about him.”
“Mom, I love Rick as much as you do. But I’m not kidding myself when it comes to his nature. He’s reckless and unstable. And that’s a bad combination, especially when you add superior mutant skills to the brew. I’d just as soon he stay but in the desert for good. For his sake as well as ours.”
“Have you talked to Alanna?”
“Briefly.” I hadn’t yet told her what had happened at the Mutant Council. “I don’t think we’re exactly on speaking terms these days.”
“You shouldn’t just let family ties unravel.”
Just one big happy family, I thought. Or thinking will make it so. I took a deep breath and said, “Mom, she may be my genetic sister but she grew up with Skerry and Narlydda. I wish I could feel closer to her. But it’s not possible.” Especially now.
“Don’t be ridiculous. If you kept in better contact, you’d feel closer. And you’d know that Alanna has forgiven Rick. She told me so herself.” Mother nodded. “I knew that she would. She still loves him.”
I felt a sudden pang at her words, at the thought of Alanna still in love with Rick and rushing to his side. Well, hadn’t I accused her of just that? And how did I really feel about my beautiful half-sister? I didn’t want to probe that area too deeply for fear of what I might find. “Mom, I might as well tell you. Alanna and I had a falling out over Rick.”
“That’s foolish. If Alanna can forgive him, why can’t you?”
“There’s nothing to forgive.”
“Stop playing head games with me, Julian. You know how much you resent him for the mess he made. But do you really want to bury him in the desert?”
Before I could answer, my father walked in. He was wearing a loose-fitting black sweat suit and a brown leather jacket over that. There were more lines at the corners of his eyes than I remembered and his long hair was touched with gray.
“Julian.”
We shook hands gravely. He sat down next to me and patted my shoulder. “So Melanie has conjured you up from the land of Eastern Standard Time.”
“Dad, you don’t agree with Mom that she should go to New Mexico and join Rick, do you?”
le.”"18" align="justify"> A look flashed between my parents, opaque and unreadable. “I don’t know, Julian,” he said. “I don’t want to be the heavy here. But I certainly wouldn’t be happy if she went.”
“Which,” my mother said, “translates into no.”
My father frowned. “It seems like a foolish waste of time to me to go running around New Mexico. If Rick wanted you there, wouldn’t he ask you to come?”
“Better a cult of strangers than his own family?” Mother glared at me. Then she included her husband in the indictment. “I can never forgive myself for turning away from him.”
This was becoming a familiar refrain. I stood up. “Look, Mom, let’s skip the mea culpas, okay? You didn’t do anything to him— we didn’t do anything. He did it. He did it all.”
“Don’t we have any responsibility?” Melanie said. “Aren’t we all guilty of Skerry’s death?”
Dad cut in. “Don’t be so melodramatic, dear. I get plenty of that at the symphony.”
“I don’t think we’re guilty of anything except excess guilt,” I said. “I refuse to blame myself for what happened to Rick. And I’m still convinced he’s unstable and dangerous. Which is why I’m doing everything I can to stop him—and this crazy Better World group—before it creates trouble for everyone.”
For a moment no one said a word.
My mother broke the silence. “My God,” she said, shaking her head. “I can’t believe you would turn against kin, your own brother. Honestly, Julian. You’re so stubborn sometimes. You remind me of my father. He refused to bend, to accept change, and his attitude caused the family—and himself—a lot of pain.”
“Do you think I enjoy doing this?” I said, and tears came to my eyes. “Turning against you? Against Rick? Do you think I would do it if I felt I
“Mom, I love Rick as much as you do. But I’m not kidding myself when it comes to his nature. He’s reckless and unstable. And that’s a bad combination, especially when you add superior mutant skills to the brew. I’d just as soon he stay but in the desert for good. For his sake as well as ours.”
“Have you talked to Alanna?”
“Briefly.” I hadn’t yet told her what had happened at the Mutant Council. “I don’t think we’re exactly on speaking terms these days.”
“You shouldn’t just let family ties unravel.”
Just one big happy family, I thought. Or thinking will make it so. I took a deep breath and said, “Mom, she may be my genetic sister but she grew up with Skerry and Narlydda. I wish I could feel closer to her. But it’s not possible.” Especially now.
“Don’t be ridiculous. If you kept in better contact, you’d feel closer. And you’d know that Alanna has forgiven Rick. She told me so herself.” Mother nodded. “I knew that she would. She still loves him.”
I felt a sudden pang at her words, at the thought of Alanna still in love with Rick and rushing to his side. Well, hadn’t I accused her of just that? And how did I really feel about my beautiful half-sister? I didn’t want to probe that area too deeply for fear of what I might find. “Mom, I might as well tell you. Alanna and I had a falling out over Rick.”
“That’s foolish. If Alanna can forgive him, why can’t you?”
“There’s nothing to forgive.”
“Stop playing head games with me, Julian. You know how much you resent him for the mess he made. But do you really want to bury him in the desert?”
Before I could answer, my father walked in. He was wearing a loose-fitting black sweat suit and a brown leather jacket over that. There were more lines at the corners of his eyes than I remembered and his long hair was touched with gray.
“Julian.”
We shook hands gravely. He sat down next to me and patted my shoulder. “So Melanie has conjured you up from the land of Eastern Standard Time.”
“Dad, you don’t agree with Mom that she should go to New Mexico and join Rick, do you?”
le.”"18" align="justify"> A look flashed between my parents, opaque and unreadable. “I don’t know, Julian,” he said. “I don’t want to be the heavy here. But I certainly wouldn’t be happy if she went.”
“Which,” my mother said, “translates into no.”
My father frowned. “It seems like a foolish waste of time to me to go running around New Mexico. If Rick wanted you there, wouldn’t he ask you to come?”
“Better a cult of strangers than his own family?” Mother glared at me. Then she included her husband in the indictment. “I can never forgive myself for turning away from him.”
This was becoming a familiar refrain. I stood up. “Look, Mom, let’s skip the mea culpas, okay? You didn’t do anything to him— we didn’t do anything. He did it. He did it all.”
“Don’t we have any responsibility?” Melanie said. “Aren’t we all guilty of Skerry’s death?”
Dad cut in. “Don’t be so melodramatic, dear. I get plenty of that at the symphony.”
“I don’t think we’re guilty of anything except excess guilt,” I said. “I refuse to blame myself for what happened to Rick. And I’m still convinced he’s unstable and dangerous. Which is why I’m doing everything I can to stop him—and this crazy Better World group—before it creates trouble for everyone.”
For a moment no one said a word.
My mother broke the silence. “My God,” she said, shaking her head. “I can’t believe you would turn against kin, your own brother. Honestly, Julian. You’re so stubborn sometimes. You remind me of my father. He refused to bend, to accept change, and his attitude caused the family—and himself—a lot of pain.”
“Do you think I enjoy doing this?” I said, and tears came to my eyes. “Turning against you? Against Rick? Do you think I would do it if I felt I
Similar Books
