Well, I guess the boys would enjoy it. I'll have to okay it with Ransom."

"You know Ransom's not going to object. He'd do anything to make the boys happy. He's a great dad. Besides, the two of you deserve to be up there more than anyone. With your jobs, you're both people that everyone should admire."

Teya looked at the floor and pressed her foot into the carpet. The things she cared about changed when she became a mother. She'd felt slight differences between her and Mona in their approach to life as they were growing up, but their attitudes had drifted further apart over the last few years. As sisters, they looked very similar, both getting their mother's green eyes, facial features, and tall, lanky figures. If it wasn't for the dark hair Teya had gotten from their father, they could almost pass as twins. Despite their similarities, however, they were very different people. Mona had always known what she wanted to do with her life. She had gone straight from college to the Census Bureau, worked hard, and was appointed Population Director soon after the election and the new governor's swearing-in. That had been three years ago. There had really only been one hiccup in her well-planned life. Years ago she'd married a sentinel, but the marriage had lasted less than a month before it was annulled. Teya had never known why and had given up asking—the subject always reduced Mona to tears and stubborn silence.

Teya, on the other hand, had taken her time getting a chemistry degree, and shuffled around from one job to another, never really focusing on anything until she met Ransom. After they'd married, she finally settled down and, thanks to Mona's connections, landed her current job. Two children had followed, and now Teya found herself busier than she'd ever imagined.

And it was the arrival of her children that, at least in Teya's mind, turned the differences between the sisters from a crack to a chasm. Having children had changed the way Teya looked at the world. Instead of seeing one that was falling apart, she saw a world with problems, yes, but one that could be improved and made a better place to live. She wanted her boys to have more and better opportunities than she had, and for them to use their talents and abilities to make things not only better for themselves, but for others. Her children were assets to the world, not a burden. More than anything, Teya wished her sister had the same hope for the future as she did. She desperately wanted to confide in Mona about the pregnancy and share their deepest secrets as they had done as children. But if Mona even suspected she was pregnant, she would consider herself legally obligated to find the nearest snatcher and have Teya arrested.

"We're not a perfect family, Mona. You know that," Teya finally said, hoping her silence had been read as humility.

"You're better than most. My job puts me in contact with lots of families every day. Most of them are nothing but selfish. They look for ways to get more than their allotted rations or bypass our population controls."

For the second time in as many minutes, Teya felt like bursting into tears.

"Are you all right?" Mona asked.

Teya had to let out a half smile. Mona had always been good at reading her. Apparently, they still had a sisterly bond after all.

"I'm just tired," Teya said. "It's the heat. I never do well in it—you know that. I guess I could really use a pick-me-up."

"Oh, that reminds me," Mona said. She opened up a desk drawer and put a bulging cloth sack on her desk. "This is for you."

"What is it?"

"Take a look."

Teya opened the bag. She gasped in surprise and pulled out an apricot. "Where did you get these?"

"Blind date from the weekend. The guy was a loser, but happened to be one of the orchard supervisors. He brought those as a gift."

"There must be two pounds of apricots here. I can't just take them."

"Yes, you can. You have two growing boys to feed. Besides, I still have plenty at home—more than I can eat. If you don't take them, I'll just give them to some of my neighbors."

Teya took a bite of the apricot and savored the fruit's sweet flesh on her tongue before swallowing it. At least she wouldn't have to stop at the store on the way home and scavenge the remnants for something fresh. She took another bite and listened to Mona talk about her date.

"It started out okay, and the guy was handsome enough, but we're eating at a café on the south end of town, and in the middle of dinner he starts talking about all the money he's getting from his replacement credit. He's selling it to some family that has three kids already." Mona shook her head. "Sometimes I just want to throw in the towel when it comes to finding Mr. Right. You know the most difficult part of dating? It's definitely not finding a man who doesn't want kids—there are plenty of those. The hard part is finding one who doesn't want to sell his replacement credit. Not everything can be about money. You have to think about the greater good."

