She Who Knows Tomorrow: a sci-fi novella (displaced shadows #1)

III

Raleigh would have been the first to admit that she wasn't all that good a friend to her housemates. Good friends knew about allergies and families and origin stories. Good friends didn't steal contact lists when the opportunity arose.

But in Raleigh's universe, taking precautions even with those she trusted was standard procedure—though her continuance of that procedure into this universe was, perhaps, influenced by the knowledge Janni and Kitten would be forgiving of such stemming-from-native-universe habits.

Sitting at the dining room table, she paged through her console's copy of Janni's contact list, trying to figure out whom the woman had considered calling. It was probably one that had been on there awhile, for Janni had grimaced like that before.

Someone was breathing behind her.

Raleigh's enhancements analyzed the height, temperature, and other details about the body suddenly behind her before she turned. "How do you do that?"

Kitten stood...stoically, Raleigh thought, now that she knew of the girl's namelessness. The ice blue eyes observed without revealing what thoughts or emotions went on behind them. The circles under her eyes were too dark to be explained by the few hours she'd been away, and she was even more unkempt than usual. Dirt smudged her right cheek, and her sweater was gone, leaving a sleeveless summer shirt that matched her eyes, and the wire bracelet was missing from her left wrist.

"How's your brother?" Raleigh didn't expect any more answer to that question, but she figured it was polite to ask. "I'm sorry about his wife."

Kitten blinked twice, quickly—as if hiding emotion, rather than as if startled.

"Janni told me about..." She wasn't sure how to broach the topic of the two of them being alternate versions of the same person. "About Lysacarly."

After a long moment, Kitten pivoted toward the Jenga game, which Raleigh had picked up and re-stacked in its tower. The girl paused, then plucked out a wooden block two levels from the bottom. Raleigh suspected it wasn't a coincidence that the action conveniently put Kitten's back to her.

"So 'prime' is what you call someone with biological modifications?" she asked—again, not expecting an answer, but she wanted to let the girl know that she'd followed some of her conversation with her brother. "And 'null' is someone without?"

Kitten turned her head enough to look over her shoulder at Raleigh, which was enough of an affirmative for her.

"You said Janni had a 'bondmate'. I didn't know she was married." Raleigh was fishing, and she knew Kitten would recognize that.

But Kitten let Raleigh notice when she relaxed—insomuch as she ever relaxed—so might just be willing to let enough slip for her to put things together. After all, Kitten was an alternate version of Janni, and if Raleigh knew anything about the woman, it was that she loved dropping cryptic hints.

The girl picked another brick from the tower, then put it down on the table beside Raleigh's console. She turned her hand palm up, as if asking for the device.

"Do you know how to use it?" Raleigh asked.

Kitten didn't flinch, didn't move, didn't so much as glance Raleigh's way. Just kept her palm up for the console.

Raleigh gave it.

The girl looked the device over for a moment, then started tapping buttons as if she owned one. She didn't. Raleigh had tried giving her one, a few times, but it always ended up returned, with the money back in her account. She now wondered if that was another facet of Kitten's namelessness. No name, so no property, maybe? That would explain why Kitten only ever wore hand-me-downs and castoffs—except for her weapons and the first aid kit. Those, Kitten would buy new, if necessary, and she kept them in excellent condition.