Skyfall
~Twelve~
There was only silence between us. My hand was still outstretched, still silently begging for her to reassure me.
“Calista,” I said again, and my eyes filled with tears.
“I did this for both of us,” she said defiantly, the glow in her eye going out like someone had flipped a switch. “I’m as curious as you are. And now I have access to everything.”
My mouth asked the question all by itself.
“Well?”
A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth as the glow reignited.
“Ok, let’s see-“
“You haven’t looked yet?”
She fixed me with a stare from her good eye.
“Of course not. I wasn’t going to do this without you.”
“Of course.”
She fell silent, her un-glowing eye unfocussed as she accessed the info. After several minutes, my nerves were humming and I was practically bouncing with apprehension. My patience, or lack thereof, was finally rewarded when her mouth fell open.
“What?” I asked quickly, almost falling over.
A smile grew on her face and a tear pooled in her good eye.
“Alexa,” she said quietly, and the tear ran down her cheek. “Graham Lowry was your grandfather.”
My heart skipped a beat. At last, some answers!
“On your father’s side, I think,” she continued. “You have your mother’s surname, so that’s why Lowry didn’t recognize you.”
“What about my mother and father?”
“Sorry, there’s nothing in here about them. Just ‘son has estranged daughter with de facto partner. Last recorded name, Alexa’.”
A big ball of emotions was beginning to build in my chest. Family. I had a family. Who knew where they were, but who cared? I finally had some answers as to who they were.
“We might be able to find your family some other way,” Calista was saying as I focused on her again. “Is that what you want?”
“Yes,” I said quickly. “I do, I really do.”
She was quiet for a second, apparently still trawling through the Parliament servers.
“Does that mean you’re going to leave?” she asked finally in a small tone.
“Yes,” I said again. “I’m sorry. But... come with me.”
“Come with you?”
“Please. We can start a new life somewhere, in a new city. We can both work together. C’mon, the House of Nova isn’t the place for us.”
She pulled a wry grin.
“Well, you’re right there. I’ll have a chat to Tony and-,” she suddenly broke off, apparently distracted by something she was reading. “What?”
“What is it?”
She didn’t answer for a second, but I saw what little colour there was in her face drain away until she was as white as a ghost.
“Calista?”
“Sorry? Oh, it was nothing,” the glow switched off and she focussed back on me. “I accidentally stumbled into some information I don’t think I was meant to access.”
I was cut off from asking her just what she’d read when someone knocked on the door. Before either of us could say anything, someone on the other side of the door announced:
“Lord Nova for Lady Alexa.”
“Calista,” I said again, and my eyes filled with tears.
“I did this for both of us,” she said defiantly, the glow in her eye going out like someone had flipped a switch. “I’m as curious as you are. And now I have access to everything.”
My mouth asked the question all by itself.
“Well?”
A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth as the glow reignited.
“Ok, let’s see-“
“You haven’t looked yet?”
She fixed me with a stare from her good eye.
“Of course not. I wasn’t going to do this without you.”
“Of course.”
She fell silent, her un-glowing eye unfocussed as she accessed the info. After several minutes, my nerves were humming and I was practically bouncing with apprehension. My patience, or lack thereof, was finally rewarded when her mouth fell open.
“What?” I asked quickly, almost falling over.
A smile grew on her face and a tear pooled in her good eye.
“Alexa,” she said quietly, and the tear ran down her cheek. “Graham Lowry was your grandfather.”
My heart skipped a beat. At last, some answers!
“On your father’s side, I think,” she continued. “You have your mother’s surname, so that’s why Lowry didn’t recognize you.”
“What about my mother and father?”
“Sorry, there’s nothing in here about them. Just ‘son has estranged daughter with de facto partner. Last recorded name, Alexa’.”
A big ball of emotions was beginning to build in my chest. Family. I had a family. Who knew where they were, but who cared? I finally had some answers as to who they were.
“We might be able to find your family some other way,” Calista was saying as I focused on her again. “Is that what you want?”
“Yes,” I said quickly. “I do, I really do.”
She was quiet for a second, apparently still trawling through the Parliament servers.
“Does that mean you’re going to leave?” she asked finally in a small tone.
“Yes,” I said again. “I’m sorry. But... come with me.”
“Come with you?”
“Please. We can start a new life somewhere, in a new city. We can both work together. C’mon, the House of Nova isn’t the place for us.”
She pulled a wry grin.
“Well, you’re right there. I’ll have a chat to Tony and-,” she suddenly broke off, apparently distracted by something she was reading. “What?”
“What is it?”
She didn’t answer for a second, but I saw what little colour there was in her face drain away until she was as white as a ghost.
“Calista?”
“Sorry? Oh, it was nothing,” the glow switched off and she focussed back on me. “I accidentally stumbled into some information I don’t think I was meant to access.”
I was cut off from asking her just what she’d read when someone knocked on the door. Before either of us could say anything, someone on the other side of the door announced:
“Lord Nova for Lady Alexa.”