Sal, Derek, and I finally persuaded him to get in the HT and we drove back to the city in silence.
Back at home, I opened the packet again and read the rest of Ginnie's note to my father. It outlined everything that Wei had told me about FeLS. Some of it was on the up-and-up, but most of it had to do with using sixteens as sex slaves for government officials and the ocribundan miners. The chips contained documents, pictures, names, and enough evidence that if it got to the right place, it could not be ignored. My father would know exactly what to do with it. And I would put it and Dee's baby book in his hands myself.
Eventually, what Ginnie'd found would help thousands of girls. But I wondered what would happen to me. My FeLS contract was gone. But at least Ed wasn't around to push a Chooser into taking me. If I was chosen, there was no way of knowing if I'd get sent to the sex-trafficking training or the regular training. Running away was starting to look like a viable option. Except that would mean I'd have to leave Dee and Gran and Pops. And my friends. And Sal. But, I couldn't worry about becoming a fugitive now. I had to get this information to my father first There were still nearly three weeks until Holiday Day break. It was a rare sunny afternoon in Chicago's winter, so Dee and I walked home from school through the park. It was nice not to have to look over my shoulder constantly, worrying about Ed. We stopped by the horse pasture and stood watching the horses pull at mounds of hay. In the distance, I saw the resident herd of cows. I could almost see Sandy leaning over the fence, mooing. I had to turn away.
"Gran says that there's only one way to get to the happy memories. You have to cry out the sad ones," Dee said. "I'm really sorry about Sandy, Nina."
"Yeah; me, too." I swiped a tear away. So much had happened over the past few months. It was going to be a while before I got over losing Sandy. And my mom.
Dee raced up the side of the pasture, petting every horse that would come near the fence. She was safe from Ed. I hadn't told her that Alan was her father. That would remain a secret, at least until I could find him.
"We're home." I tossed my gloves on the top shelf of the closet.
Pops thumped into the room. "Checkerheads were here today."
I stopped right in the middle of taking my coat off. "What did they want?"
"It was about that ... uh ... Dee, honey, go see what your gran wants. I heard her call you."
My knees were knocking together as I hung up my coat and sat down across from Pops. "Ed?"
"Yup. Seems he disappeared. Tracked his last PAV signal somewhere around Lincoln and Wells."
"Why did they come here?" I managed to keep my voice normal-suppressing the shriek that wanted to burst out.
"They thought he might have visited Dee." Pops chunked back in his chair. "I told them the deadbeat never bothered before, why would he have been around then? She wasn't anything to him, 'cept by DNA."
I hadn't told Gran or Pops about Dee's parentage either. They were safer not knowing.
"Did the police say anything else?"
"Nah, just to let 'em know if he showed up." Pops snorted. "Like I'd tell them anything. They said his wife hadn't even reported him missing, it was his job that wondered why he wasn't at work."
"I'm not surprised," I muttered.
"Huh?" Pops cupped an ear toward me.
"Nothing, I just wondered if they'd ever find him."
"I hope the miserable SOB dropped off the planet," Pops said.
If only you knew, I thought. Sal had never told me the whole story about who did the cleanup after we'd left Robin's Roost that night. He said the less I knew, the better. I was in full agreement.
XLIV.
December 10, 2150. My sixteenth birthday.
I'd left the doctor's office after getting my STD vaccines. They say a girl has to be safe; I was thinking it was more that the guys didn't want to catch anything. Next stop, the government tattoo parlor. I sat in the ID tech's chair, gritting my teeth while she jabbed the needle into my wrist. When she was done, the GCMANDATED XVI was etched into my skin-a black stain.
"You're absolutely certain about this?" the tech asked Gran, pointing to a line on the paperwork.
"That's what it says," Gran replied. "The girl's got sense-she doesn't need to be tracked like some animal."
The woman shook her head, but proceeded. I winced as the vac tool penetrated my skin and then sucked the pellet out. She chucked it into the wastebasket. One less GPS to track, I thought.
Gran tucked away my birth certificate, signed the remaining forms, and we left.
Our next stop was the Bureau of Identification and Ranking. More forms, more signatures. I couldn't believe I actually smiled for my photo. The new scan listed all my pertinent information and the box marked Creative was checked. All I'd had to do was show them the transcripts from my art classes in Cementville and pay a fee. Now I knew why Ginnie'd sacrificed so much for me to take the classes.
