Page 24 of The Fall

“And what the fuck was that? You’re making goo-gaw eyes at the woman wearing it, yeah?” Kerr focused on being angry at Pinga. It was easier than thinking about Lusa’s eyes. She’d watched her Opti footage a hundred times, but never felt terror quite like that.

“Calm your tits. I had to think of a new plan on the fly.”

Kerr remembered when Chalice made those eyes at her. And then at every other girl she found pretty. Learning how she could turn it on and off like that only made her boil that she manipulated her the entire relationship. Kerr blew out her cheeks, exhaling the anger. “Are you going to tell me what it is?”

Chalice leaned in. “We can still use Lusa, but we’ll only get one shot at it.”

That same shiver across her skin. Kerr steeled herself, refusing to be afraid of Lusa. Sending her into a death trap was more fitting as far as revenge went, but if Lusa failed, so would Chalice’s plan. Kerr took a deeper breath. She could be an adult.

As usual, Chalice was better at quick thinking and she would take every opportunity to remind her. Kerr used to hate the smug look she wore, designed to make her feel worthless. For some reason, Chalice got off on making her feel that way. But after ten years apart, the only thing that changed about that smirk was that it looked petty.

Kerr resigned herself to going through the motions. “Why do we only get one shot at it?” She knew Chalice loved the follow-up questions. It made the feeling of being smarter last a bit longer. At one point, she might have denied her that extra scrap of attention in an effort to gain some control, but she no longer cared about what Chalice thought.

Doling out the last morsel of information, Chalice lit up with glee. “We’re going to kidnap Pinga.”

In Delay There Lies No Plenty

In the dusk chill, Lusa pulled the furs up around her chin. The sun may have started rising earlier, but the ground was still frozen and the air, dry and crackling with static.

That had been a long day. Her excitement to see Tyton again had been tainted by that strange meeting and Pinga babbling about Chalice after she’d spent the entire time ogling her instead of doing work. Then, their transport had blown an engine and they had to return at a slower pace. Pinga happily filled the extra time with her nattering.

Chalice was pretty, but Pinga’s swooning was excessive. The other one, Kerr, was striking in her own way too. Lusa had never seen skin so white that it practically glowed. If she weren’t covered in more freckles than her sister, it would have been blinding. She was tiny, too. Lusa was bigger than most girls, but standing next to her made her feel like a giant.

Lusa rolled over. Kerr clearly hated her. She and her had caused most of the damage the last time they’d met. Though no-one but them seemed bothered by it anymore.

Still. Kerr’s mouth stuck in her brain. Small, like someone had pinched the corners of her lips together. It made her blue eyes look bigger than they already were. The thought unbidden, she wondered how they might taste. It wouldn’t be the first time unsummoned images of someone off-limits broke through the defences of her tired mind. Unlike her sister, she had the decorum to keep it to herself.

A soft knock at the door prevented her from drifting off. Not the sound of an emergency. More of a sorry to disturb you.

After learning how often Pinga had seen her naked, Lusa held the fur tight across her skin before opening the door. It was Danica, her auburn curls a floppy mess.

“Hey,” Danica said, arms hugging her middle. “Can I come in?”

“Aren’t you not allowed to see me?” Lusa tried not to sound bitter about it. They all knew why.

Danica quickly rolled her eyes. “I’m twenty-six.”

That was true. It was hard to forget that they were no longer kids when everyone and their parents all lived in the same place.

“And it was mom who forbade it. Dad thought she was being overprotective.” Danica shuffled her knees in the cold. “So, can I come in now?”

“Uh, yeah. Sure.” Lusa stepped aside.

Danica found a stuffed chair and sat, back straight. The loose-fitting shirt fell off her shoulder, revealing the unevenly healed mark Lusa had left. A reminder of where feelings got her.

Lusa tried not to look at it. “What do you need?”

“It’s about Pinga.”

“You’re the one that shared Emma with her. I’m not getting involved in that.” Lusa raised her hands. The fur fell open flashing a nipple. She raced to cover herself.

“Pft.” Danica blew her off. “Your sister is fun, no offence, but no-one in their right mind would want to raise a kid with Pinga. She’d leave you to cook and clean up their messes while she played fun mom.”

Lusa didn’t know why she should take offence. Pinga was fun. But she’d be a terrible partner.

“Not like you,” Danica added.

“That can’t happen,” Lusa snapped. She looked directly at the mark this time.