Continued from yesterday:
Todd was starting to admire the change. Sara stood straighter, acted with more confidence… okay, so she was a little bit disarmingly honest and had gained the ability to make atrocious puns, but she was getting *better*.
Entertaining visions of Sara in full confidence-mode, with longer hair and him on her arm took most of his full attention for the last delivery.
“Now, I know these ones were pleasant thoughts,” said Sara. “You haven’t stopped smiling since the jam sampler."
"Thinkin’ of good futures,” he breezed. “We turnin’ things aroun’, yo. I just know it’s gonna get better.” _And seeing you grow on the inside is magnificent._
“Can’t get much worse, right?"
"Oooh… skatin’ on thin ice, babe. I could snap yo’ for that one."
She presented him with a wrist. "Snap away, sirrah. I must to rid mine self of this accursed depreciation streak anon."
He laughed, even when giving her a baby snap and immediately kissed her better.
"No foolin’ around back there,” growled Logan.
Todd rolled his eyes and they both fell into merry hysterics.
+
Janine stopped by Povo Towers on the way back. They had a room for Ultra-cheap rent, owing to the bullet holes in the walls. They also had several notices asking for babysitters, dog-walkers, mail-collectors and sundry other small jobs that would amount to rent money plus food money.
And if she could land herself some kind of McJob in the near future, that would help infinitely.
Janine took as many numbers as she could, figuring it wouldn’t hurt to earn some spending cash before she actually moved in. Sara had always said that nobody ever got hurt by thinking sensibly.
Sara, who’d been a true friend despite everything Janine had said or done.
And then she remembered turning away to laugh, that day, when Sara had said, “You are now on your second chance, Janine Wiltshire. Heaven help you if I find that you’ve betrayed me."
Oh shit.
And that recording doing the rounds… naming her as Sara’s friend. Naming her as the one responsible for the locker rat.
Oh *SHIT*!
Why did she have to remember stuff like this *after* she’d turned over a new leaf?
+
At least they were still talking. They’d let him build a small fire and one even stood so that he was on the lee side. Out of the wind.
”[Little man give trinkets for peace?]“ they said.
”[If I must,]“ he said. Sam blew on his fingers. Night was cold up here. ”[But trinkets do not make a lasting peace. They are just baubles. Playthings.]“
”[Little man give his *knife* for peace?]“
Sam boggled. ”[I don’t have a knife.]“
Trolls conversing amongst themselves sounded like a chaos of Steppe sounds. Cracking ice, creaking ice, blowing wind and sundry other small noises of nature.
Apparently, not carrying a knife was a big deal.
”[One more test,]“ said the clan leader. ”[Little man have big case. We see little man talk into it. Little man give case for peace?]“
Sam thought about this. ”[If I must, then I will,]“ he decided. ”[It’s my only link to home, but I will give it to you for peace.]“
”[Little man travel long way,]“ said the chief. ”[Little man willing to give most valued thing. Little man carry no knife. We trust little man.]“
Sam sighed with relief.
”[Now you show us how this speaking case work.]“
+
Roxy had almost fallen asleep in her chair when the telephone rang.
Mrs Adrien leaped on it. "Sara?” a pause. “Oh, *Sam*… you’ll never believe it. Sara’s gone and ran away. She took *everything*. I don’t know where she is and even if the police find her, they say they can’t do a *thing*… Oh, Sam, I’m so alone, here.” Another pause. “Of course I have the police here, darling. They’re keeping watch with me in case she calls."
~
Sam closed his eyes and saved his tears until after he was out of the wind and the cold. _It’s happened. It’s finally happened. After all those she-goes-or-I-go fights… Sara took the path of least friction._ "I have the feeling she won’t call,” he said, trying desperately to remain calm. “This is a desperate move for her–"
"You’re always taking her side, Sam,” said Jaquelline. “Sometimes I think you love her more than you love me."
And since love was a binary thing for her and her family… he had to say that he loved *her*. "Of course I love you. I always have and I always will…” _It’s a genetic curse. Us Adriens love long and love thoroughly. “But right now, we need to think about Sara if we want to find her.” A pause. Were the police listening on the extension? “Do you want to find her?"
"Of course I want to find her! Think of how it will *look*. What will the neighbours think?"
