Chapter Text
Mom came home from work early and brought me a small oval side table. She placed it by my window seat and came over to my desk to check my temperature (? must be a mom thing). "How are you feeling, Lys?" she asked anxiously.
"I took my medicines on time, I feel pretty good, all things considered," I said. "Got a good chunk of homework done."
"Don't push yourself too far, dear," she said. "You're healing, and that takes energy. Come and see if you like this table." So I got up and went over with her. It was pretty, walnut and rosewood with a lyre base. I couldn't remember seeing it in the attic. "This is the fun part." Her hand slipped under the base and the thick tabletop tilted down so that it was vertical. Then she pulled gently and the top opened to reveal a storage compartment completely fitted out with drawers. "It only opens when the top is tipped like this," she explained.
"That is so cool," I said, examining it. The drawers fit in snugly so that they didn't bang around when the top was moved. "I don't remember ever seeing it upstairs before. How could I miss something like this?"
"It isn't from upstairs, actually," she said. "It was deaccessioned from our collection because it was determined that it is a copy rather than an original piece, and I bought it. I was going to use it in my office, but I think it's nicer here, if you'd like to keep it."
"I would, Mom, it's so nice. Thank you for thinking of me." And I gave her a hug. It would probably be more useful at her work with all the little bits of junk she has laying around but I was glad she thought of me.
"Later on, if you want, it could be useful up in your sewing room," she said, then pulled a packet out of her pocket. "Carter sent this to you." I unwrapped a strip of genuine papyrus and a small faience thingie fell onto my lap. It was a kind of crude representation of a papyrus reed. That glowed softly. I looked at her questioningly, not touching it. "It's an amulet, blessed in the temple of Thoth in Hermopolis. It is blessed with a spell of healing and protection for the limbs, no more, and there will be no harm to you if you wear it. It does have to be worn in order for the protective spell to take effect."
"That was nice of him," I said, and Mom stood up first, walking over to the vanity. The key was in the lock of the drawer, and I told her in which box the chains were. She brought over the sturdiest one since the amulet was heavy.
"He was impressed with you, your interaction with the pharaoh," she said. "You were respectful and Ramesses-Ra approved of you. It is difficult to gain his approval. Carter's background as a son of Ramesses II makes him feel privileged, but he sent to Egypt as soon as he heard of your injuries." After I threaded the amulet onto the chain, she put it around my neck and fastened the clasp. "I called Cal to tell him what had happened and why you won't be returning," she said gently. "He was very sorry to hear it and wanted you to know that he enjoyed working with you and that you would have been wonderful in the ballet." Tears filled my eyes and I snuffled a little. She took my hands. "How are you coping with the loss of ballet, Lys?"
"I haven't thought about it a lot," I said. "Yet. But I'll deal with it when the time is right. I just don't want to do it now."
"If you want to talk about it, you can come to me or Dad," she said after a pause. "Or we can find a therapist for you if you'd prefer to talk to someone who is removed from the situation. It did wonders for Deri."
True enough. "Thanks," I said, and let it drop.
"Come down to the library when you're ready," she said after another little pause, and leaned over to kiss my forehead.
"Where's Deri?" I asked, remembering. She should be home by now but I hadn't heard her.
"She's at a swim meet," Mom said. "She isn't good enough to compete yet, but she is supporting her teammates. She won't be home til after dinner." I'd kind of forgotten about her swim team thing, to be honest. She got up and left, and I spent a little time looking in all the little drawers before tipping the top back up level and adjusting the positioning just so. I needed to get a coaster from Alan so I didn't ruin it. And I'd need to polish it, but that would have to wait awhile; I just didn't feel my usual urge to make things all nice. I checked in with my friends to get caught up on school happenings, then went downstairs.
"Mom brought me a little table to put by my window seat," I said to Alan when he handed me the club soda. "Could I get a little coaster so I don't make rings on it with a glass or something?"
"Certainly, Miss Lys," he said. "I'll take one up for you later."
I showed Dad my amulet, and he looked skeptical. "Well, it's had some contact with a god, it's glowing a little," I said, and he looked a little concerned but shook it off.
"Carter's not the nicest guy in the league, but he's not a villain," he said. "If he said it'll be beneficial, I trust him. Of course, if he's wrong, he's going to be pretty sorry."
"Indeed, my dear," Mom said, her voice amused. Dinner was a delicious shepherd's pie and salad, and there were brownies with the coffee. Deri came in as I was eating my second brownie, enthusiastic about the meet (her school got second place) and we all talked about that.
And that was my pattern for the next several days; sleeping in, doing homework, taking it easy. Over the weekend, I went up to my sewing room and showed Deri how to make a simple pillow, using a big pillow form and a square of the fabric she'd whacked up. Mom took us in to the fabric store on Sunday and we selected a few different fabrics and piping for pillows for her room. It was nice to see my coworkers again and my manager told me that while they missed me, it was important to take my time coming back and that my job was secure. I won't lie, I was glad to hear that. This time Deri carefully cut out her fabrics, sewed the piping and three sides slowly and precisely, then stuffed the pillow form in and hand-sewed the fourth side shut. She was thrilled to have completed two pillows of her own. I stayed home until my next doctor's appointment on Thursday, when the x-rays were compared and it was judged that things were healing well, or at least starting to. I got my first look at the x-rays and it was upsetting. I counted twenty pins in my ankle and lower leg before I stopped.
