Fiction Friday - Need To Know

"Have you seen your sister lately?"

Beckett hid his instinctive "freeze" response by looking up as if in thought. "Not really. Why? Should I have?" He turned a passably curious look toward his mother. She was preparing dinner and he had come into the kitchen to grab a can of Monster from the fridge before returning to his work in the basement.

His mom wasn't actually looking at him, but said to the vegetables she was washing, "I know she's old enough to do what she wants, but it's been a few weeks since she's called. I thought maybe you ran into her during one of your campus runs."

"Nah, sorry." He shook his head and closed the fridge door, anxious to get back to his fortress. He should have graduated last year, but got a lucrative job with a digital company and now worked more hours than he studied. One class per term, with a hard push over the holidays, and he should get his degree next spring. 

He was almost out of the kitchen when his mom added, "Well, keep your eyes open for me, will you? I know she has friends around there." Beckett raised his can in a toast of agreement, hoping she saw it. He didn't dare turn to face her and risk giving up the game. 

Sascha was on the run. He hadn't lied to his mother. Not exactly. Personally, he hadn't seen her for a month, but since becoming a Gatekeeper for the "Hidden Kitty" underground movement, he was aware of her progress through coded second-hand messages.

Neither Beckett nor Sascha liked keeping their mom in the dark. She had always been a supporter of Sascha's... difference. But when laws began changing against different innocent segments of the population, her head had stayed firmly in the sand. "Just because they've outlawed this one type of person," she would tell Sascha, "Doesn't mean that someone like you is in danger." 

Sascha disagreed and wasn't willing to risk it. When they came after a group, they came suddenly. When they started coming for people "like her", it would be too late to formulate a back-up plan. 

Fortunately, Beckett was still active at the university. Sascha had graduated and moved on, but had heard about a rebellion growing there. Together they found the right people who could help her.

As she prepared to go into hiding through Hidden Kitty's network, they realized their mom would not only be a liability to Sascha, but would herself be in danger. They had to keep her out of it. During the weeks of Sascha's prep, Beckett had become more involved with the organization. Now he was in a position to send and receive the coded messages. 

Sascha was safe at the moment. Mom was worried. Beckett could stop the worry, but at the risk to countless others in positions like Sascha. Small price to pay.