sitting on the sofa, a cup of coffee seated between both
hands. She wore her hair down, a golden mane falling behind her, a
few strands reaching in front, cupping her breasts. She looked as
if she was in very deep thought, almost meditating.
As I approached, she looked up at me, her
blue eyes catching some sunlight, sparkling. Once again I noticed
how truly pretty she was. High cheekbones, a petite nose, and a
beautiful smile. She smiled at me now, but I sensed a sadness about
her. “Things are going to change now.” she had said last night.
I sat down next to her, those blue eyes
following my every move. I tucked my knees up under my breasts,
feet on the sofa. Jessie reached the back of my head, undoing my
pony tail, allowing my long dark hair to flow about me. “I can't
believe how you've grown,” she said. “You're so beautiful.” tears
fell from her face. “Happy Birthday, Samantha.” she whispered.
Birthday? That was ridiculous.
“Jessie, could you please tell me what's
going on? You've seen my grades from school...I'm pretty smart, and
I've been trying to piece this all together. Like a puzzle. But
some pieces are still missing.” I said. “I'm eighteen now. After
all this time, and all this weirdness, I think I deserve an
explanation.”
Jessie looked at me, putting a finger up to
her lips...saying “shh”, without actually saying it. She then
gestured with her hands, first pointing to her ears, then pointing
to spots around the room. I nodded, understanding. We weren't the
only ones in the room. The room, maybe even the whole house, had
ears.
They were listening.
I leaned over, and whispered one word in her
ear. “Always?” She nodded in response. It made me wonder if “They”
listened in on Tom and Jessie going at it at night time.
Jessie got up, taking my hand in hers, and
led me in to the kitchen. I sat at the kitchen table, while she
went to the stove, turning some dials. The digital display flashed
something, and then she said, “We're clear for about fifteen
minutes.”
“The whole house is bugged, isn't it?” I
asked.
“Pretty much,” she said. “There are ways to
turn the sound off for short intervals. They do respect some form
of privacy, from time to time. But only for a few short
minutes.
“Well, if we only have a few minutes,” I
said, “start talking.”
“Well Samantha...there's so much to tell, and
so little time...so here it is.” She paused, seeking the right
words. “You, Samantha Steel, may very well be...the most special
person on the planet.”
“Whoa.” I thought. I wasn't expecting to hear
that. “What do you mean...special?” I asked.
“Well, your intelligence, just for example.
You're aware that you're pretty smart, correct?”
“Yes.” I answered, blushing a bit. Jessie
caught it.
“Don't be embarrassed by the praise,
Sam...because this is just the beginning. I'll tell you a little of
what I know...and I don't know a lot. But I do know more than Tom
thinks I know. He's not one of us.”
“One of us?” I asked, becoming confused.
“What do you mean.”
“Well, I'm closer to being your sister than
your mother, Sam. We have similar genetics, you and I. The real
difference is you're far more advanced than I am. Like I said,
you're probably the most incredible person on this planet.”
I stared at Jessie. I had always considered
her to be my Mom. Who else did I have? But she was closer to being
a sister? I was still really confused.
“How could we be sisters? You must be almost
twenty years older than me.” I said, looking her up and down.
“A bit more than that, I'm afraid. As of
today, I'm now sixty years old, to your eighteen, Sam. I'm forty
two years older than you are.”
I stared at her, in utter disbelief. “How is
that possible? You're so young...so beautiful!”
“Thank you.” Jessie said, without blushing.
She obviously knew how she looked. But sixty? And today?
“Your birthday is today, like mine?” I
asked.
“All