The Deathless Trilogy

2.13. Comforters

That evening, Ava and Captain Jones walk into the ballroom together arm in arm for dinner.

What is she doing?

We sit in silence at the table, waiting for Gunther and Cooper to arrive. The table's been moved to the middle of the ballroom where Cooper's suspension system can reach us, and caregivers and workers surround us. A vase of multicolored chrysanthemum blooms, probably from the garden outside, sit in the center of the table. I guess it's officially fall now.

I turn my attention to Ava. Her hair is still perfectly slicked back, her eyes still lined in purple to match her tightly fitting gown, and her lips are still the color of her skin. But now she's wearing heavy pink blush, probably to cover up the mark from Jones's hand. I wonder how many Comforters are abused by their assigned men without anyone knowing. I wonder how many times make-up is used for something more sinister than beauty.

Still, Ava sits quietly, staring with pursed lips at the glass of water in front of her. I look over to Nina, who meets my gaze, and subtly shrugs. Phoebe laughs at the painted butterflies on the china.

Mitchell sighs deeply, and we all turn to look at him. "Tomorrow I will start going through all the files from Nathan," he offers the group, but no one responds. "I thought Ava and Isla might like to know."

"Dr. Harper," Ava starts, "I haven't cared much about my cousin for a long time. His computer files are the last things I'd want to know about."

I wonder what happened between them. Nate only mentioned her once, when he told me I joked with him like she used to.

"How can you go through his files? He died in the bunker," Daniel asks.

"All information is collected on a drive that you can access behind an implanted person's right ear."

I remember Nate's birthmark. How much of him was a lie?

"His hard drive was removed before... you know...," Mitchell mumbles, as if he is just now realizing he shouldn't have said anything in the first place.

I try to control myself, but after today it's no use. My stomach twists, and I have to sit up and exhale so it can uncoil.

The doors at the top of the staircase open. Gunther emerges and descends the stairs, and Phoebe begins clapping wildly at the sight of him. Two Caregivers hook Cooper into the suspension system along the ceiling and escort him behind Gunther. No one says a word as Cooper floats toward us, hovering just inches above the stairs. It's only now that I realize how old and how feeble he truly is. A monster who could be taken down by a snip of some strings.

Cooper lowers himself into the seat at the head of the table, and Gunther waits to sit beside him, like an old fashioned gentleman, but his face is red with frustration. I wonder what they were meeting about.

Cooper is out of breath, probably from the strain that his suspension system put on his ribs and lungs. He can hardly speak, so he lifts his hands toward the platters to silently instruct us to eat.

Caregivers lift the covers from the trays, revealing colorful mountains of food, into which all the men dig. Phoebe is too busy playing with her hair now to notice there's food, and I'm not hungry. Not after today. Nina, Ava, and Celia don't move their arms from their sides either.

"Serve yourself, Ms. Blume," Cooper pants.

"I'm not hungry."

"And your friends here? They aren't hungry either?"