Chapter 27
Sydney looked at the envelope in her hands for a long moment, then hurried up the two flights of stairs to her room. She sat down on her bed, opened the envelope, and pulled out a single sheet of paper.
Sydney,
It feels strange to be writing a letter to myself, but with luck, when you read this you won't remember writing it. Tomorrow, a doctor who believes he can erase the last two years of my memories will do a surgery on me, and then hopefully you can get your life back.
I know you're curious about what happened to you, and I know you won't rest until you have answers, so I'll give you a very brief overview. I managed to convince the Covenant that they had successfully brainwashed me and became a double agent for the U.S. government. I met Mom a year ago, and she helped me deceive the Covenant. I just talked to her on the phone and made her promise not to tell you or anyone else, including Dad, anything about what happened to you. She's not very happy about it, but she promised, so don't ask her any questions. You should know, though, that she loves you and that you can trust her.
Mom and I talked a lot about getting me out, but we never came up with anything that didn't require me to go into hiding for the rest of my life. I think this will work. If the Covenant thinks that their brainwashing backfired and you don't remember anything, they might leave you alone. I'm sure Mom will be watching out for you, just in case.
I know this isn't much, but trust me, you don't want or need to know more. Enjoy your life.
Sydney
She folded the sheet and put it back in the envelope, blinking back tears. Her mother had been telling the truth, which was a huge relief. But she didn't know if she could take her own advice and not try to find out the whole truth about what had happened to her.
Maybe she would remember enough to satisfy her, she thought. In the meantime, now that she knew her mother hadn't lied to her, she decided that she wouldn't pester her with questions. This weekend was the first opportunity she'd had to just spend time with her family in her adult life, and she wasn't going to waste it.
***
Jack, Irina, and Tatiana stood in the basement for a moment after Sydney left, and then climbed the stairs to the kitchen, where they looked at each other uncertainly for a moment. "Um, anybody else hungry?" Tatiana asked.
"Now that you mention it, yes," Jack said. "We could order Chinese."
"I don't mind cooking," Irina said. "I don't get to do it much anymore."
Jack frowned. "The agents outside might get suspicious if I don't order something."
"How much Chinese food do you eat?" asked Irina incredulously.
"A lot," Jack replied. He went over to a neat stack of papers and extracted a menu, which he handed to Tatiana. He glanced at the ceiling. "Should we order for Sydney? I'm not really sure what she'd like..."
"Szechwan chicken," Irina said with certainty. Jack raised an eyebrow at her. "Whatever city we were in, she almost always ordered Szechwan chicken last year when we got Chinese. But don't you think the people outside will wonder why you're ordering four meals?"
Jack shrugged. "I usually order two or three at a time and save the leftovers. Do you want pork in hot bean sauce? They haven't changed the recipe at all in the past twenty years."
Irina smiled. "That would be wonderful." She moved closer to Jack and whispered something in his ear; he turned a bit pink, smiled, and kissed her.
Tatiana studied the menu, avoiding looking at them. "I'll have kung pao beef," she said, perhaps a bit louder than was necessary. Jack and Irina didn't even look up.
The door to the kitchen opened, and Sydney stood on the threshold uncertainly when she saw her parents entwined in each other's arms. "Um...anybody hungry?"
Tatiana turned away from Jack and Irina. "We were just talking about ordering Chinese," she said brightly. "Mom said you might like Szechwan chicken."
"Yeah, that's my favorite, but how did she...oh."
Irina and Jack finally noticed Sydney standing there and broke apart, although Jack's arms were still around Irina's waist. "How was your letter?" Irina asked.
"It told me less than you did, actually. Mom, I'm sorry I got mad at you."
"That's all right. I would have been mad at me too."
Jack and Irina looked at each other again, and Tatiana cleared her throat. "Could we get the food ordered before you two go at it again?"
Jack looked like he was about to say something, but just shook his head and picked up the phone.
