The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect (46 page)

There was one other thing about the "after" picture. It was familiar. As Caroline had guessed,
AnneMarie
had come to her birthday party.
AnneMarie's
stint as Caroline's nurse added up to a bona fide Brush with Fame. Did she dare go for the brass ring, and introduce herself? Nope. She had chickened out and sent Prime Intellect afterward to deliver her invitation. She was probably afraid that Caroline would fuck up that nice pert perky feeling of permanently coke-headed happiness.
"Go give her hell," Fred said encouragingly. "Think of what
I
would do to her."
Caroline smiled. "Please inform
AnneMarie
that I have decided to accept her invitation."
Moments later, she blinked over.
 
It was a pathetic imitation of her style, similar to countless others.
AnneMarie
had ripped off the white-space idea but couldn't bear to leave it
featureless
. So there was a sofa and some tables, a couple of potted plants, and a few paces off to the side a bed. Like many of Caroline's imitators,
AnneMarie
had missed the point entirely, which is that since it is all fake there was no reason to maintain a "home" with a bunch of familiar stuff in it. Home had been less than a dream for centuries.
Nevertheless Caroline smiled and planted herself on the sofa.
AnneMarie
had a tea service and poured for her, a gesture Caroline would have found touching if she hadn't hated the bitch so much.
They made cloying small talk about the passing years and Caroline had to bite her lip to keep the sarcastic comments, which usually flowed freely, from surfacing. It had been a long time since she used ordinary pretense, and her skills were rusty. But she knew she mustn't give up the act. Not yet. She kept that firmly in mind as
AnneMarie
wandered around to the point.
"I just wanted you to know that I suffered for a long time because of what I did to you," she finally said.
It was all Caroline could do to keep from replying:
You hypocritical cunt
.
"I'm really sorry I took your drugs."
Isn't it about three hundred years too late?
"You really didn't deserve it."
No shit
. "I hope you can find it in you to forgive me."
Fat chance
.
"It was a long time ago," she said instead.