Much as I wanted another tattoo, one like Wei's-the thistles circling the XVI-I knew I couldn't afford one. Besides, when she'd told me about hers, a bit reluctantly as I recalled, it seemed like the tattoo had another meaning, one even beyond its anti-XVI symbolism . Maybe someday I could afford to get my own tattoo, one I would design myself, with special significance for me.
When we stepped outside the bureau, Wei was waiting for us.
"Let's go to Rosie's," she suggested. "I'm dying for a shake."
Gran kissed my cheek. "You go along now. Spend the day with your friends. You deserve some fun."
I didn't argue.
Rosie's was deserted when we got there.
"I'll go in the back and see where Rosie is," Wei said. "Think you can find a table?" We both laughed-since the place was empty.
I sat down and studied my wrist. The zone-out chip had worn off and my arm was throbbing. Mrs. Jenkins had sent along ajar of salve with Wei for me to use on it. I'd just unscrewed the lid when the kitchen door swung open.
"Surprise!"
Rosie came through the door carrying a big cake covered with white icing and chocolate sprinkles. She was flanked by all my friends, and Gran, Pops, and Dee. Even Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins and Miss Gray were there. I burst into tears.
"Hey ... hey." Sal swept me out of the chair. "No crying today. This is a happy day." He kissed me.
Mike set a bag on the table. "Some stuff from all of us."
I gave him a hug and kissed his cheek. "Thank you," I whispered.
I went through all the presents. There was an antique porcelain horse figurine from Derek and Wei. A bill of sale for a new bed from Gran and Pops; the survivor benefits had finally come through. Dee had made me an old-fashioned picture album with photos of me and her and Ginnie. Mike gave me a digi-frame of me and Sandy that he'd taken at the zoo in the summer. The Jenkinses had paid for the party, and Rosie was giving me a year of Cliste Galad lessons for free. Miss Gray had tucked a real edition of 1984 into a winter cap she'd knitted for me.
"You guys are all so great."
"I think Dad's saving the best for last," Wei said. "Give it to her now, okay?"
"Second best," Mr. Jenkins said. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out an envelope. "Your FeLS contract, Nina. Signed, sealed, and I recorded them notarizing it. You can never be chosen. You are free."
"Thank you!" I hugged him as hard as if he'd been my own dad. Free. That was how I felt. No FeLS, no two years away from Dee and Gran and Pops, no fear of turning into someone like Joan and no living like a fugitive. Plus, I could apply to the Art Institute now that I had my Creative designation. I felt like someone had lifted a trans off me.
"There is one other thing," he said. "Jade?"
Wei's mother nodded and handed me a special PAV receiver, one that still had a signal in the midst of Rosie's DZ. "I think this is for you. You might want to take it somewhere private."
Rosie directed me into the kitchen.
I held the receiver to my ear. "Hello?"
"Nina?"
"Dad!" I would have known his voice anywhere.
Our conversation lasted for exactly as long as it took for him to say, "Happy birthday."
For me to say, "Thank you."
And for him to say, "I'll see you soon."
That was it. And it was so much more than I'd ever dreamed.
After we'd all eaten, the Jenkinses took Gran, Pops, Dee, and all my goodies home. Mike had to go take care of his little sister, and Derek and Wei were working on something special for Holiday Day. I didn't ask what-I knew it was just an excuse for them to be alone together.
Sal and I walked over to the park, to my mountain-that had become "our place."
"Did you know this was DZ?" he asked.
"Really?"
"I'm sure that's why your mom brought you here so often. She could talk to your father without worrying about being heard. No matter, though." He pulled me close. "It's the most special place in the galaxy as far as I'm concerned."
We kissed several times before sitting down.
"Have you read anything else in the book?"
"No, it's personal stuff for my father. Ginnie wanted him to know what she'd been thinking and feeling all those years."
Sal took my hand and kissed my fingertips, which sent a shiver, a really good one, all the way down to my feet. I caressed his cheek, loving the scratchy stubble feeling on my hand. "Right now, though, I don't want to think about the past or tomorrow."
"Me either." He kissed me again.
It was amazing-here we were sitting in the middle of snow, and I was feeling as warm as summertime. Weatherproof jeans notwithstanding-I knew Sal's kisses were the reason.
When we came up for air, Sal said, "Aren't you wondering if I got you anything?"
"No." I laughed. "I guess I was so surprised by everything ... I never ever imagined a birthday like this one."
He took a small box from his pocket. When I opened it, I found half a silver heart charm. Engraved on it was I lo-then there was a jagged break. "What's this?"
