Paolo Bacigalupi - The Doubt Factory

Alix scowled. “I don’t know.” She stood up, frustrated, and gathered her plate. “Never mind. Forget I said anything.” She left Cynthia, who watched her go with puzzled worry.

As Alix took her plate to the conveyor that ferried dirty dishes into the guts of the caf, she wondered what was wrong with her. Maybe she had some kind of suicide impulse. Any sane person would report a stalker like this. 2.0 knew her name. He was after her family. He was after her. He could get past Williams & Crowe—

Alix was annoyed to find Lisa trailing her, dropping off her own plate. Her shadow, walking through the halls, and now Alix had to pee. She headed for the bathrooms with Lisa following, pushing in behind.

You can’t be serious .

Alix turned as the bathroom door closed. “I don’t need you to follow me in here.”

“I’m sure you feel that way. But it’s my job to be sure you’re safe.” Lisa was walking down the line of stalls, checking inside each in turn. Then she went and started washing her hands, watching Alix in the mirror.

Alix crossed her arms. “I’m not peeing with you in here.”

“Do you want me to secure the bathroom for you, then?”

The door swung open. Deb and Selena came into the bathroom. “—he’s hot,” Deb was saying.

They both stopped short as they ran into Alix and Lisa’s standoff.

Lisa raised an eyebrow at Alix.

Fine .

Alix went into a stall. With the door locked, she could almost pretend that she had privacy. Except she didn’t. Alix sat in the stall imagining ways that she might escape, listening to the water run in the sink as Lisa pretended to wash her hands some more. Trying to pee with someone standing right outside, waiting for her to do her business. It made her feel like she was about six years old.

When Alix came out, she shoved past Lisa to wash her hands and was annoyed that Lisa didn’t seem offended. All Lisa said was, “This is a lot easier if you just pretend I don’t exist. It calls less attention.”

Deb and Selena came out of their stalls. “Is she bothering you, Alix?”

Lisa said, “No. I work for Alix.”

“Will you cut it out?” Alix said to Lisa. She turned to her friends. “She doesn’t work for me. She works for my dad. She’s kind of a bodyguard.”

“Oh.” They seemed at a loss for what else could be said and bailed as quickly as they could. Alix watched longingly as they headed out.

“I know it’s inconvenient, Alix,” Lisa said, “but we need to keep you safe until we know what these terrorists are up to.”

“They’re terrorists now?” Alix asked. “I thought they were kidnappers. Or animal rights activists. And before that they were vandals.”

Lisa gave her a look that said, Don’t split hairs with me, young lady .

Alix felt a little embarrassed. The way Lisa looked at her made her feel like she was a child throwing a tantrum.

Lisa’s expression said that Death Barbie knew things Alix didn’t and that Alix was just a sheltered little girl. But still, Alix didn’t want to back down. She was already sick of the whole bodyguard thing, and she had the feeling that if she didn’t make a stand, she’d be shoved around forever.

“Who do you think these people are, really?” Alix asked. “Nobody’s telling me the truth. All I get is vandals and wackos and kidnappers and activists and now terrorists. What’s going on?”

Lisa sighed and leaned back against the sink. Her jacket opened, giving a glimpse of a Taser clipped to her belt and a heavy telescoping baton beside it. Lisa had shown Jonah how it extended with a flick of the wrist. A metal club with enough weight behind it to break bones.

“We don’t know what they are,” Lisa said finally. “All we know is that they’re organized and they’ve targeted you and your family. And since we don’t know, it means we have to be prepared for the worst. It’s the only way we can prevent it.

“If you’ll just help me, I can minimize the amount of disruption you experience. Or you can make it difficult. Either way, though, I’ll still be here, making sure you’re safe. It’s your call.”

“Are you going to follow me everywhere?” Alix asked. “What if I go to a party this weekend? Are you going to rat me out?”

“It’s not like that, Alix. My job isn’t to police you. It’s to keep you safe.”

“But I’m nobody important! It’s not like I’m the president’s daughter or something. There’s no reason for anybody to care about me. It’s got to be a mistake!”

“I know it’s frustrating, Alix. But you’re a target. I know you want to blame me, but I’m not the one who picked you out. 2.0 has explicitly targeted you. My job is to make sure that whatever they want to do doesn’t work.”

“Would you take a bullet for me?”

Lisa’s pale blue Barbie eyes didn’t blink. “Let’s hope it doesn’t go down that way.”

Jesus , Alix thought. She really is scary . Walking Death Barbie, for real.

“Whatever,” Alix said finally. “I’m late for class.”

She pushed back out into the noise of the commons with Lisa on her heels.

Cynthia caught up to her. “Did she seriously just follow you into the bathroom?”

Alix shook her head. “You don’t want to know.”

“Does she wipe, too?”

Alix snorted laughter and glanced back at Lisa. If Lisa heard or cared, she didn’t show it. “I’m in hell,” Alix said.

“You know, there might be a bright side to this,” Cynthia said.

“Please tell me.”

“Maybe we can use her as a designated driver.”

Alix laughed and shook her head, grateful that Cynthia was trying to make her feel better about the whole thing. It was all so absurd. “I wish.”

They pushed into AP Chem class and found their seats. Lisa slipped in and slouched against the back wall. Alix stared out the window. Red paint still stained the glass, turning the whole chem lab a pale pink as sunlight filtered through. The custodial staff had apparently tried everything, but the paint still remained. Rumor had it that Mulroy was tearing his hair out over it. The paint would have to be sandblasted off. Which actually meant that the windows would all have to be replaced, and now the whole classroom smelled like paint remover, thanks to the failed cleaning efforts.

Alix peered through the paint residue to the world outside. Cynthia’s comment about designated drivers did raise a question. How am I supposed to go out on a Friday night with my friends if I’ve got adult supervision watching my every move? Talk about a crimp on life .

It wasn’t even like she had some grand plan for what she’d be doing over the weekend. It wasn’t like she was some kind of wild child who was planning on getting it on at one of Brent Wall’s drug-fueled pool parties, but she couldn’t see going to a party on Friday night or going to the movies with her friends or catching an afternoon Starbucks with Lisa as her tagalong. She’d never needed minding in her life. Jonah was the one who needed minding. Jonah was the one who got into trouble. Alix was the good girl. Mom and Dad trusted her, and freedom was her reward.

So why didn’t you tell them about stalker boy coming to visit?

Because then they’d know you have really shitty judgment .

Cynthia was right. She should have said something. Even Jonah would have been smart enough to say something. And yet here she was, lying low with the secret.

Alix gazed over at Cynthia longingly. The girl did her work, got her good grades, partied, and didn’t get caught. They were a perfect pair, and it infuriated Alix that she had somehow been targeted by the universe. Cynthia was sure to be free on Friday. And Alix was sure to be trapped at home.