The Pentrals (19 page)

I know a star who shines brighter than the whole city combined. A figure rooted in everyone’s hearts, someone who behind closed doors admitted her dominance over her admirers. There is only one Person in all of Talline who willingly disseminates her image for public consumption, who exhibits complete confidence and total superiority over the groveling masses.

Her name is Celestia Sky.

* * 24 * *

N
o one is answering the door. I am standing in front of the Kellys’ mansion, repeatedly ringing the bell.
I should have called first
, I think. But I could barely function this morning. Celestia’s wicked words played on repeat in my head.
Those people are pawns and I am their queen. No one says no to Celestia Sky
. The more I think about it, the more obvious it seems. She is the one Person truly comfortable with eyes crawling all over her and even seems to feed off the attention. Of course the population of Talline likes looking at her; she is a welcome break from everyone’s usual eyesores. If the Reflections were to show what’s real, perhaps Persons would be less interested in looking at someone else, and surely Celestia would not like that. She is clearly in good graces with the Kellys, and could have easily known about Mary’s scholarly pursuits. Yes. She knew what Mary was working on and wanted it to stop.

I feel dirty, disgusted. I fell into Celestia’s trance just like everyone else. Blinded by her beauty, never questioning her words. All those times standing helpless at the holopane, eating up anything she had to say. She seemed like a friend, a trusted mentor, but all along she just wanted to keep everyone down while she rose to the top.

I turn away from the house and head back to Violet’s carpod just as two figures come running up the perfectly manicured drive. Ben and his father, back from a morning jog.

“Not bad son,” Mr. Kelly calls out as they come to a halt. Even after a workout, he looks flawless. The shimmer of sweat only adds to his sheen.

Ben, on the other hand, is drenched, panting hard. From the look of it, he could pass out at any moment. He bends over, placing his hands on his knees. “Yeah…” Ben pants. “…Maybe next time…you’ll keep up,” he says to his dad, gasping for air.

William laughs, pearly white teeth shining, and slaps Ben on the back, causing him to stumble. “Good morning, Violet,” he says to me. “Care for a protein shake? I’m heading in to make a batch.”

“Oh, no thanks,” I reply. I am not familiar with protein shakes, and my stomach is churning enough as it is. He runs inside with little effort and I sit on the driveway next to Ben, who looks ready to die.

“I thought you were an athlete,” I joke.

“So did I,” he says. “That man…” His breathing is starting to slow back down. “The way he runs…it’s not human.” He shakes his head, showering drops of sweat on the tiled driveway, then pulls off his wet shirt to dab more off his forehead. I shoot my stare straight ahead, feeling weirdly embarrassed being so close to his half naked body. I count the polished tiles leading up to the front door to give my eyes something else to do.

“Have fun on your date last night?” Ben asks.

“Oh yes, very dreamy.”
10, 11, 12…

“I bet. So why are you here?”

17, 18, 19…
“I am looking for a pair of sunglasses I think I may have left in Mary’s room. Is it okay if I go look?”

“Yeah, I’ll walk you up. If I can stand.” I jump up first, still staring ahead, but notice he is struggling with some leg cramping. I extend him my hand, and the resulting spark gives me something else to focus on as he pulls himself up.

“Um, Ben, do you think you could put on your shirt?” I ask, averting his stare.

“Why?” he responds, an eyebrow raised in parallel with his smile.

“Because… it’s… unsanitary,” I stammer. He laughs, and I relax once he is fully clothed again. I cannot understand why he makes me feel this way, all riled up, but I will not let him shake my focus.

We walk through the entrance of the mansion, our footsteps echoing in the cathedral ceilings. Even though the Kellys are such a vibrant family, full of humor and intellect, their home feels cold, almost uninhabited. I wonder how a house filled with so many beautiful things can feel so empty. Once up the stairs we find ourselves at Mary’s room. The door is shut.

“My dad usually keeps it closed. He won’t say it, but I think it’s too painful for him not to see her in there.” According to Violet, father and daughter did not play nice, but that does not mean he can’t miss her.

“Are you sure it’s okay for me to go in?” I ask.

