At the lab, the techs would be able to bring up all the laptop’s past history, even if it had been erased. Everything that came across the machine was cached in little nooks and crannies that the average user knew nothing about. With the right tools, any secrets could come spilling out. There could be a clue in an e-mail—an invitation to meet or even a threat.
The computer was already on, so she opened it up. On the Internet browser she looked to see the last place Katie had visited. It was myspace.com/theDCpage. Nic clicked. And there she was. Katie. A photo of her striking a pose wearing a fedora, more sexy than disguise. But was that sadness Nic saw in Katie’s eyes? From the angle, she guessed Katie had taken the photo herself with her cell phone.
On the left of the page were lists of the books and movies and music the girl liked. On the right, blog entries and a series of comments from friends. Music began to play, a song Nic vaguely recognized as having been very popular over the summer. Now, so close to the shortest day of the year, it seemed like it had never been summer and never would be again.
Alive on the screen. Nic just hoped Katie was alive in real life. She clicked on one of the blog entries at random. It was labeled simply “Rules.”
MYSPACE.COM/THEDCPAGE
Rules
September 7
I’m exhausted. And hot! My clothes stick to my skin. I never understood what humidity really meant. They might as well just say “sauna.”
This morning I made myself drink three cups of coffee. It tasted burnt. But I figured I needed it, b/c it was five thirty in the morning! I haven’t gotten up that early since I believed in Santa Claus. A couple of guys at my table were really cute (I’m not naming names, just in case).
After breakfast the Senate Page Director explained the program to the thirty of us. There are lots of little rules like not breaking curfew, getting good grades & keeping your room clean. Anytime we’re someplace not patrolled by the Capitol police, we have to be with another page or an adult, even if it’s just to go to the Starbucks across the street.
If we break any of the big rules, we can be kicked out without warning. Like last year I guess this guy was caught stealing. That same day, he was put in a car & driven directly to the airport. Can you imagine how humiliating that would be?! The director said that everything that happens in Washington gets in the paper, so if we screw up, we jeopardize the entire page program.
He also said they monitored our Internet when we’re on the government’s computers, although he didn’t say exactly how much they could see. He did say if you go to a porn site & are there for more than a few seconds, they’ll know. He didn’t say anything about MySpace on my personal computer, though & I didn’t ask, so this is legal—right? ;)
As he was talking, I looked around the room. We look like the pod people. All of us in navy blue pantsuits, white long-sleeved shirts, dark socks & black lace-up shoes. (Do you know how hard it is to find women’s black lace-up shoes? Which, by the way, are the ugliest shoes I have ever seen. I finally had to mail-order them & they didn’t show up until two days before I left for DC.) The only difference between the girls & the guys is that the guys have to wear ties.
At lunch, a lot of the other pages grumbled about all the rules.
Me? No matter how many rules there are, it’s better than being home. V is always yelling at me. Not at my sister, of course, b/c she’s perfect.
The last thing we learned was how to put on a gas mask. Mine smelled funny inside. Even though they said you could breathe with it on just fine, I couldn’t. I felt like I was smothering. There just wasn’t any air.
I finally had to tear it off.
PIERCE RESIDENCE
December 17
Allison sat in the kitchen nook, drinking the one real cup of coffee she had decided to allow herself per day. With real sugar, since she had sworn off the artificial stuff. Around her, the rest of the house was in darkness. Sleet lashed the black rectangles of the windows.
Floyd the cat sprawled on her lap, deliriously kneading her thigh with his sharp claws. His pupils were so wide there was only a fine rim of yellow around them. He had been in a whiny, obnoxious mood since she had gotten up. The only way to quiet him was to hold him. Not wanting to wake Marshall, she had pulled the cat onto her lap. Fine preparation for parenthood, Allison thought, stroking Floyd with more annoyance than affection.
Ever since she had learned that she was pregnant, she had been filled with uncertainty about becoming a mother, but it was too late to step off now. One minute she couldn’t believe it was really happening, the next minute she was worried that it was all too much.