Gameboard of the Gods (Age of X, #1)(56)

“That’s not scamming,” she said. “That’s just being observant.”

He shrugged. “It felt like scamming—especially with the way those people reacted. You would’ve thought it was magic. Brought in a lot of money to the * carnie we worked for, of which we saw a fraction. But it was enough to buy food.”

“Why would a couple of kids need to buy food?” she asked. She’d probably grown up with cooks and servants.

“Because there wasn’t any at home. Our mom didn’t work—well, she earned money, but not much of it went toward us.”

“What about…your dad?”

He shook his head. “Just an anonymous donor somewhere who happened to be a good genetic match for my mom and her stipend.”

Mae nodded, looking slightly uncomfortable. “But then you would’ve gotten federal rations.”

“We did,” he said simply. “She sold them for anything that could give her a high.”

Mae was silent for several moments. “I can’t imagine kids going hungry—not in the RUNA, at least. I can’t imagine a mother doing that to her kids.”

“She had a lot of problems.” Boy, was that an understatement. “Cyn says I’ve got the same addictive personality, you know.” He frowned, realizing the irony of bringing it up in this context. “But this is nothing compared to her. And Cyn knows it. She just gets extreme sometimes when she’s pissed off. I’m nothing like our mom.”

“Because you’ve worked your problems into a functioning lifestyle.”

“Seems like by definition they aren’t problems then,” he retorted. “I’m okay. My loved ones are okay. I take care of them.” He was a little surprised at the fierceness in his voice. No matter what else happened, looking after Cynthia and Quentin—and Tessa—was always at the forefront of his mind. Maybe he’d deluded himself about inheriting his mother’s addictions, but one thing he’d refused to repeat was her abandonment—which was part of what had made exile so agonizing.

“You do,” said Mae, no trace of mockery. “You’re very good to them. And look at you now. Using all that elite childhood training to get you where you are in the service of our country.”

“Not that elite. What I do…it’s not hard.”

“I couldn’t do it,” she said.

A doctor appeared just then, a stern-faced woman who quickly made it apparent that she didn’t find him charming in the least. She lectured him on the dangers of mixing alcohol and drugs, subtly hinting that he was lucky he hadn’t actually been in possession of the—illegal—gates of paradise. She gave a set of basic discharge instructions involving rest and water and then scanned his ego so that she could send him “helpful” resources on substance abuse. He accepted all the reprimanding humbly, both because it was deserved and because it got them out of there faster.

Mae said little when they finally left the hospital, but he noticed her giving him the occasional sidelong look. He knew without a doubt she still thought his vices were a sign of weakness, but somehow, between his comment about respecting her and the story of his youth, he’d inadvertently grown a little in her esteem. Worse, he found he liked it. The pride and faith in her eyes had momentarily taken his breath away. Quickly, he reminded himself that she was a supercilious castal who looked down on others, one who’d been far from tactful in her attitudes. He needed to respond in kind, both for his own protection and because he deserved it. He would, as Horatio had observed, be more of an * from now on.

I’m sure that won’t be difficult, the raven responded.





[page]CHAPTER 14





JUSTIN’S FAVORITE MEGALOMANIAC





“What the hell happened to you?”

Cynthia nearly dropped her frying pan when Justin stumbled into the kitchen. Tessa looked up from the toast she was too nervous to eat and immediately saw what had caught Cynthia’s attention. Justin looked pale and haggard, with dark circles under his eyes. He was dressed and groomed to his usual standards but was far from his dazzling self.

“Bad trip,” he said.

Cynthia gave him a wary look. “What kind of trip?”

“The one where I battle it out with volatile religious nuts to protect the way you live. Ask Mae. She’ll tell you.” He started to trudge off down the hall and then noticed Tessa in her maroon school uniform. He patted her shoulder. “Good luck today, sweetie. You’ll do great. I can’t wait to hear the recap tonight.”

She gave him a brave smile and nodded.

Although Tessa could understand Justin’s emphasis on getting a formal Gemman education, there was a part of her that thought she could absorb just as much by staying at home with the stream. She spent hours on it every day, amazed at what she learned from both its entertainment and reference options. She had yet to find a topic the stream didn’t cover. Some days it was almost overwhelming—but she loved it.

Still, she had to remember that the whole reason she’d been allowed to come to the RUNA was because of a student visa. Studying at home was a valid option in Panama—the only one, actually, for ladies of her class—but here, the country’s standardized education system was the path available to her.