Teya couldn't let her sister's last comment go unchallenged. "People sell their replacement credits all the time. There's nothing wrong with that. Besides, think what you could do with the money. You could give it to an environmental charity or buy some trees and plant them. Heaven knows this city could use some."

"Yes, but the greater gift is not enabling others to have one more mouth to feed."

Mona stopped and looked at Teya as if she just realized that her last remark could be taken the wrong way. She reached across the desk and touched Teya's arm. "Don't take my comments personally. You know I respect your decision to have two children. The law allows for that, and I like having two nephews to spoil whenever I visit."

"And they like having an aunt who enjoys spending time with them," Teya said, forcing a smile. She wished Mona wasn't so stubborn about this issue. Buying Mona's replacement credit was something she'd been thinking about ever since the start of this pregnancy. Even if it would take the rest of her life to pay it back, she wanted to have this child. It was more than a motherly instinct that came with her previous pregnancies. She had a strong feeling that this child had a special purpose and needed to be born. "But the law also allows you to sell your credit if someone wants more than two children," Teya said. "Surely you can let someone who can afford the credit take care of another child."

Mona leaned forward in her chair. "You already know how I feel about this, Teya. Why do you bring it up? You know someone who's in the market for one?"

Teya pursed her lips. For a moment, she thought about telling Mona everything. Instead of being horrified at the news, Teya imagined her sister squealing in delight and giving her a hug. Then they'd sit on the soft gray carpet, and Teya would tell her how much she wanted a girl, and they'd spend hours talking about the baby and possible names. That's how it had been with the first two, and it seemed odd that Mona would loathe the news now.

Teya pushed the chair back and walked over to the window. Mona's office offered a clear view of the 'Vard and the Recycling Center on the opposite corner. To the east was an entire block of ten-story apartment buildings. Teya could just make out the top of Mount Ogden above their roofs. She loved the view from Mona's office and could never figure out why she positioned her desk so her back was to all the activity outside.

She looked down at the people on the street below. A tram stopped. People got on and off. Children wearing their green-and-yellow school uniforms burst from the doors of a nearby building and spilled onto the street.

School was out. It was getting late. She'd have to head home soon in order to pick up her children from the sitter's.

Mona's voice cut through her thoughts. "What's on your mind, sis?"

Teya turned and leaned against the glass, surprised how cool it felt against her back. Mona was still in her chair, but had turned so she was facing Teya. There was a concerned look on her face.

"Oh, I can't get the image of a woman out of my mind. She came in for a retest last week," Teya said. "When she tested positive again, the woman became hysterical. Didn't want to give up the child for anything and begged me to sell her my credit until I told her I had already used it. I just feel bad for her, that's all."

It wasn't the full truth, but it wasn't a lie either. That scene had played out in the clinic last week. That's what occasionally happened when women were escorted back to her office and the second test confirmed an unplanned pregnancy.

Mona stood and walked over to the window. She put her arm around Teya and pulled her close. "You can't blame yourself for the irresponsible actions of others."

"You sound just like Dad."

Teya's words made them both pause for a moment.

"Yeah, you're right," Mona said. "Sometimes there's more of Dad in me than I'd like to believe."

"I think there's more of Dad in both of us than we'd like."

Mona let go of her sister. "So, can I plan on your family being part of the New Earth Day parade?"

"Yeah, put us down. If Ransom doesn't want to do it, I'll call you." She picked up the bag of apricots from the desk. "I need to get the boys. Thanks again for the apricots. I know Ransom and the boys will love them."

"You be sure to eat them too. Your face is looking a little thin."

Teya gave her sister a weak smile. "I'll see you on the parade route."

Mona gave her sister a hug, and Teya showed herself out of the office. As she walked through the door, she glanced back over her shoulder and saw Mona open the file with Nicole Archer's photograph.

As Teya headed out of the building, the weight in her stomach felt heavier than ever before.

***

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