Jenna Black - Resistance

you cant be serious! Nadia told her mother.

She tried to keep her voice level and calm despite a stab of panic. Shed known her life would never be the same after what had happened, and shed known that being summoned to her mothers private study hadnt boded well, but nothing could have prepared her for the bombshell that had just exploded in her face.

Esmeralda Lake sat rigidly on the edge of the sofa. It will only be for a week, she said, but the promise was hardly comforting, especially when her expression was so forbidding. Two at the most. Just until some of the furor dies down.

You dont think sending me to an Executive retreat is going to fuel the fire? Nadia asked incredulously. Retreats billed themselves as relaxing spas, places a busy Executive might go to for a quick break from the stresses of life. There was no press allowed, and there was no access to the net, or even to telephones, allowing said stressed-out Executive to experience an unparalleled escape from the troubles of the world. Which all sounded nice in theory, but everyone knew Executives went to retreats to escape some kind of scandal. You went to a retreat when the press found out you had a drug problem, or when youd been caught cheating on your husband, or when you were having a nervous breakdown. You went there to hide, because you had something to be ashamed of.

You were arrested for treason, Nadia! her mother snapped. Everyone has seen the footage of you being marched through the lobby in chains. Our only hope of quieting the gossip is to get you out of the public eye.

But I was exonerated! Nadia protested. I didnt do anything wrong. She paced in front of the sofa on which her mother sat, having sprung from her own seat the moment Esmeralda had told her she was being sent away. The idea of being locked in a retreat, away from her friends and family, unable to contact anyoneand unable to find out what was happening in the outside worldmade her feel dizzy and slightly nauseous. She had escaped execution only because she, with some help from her sister, Gerri, had recorded the Chairman admitting not only that hed had his own son killed, but also that he was providing human test subjects for Thea, the worlds first true artificial intelligence, to experiment on. But if the Chairman ever located the recordings, she would be in mortal danger, and behind the walls of a retreat, shed never even know it.

Dont be such a child, her mother said, showing no sign of sympathy. Whether you did anything wrong or not is irrelevant, and you know it. Its the perception that matters.

Unfortunately, Nadia did know that. Despite her being publicly exonerated, people would want to believe Nadia had done something to bring it on herself. The idea that a completely innocent person might have been arrested and humiliated as Nadia had been didnt sit well with Paxcos elite, and if they could convince themselves Nadia was guilty of something, even if it was just stupidity, they would all sleep better at night.

Please dont make me go, Nadia begged, knowing it was a lost cause. Her mother had decided before Nadia had set foot in the room, and there was no changing her mind.

Esmeraldas eyes softened, but only a little bit. It wont be so bad. After everything thats happened, a little time away from it all will do you good. And Tranquility is truly a beautiful facility, especially at this time of year. Their gardens are breathtaking.

How would you know? Nadia challenged. Did your family send you there to hide you away like a shameful secret?

A part of her knew she was being unfair to her mother. From Esmeraldas standpoint, sending Nadia to a retreat for a week or two was the obvious choice. Without her presence in the public eye, the press would gossip itself out and then lose interest as soon as the next scandal occurred. There would be murmurings when Nadia reemerged, but nothing like the feeding frenzy that was happening now. If Nadia werent so painfully aware of how precarious her situation wasand how dangerous it would be for her not to know what was going on in the outside worldshe might even have had to reluctantly agree that spending some time at Tranquility was just the thing.

Enough! Esmeralda said firmly. Youre going, and thats final. You can be as angry with me as you like, but Im doing this for your own good. Your whole future is at stake here, and we have to be smart about managing the damage control.

Nadias eyes burned with tears she refused to shed. Yesterday, she had engaged in a battle of wills against the Chairman of Paxco and his sadistic hatchet man, and shed won. Against her mother, however, there was no victory to be had.

Fine, she said as her shoulders slumped in defeat. When do I leave?

Ive arranged a car for you at four oclock.

This just got better and better. Shed hoped shed have at least a few hourslong enough for Gerri to get home from work so that Nadia could have another conversation with her. Theyd spoken briefly this morning, and Nadia had urged her sister not listen to the blackmail recordings. Shed promised to explain the why of it tonight when they had more time, though she was still unsure what she could say to keep Gerris curiosity in check.

Nadia hoped Gerri would follow her instructions even without knowing why. Knowing the Chairmans terrible secret was just too dangerous, and Nadia had to keep the informationand the recordingsdeeply hidden. Even from her own family.

How am I supposed to pack for a week or two in thirty minutes? Nadia asked.

Her mother looked surprised. Thats not how retreats work, dear. Theyll provide everything you need.

Youre telling me I cant take anything with me? Panic was making her light-headed. At least if she was packing a suitcase, she could try to smuggle a phone in with her. Something, anything, to keep her in touch with the outside world.

Her mother put her hands on Nadias shoulders and looked her in the eyes. It will be all right, she said, and there was true warmth in her voice for the first time since Nadia had set foot in her study. I know a week seems like forever at your age, but it will be over before you know it. And maybe youll like it there. You never know.

But Nadia did know.

Her mother was making a genuine effort to soften the blow, but shed never exactly been the nurturing sort, and it didnt come naturally to her. It was not an oversight that Nadias father wasnt present for this conversation. He must have agreed to Esmeraldas plan, but he would have had trouble holding firm in the face of Nadias distress. So he just avoided the whole thing and left it to his wife. Nadia tried not to hate him for it.

She couldnt think of anything to say. Nothing that she wouldnt regret later, at least. Without another word, she broke away from her mothers hold and marched toward her bedroom. She might not be allowed to bring anything with her, but she had some arrangements to make before she left, and she had less than thirty minutes to do it.

The Tranquility Executive Retreat was located on Long Island on thirty acres of beautifully cultivated, ridiculously expensive land. Most Executive retreats were located upstate, the better to isolate their guests, both from the press and from society in general. Executives who went to upstate retreats generally didnt leave, nor did they receive many visitors, having disgraced their families and friends with whatever scandal had caused them to enter the retreat in the first place. Tranquility was for Executives who could still be reclaimed into society, and whose family members wanted convenient access for visits.