23 Laying in wait

23 Laying in wait

 

“Well, this is getting to be a routine,” River said when I walked in with Caleb. “For someone who won’t sleep with her, you certainly seem to spend a lot of time in her bed.”

“They are just teasing you,” I said, as he blushed, “They know all about it. But are you going to spend the night?”

“If you want me.”

“Silly boy,” I said, “Let’s get in bed. You have to get up early in the morning.”

We lay the other direction that night, and I was not nearly so noble as he had been with my hands. Still, I didn’t try him to high and we got to sleep after not too long.

“You have a really neat fiance,” Tess said, emerging from her covers and helping me, again, with my skirt… a dark grey one this time, that I felt went really well with the dark blue blouse, even if the overall effect was rather wintry. No one would see the blouse, anyway, as I was going to put a light sweater over it. “He really cares for you. And his discipline is truly terrific.”

“Well, I hope it won’t last too long. I am eager to get out of here and into his bed.”

“What do you mean, out of here?”

“Well, you remember what my Dad made him agree. When we start sleeping together, we will move in together. Probably just at his room until he gets us an apartment.”

“That will be hard on us, you know,” she said with a grin, “losing our roommate in mid-semester.”

“I am afraid it won’t be ‘mid’,” I said, pulling my sweater on, “ I think he is going to wait until after finals.”

I decided to lay in wait for her at the Student Center. Before she had spent a lot of time there, spreading her books out all over, and getting herself snacks every couple of hours. I didn’t know how she did it, but she chafed whenever we studied in the library or back at my room. Her room was impossible, I knew that. Her roommates were incredible talkers, and one could not think in her room. She loved them, though, she just couldn’t study around them.

It took me two classes, and I was finishing my lunch before she came in and started laying out her books. She had changed, noticably… bigger in the bust and the hips, and she was wearing glasses. But I knew it was her. Her taste in clothes was the same, anyway, and she had on a short, light green frock, which I wouldn’t have worn at this time of year but I knew she loved. “Hey,” I said, coming up to her table. “Can I talk to you for a second?”

“Sure,” she said, glancing at me and then bringing out another book from her backpack.

“Alone,” I said.

She looked up, “I really don’t have time.”

“It’s a question of loyalty,” I said, and she gasped.

“Chill,” I said, “someone may be watching. Can we talk?”

“Sure,” she said, looking around, “I need a drink,” she said, walking over to the soda fountain. I looked around and no one was close, so I thought it would work.

“You know where Robert is?” she whispered when she bent to get her drink, before I could ask her anything.

“Sort of,” I said. “But it would take too long here. Come to my room… 132 Truscott and we’ll talk.”

“When?”

“Tonight, anytime after five.”

She thought about that for a few seconds, sipping at her drink and looking around. “OK. Can I bring a friend?”

“This is life and death,” I said.

“I know,” she said. “And she knows.”

“Ok,” I said.

—

“I have a friend coming over tonight,” I told Caleb. “An old friend.”

“What? What time?”

“I told her sometime after five,” I said.

“I’ll be there,” he said.

“You are spending a fortune in train fees,” I said.

“You are worth it,” he said.

But as we hung up I reflected that he was coming to help get rid of me.

Grace stopped, her hand in her ‘friends’ hand, startled at the tableau. And I suppose it was a bit surprising. Not only did we have so many people in such a small room, but, altho we had convinced River to put clothes on, the clothes she had put on were hardly less startling. And she had had us arrange her long hair into some simply enourmous arrangement on her head. And I gasped as well, “Becky?” I said, startled.

The girl with Grace looked at me. She was, I knew, only fifteen months younger than Grace, but looked much younger, especially as she didn’t wear makeup and was dressed in a blue jumper with a white blouse under it that reminded me of fifth grade. “Do I know you?” She asked, looking at me nervously. But Caleb went forward and pushed them into the room, turning a radio that we had there on near the door to some loud jazz tune.

“You, you both changed?!” I asked, and they paled and held each others hands. Becky was Grace’s sister, and had come just last semester for the first time, having finished her high school early. She was still recognizable, but her hair was an entirely different shade, and her face was longer somehow.

“Who, who are you?” Grace said, clutching Becky tightly by the hand.

“I am Robert Michael Smith,” I said. “Or, more properly, I have the memories of that individual running through my head, and no memories of growing up with this body,” I said, spreading my hands. “Call me ‘Bobbi’.” I said. “With an ‘i’ on the end. And this is my fiance Caleb.”

Grace burst out in tears, “Oh, Bobby! How could they do that to you?”

“Well, I myself don’t think she looks that bad, myself.” Caleb responded, taking my hand possessively.

“Oh, you silly boy,” Grace said, “you know what I mean. How does it feel?”

“Well, when I am not dizzy, on my period, or crying, it feels just fine,” I said, going over and hugging her. “I’m happy, Grace, actually, but we are all scared.”

“I’m glad you are happy, Bobby… Bobbi,” She said, grinning wryly and seeming to correct herself. “I loved you but.. that was a different me, it seems.” She spread her own hands, sheepishly.

I looked at her quizzically. “I, I met someone, someone else who had changed… he is very nice and… well, he’s different from you but he really fits who I am now,” she said, “If you see what I mean.”

I sighed, and held onto Caleb, “I understand exactly what you mean,” I said, and she grinned through her tears.

“How are you doing, Becky?”

“I’m Ok, Bobbi,” Becky said. “I would be pretty happy if it weren’t for these awful people running all around.”

“That’s why we are here,” I said, “We will never be safe from these ‘awful people’ unless we find out what happened and find a way to reverse it.”

“Reverse it?” Grace said,paling and staring at me and Caleb.

“Well, yes. I may not.. I mean…” I blushed.

“I know what you mean, Bobbi,” Grace said. “If we change back I will be glad to be your wife, as we had talked about. But don’t be afraid to say that you want to stay this way. And we know how dangerous this is… whole families being dragged off who knows where. But what can we do?”

“What we would like to do,” Caleb said, “Is interview you and find out everything you know about the experiment, what changed, how you felt, etc. Stan, there, will do the interviewing. He is a real demon for details.”

“Well, OK, we can do that, can’t we Becky.”

“I will be in touch,” Stan said, sounding very pleased with his role.

“OK,” Grace said. “Goodbye Bobbi.”

“Goodbye, Grace,” I said.

“Grace!” Said River.

“Yes?” Grace asked, looking at this wild apparition who spoke for the fist time.

“You are welcome back here whenever.” River said, very seriously, “You are part of our group now, and we will be here for you, anytime, day or night.”

“Thanks,” Grace said, tears welling up in her eyes. “That would be nice. It has been lonely and scary.”

After they left Caleb turned to me and kissed me. He laughed and said, “Your father asked me if I was sleeping with his daughter.”

I blushed and he continued. “When I said I was, he asked me why I hadn’t brought you back there to live, as I had promised. He actually seemed more disappointed when I explained that I was keeping my word than he seemed when he thought I broke it.”

“I need a shower,” I said. “Do you want to come watch?”

“No, thank you, my love,” he said, kissing me. “Not yet.”

But he did cuddle much closer that night, and it took us a long time to get to sleep.