_Hardly something to say in front of observers, darling…_ "Good. So we need to think a little like Sara. She must have thought things were tough enough to make her move out… Can you think of a reason why?"
"Of course not. I gave everything to that girl. Everything!"
_Except what she wanted most,_ thought Sam. _One ‘I love you’ a day from you could have stretched her stay beyond the realisation that she had somewhere else to go._ He cut off her speech on how hard-done-by she was. "Darling… darling… think, please. There must be something. Did you see anything unusual the last time she came home?"
A gasp. "She was sneaking around with that little street punk! Moving a few things out, my eye! She was eloping with him behind my back! And she gave some pathetic 'Goodwill’ excuse to poor innocent Cricket, too! That *girl*! I may have to send her to a *convent*!"
"Jaquelline…” Sam’s voice was quiet, but it commanded all her attention. “Sara will only come back if she feels you won’t be angry with her. I love you dearly, but you do have a ferocious temper… and being angry is not going to help this situation.” _And neither will adding that Cricket is only innocent because she’s too daft to pick up on innuendo…_ “You have to be strong for me until I come home. I’m going to try and make it soon, I promise.” The signal was starting to fuzz. “Sattelite’s going. I’m sorry, darling, but I have to go. I love you. Please be brave… I love you."
She sniffled an, "I love you,” back before the signal was lost.
Sam sagged and let his tears out.
“[Now we know why little man so good at peace,]” said a nearby Troll. “[He have wars in home.]"
”[Yes,]“ he sighed. ”[I have wars in home.]“
+
Roxy very carefully hung up the extension. Now there was a desperate man trying to keep up a brave front. All those key-phrases thrown at one another.
This wasn’t a home, it was a war zone.
Time to grill some other combattants on Mr Sam Adrien, then.
+
Todd whistled low at the place they’d just entered. This place was top of the line. It didn’t even have clothing on display. Just a few falls of exquisite fabric and some flowers in vases that suggested, should one be so crass as to enquire, that clothing would happen by arrangement.
The petite lady behind the counter beamed at Sara. "Ah, miss Adrien,” she toured around the counter, stepped even further down, and revealed herself to be very petite indeed. Almost a midget. “Another wedding performance?"
"No, I’m expanding my wardrobe,” said Sara. “I was thinking of some mix-and-match articles. Tops more than skirts. Perhaps a pair of coulottes? Tones and tones of tones; that sort of thing, thanks, Ms Earnhardt."
Ms Earnhardt gave him, and then Logan an appraising glare. "And these gentlemen?"
"They don’t have as much trouble buying off the rack,” said Sara.
She next tisked at the watch. “And *this*?"
"A temporary necessity, I’m afraid,” said Sara. “It’s one of those new ones that monitor your pulse and suchlike. They don’t *do* a ladies’ model."
"I’ll make you something to conceal it,” offered Ms Earnhardt, “free of charge."
"Oh, and my budget’s temporarily a bit of a mess, alas."
"I *quite* understand, dear,” and Ms Earnhardt ushered Sara past some gauzy curtains that clearly marked the border into no-man’s land.
Logan pulled up a comfy chair. Todd arranged himself in a discrete corner with a magazine from some Ren Fair mob.
“Hey, cool! Sara’s ridin’ in this one!"
"Imagine my exitement,” said Logan, in tones that clearly implied that Todd would have to.
Todd pored over the article and the pictures. So *that* was Sergeant Bothari. In full armour and kitted out for Dressage, he looked magnificent. And Sara didn’t do too badly as a random Knight, either. And check out the damage they could do to dummy warriors! Cool!
“Good book?"
"Sara,” he grinned. “I thought you were gonna be forever."
"Nah. Just measurements and swatches and some battle plans. The finished product should be delivered next week."
"You set all that up?"
"You were kind of engrossed."
"Gotta admit, yo’ pretty cool,” he showed her the article.
“No, I–” Sara stopped, snapped a rubber band, and said, “Thank you, dear."
"Can we *go*, now?” rumbled Logan.
~
“Are you psycho, yet? Catch it from your homo friend?"
"Huh?” said Janine.
“Geez, you’re such a spaz."
She ignored him and continued into the house. Mom was in the middle of a bunch of younger kids, trying to sort out clean pants, clean clothes, and a cooked dinner all at the same time. Janine dumped her stuff in her room and then did the unthinkable. She volunteered.