“Oh yeah, it’s fine. I’ll go in too, for security purposes, of course,” he says with a wink. I do not object.

Mary’s room is very different from Violet’s. I have been here before, sprawled on the floor with Blue, but I have never seen the space so clean. All of Mary’s possessions—her holopane, plaques from science fairs, clothes—are where they should be, yet free of any dust or even fingerprints. It is like a Mary Kelly museum; all the details are right but lacking any hint of life.

Violet is working well under pressure. She has not been here in months, yet still she resists the urge to look around. The outline down below is perfect. Even though Mr. West assured us the Pentrals are on our side, she is still trying to avoid Class One.

“Where do we start?” Ben asks.

“It’s hard to say. It’s so perfect in here. I’m afraid to touch anything.”

“Yeah, Mary’s room was never this clean. If she came home right now, I don’t think she’d recognize it.”

We start poking around. I rummage through the closet while Ben checks under the bed. It’s awkward, searching through a Person’s room without her permission. I try not to look at personal mementos, knowing it is not my place. I do not want to invade her privacy, but deep down I know Mary would want her work continued.

Finally I pull out a dresser drawer filled with accessories—bracelets, necklaces, and several pairs of glasses. As a citizen of Talline, where the light can be almost blinding, sunglasses are vital. The most common style around town is, not surprisingly, slick, mirrored lenses that curve around one’s face, designed to shield the most gleam. But Mary seems to have built quite a collection of frames that vary in shape, color, and material.

“Here we go!” I say as I begin poking through the drawer. Ben comes over and playfully shakes his head. “You girls and your stuff.” He pokes at the collection. “Are they here?”

I panic as I realize I have no idea what the glasses actually look like. Mary’s drawings were very crude, and since the last few pages of the journal were ripped out, the final version could have been modified. “Let’s try some on,” I suggest. I pull out a pair of chrome frames and slide them over Ben’s ears. “Nice,” I laugh. He cracks a half smile and chooses a silver pair with wraparound lenses for me. I take a quick glance in the mirrored wall to my left to see if anything appears different, but no, my Reflection is just as horrific as ever. I will have to try them all.

We start piling on the accessories, doing our best to make the other look crazy. I string a strand of multi-colored beads around Ben’s neck as he clips mismatched barrettes in my red hair. It is ridiculous, so silly, but I can’t stop smiling. Even the unsuccessful mirror checks are not bringing me down. Ben reaches to wrap a feathery necklace around my neck, but the texture tickles and I start giggling. I reflexively jab at him with my elbow, which makes him laugh too. Suddenly we are both pawing at each other, looking for ticklish zones. It’s pretty careless on my part; every touch sizzles with the spark. I should be burnt to a crisp, but somehow, I feel more alive, almost as if the energy between us is igniting a part of me I never knew was there.

And I’m not alone, because for the first time, Ben has a full-blown smile on his face. Not his usual measured grin or sarcastic smirk, but lips and teeth unafraid to share pleasant emotions. It is dazzling, so full of delight I wish I could capture it, or project it on a holopane. It is so new to witness, this moment of unrestrained happiness, and yet, I feel like I have seen this expression on Ben’s face before. I can’t shake the familiar feeling.

“What?” he laughs, his head piled high with jewelry. I must be staring.

“Nothing. Just…
déjà vu
,” I say with a smile.

A knock comes from the door. William stands at the threshold, freshly showered, protein shake in one hand.

“Hey guys,” he says calmly, running a finger over the glass’ condensation. Usually William’s voice is bouncy, like sunshine ricocheting off the mirrors, but now it is evenly measured, reserved. It is the first time he has not greeted me with a smile. He stares at us, face tense.

“I was just helping Violet look for a pair of glasses,” Ben says. William’s jaw clicks as he processes the scene. Something about our display displeases him. He must be unhappy with us in his daughter’s room.

“Did you find them?” he asks, staring at me with more intensity than necessary.

“No.” I tried on every pair but never saw a change in the mirror. Mary’s notes described a double-vision effect, how the glasses would pull the two images apart. But my Reflection never wavered. Mary must have stashed the glasses somewhere else. If she was worried about being watched, it must be someplace secretive.

