Page 80 of The Red Woman on Mars

Caspian moved to stand over the pilot’s seat to examine the readout. “Straight to Arcadia, Ivey. Delilah should be examined as soon as possible by a doctor we can trust.”

“And Vivian needs to be in the Council chamber tomorrow morning for Presentation Day.” Xavier glanced at her and then away. “I promised I would not intervene.”

“Oh … right. Presentation Day.” Vivian pulled her knees into her chest and looked at her dozing sister. “What will happen to Delilah?”

“We’ll provide her with excellent care,” Caspian assured her.

“Not that. Afterward. How long will Delilah be allowed to rest and heal before she’s impregnated again?”

Xavier and August exchanged a glance. “Our aunt isn’t a monster, Vivian,” August said. “If Delilah wishes to withdraw as a Red Mother, Secretary Yarrow will allow it.”

“We will insist upon it,” Xavier agreed quietly. “I’ll speak to her as soon as I can get a private word.”

“And our parents?” The weight of the last few days pressed down upon her. She didn’t want to cry. Not here, in a cramped shuddering aircar, surrounded by Martian aristocrats.

“Your parents?” August asked in confusion.

“Delilah sent them money, didn’t she?” Xavier asked softly. “After choosing Minister King.”

“Enough to buy their way out of the refugee camp. Not enough to keep them out for good.” She couldn’t let her parents return to Sumter. Not under any circumstances. Vivian took a deep breath. “Yes, I need to get back for Presentation Day. I have an understanding with someone.”

If Ren would still have her.

Xavier’s face returned to a neutral mask. “Of course. Forgive me,” he murmured. “If I’d known you’d already made an arrangement, I would not have …”

“I know.” Vivian rubbed her face. She needed sleep. “It’s fine.” She turned her back on Xavier to check on her sister. Delilah still had her eyes closed. Vivian ran a finger over her sister’s scrunched forehead.

Delilah blinked open her eyes. “You came back for me.”

Vivian leaned forward, blocking the view of the Martians. She wanted as much privacy with her sister as this tiny ship would allow. “Of course I came back for you, you idiot,” she murmured. “You’re my sister.”

“You shouldn’t have. I don’t deserve all this attention.” She pressed her lips together. “This place, it’s nothing like Sumter, but it’s still a nightmare.” Delilah’s pale face showed deep creases. She looked older than her eighteen years. “I’ve been thinking, do you remember how it felt when we were little, climbing all over the rocks at the edge of the ocean? We had no idea the hell that was coming. And now … we’re living on a desert planet. We’ll never see that much water again.”

Vivian remembered. Sitting with her sister on the large sparkling rocks, their faces upturned to the sun. Hunting for seashells on the beach. Fleeing in the backseat of her parents’ groundcar, watching the relentless rain as Hurricane Pippa bore down.

“We haven’t seen that much water since the storm,” Vivian said.

“But there was always the chance. Get work permits. Find a way out. Once we had freedom, I thought maybe we’d go back to the ocean.”

Vivian brushed a piece of Delilah’s dirty hair back from her forehead. “There’s nothing to go back to, love. Nothing but moldy houses and rotting wood. No one’s rebuilding when the whole coastline will be underwater.”

“But how can they be sure? If they can make Mars livable, can’t they invent ocean-safe housing?”

“I went back with Dad, you know. When we were still allowed to move freely. He wanted to save what we could. It took two buses and a three-mile walk to get to the house. Delilah, it was gone.” Vivian’s voice broke. “I remember some scraps of blue siding. And that awful pink toilet was lying in the street. That’s all that was left.”

She didn’t tell her sister the worst of it. The cracked safety deposit box, empty of cash, jewelry, and passports. The way her father had sunk to his knees, his face drained of color. He’d looked, suddenly, like an old man.

“I’ve screwed everything up, Viv. I’m so sorry. I know how hard you worked to make this second chance for us.”

“What happened with Mitzi?”

Delilah blew out her breath. “I freaked out, after I visited Camille in the clinic. She was writhing in pain, even with the painkillers. It was constant. Until the kidney stone passed, she couldn’t even sleep.” She shuddered. “When it was my turn for the first calcium treatment, I—I panicked. In Dr. Chavez’s office, I accidentally hit Mitzi, and she flew clear across the room. Dr. Chavez sedated me. And while I was passed out, she did the treatment anyway. She told me later that Mitzi had given consent. As the Martian partner, she has that power.”

“Oh, Delilah, that’s awful.” Vivian remembered how Xavier had warned her that their contracts gave decision-making rightsabout their children to the Martian spouse. Did this mean their partners could chose the health of their unborn children over the health of their wives?

Delilah blew out a breath. “After that, there was something broken between us. Even before it happened, she was mean. Criticizing how I dressed. How I did my hair. How I talked. Making fun of my lack of education. But we’d make up. With sex mostly. That part, at least, was good for both of us.” The ghost of a familiar smile hovered on Delilah’s lips. “But after that day, she was afraid of me. And I was afraid of her.”

“I thought the Intelligence screened potential spouses.”