Sydney looked at the envelope in her hands for a long moment, then hurried up the two flights of stairs to her room. She sat down on her bed, opened the envelope, and pulled out a single sheet of paper.
Sydney,
It feels strange to be writing a letter to myself, but with luck, when you read this you won't remember writing it. Tomorrow, a doctor who believes he can erase the last two years of my memories will do a surgery on me, and then hopefully you can get your life back.
I know you're curious about what happened to you, and I know you won't rest until you have answers, so I'll give you a very brief overview. I managed to convince the Covenant that they had successfully brainwashed me and became a double agent for the U.S. government. I met Mom a year ago, and she helped me deceive the Covenant. I just talked to her on the phone and made her promise not to tell you or anyone else, including Dad, anything about what happened to you. She's not very happy about it, but she promised, so don't ask her any questions. You should know, though, that she loves you and that you can trust her.
Mom and I talked a lot about getting me out, but we never came up with anything that didn't require me to go into hiding for the rest of my life. I think this will work. If the Covenant thinks that their brainwashing backfired and you don't remember anything, they might leave you alone. I'm sure Mom will be watching out for you, just in case.
I know this isn't much, but trust me, you don't want or need to know more. Enjoy your life.
Sydney
She folded the sheet and put it back in the envelope, blinking back tears. Her mother had been telling the truth, which was a huge relief. But she didn't know if she could take her own advice and not try to find out the whole truth about what had happened to her.
Maybe she would remember enough to satisfy her, she thought. In the meantime, now that she knew her mother hadn't lied to her, she decided that she wouldn't pester her with questions. This weekend was the first opportunity she'd had to just spend time with her family in her adult life, and she wasn't going to waste it.
***
Jack, Irina, and Tatiana stood in the basement for a moment after Sydney left, and then climbed the stairs to the kitchen, where they looked at each other uncertainly for a moment. "Um, anybody else hungry?" Tatiana asked.
"Now that you mention it, yes," Jack said. "We could order Chinese."
"I don't mind cooking," Irina said. "I don't get to do it much anymore."
Jack frowned. "The agents outside might get suspicious if I don't order something."
"How much Chinese food do you eat?" asked Irina incredulously.
"A lot," Jack replied. He went over to a neat stack of papers and extracted a menu, which he handed to Tatiana. He glanced at the ceiling. "Should we order for Sydney? I'm not really sure what she'd like..."
"Szechwan chicken," Irina said with certainty. Jack raised an eyebrow at her. "Whatever city we were in, she almost always ordered Szechwan chicken last year when we got Chinese. But don't you think the people outside will wonder why you're ordering four meals?"
Jack shrugged. "I usually order two or three at a time and save the leftovers. Do you want pork in hot bean sauce? They haven't changed the recipe at all in the past twenty years."
Irina smiled. "That would be wonderful." She moved closer to Jack and whispered something in his ear; he turned a bit pink, smiled, and kissed her.
Tatiana studied the menu, avoiding looking at them. "I'll have kung pao beef," she said, perhaps a bit louder than was necessary. Jack and Irina didn't even look up.
The door to the kitchen opened, and Sydney stood on the threshold uncertainly when she saw her parents entwined in each other's arms. "Um...anybody hungry?"
Tatiana turned away from Jack and Irina. "We were just talking about ordering Chinese," she said brightly. "Mom said you might like Szechwan chicken."
"Yeah, that's my favorite, but how did she...oh."
Irina and Jack finally noticed Sydney standing there and broke apart, although Jack's arms were still around Irina's waist. "How was your letter?" Irina asked.
"It told me less than you did, actually. Mom, I'm sorry I got mad at you."
"That's all right. I would have been mad at me too."
Jack and Irina looked at each other again, and Tatiana cleared her throat. "Could we get the food ordered before you two go at it again?"
Jack looked like he was about to say something, but just shook his head and picked up the phone.