Page 78 of Facade

“No. Jace and I just learned about that and Dr. Prentis from Heath a week ago,” she said. “Sunday, we experimented with asking questions while I was in a meditative state. We focused on Russell’s trustworthiness, which is something that should be easily verifiable. My power stated that he will be a strong ally who won’t betray my confidence. I confided in him on Monday.”

“Wow. So, Russell knew when we all met at the game last night,” Nadine said. “I never would have guessed. He played that well.”

“Yeah, and he’s really observant with a good memory,” Heath mentioned. “We don’t know what Russell will bring to the table, yet, but including him was a good choice.”

“I agree. Back to the previous subject, you think we should do the same, asking about the missing students, or have Clarke try for a vision that could hint at their location?” Jace asked Brady.

“That might not get us anywhere, but it can’t hurt,” Brady said. “You’ve been searching for weeks for a clue that will lead you to Charlie without results. It occurred to me that if all the anomalies are connected, Clarke might have been led to Mars because of the students. A clue to them could lead to her dad.”

“It’s worth a try, and gives us another avenue to explore,” Clarke said.

“We’re having a strategy meeting with Russell tomorrow,” Heath said. “He might have more ideas. If so, we can make a list, and prioritize those that seem to have the highest potential.”

With the big confessions out of the way, lunch was convivial. Clarke and Nadine fell into easy conversation, as if there hadn’t been any tension or big secrets revealed.

“Thank you for not being angry with me, Nadine,” Clarke said as everyone finished eating. “I wouldn’t have blamed you if you were.”

“Nonsense,” Nadine said firmly. “The circumstances make all the difference. If you pretended to be a man and got this job just to prove that you could, and get one over on the establishment, or some other selfish reason, I would be angry. I can’t respect egocentric motives. But you didn’t have a choice. You did what you needed to do to try to find your dad at risk to yourself, upending your life.

“Besides, I liked you from day one, and respect you more after what we just learned. This is perfect. I always wanted a sister, and now I have one. You’re stuck with me.”

“Having siblings sounds awesome,” Clarke said.

“Eh, I suppose brothers have their uses,” Nadine said with a smirk directed at Heath. “It took me a while to learn to appreciate him. I always just wanted a sister.”

Roger and Brady chuckled at that. Heath grimaced, and stood to clear the plates away, seeming very eager to avoid the topic.

“Not so fast, brother mate,” Jace said. “I sense a family story here, and we could all use a good laugh.”

“Yes, please,” Clarke said. “Jace and I are both only children. Sibling dynamics are foreign to us. The little I’ve heard about Heath’s childhood makes it sound like you were both rather precocious, and have wonderful parents.”

Heath groaned loudly, and sat back down. “I suppose I can suffer through the embarrassment if it will make you happy,” he said.

“How embarrassing is this story?” Jace asked. “Because we can make a pact if it means I can avoid hearing my parents once again recount the tale of when I climbed the rose trellis, and launched myself from it, thinking I could fly. In my defense, I was four.”

They all laughed at that. “The pictures are the most embarrassing thing for Heath,” Roger said. “It’s a hilarious story, though.”

“When Mom was pregnant with Heath, I was so excited,” Nadine told them. “I was convinced that he would be a girl, because that was what I wanted.”

“Mom and the dads say Nadine had an absolute meltdown when she realized I was a boy,” Heath said.

“I was inconsolable,” Nadine agreed. “Five-year-olds aren’t exactly logical. Our parents refused to exchange him for a girl baby, which made me furious. In my mind, it was like returning a product at a store for something better. My tantrums were epic, and obviously, didn’t get any results. Since they refused to give in, I came up with a plan that made sense to me.”

Clarke was giggling, making Jace and Heath smile. Brady and Roger were giving Nadine similarly adoring glances.

“Oh no. What did you do?” Clarke asked Heath’s sister.

“I got my old clothes out of a box in the closet, switched them with the ones in the nursery, and insisted on calling him Heather,” Nadine confessed with a rueful grin at her stubbornness. “Every time Mom put the boy clothes back, I did it again, even throwing Heath’s clothes in the garbage. Mom started hiding my old dresses, but I searched the house until I found them.”

“Our parents said that Nadine would behave for a few months, calling me Heath instead of Heather. But as soon as they thought she was over it, Nadine was back to her tricks, swapping my overalls for dresses,” Heath commented.

“Now I can see why you snuck critters into Nadine’s room,” Jace said.

“That was years later, after I resigned myself to having a brother,” Nadine protested.

“Don’t sound so innocent and maligned. You still called me Heather sometimes to provoke me, and wallpapered my room with pictures of me in a pink dress with ruffles. It was well-deserved retribution,” Heath declared.

Jace snickered at that. Clarke was still giggling. Seeing her so happy and carefree was rare. He was grateful to Nadine and Heath for giving Clarke a few moments devoid of worry.