we will oppose the Stadholder with all means at our disposal. But this isn’t one of those matters; in that, you have my promise. So the doctor’s home is your refuge, if you wish. As is mine.”
I couldn’t help myself. A lump in my throat, I reached across and took the comfort of his hand.
4
“A NOTHER SOFTIE?” KEVIN LOUNGED on his bed. We’d walked home from Dakko & Son; when his father came home, we’d tell the kitchen micro to heat dinner.
“Nah.” I reddened. “Er, no thanks.” We might be friends, but I was his guest, sort of. Dad and Anth both had strong ideas on courtesy between guests and hosts, and I agreed. Even a narf like Bishop Scanlen deserved … for a moment I squirmed. Well, he’d insulted me first, and deserved what he got, even if it made more trouble than I’d intended.
But living in Kevin’s house, I couldn’t be rude. It wouldn’t be long, though, before I’d have to go to Dr Zayre. I sighed. No doubt she’d be kind, but Kev was near my age, and we’d become as close as we’d ever been.
“I better get my work done.” He swung to his puter, climbed onto the net, schussed into a series of his trig problems.
I watched, half interested. Then, “Ever look me up?” I tried to sound casual. If I’d been netted, his look-up would reveal it.
“What’s to see? Are you famous?” A derisive snort.
“No, but …” I grabbed at deception. “Dad put our family bios up, years ago. See if they’re still there.”
“I’m busy.” He was calculating a sine function. I’d have to read the problem to understand it, and I didn’t want to bother. His glance flickered my way. “Unless there’s some reason …?”
I tried not to betray my tension. I could tell Kev my worry, and of course he’d check me out on the nets. I needed, really needed to know.
On the other hand, it was in strictest confidence that Anth had told me he’d reinstated tracing. It was a sign of his trust. Explaining why I needed Kevin to schuss for me would betray Anth.
I sighed. “Nah, forget it.” I leaned back. Perhaps I could call Judy Winthrop. If her mother let her near a caller. I couldn’t escape another sigh. I’d gotten Judy in hot water with her family, and put Kev at risk just being around him. As for Anth, I didn’t even want to think of the difficulty I’d caused.
Perhaps I should spend my time with our enemies, and cause them the trouble I made for our friends.
Darkness had fallen, dinner was done. Kevin schussed the byte-bit slopes, his homework finished. Across the room, Mr Dakko browsed his holovid, his feet propped on a hassock.
Perhaps it was kindness, perhaps Mr Dakko had had a quiet word with his son. Whatever the cause, Kev had dropped what he was doing and explored the nets, with me as target. Without saying anything, he’d shown me the results.
I sat, chin in hands, brooding on what we’d found. Rather, what we hadn’t found.
There was no warning pasted across my net profile, no cross-ref to a missing child alert. Nothing.
It had me puzzled. At the very least, Anthony ought to have posted a please-notify. It would be only a nominal effort to find me, one I could easily avoid by not schussing in my regular tracks. But it would show token compliance with Church demands, and avoid trouble with the Bishop.
On the other hand, what would Anthony’s refusal to seek me out signify? He wasn’t obligated, either as Stadholder or parent-by-proxy, to stop me from visiting the city. On the other hand, if I was truly a wayward youth, then as a parent he was responsible for my depredations, and had the obligation to bring me under control.
On the other hand—we were running out of hands—my mother, Sandra, was my actual guardian. Ultimately, unless Anth asserted real control over me, he had no legal obligation either to make me behave or to hand me to the Church for spiritual correction. Yet, I doubted he’d resort to such a mealy-mouthed defense; he was raising me, and
I couldn’t help myself. A lump in my throat, I reached across and took the comfort of his hand.
4
“A NOTHER SOFTIE?” KEVIN LOUNGED on his bed. We’d walked home from Dakko & Son; when his father came home, we’d tell the kitchen micro to heat dinner.
“Nah.” I reddened. “Er, no thanks.” We might be friends, but I was his guest, sort of. Dad and Anth both had strong ideas on courtesy between guests and hosts, and I agreed. Even a narf like Bishop Scanlen deserved … for a moment I squirmed. Well, he’d insulted me first, and deserved what he got, even if it made more trouble than I’d intended.
But living in Kevin’s house, I couldn’t be rude. It wouldn’t be long, though, before I’d have to go to Dr Zayre. I sighed. No doubt she’d be kind, but Kev was near my age, and we’d become as close as we’d ever been.
“I better get my work done.” He swung to his puter, climbed onto the net, schussed into a series of his trig problems.
I watched, half interested. Then, “Ever look me up?” I tried to sound casual. If I’d been netted, his look-up would reveal it.
“What’s to see? Are you famous?” A derisive snort.
“No, but …” I grabbed at deception. “Dad put our family bios up, years ago. See if they’re still there.”
“I’m busy.” He was calculating a sine function. I’d have to read the problem to understand it, and I didn’t want to bother. His glance flickered my way. “Unless there’s some reason …?”
I tried not to betray my tension. I could tell Kev my worry, and of course he’d check me out on the nets. I needed, really needed to know.
On the other hand, it was in strictest confidence that Anth had told me he’d reinstated tracing. It was a sign of his trust. Explaining why I needed Kevin to schuss for me would betray Anth.
I sighed. “Nah, forget it.” I leaned back. Perhaps I could call Judy Winthrop. If her mother let her near a caller. I couldn’t escape another sigh. I’d gotten Judy in hot water with her family, and put Kev at risk just being around him. As for Anth, I didn’t even want to think of the difficulty I’d caused.
Perhaps I should spend my time with our enemies, and cause them the trouble I made for our friends.
Darkness had fallen, dinner was done. Kevin schussed the byte-bit slopes, his homework finished. Across the room, Mr Dakko browsed his holovid, his feet propped on a hassock.
Perhaps it was kindness, perhaps Mr Dakko had had a quiet word with his son. Whatever the cause, Kev had dropped what he was doing and explored the nets, with me as target. Without saying anything, he’d shown me the results.
I sat, chin in hands, brooding on what we’d found. Rather, what we hadn’t found.
There was no warning pasted across my net profile, no cross-ref to a missing child alert. Nothing.
It had me puzzled. At the very least, Anthony ought to have posted a please-notify. It would be only a nominal effort to find me, one I could easily avoid by not schussing in my regular tracks. But it would show token compliance with Church demands, and avoid trouble with the Bishop.
On the other hand, what would Anthony’s refusal to seek me out signify? He wasn’t obligated, either as Stadholder or parent-by-proxy, to stop me from visiting the city. On the other hand, if I was truly a wayward youth, then as a parent he was responsible for my depredations, and had the obligation to bring me under control.
On the other hand—we were running out of hands—my mother, Sandra, was my actual guardian. Ultimately, unless Anth asserted real control over me, he had no legal obligation either to make me behave or to hand me to the Church for spiritual correction. Yet, I doubted he’d resort to such a mealy-mouthed defense; he was raising me, and
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