I went back to school the next day, and it was good to be back, out of my room, seeing people. Most people didn't give me a second look, but some of the kids in my classes were glad to see me. My friends were really happy I was back; Ari bought me a chocolate milk to celebrate. They had some questions about the car accident, which I was kind of vague about, and Imogen asked if I was going to be able to dance in the recital.
"No," I said, the smile sliding off my face. "I can't dance anymore. There are too many fractures, the ankle won't be able to take the strain."
"But how did you break it so bad, Anna?" Nix asked, frowning. "The safety features in pods are really good."
"I don't know," I said truthfully. "I wasn't conscious." Jinx's face seemed to get longer at my words, and Justine stared hard at Nix until he shut his mouth.
By the time school was over, I was really dragging. It was a lot harder to move around on the crutches and my face was throbbing gently. I hadn't taken the pain pill today, which was a bit of a mistake. The ache was distracting and I was glad to hear the final bell. I took my time, letting the main rush of students leave so I wouldn't have to wade through a mass of people. I'd had my ankle jostled and man, that had hurt. I crutched slowly across the walkway connecting the school to the parking structure and paused in the door to locate the fob to call my pod. I held it between my teeth as I did the little juggling act to put my pack back on and not drop my crutches, and I was on the verge of swinging into the garage when I heard familiar voices. My friends. Then I listened to their low voices.
"--was really vague about the accident," Mark said quietly. "And it was reported in the media that Daniel Wayne's family had been targeted by kidnappers, the plot foiled, but that there'd been an incident on the road. News showed video of the three vehicles. The passenger pod had been pretty badly crushed."
Imogen muttered something I didn't catch. "What I don't understand is why she's here rather than in some private school if she is Lysippe Wayne," Nix said. "She's smart, but she's not crazy smart like the famous Waynes are supposed to be. She has a minimum-wage job, for pete's sake. She's got no social media presence. Where are all her friends?"
"We're her friends, dumbass," Jinx said. "Look. I can crack the school record, see if it is her. It won't tell us why she's here, though. We'll have to work our contacts. There's going to have to be a conversation."
My heart sank, and it took all the courage I had to go into the parking garage. I bit the fob gently, then paused to arrange my crutches so I could drop it into my pocket. I made myself look over at the group, who were looking at me, shocked. I heard movement, so my getaway was coming. Good old pod. "Yeah, I'm Lysippe Wayne," I said flatly. "A thug stomped my ankle a few times, kicked my face, which is apparently why I don't remember the rest of the incident. It wasn't pleasant and it still sucks. So yeah, I'm one of 'those' Waynes, and I'm really sorry I don't hold up to your expectations on the IQ scale. Looks like we're all just going to have to live with your disappointment. Go ahead and work your contacts if you're just boiling with curiosity about what happened that I'd rather go here than my old private school. I thought that I could have a clean start if I changed my nickname. I was thinking about how to tell you, I was going to do it at lunch, it's the only time I see all of you at once, but there's always somebody coming up. And there's nothing wrong with getting an honest job. I'm not going to be taking over the company, I'm not going to be taking over anything, actually, so I might as well work at something that's interesting to me." My pretty pod rolled up and they goggled at that too. We'd never left at the same time and the pod was good at parking away from other vehicles. The door opened gracefully and I heaved my backpack inside before climbing in awkwardly. The door closed soundlessly and we started off.
"So who were those kids, Lys?" AI Tony asked brightly.
"They were my friends," I said glumly, and his little face stopped smiling.
"Past tense friends?"
"Maybe. They were whispering in the garage, putting two and two together. They know that Anna is that loser Lys now. I don't really want to talk about it, please."
"Ok." And the little AI projection actually was silent until we'd hit a launching pad and were aerial. I squirmed a little to get more comfortable for the short fifteen minute ride. "So how are you feeling? Your face is a little swollen." I put my hand down, I'd been about to rub it again.
"I was feeling better so I didn't take the pain pill this morning. It was a mistake. My face is throbbing."
"Ah." And he was silent until we rolled up to the door of the mansion.
"Thanks," I said as I wiggled out to the point where I could use my crutches. The pod closed the door and trundled off. Alan was there; he held my backpack so I could take off my coat, then handed it back.
"How was your first day back?" he inquired.
"Long, but at least I wasn't behind. I didn't take the pain pill this morning and now I'm regretting it. I was overly optimistic."
"Why don't you go upstairs and rest?" he suggested, then smiled. "There are sugar cookies just out of the oven, if you're interested. I could bring you a restorative snack, if you'd like."
I brightened a bit. "And some milk?"
"Milk too," he promised, so we parted ways. I was so glad to see my room, peaceful and quiet and empty. I changed into a pair of old yoga pants I'd modified by cutting the right leg off at the knee, a Princeton sweatshirt that my cousin Chris had sent me last fall during his freshman year, and a nice thick sock for my normal foot. I fluffed and arranged the pillows in the window seat before sinking down and arranging the throw over my legs. I noticed that Alan had placed a coaster on the little table and smiled. There was a tap on the door and he came in the promised cookies and milk, which he placed on the table. That was a great idea of Mom's.
"Given that you're temporarily less mobile, I thought I would offer to resume cleaning your room and bathroom," he said. "I would still use your preferred products, of course."
"I really appreciate it," I said after a moment of internal struggle.
"I'm sure that once you're feeling better and more accustomed to getting around with your cast, you will want to care for your things yourself again. But you like things to be tidy, and it's not an imposition." He smiled at me once more and departed, and I ate my cookies and drank my milk. It's good for you, calcium and vitamin D, both good for bones. I scrunched down a bit and took a little nap rather than thinking about the parking garage any more.