Chapter eleven
Varya
Varya went back to her own apartment after leavingDaniel at school that morning. She’d rescheduled her meeting withMarisa but there were time tab orders that needed to be filled.
When Zoe’s call came through, she wassitting on the sofa in her living room, staring at a picture of herown son and mother, while Marisa counted the packages in thekitchen. In the photograph, her mother was smiling; Kir waspouting. He was so adorable when he sulked. It never lasted long.How could she help keep someone else’s child safe when she’d failedher own child so badly?
Zoe’s name flashed on the screen. She pickedit up immediately. “Zoe? Is Daniel okay?”
“Yes, he’s fine,” came Zoe’s voice. “I mean,I think he’s fine. I haven’t heard anything. Why, have you heardsomething?”
“No, I haven’t. Where are you? Has somethinghappened?” Varya recognised the note of anxiety in her friend’svoice.
“I… I’m outside Daniel’s school. I just… Ihad to be near him.”
Varya pictured Zoe sitting at the school’sfront gate in her car, just as she had earlier that morning. Beyondthe wire fence was a strip of green, a concrete path and aflat-roofed building, its walls still stained orange. A fashionablecolour for 1976.
Varya heard Zoe tap her fingers freneticallyon the steering wheel. She felt the strong urge along with her,while she also tried to resist it: the desperate need to leap outof the car and bang on the classroom windows, shouting for her son.She picked up the photograph of Kir and her mother and placed it onher lap.
“Zo’?” Varya prompted.
“It’s Ben Williams. They found him.” Zoesniffed and her breath came in irregular gasps. “I saw him at thehospital, he came in this morning. He looked fine, not hurt, but…Varya, they scanned his date.”
Varya swallowed and pinched the edge of thephoto frame, feeling the sting from the rough metal against herskin, trying to anchor herself to the present. She felt like shemight just float away, her head was spinning.
“It didn’t sound good,” Zoe blurted out,before she started sobbing.
“I’m so sorry. Oh, Zoe, I’m so sorry.” Itwasn’t her fault, she knew it wasn’t her fault, not really. But shefelt so responsible. Her hand shook as she replaced Kir’s photo onthe side table, not trusting her trembling hands to hold it. Shestood and began to walk, as though forward motion could somehowhelp.
“It’s happening again, Varya, it’s timethieves, it must be. I don’t know what to do. How can I keep Danielsafe?”
Varya wanted to tell her to run into theschool and hold onto Daniel and never let him out of her sight. Butit made no sense to pull him out of school now. Enmeshed in theday-to-day routines, he probably wasn’t even thinking of his absentfriend. They should leave him there to enjoy the bliss of ignorancefor a few more hours.
“Just keep doing what you’re doing,” shetold Zoe instead. “Make sure you’re there to pick him up. Let meknow if you need me to step in.”
“Can’t you do something, though? For Ben,even? You know about these things. You know, from before, from lasttime. You can help.” It was an accusation disguised as a plea.
Varya stopped walking and sat down heavilyon a kitchen chair, opposite Marisa. She dug her fingers into thethin seat cushion and felt her jaw clench.
“Zoe, I…”
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything.It’s just… I’m sorry. I have to go.”
The call ended abruptly. Varya put the phoneon the table and laid both her hands over it. She stared across herkitchen into nothingness. Eventually her eyes focused on the smallblack box perched on a high shelf. Her body shook involuntarily fora moment.
Chapter twelve
Marisa
Marisa looked at her expectantly, having heard theone-sided conversation and drawn her own conclusions. Varya met hergaze and shook her head.
“I need to get back to work,” was all shesaid.
Marisa knew Varya would be thinking thatmaybe if she immersed herself in the research this would all blowover soon. It was how her employer and friend operated. Workherself into the ground until the problem had magically beenresolved. Marisa had to grant that it had worked well so far formost of Varya’s problems—as long as those problems were related tofinding treatments for illnesses for which research had previouslybeen underfunded.
Marisa forced herself to breathe evenly. Shewould need to tread lightly if she were to persuade Varya to getinvolved in something her instincts were telling her to runfrom.
“They found the kid? Ben Williams?” shestarted.
“Yes.”
“Bad news, huh?”
“Looks that way, yes.” Varya looked down atthe packages scattered on the table in front of Marisa. “That’s allof them for tonight’s drop, yes?”
Marisa shuffled a couple around andnodded.
“Okay. Then we’re done here.” Varya stoodup. Marisa didn’t.
It infuriated Marisa that she even had tobring this up. She was quite sure that Varya would have thought ofit herself already but dismissed it as too risky. Varya was verygood at doing what was necessary for herself and her family. Butwhen it came to helping others, she could be extremely reticent.Marisa shrugged off her indignation. She couldn’t fault her forlooking out for her family first. It was just human instinct. Andthe Minor Miracles Foundation had helped dozens of people and theirfamilies, which seemed to suit Varya just fine, as long as shedidn’t have to actually meet any of them.
“The kid, the one that was taken,” saidMarisa. “He’s a friend of your friend’s kid, right?”
“Sort of. They’re in the same class. I don’tthink they’re close though.”
“You could help him, then. If you thinkthey’d stay quiet.”
“Help him?” Varya bristled. “I can’t tamperwith Rest Time Chips. Nobody can.”
Marisa snorted. “Well, clearly somebody’sfigured out how to. Least you could do is give the kid a few timetabs on the house. Just ‘til one of the good guys figures out howto tamper his Chip back for him.”
Varya leaned over and began putting thepackages back into the waiting box.
“Not much point in delaying the inevitableif he’s only got a short time left,” she said, her tone dull.
Marisa bit her tongue. If this were a timethief copycat, a few days would be the most that
