Is this the venting and throwing things that Jenna said would come? Is that why Jenna is tolerating it? I know Jenna wants me to let Kara talk, but I don't know how much more I can stand. I'm watching the three of us die right before my eyes, like who we were to one another never existed.
Jenna doesn't blink. She is staring into Kara's eyes like she's looking for something hiding behind them. "I'm sorry for what you've been through, Kara. I am truly sorry."
Kara stands there, her face calm and blank, not even breathing, just staring back at Jenna. She leans closer. "You will be," she whispers.
Jenna's eyes ice over, as cold as Kara's, and that's what does it. I don't plan it. I don't even realize what I've done until I see the chair flying across the room and crashing into the wall.
"Stop!" My voice echoes off the concrete walls.
They both look at the cracked wall and shattered chair, then turn to look at me. I stare back, not trying to hide whatever they're seeing in my face. I don't care. I just want the nightmare to end. Kara tilts her head slightly like she is processing my reaction, and I watch the slow arching of one eyebrow, the shimmy of her hair at her shoulders as she nods, and then she lunges at Jenna, holding her tightly, her lips pressed to Jenna's ear. Her shoulders shake, and I hear hoarse sobs.
She pulls away and shakes her head. "Jenna." She chokes down another sob. "I'm so confused. It's been so hard." She pulls close to Jenna again and sobs. "Forgive me. Please. I need to rest. That's all. I've said horrible things. Please, forgive me."
Jenna returns her hug and pats her back, but I see the cool, dry distance in her eyes. "Go rest. You're right. You need to rest."
Kara steps back. "You forgive me?"
"There's nothing to forgive."
Kara nods. Her tears are real. Her worry seems real. But the mask is back. Her face is a thousand blank planes, each one like the next.
Kara.
She glances at me, but that's all I get. No words. Nothing else.
"I'll walk you back to the house," Jenna says.
"No." Kara wipes at her eyes. "I know the way. I'm just going to go lie down for a while. I know I'll feel better after some rest."
Jenna nods. "Of course."
I step toward Kara. "I can walk you--"
"No, Locke. I just need some time. Really." She walks up the stairs, her feet heavy and shuffling.
Jenna watches the stairs even after Kara is gone.
"Are we--"
Jenna lifts her finger to her mouth. "Shh." There's a tiny sound, like a string of beeps, and then it fades away. "She's gone." She sees my confusion and adds, "We have sensors outside the greenhouse." She doesn't explain further but quickly moves to the back wall and places her hand against it. A door seamlessly appears, and Jenna races through it into another room, calling for me to follow. Once I walk through the door, it disappears behind me. It's just like the door I saw at the train station when I arrived. Jenna hurries to a Net Center that is spotless and fully operational. She presses her hand to the table, and a screen appears.
"Allys," she says. Nothing happens. "Hurry." She leans forward, impatient, but it is only about twenty seconds before Allys appears.
"What's up?" Allys asks.
"It's Kara. She's on her way back to the house. To rest. Keep an eye on her."
"That's all?"
"Yes, just keep an eye on her."
Allys nods and then looks at me standing behind Jenna. "Close your mouth, city boy, before a BeeBot flies in." She winks and signs off.
I look around the room that is five times the size of the one we just came from. It is clean and well stocked, and there are three small rooms with real beds on the perimeter, a kitchen, a curtained area that looks like it's for medical care, and a fully furnished living area complete with couches. The Net Center wraps around in a half circle with four stations.
"You're full of surprises, Jenna." I walk over and peek inside one of the rooms. "So ... the other room's only a decoy, just in case you're found out. It makes you look like a shoestring operation that's out of business, when"--I turn around to look at her--"you're obviously still very active in the Network."
"Yes and no. Yes, it's a decoy. The other room's been dusty and broken down from the day it was built. There's a good chunk of the Fox fortune invested in this room. We keep it functional just in case. It would be stupid to totally abandon it, but we haven't used it for years. And no, it was the truth when I told you I quit."