Veil (61 page)

“Does it mean this is what’s going to happen
to him every single time he Veils? Although it has nothing to do
with Jin’s memory? This,” she spread her arms over Ken’s body, “is
what’s going to happen to Ken if he Veils at
all
?”

“I don’t know,
Suren
,” Hunter replied,
placing an alarming emphasis on her name. “Why don’t you tell me?
It was
your
Veil after all.”

Suren swung her head around so fast she
almost fell over. “What,” she growled, “the hell is that supposed
to mean,
Hunter
?” She made sure to say his name using the
same emphasis.

Hunter leaned against the windowsill and
folded his arms in front of him. “It means exactly what I said. It
was your Veil. He was shadowing you. Of the three of us in this
room that could possibly know what happened to Ken, it would be you
and him, and we see what state he’s in. So, the only person left in
this room who can actually
speak
and could answer that
question would be you,
Suren
.”

She tried to keep in mind how scared and hurt
Hunter was and decided to let him have that one. She decided to
give him the benefit of the doubt and not take it personally.
Besides, she wasn’t entirely sure if she walked over there and
slapped him, he wouldn’t slap her back. Not only did Veil quickly
put an end to chivalry—and the dichotomous gender myth overall—but
it
was
Hunter. When combining gay, irreverent
,
and unpredictable, chances were high that somewhere
in the mix, slapping a woman wouldn’t be unheard of.

Besides, Ken offered to Veil her, so why
should she feel guilty or responsible? After what her Veil with Roy
revealed, after she saw for herself that she actually spoke with
Jin’s killer, Ken offered to Veil her. They discussed what Mariano
told her about Veil Cryptomnesia and Ken was already somewhat aware
of the phenomenon as well. Ken offered to Veil with Suren to see if
he could access and remember what she could not; Ken offered to
Veil with Suren in order to remember the day Jin used her as a test
subject, the day she also talked with Jin’s killer. As soon as they
finished doing so, as soon as Ken’s Witness uploaded back onto him,
he collapsed on the floor and the hellish screaming, crying, and
hair pulling commenced.

“How many times have you used it?”

“Two.”

“Twice?”

“Yes. Twice.”

“How about Dr. Hunter?”

“Three.”

“He’s Veiled three times? Just three?”

“Yep.”

“And Dr. Ken?” Roy asked.

Brock looked at the ceiling and thought for a
second. His computer responded, “Five.”

“Wow. Five.”

“Yep.”

“And Mrs. Tsay was Veiled once before and now
by Ken. Plus, I … well, I was the first person she ever Veiled. So
she has used Veil three times?”

“Technically, the first time she was Veiled
doesn’t count, only today’s. Only Ken’s.”

“It doesn’t count?”

“No. She’d have to explain it to you. But it
doesn’t count. So she’s used it twice.”

“Twice.”

“Yep.”

“So total between the four of you, eleven
times. Between the four of you folks—who are probably the closest
people in the world to Veil—you’ve only used it eleven times?”

“Yep.”

“That’s crazy. You know that, right?”

“To be honest, I’ve never thought about it. I
guess it is kind of crazy, I just haven’t thought about it.”

“I mean, no offense, but yeah, it’s crazy.
It’s like y’all created this whole new world and now none of y’all
live in it. Most people use it every single day. Almost everyone in
the world uses Veil every single day.”

“Roy, even if we all four used Veil every
single day, the four of us would still be living in a different
world than everyone else.”

Roy considered that for a moment. “Yeah, I
guess you’re right, Mr. Brock. I can’t think of anyone more famous
than all four of you in this house. I can’t imagine.”

“You’re not going to have to imagine,” Brock
replied.

“What’s that mean? Not gonna have to
imagine?”

“You don’t think she’s going to let you go,
do you?”

“Ms. Tsay?”

“Yeah. She’s not going to let you leave.
She’s not going to let you be alone.”

Roy stayed silent. He wasn’t sure what Brock
meant.

Brock explained, “You were the first person
she Veiled. You were the last person to see Jin alive. You were the
one who set him free. There’s no way she’s letting you go. She
won’t let you just leave her. She’ll have plans for you.

“Plans?”

“Yes, she’ll have plans. So get used to all
this. You’re going to be our number five.”

She called every day. Every day it was Brock
who answered the phone
,
and every day for
twelve days, the answers were the same: no, Ken wasn’t awake yet;
no, they don’t know what’s wrong; no, it was probably best if she
didn’t come over; no, Hunter didn’t blame her or hate her. Hunter
just so happened to be busy every single time she called. For
twelve days.

After she hung up the phone the last time she
attempted to call Ken, Roy burst into her office waving a letter
she left for him. Suren found it was better to communicate with Roy
through notes and letters as much as possible. She still made him
very nervous and, if she ever put him on the spot
,
he was an absolute, total wreck for the whole
day
.