He reached up to his neck and pulled a chain from under his sweater. The other half of the heart was dangling there:-ve you was written on it.
Blushing, of course, I threw my arms around his neck and whispered, "Me, too."
We spent the next hour kissing, wrestling around in the snow and generally "acting our age," as Gran would say. But no sex. I wasn't a sex-teen. I was just a girl who was sixteen, and that felt pretty good.
A Q&A WITH JULIA KARR.
When writing XVI did you have any real-life inspiration for the world and the characters?
My initial inspiration for XVI was an image of a punk rock girl walking down the street in a big city. I chose Chicago, drawing on my memories of the atmosphere, the architecture, the places I used to hang out when I lived there, and the different neighborhoods.
The characters were born exclusively in my imagination. But, as often happens, certain traits and quirks popped up from memories of friends past. There's a little real-life inspiration in quite a few of my characters.
Did you have any reservations/concerns about dealing with such a sexually concentrated topic, particularly in YA fiction?
Honestly, I didn't even think about that when I was writing the book. Sexuality and sexual identity is something that teens deal with on a daily basis. There is a huge disconnect between the vestiges of our country's underlying Puritan mind-set regarding sex and the business of selling teen sexuality through movies, television, and all kinds of advertising. I remember well how it felt as a teen growing up with societal pressures, family expectations, and the struggle for my own identity, of which sexuality is, of course, a part. And, when you're a teenager, it can seem like an overwhelming part.
Dystopian novels are a growing trend. What drew you to the genre?
My mind tends to jump immediately to the what-ifs in discussions about politics, society, and technology. I've found that for pretty much every utopian theme, there's an equally dark dystopian one. And the dystopian ones are much more thrilling!
The characters that you created are very strong, and deal with very mature issues. Whom do you identify with most?
It has to be my protagonist, Nina. Sixteen for me was instant adulthood. I believe that most teens, if thrown into situations requiring them to grow up quickly, will rise to the challenge and discover what they are made of.
Like Nina, your main character, you had a transiton at 16 when you moved from Indiana with your grandmother to Chicago with your mother. How did this affect you? Why did you decide to give Nina a similar situation?
It was not a conscious decision to have Nina's situation be similar, but, as the story unfolded, it was impossible not to draw on my own experiences. Moving to Chicago was the single most pivotal event of my life (except for having babies!). My entire world was turned upside-down, in both good and bad ways. However, Nina's choices and her life experiences are not mine, even though remembering my own teen years gave me insights into how she might feel and react to situations.
This is your first young adult novel. Have you been surprised by anything during the writing/publishing process?
Perhaps a better question would be, "What has not surprised me?" I think my biggest surprises had to do with time and with the editing process. Publishing time is nothing like real time. There's a lot of hurry up and wait involved every step of the way. And, with editing, I was surprised by how cringeworthy some of my writing was, and even more surprised when I'd read something that was so good I'd have to remind myself that I wrote it.
What books did you enjoy most as a teenager?
I have always been a voracious reader. As a young teen I loved mysteries and read every Nancy Drew at the library. From there I graduated to reading Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie. I've also always loved science fiction and fantasy. A couple of favorite sci-fis from my teen years are More Than Human, by Theodore Sturgeon, and Dune, by Frank Herbert. As far as fantasies go, E. R. Eddison's The Worm Ouroborous and his Zimiamvian trilogy, plus many re-readings of Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, by Lewis Carroll. Dystopians that I read then were 1984, by George Orwell, and Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury.
* Do you think that Nina's mom should have revealed the truth sooner? Why do you think she kept it a secret for so long? Would you have done the same?
* Do you think girls are judged by appearance and gender? Do you think boys are judged in the same manner? What role do you believe the media plays in this? What role do you play in this?
* Despite Nina's concerns, Sandy embraced the media's image of how a girl should look and act when they turn sixteen. Have you ever been in a similar situation? Can you give an example of how you bought into a trend despite your better judgment?
* If you were turning sixteen in this society, how would you feel? Are you a Sandy or a Nina?
* With the recent influx of dystopian literature do you think the plot of XVI is plausible? Are we moving toward this type of society?
* Do you see any similarities between our current society and the society that Nina resides in? What distinguishes one from the other? What makes either society undesirable?
* The government's change of legal consent and the unequal treatment of women are left unexplored in XVI. What are your theories as to how this happened?
* Teens and sexuality/sexual education is a growing issue in America. The age at which kids are experimenting with sex is getting younger and younger. Discuss the consequences this is having on individuals and on our society in general.