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Trance's Tale - Chapter 3

"You were right, Grape," said Jenni "The doc says she has a serious concussion and could have died if we hadn't brought her in. He says her last date must have liked to play rough. You may have saved her life. I guess you knew what you were talking about after all."

The girls were in what passed for a local clinic's emergency room and were discussing the report that the doctor had given them after he had examined Concepcion. The doctor was recommending that Concepcion stay in the clinic for 24 hours for observation, provided of course that payment was forthcoming. Fortunately it was still early in the day and there were a few beds available. By evening however it would be a different story. Jenni, after a nod from Trance had agreed.

"The doctor gave me a communicator number I could call tonight to see how she's doing," said Jenni. "I want to record it on my flexie before I forget it." She reached up to the neckline of her dress then swore softly. "Damn, where did I put my stylus? I thought I put it right here."

Trance reached over to the other side on Jenni's neckline and removed the tool that many people used to input data into a flexie. "Here it is," she said holding up the slender wand.

"You've got quick hands. You could help us out a lot in our work."

"You mean in your act? I've never acted before."

"Act?" asked Jenni. "Just what do you think I do for a living,Grape?"

"Well I remember you telling Mr Fagin something about doing tricks and that you wanted people to watch your breasts rather than your hands. Are you a performer? A magician?"

Jenni opened her mouth in astonishment then closed her eyes and shook her head as if she couldn't quite believe she heard what she thought she heard. "Maybe you really are seven," she said. "Let me make it simple. I'm a dipper, a pickpocket." Seeing Trance's confused look she cut to the chase. "I'm a thief. I steal other peoples stuff for a living."

"But stealing's wrong," objected Trance.

"So's starving," said Jenni, "and if my choice is stealing or starving I'm going to steal." She retrieved her stylus from Trance and continued on.

"Look, Grape, I don't know what's it's like where you come from but here nothing's free. You saw what I had to promise to ensure that Concepcion wouldn't be sent home early if someone else came by and offered more money for her bed. If you want to eat and have a roof over your head you have to pay for it. And it's not that easy to find work around here. About the only way anyone finds work here is if someone puts in a good word for you, and then you had still better be prepared to grease the palm of whoever is going to hire you. It's all about who you know, not what you know. If you know the right people you can get a cushy well paying job but if you don't know anyone important you end up on the streets."

"Can't your family help you?" asked Trance not yet willing to accept Jenni's explanation.

"Would you go back to yours if you could?" countered Jenni. Taking Trance's silence for agreement she continued. "I wouldn't go back to mine either. Not as long as my father is still breathing anyway. But if you want to stay with Concepcion, Lita and me you're going to have to pay your way. You can leave if you want, but what are you going to do then? You don't have any money for food let alone a place to stay and it's going to be getting cold soon. Besides it's not as if we really hurt anyone when we steal from them."

"What do you mean by that?"

"The spacers that come to the port live on their ships. They always have a place to stay and food to eat. The money we take from them is just their entertainment money. It's not like we're taking money they need to survive.

"So what's it going to be, Grape? We owe you for helping Concepcion so you can spend the night with us and have breakfast with us tomorrow morning, but any more than that and you're going to have to earn your keep."

"I'm waiting till I meet the Andromeda Ascendant," said Trance. She was fidgeting uneasily, her tail twitching back and forth in agitation. "It's going to take me to my perfect future. The one I saw in my vision."

"You're here because of something you saw in a dream?" Jenni dropped her stylus. She had quick hands as well, catching it before it hit the floor. "You don't need roommates, Grape, you need a keeper. This place is going to eat you alive." The stubborn look that came over Trance's face told the older girl that sarcasm wasn't going to accomplish anything. She decided to try a different tactic. "Look, Grape" she said reaching out to take hold of Trance's arms to emphasize her point. "Lets agree your vision was real. That this Andromeda Ascendant is going to come and take you to your perfect future. When is it coming and how are you going to survive until then? Did your vision show you that?"

"No," said Trance, her tail now hanging limply behind her as she was forced to concede Jenni's point. "It didn't."

"Then your choice is pretty much stick with us or strike out on your own, and hope you'll live long enough to meet your rescuer."

"I guess I don't have much of a choice do I," said Trance.

"We always have choices," said Jenni looking down at the stylus in her hands. "Choices are easy. It's living with the results of your choice that's hard."

Chapter 2 Chapter 4