“You’re sure? Like you’re really, really
sure?”

“I’m sure. It’s fine. It’s been almost five
years. I have to let go at some point. And this way I’m still … I’m
still connected to it. So, it’s kinda like cheating. Like giving it
up but not really giving it up.”

“I see.”

“But don’t worry, I’m not going to come
barging in whenever I feel like it. It’s yours. It’s your place. Do
with it whatever you’d like.”

“I … I don’t know what to say.”

“Trust me, in a few months, you’re probably
going to wish none of this ever happened. We can only keep you
under wraps for so long.”

“Yeah, I—I know what you’re saying. Brock
kinda told me it would be like that.”

“Speaking of your part in all this, there’s
something I’ve been wanting to talk to you about. But first, let’s
get you settled in. There’s already a crew at your old place
collecting all your things. They’re going to meet us at the old
house. You can tell them where you want everything. I hope that’s
ok?”

“Of course … of course, Ms. Tsay.”

“Seriously Roy, if I have to tell you to call
me Suren one more time I’m going to have it tattooed onto your
tongue.”

Years earlier, the District claimed imminent
domain upon everything within a two-block radius around the Old
Tsay House. They then leveled the two-block radius and built a park
to encompass the house. No one could get up to the actual home,
within at least a thousand feet, she’d wager. No one except the
Great Widow Tsay and now its new owner, Royce Houze.

Since the night Suren arrived on his doorstep
pointing a gun at him, Roy lived in one of the wings of her
sprawling mansion. For almost two weeks. She would’ve let him stay
there as long as he liked. She would’ve actually preferred it.
However, she could tell it made him uncomfortable. It wasn’t his;
it wasn’t really his own place. Few people would want to live like
that, and she couldn’t blame him.

On the way to her and Jin’s old house, she
gazed out the window and casually told Roy how he should expect
some changes. There’d be swarms of people after him at all times,
she said. There’d be no such thing as privacy anymore, except for
the privacy he fought to keep for himself. Make no mistake about
it, she stressed, he would have to fight hard for it. A lot of
changes were coming for him. She added that he’d have to learn how
to cope with the changes, just as the four Trustees did. However,
she assured Roy, the other four would always be there to help him
whenever he needed. And he would never want or need for anything
ever again. Ever. Finally, she pulled one of those keychain looking
things out of her purse. It was the same curious device Roy
witnessed Ken use on Suren’s collar.

“They made this one, Ken and Hunter did, in
honor of Jin. It would’ve been his. I want you to have it. Some of
the things it can do programmers have already figured out how to do
to vCollars and vPorts but some things…well, only we can do them.
And only with these,” she said as she placed the device in his
palm.

“What … what all does it do?” He was dying to
ask that ever since he witnessed Ken use one.

Suren chuckled, “Oh, one thing at a
time.”

“Ms—oops, I mean, Suren,” he corrected
himself. “Can … can I ask you something?”

“No,” she said coldly.

Roy blinked at her and was uncomfortably
quiet.

Suren laughed, “Roy, I’m kidding. Ask me
anything you want. You have to lighten up, Roy. I’m not your
superior or something. None of us are. We’re equals. We’re all
equals in this. Isn’t that right, Carter?” she craned her neck and
asked her driver through the open dividing window.

“Yes, Ms. Suren. Whatever you say Ms. Suren.
You’re the boss, Ms. Suren,” Carter mocked her. He had no idea what
she said. Despite what she might’ve thought, Carter didn’t hang
onto every one of the old hag’s words like one of her fanboys. He
knew her shit stank of crazy like everyone else’s. Hell, from what
he saw, her shit stank of more crazy than most people. He loved the
old hag and all, but “awestruck” or “impressed” were not in the
vocabulary he’d use to describe his feelings toward her. Carter had
a certain fondness for her, an affinity and affection. But, that
was it.

Suren leveraged herself off her seat enough
to kick the back of Carter’s. She would’ve smacked him in the back
of the head, but she couldn’t reach it.

“Anyway, Roy … what’s your question?” she
asked as she returned to the seat. She smoothed down the front of
her skirt and told him, “Go ahead.”

“Oh. Oh, it’s just that well, Brock said that
your first Veil, well that it didn’t really count. We … we were
talking about how many times each of you had used Veil and he said
that … your first one, it didn’t count. Why is that?”

Suren, who resumed gazing out the window of
the limousine while Roy stuttered his question, turned her head
toward him. She grabbed one of his hands and held it in both of
hers.

“That, my love,” she began to say but paused
when she found Roy’s memory of her and Jin from that day flashing
across her mind. “I can’t … I can’t…” she shook her head.

He squeezed her hand, “It’s ok … it’s ok. I
understand.”

“Not yet,” she sighed and looked out the
window, still holding onto Roy’s hand. “Not yet.” She squeezed his
hand.