The Budding Metalinguist

XV

Lillian arrived at Rachel's front door and rapped neatly on the wood until her knuckles were sore. She was unsurprised to see that Rachel's mother hadn't bothered to replace their long-broken doorbell, and that Rachel had replaced it with a new piece of decorative tape. She stood on the narrow stoop waiting for several minutes before Rachel finally opened the door.

"Lillian," she acknowledged in excitement.

Lillian absently returned the greeting and plunged straight to the point. "Can I talk to you?"

Rachel jabbed a finger at the house. "The walls are thin." She had said this many times before. "Can we talk in the backyard?"

Lillian agreed, and Rachel creaked open the gate and followed her into the backyard, where they sat in the old folding chairs under a young, scraggly willow tree. She waited for Lillian to start.

Lillian cleared her throat. "So that story that I told you on Saturday... it wasn't entirely true."

Rachel cocked her head in silence.

"Well, it was true- but there's more that I haven't told you. See, at the beginning of the semester, the DIAO asked me for some tests."

Rachel looked suddenly bewildered. "Tests? What tests?"

"They told me they wanted to take blood tests and DNA tests and an interview. So I went in that week and-" Lillian cut off. "You can't tell anyone this. Only Morgan and Chris and the DIAO know." And Kern, she added silently.

"What is it?" Rachel asked with a compassion so deep that Lillian felt a searing pang of guilt for holding anything back.

"I'm the baby," Lillian burst out.

Rachel stared at her, uncomprehending.

"I'm the baby from the Thaumatogenesis," she explained.

Rachel shifted positions in her seat. Lillian knew her well enough to understand that she was putting the facts together. She knew how old Lillian was and that she was adopted, and she would quickly come to admit that everything checked out. Everything made sense.

"You're right," Rachel confirmed. It seemed a bit odd given that Rachel had no access to any of the DIAO's information, and considered herself to be the ultimate authority on Lillian and her personal history. Lillian gave a half smile.

"Was the part about the DNA test true?" Rachel asked.

Lillian gave a hesitant nod. Something deep inside her was urging her to tell Rachel about Kern and metalanguage, but she held it back with difficulty.

"That's odd," Rachel considered. "So you can't do any thaumaturgy?"

Lillian nodded again.

"That must be awful," Rachel replied. "I can't even imagine not being able to use telekinesis..."

Lillian's inner urge strained against its bonds. Abruptly, she stood up and brushed off her pants. "I have to go."

"All right," Rachel permitted, watching Lillian bang out through the gate and across the street. Rachel stared. She was barely ever suspicious, but when she was, she knew to take it seriously. And Lillian was hiding something.

☙❧

Dakota sank into the comfortable chair Rory had provided for him. Beside him, Rory took a smaller chair more suited to his age and height.

"I wanted to talk to you about Lillian," Dakota began, turning to stare at a profile of Rory's face.

A pained expression shot through Rory's face in a nervous pulse. "What do you want to know?"