“Well, we’ll keep a lookout for you,” William says flatly. The air is painfully uncomfortable. It is clear I need to leave. Rummaging through Mary’s room has upset her father, and I do not want to see his bad side. I say goodbye to them both and quickly exit.

I’m just tapping my home coordinates into Violet’s carpod when I hear Ben run up behind me.

“Hey,” he says softly. “Sorry about in there.”

“You mean with your dad?”

“Yeah. He gets so sensitive about things with Mary. He puts on a good face in public, but he’s having a real hard time. Sometimes he just freaks out.” He looks up at the sky, squinting in the sun. “Don’t take it personally.”

“It’s okay, I get it. All of this is hard. It is for me too.” Maybe Mary’s coma hasn’t affected me like the others, but I can relate to the struggle.

“Yeah well, sometimes I feel like…” Ben trails off, turning his head away. But I can see it—the full-blown smile has returned. He’s trying to hide it, keep it from surfacing, but whatever is triggering the grin will not be denied. I don’t want to admit it, but have a sneaking suspicion of the cause.

“What?” I ask, not letting him off the hook.

He turns, smile still intact, chocolate eyes warm with excitement. “Sometimes I feel like things might finally be looking up. That’s all.”

Now I’m the one who has to look away.

I should feel defeated, but instead am strangely invigorated. Sure, William’s reaction was a bit strange, and I did not find the glasses, but the day was not a total waste. I did find something, after all.

That smile, so full of happiness and warmth, forever burned in my brain. An uncovered piece of Benjamin Kelly, and I made it happen.

* * 25 * *

D
ays pass. The glasses remain mysteriously evasive. I have tried everywhere I can think of to find them, even revisiting the hospital to connect with Blue, knowing that when Mary disposed of her work, Blue would have been at her side.
Please help me
, I begged.
Tell me where to look
. But Blue remained shackled to the constraints of Class One-like insanity, her mind fixated on the same word—justice.

I want justice too
, I tell her. I feel quite confident that the illustrious Celestia Sky is behind Talline’s mirripulation, but without proof and no tool with which to execute judgment, I start feeling lost, powerless to change the forces around me. Just like when I was a Shadow.

As a last resort, Violet suggests visiting Clarion Café, a coffee shop and
Lift!
bar down at the lake’s edge. Mary worked there part-time after school a few days a week. I tagged along with the Alliance many times as Mary filled her friends up on free caffeinated beverages. I remember dreading those outings, hating the way the jittery drinks made my form twitch uncontrollably. Of course, that was before Violet tasted
Lifts!
, before I truly experienced a real drug’s power. Clarion Café is too public, too unsafe to stash her valuable prototype. If Mary believed she was being followed, would she have led her stalker somewhere so obvious, hiding the glasses in plain sight? It’s worth a try. And honestly, I am running out of ideas.

I could walk there, but decide to take Violet’s carpod instead. I used to relish our walks through town, challenging myself to recreate my Person’s shape on every passing surface. But my perspective has changed. Seeing the faces of the haunted masses breaks my heart, and frustrates me even more about the Reflections’ disobedience. Until I find something tangible to make the suffering stop, I’m trying to limit my outside interaction.

When I arrive, the café is bustling with customers from all parts of town. Located in downtown Talline, right on the water’s edge, it is a central spot for Persons to find their perfect pick-me-up. In addition to caffeinated drinks, Clarion Café infuses
Lifts!
into several tempting concoctions. Frothy whipped beverages and rich, decadent pastries all come with the option of adding a liquidized
Lift!
for an additional charge. I stand in a long line of customers, hearing Person after Person order mochas and teas with
Lift!
add-ins. The idea of consuming caffeine together with a
Lift!
makes my head spin.

I’m not particularly interested in having coffee at all, but feel I should order something so I can talk to one of Mary’s coworkers about her time working here. When I reach the front of the line, I almost consider blowing the whole thing off when I see Sam is working the register.

She is equally displeased to see me. Even with the brim of her Clarion Café hat shading the top part of her face, I can clearly read she’d rather be serving anyone else but me right now.