"Need a hand, Mom?"
Mom boggled at her. "Who are you and what have you done with my daughter?"
"Or I could go to my room and try to call all the people I want to work part-time for. Your choice,” she breezed.
Mom felt her forehead. “Stay out here and help with dinner. I can watch for fainting spells."
"Ha ha ha,” Janine deadpanned. “Is it so wrong for me to change my mind about the way I live my life?"
"What bought this on?"
"Counthellor Kian. He thays that I’m bathically training mythelf to be an aththhole when I grow up, so I dethided to turn it around while I had the chanthe.” She got on with co-ordinated cookery and toddler-shuffling. “Tho we figured out what wath causing the motht thtrethth and I kinda worked on a plan to eliminate it."
"Just like that, huh?"
"Yup. Thtep one is earn thome extra cash. Thtep two is find a cheap apartment near thchool. If I can earn enough to live tholo for a while, I won’t have that competing-for-attention mindthet that made me… well… you thaw the news."
"I still don’t approve of what you did or why you did it. I can *barely* understand the 'why’… Janine, she was your *friend*."
"Yeah. I thcrewed that the hell up and I have a lot of digging to do."
Mom stared at her as if seeing her for the first time. "What happened to 'it isn’t fair’?"
"That'th the catchcry of the perennial loser,” said Janine. “You play the hand you got and you bluff like thhit."
”*Janine*!“
She grinned. "Thorry… anyway, I can’t really uthe gothip againtht my friendth… but I can have a kind of power over those kidth who’d uthe gothip againtht me. I can make 'em fear me? But I can’t make 'em like me and that'th thad, but it'th the way the whole thing workth. I’m at the bottom of the food chain until thomething elthe happenth."
"Wow,” said Mom. “That’s… really mature of you."
Janine smiled. "Thankth Mom.”
~~
“Okay,” said Danoz, “so you paid for her to go to a boarding school, and then you found out she ran away?"
Roxy watched the woman’s crocodile tears with a venomous glare.
"Yes…” Mrs Adrien sniffed. “That’s correct."
"But you caught her moving stuff while this Professor guy was here,” said Roxy.
“Yes. She said she was moving a few things out. I thought she was finally going to burn those *awful* fairytale books of hers, and thought nothing of it. Of course I had to be a good hostess for my guests…"
"Of course,” drawled Roxy in her patented, that-is-so-much-bullshit way. “Ma'am… have you tried contacting this institute?"
"They won’t tell me anything!” Mrs Adrien bawled. “All they ever say is that I’m on her do-not-call list. After everything I’ve done for her!"
Danoz decided to head off that one with a generous pour of liquor into Mrs Adrien’s glass. "Just calm down, please, ma'am,” he said. “We’ll check out this Institute and see if she’s there. All we can legally tell you is that we’ve found her and that she’s OK. We can’t tell you *where* we found her and who she’s with. It’s against the law."
"She won’t be at the school,” said Mrs Adrien, deep into her malt liquor. “She hates everything I’ve ever done with her… she’d do the exact opposite."
"We’ll check out the lead, anyway,” said Roxy.
They were almost relieved to walk out the door.
“That,” announced Danoz, “is one scary woman. If she was my ma, I’d'a run off ages ago."
"Laying any bets as to whether this is a miscommunication?” said Roxy.
“Nah. It’s odds-even."
~
They had to be buzzed into the estate, and the cruise up the drive was uneventful. Some students practicing martial arts on the lawn broke up, one tall figure dashing inside with long strides.
"Sara Adrien?” guessed Danoz.
“Odds evens,” drawled Roxy.
They found her on the telephone. “…standard thing, except add a clause saying she’s allowed to go near me in the company of my father. Yes. That’s right. Samuel Lyle Adrien. And how soon can this be enacted?” She scribbled some notes. “Excellent. Thankyou very much. Thank you. Bye.” She turned away from the phone, notes in hand, and her face fell. “Oh. You’re early."
"Early?” said Danoz.
“I figured you guys wouldn’t work out I was staying here until tomorrow.” She shrugged and blushed. “Must have left out a numeral somewhere. Or I’m currently talking to some more exempliary examples of our -ah- thin blue line?"
"Some glaring innacuracies popped up,” said Roxy, glaring through the girl.
