“I’ve paid all my debts,” Heather said, half to herself as she contemplated her to-do list while Lisa drove. “I can get purchase orders from Sarah for most of the little stuff the facility needs.”
“We should set the date for the open house.”
“Yeah . . . the dance studio, my room . . . carpet almost everywhere . . .
wood floors, furniture . . . how about Friday in two weeks?”
Lisa nodded. “In the afternoon after the session?”
“Yeah.”
“By the way, where am I going?”
“Oh, sorry. Stamp and coin place up here on the right.”
“We have some nice sets of pretty stamps, young lady,” the woman said in a sweet voice.
“Mom, didn’t you say you were getting bullion precious-metal coins, things without numismatic value?”
Major Ka-markla tried to sound sure of herself. “That’s right. Which ones would you buy, honey, if you had enough money?”
The clerk chuckled. “You’ll have to save up your allowance for a long time to afford those, young lady!”
“I
know. Oh, look, mom! One ounce gold coins! Those are the prettiest!”
Major Ka-markla figured out how many she could get with the thick wad of cash Heather had entrusted to her. She had to breathe for a moment to steady
NEBADOR Book Nine: A Cry for Help 89
her nerves before making such a huge purchase, but wore a nonchalant expression as she spoke to the clerk.
The woman nodded and counted out the shiny yellow coins. “I wonder if one of these might be yours someday, young lady, maybe after mom sees a report card with straight A’s.”
Lisa hoped her maternal tone of voice was convincing. “She’d have to be very, very good before that happened!”
“Now, I know you don’t have to tell me,” Lisa said as she drove, “and I know your contract says you can do anything you want with your money, but gold is about the last thing I’d guess a seven-year-old would buy, so . . . I presume its value is going to go up . . . maybe, way up?”
Heather just smiled. “Girl knows future. Girl buys gold. Girl’s friends might want to pay attention.”
“I’ll have to see what I have in my saving account!” Major Ka-markla declared as she turned a corner.
As soon as they stepped into the skating rink, Heather spotted the owner, a graying but athletic man of about fifty. “Hey Simon, are my skates in yet?”
“Not yet, Priscilla. They make each pair to order, so maybe next week.
Will you judge the art skate again?”
“Sure!” she said, handing him a vinyl record in a protective case.
Major Ka-markla, in civilian clothes, wandered the entire rink, then got comfortable in the snack bar.
Although Colonel Ba-kerga was skeptical, Lisa was convinced that Heather’s public life as Priscilla Ka-mentha actually lowered the chances of anyone taking an unhealthy interest in her. She was so confident, outgoing, and well-liked that any potential abductor would realize, if he had half a brain, that he would immediately have the entire civilian world coming after him.
Lisa smiled to herself. He’d also have the entire military coming after him.
And since the skating rink drew kids from several schools, no one would ever guess that Priscilla Ka-mentha didn’t attend any of them, especially since her public personality did nothing to hide her general intelligence.
NEBADOR Book Nine: A Cry for Help 90
The only things hidden were her knowledge of the future, her contract with the Department of Defense, and her other names. Both Lisa and Corporal Do-forva had watched and listened carefully on many occasions, and they knew others had been planted to do the same. No one had ever observed the slighted slip.
The only way Lisa could imagine keeping Heather safer was to lock her in the bomb shelter, or the equivalent somewhere else. And doing so, Lisa knew and Colonel Ba-kerga grudgingly admitted, would cause her value to them to immediately cease.
“Clear the floor! All skaters off the floor!” the D.J. bellowed.
Priscilla coasted over to the music booth. “Side A,” she said softly as the D.J. handed her a microphone.
“Hi, everybody, I’m Priscilla Ka-mentha!” she said while skating out a little way so she could be seen. “It’s time for all you art and dance skaters to find your courage, come out and skate to the music! This song is another from my private collection, and I have four coupons to the snack bar for those who can feel the soul in this wonderful piece from the other side of the world.”
She returned the microphone and the music started. About a dozen skaters came out, most somewhat timidly, as skating by itself was hard enough, but doing it on one foot at a time, as Priscilla and a few others did, while moving to the music, seemed a nearly-impossible goal.
The two older dance-skating couples, and the young man of about twenty, knew they wouldn’t get snack bar coupons as Priscilla was looking for kids who were struggling against shyness or clumsiness.
Priscilla was skating backwards, enjoying the music and going slowly so she didn’t have to look behind her, when the young man skated near.
“Hi,
Mark.”
“Hi, P.K. That freckled red-head about eleven found her courage, just came out.”
Priscilla looked as Mark floated away. She remembered the freckled girl watching the art skaters during previous sessions, and saw now that she had the music in her, but just needed to get off two feet, neither of which yet dared to come off the floor very far.
For the remainder of the song, Priscilla picked out the coupon winners and
NEBADOR Book Nine: A Cry for Help 91
kept an eye on the red-head without staring. As the music faded, she asked for the microphone again.
“Good art skating, everyone! The winner who gets a folded snack bar coupon also gets a free private lesson with me over by the lockers.”
She handed out coupons to three young skaters who dashed toward the snack bar, and one redhead who stood grinning with embarrassment and happiness.
After twenty minutes of exercises on the carpeted floor, all on one foot at a time, Mandy was beginning to think she might be able to skate with a little grace and beauty someday.
“Thanks, Priscilla. I’ve never had a . . . popular girl . . . be friendly with me.”
“Why do you think I’m popular? I don’t have any friends my age.”
“Why
not?”
Priscilla shrugged. “Just not into the same stuff, I guess.”
“I’ll be your friend!”
“How old do you think I am?”
“Um . . . ten, maybe nine.”
“Seven and a half.”
“Really?”
Priscilla nodded slowly. “Still want to be my friend?”
Mandy took a deep breath. “Yes!”
Priscilla went by the snack bar to tell Lisa about her new friend, and they agreed that a chat with George would be necessary to work out the limits of the situation.
The skating session was almost over, but Priscilla had one more thing she wanted to do. She spotted Mark practicing figures in the middle of the floor, and glided over.
“Hi,
P.K.”
“You know that nineteen-year-old I sometimes come here with?”
“The cute one with short hair?”
Priscilla smiled. “I was hoping you might have noticed her.”
NEBADOR Book Nine: A Cry for Help 92
“Your big sister?”
“Just a friend. I don’t know for sure, but I have a hunch she might like it if you asked her out . . . as long as she doesn’t have to be a great skater.”
He took on a dreamy expression. “No . . . as long as she’s good at something, you know, not just sitting on the couch and watching television.”
“She’s good at lots of things!”