Trinx Ch. 04

The sound of a pair of humans shouting came from behind me, but they were too distant to be aimed in my direction. I don't know if they were for Joh'vekk or not.

I don't know that I'll see Joh'vekk again. Or any of my former fellow citizens for the rest of my life. Perhaps it's better that way, since I've betrayed every single one of them.

After a couple of "kilometers", I stopped. I rested in another alleyway, and that is where I've been this entire day. As soon as I was sure that nobody was around, I smashed the communication portal beyond recognition, using a large brick that was lying loose nearby.

The language is new to me, but I think I've picked up on a few words just by listening to people already. Nobody seems eager to help me, but nobody wants to hurt me, either.

That's all that a traitor can hope for.

*****

"Hey."

The soft sound drew Trinx's baby blue eyes away from the computer screen, where she had just eviscerated her martial arts opponent. She paused the game.

"Hey!" The blonde beamed at Lorra.

She stood in the bedroom doorway, her hair beautifully mussed. Her favorite bathrobe opened enough to for others to see her glorious cleavage.

"Do you have a minute?"

Her serious tone alarmed Trinx. She pulled her slender legs off of the desk and shifted over to the bed. A wave of her hand prompted Lorra to sit next to her.

"Is everything OK?"

Lorra sighed. "Tell me the truth."

"Of course."

"How..." She cleared her throat, looking into Trinx's eyes. "How is...your anus?"

Trinx burst out laughing, promptly followed by Lorra.

"Oh, it's...it's not bad." Trinx said, finally. "But Jupiter has better nightclubs."

Lorra blinked a few times before realizing. "Oh! Space travel jokes. Of course."

They sat in silence for a moment, until Lorra sniggered.

"Better nightclubs." She giggled and then turned serious. "Really, though. How are you?"

"I'm wonderful. Why?"

"Just wanted to check." Lorra shrugged. "Dex can be rough around the edges, like you said. I just hope he didn't put you off somehow. Or if the whole thing made you uncomfortable."

"Not at all. You do remember what I do, right? Do you want me to tell you about the first guy that fucked my ass? He..."

"No, NO!" Lorra put her fingers in her ears. "La la la la la laaaaa!"

"You get my point?" Trinx laughed as she pulled Lorra's hands away from her head.

"Yes, you've made your point."

"Good." Trinx nodded. "So how about you?"

"Me?"

"Yes. Did last night complicate anything? Did he say anything strange to you afterwards? Something to show that maybe I went overboard, or gave him the wrong idea?"

"No." Lorra pondered as she shook her head. "He was fine. Happy. It was a wonderful night, and I'm very grateful for it."

"You're very welcome. Again."

"And we're OK, right?" Lorra asked with the tone of an afterthought. "You and me?"

"Always!" Trinx said, milliseconds before the ghost of Lorra's whispered words floated across her mind.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." Trinx nodded. "I can't imagine what could ever change that."

Lorra wrapped her into a hug, the force of which Trinx gladly returned.

*****

"It's not possible."

Her words seemed to hang like a thick fog around the two of them. The middle-aged woman rested her arms on the desk, each of her fingertips barely touching their respective twins. A gold placard which read "Harriet Bowles" sat in front of her.

"Miss...LaVette, correct?"

Trinx suppressed an eye-roll. The guest log was the only place that she ever used the name.

"Yes."

"We see this, sadly, too often. Francine..."

"Had an excellent medical evaluation fifteen days ago." Trinx cut Harriet off." Her pulse was rock solid, her bloodwork showed no issues, and her blood pressure would have been more than healthy at your age."

"That is...true." Harriet was impressed at the response. "But..."

"Mrs. Bowles, listen to me."

The woman grinned, tight-lipped, striving to be kind and yet growing weary of being interrupted.

"I want your guest log checked. I want video checked. Something is NOT right with this!"

"Miss LaVette, I do understand your concern. I check both the log and the videotape daily. I can assure you, with complete confidence, that everyone either signed in, or we had seen them sign in a hundred times already. We do not let random people wander in off of the streets."

Trinx fidgeted, her fingers becoming as shaky as her voice. "Mrs. Bowles..."

"Dear, I am sorry." It was Harriet's turn to interrupt. "But sometimes it is difficult to accept these things. As far as we've been able to tell, there was a coronary, and at her age...well, your grandmother simply passed on."

*****

To be continued...