“Did you tell your mother that you were moving in here?"
"Oh hells, no. She’d follow me."
"Mmn-*hm*,” said Roxy. “Are you aware that she’s worried about you."
"I know my mother, officer. She’s less worried about me and more worried about what the neighbours will think. If I can be frank? Strictly between us?"
"Off the record,” said Danoz.
“My mother is toxic. I’m not just her daughter, I’m everything that’s gone wrong with her life since I was six years old."
"So you decided to leave."
"More than that, I’ve started filing a restraining order,” said Sara. “If she gets near me before Dad can defuse her? I’m afraid for my mental and physical wellbeing."
"Does she hit you?” said Roxy. Her notebook was open again.
“No. She never hit me. It’s strictly verbal abuse, but that has - side-effects. I spasm under intense stress. There’s footage, but Ray has it under guard."
"Ray? The butler?"
"Yes. Ray Dotrice. Obviously no relation[1]."
"Huh?"
"Side-reference. Never mind. You have to tell him my exact words or he’ll keep the footage where it’s hidden. You have to tell him I said, 'it’s time for the truth to come from the woodwork out’."
”…from the woodwork… out…“
"So what kind of stress caused that fit on the web?” asked Danoz, never high on tact.
“A complete mental breakdown,” said Sara, cheerful. “Born of eleven years of almost pure, unadulterated crap from other people. I snapped, but I’m better now."
"Mmn-*hm*,” said Roxy.
“Sure, I’m still a little fractured in here,” she tapped her head, “but look.” Sara showed them her hands. Steady as a rock. “No stress, no twitching. No more near-epileptic spasms. This Institute is the best thing for me. And if mother found out… she’d pull me away from here so fast there’d be red-shift."
"I thought you were in Remedial Ed.,” said Roxy.
“Were. Past tense. I’ve been moved up. Apparently, my IQ’s somewhere above one-eighty… which means my life has turned a one-eighty!” She grinned. “I can *stretch* in this place."
A red-headed Senior passed by, ”…said the girl who boxes herself in with bookshelves.“
"Ignore my roommate, we’re still getting used to each other."
"Was that… Jean Grey?” said Danoz.
“None other,” said Sara. She was still chipper. “On our first night, I discovered that all idols have feet of clay. Mom would never accept it, of course, but the fact remains intact."
"And what about your *father*?” said Roxy.
“Dad’s away in Russia, doing some negotiation deal. He goes overseas on those a lot. He… he loves Mom for his own reasons, and none of them have anything to do with the way she acts around me. It’s… complicated. When he’s home… there’s a cease-fire."
"Yo, you still in yo’ gi? I thought you were goin’ be fast, sweetums."
The speaker fit so neatly into the 'street punk’ pigeonhole that no other introduction was necessary. This had to be the boyfriend.
"Does he live here?” said Roxy.
“Nah. I’m a brotherhood boy, yo.” He grinned. “Got me mah *own* talents. Hey! Can I look at'cher gun?"
”*No*.“
"Dear…” said Sara.
He put his hands behind his back. “I’ll be good."
His impression of having a halo wobbled significantly.
"Are we done, officers? I’d like it plainly understood that I won’t be going near my former home until Dad gets back and defuses my mother."
"We can plainly understand it,” said Danoz. “We have to go *back* there."
”*You* have to go back there,“ said Roxy, checking a post-it note. "I have a thing on the corner of Fifth and Twenty-second."
"But it isn’t four of two[2],” said Sara, checking her clunky watch. “It’s rather late."
"Naw, somebody else will be,” said Roxy. She snickered at her own private joke.
+
Sara blinked as she watched the officers leave. “Was that as surreal as I thought it was?” she said.
“You gotta admit you helped,” said Todd.
“Yes, but I *like* surreal.” She shook herself. “Gi, I must be going."
"Euw,” he laughed. “Meetcha at the foot of the stair?"
"I might just slide down the bannister at you."
"Ooo, tempting."
She dashed upstairs. Life was getting better.
[1] *Roy* Dotrice is the man who played Father in the series _Beauty and the Beast_ with Ron Perlman and Linda Hamilton.
[2] Reference to a _They Might Be Giants_ song called _Four of Two_. The corner of Fifth Avenue and Twenty-second street is where the guy waits… and waits… and waits…
~