Page 2 of Breaking Ties

“She mistook medics for servants. We corrected her, but she was resistant to the idea.”

“Yeah, she’s stubborn when she thinks she can get something from other people.”

The medic smiled. “How short?”

“I would like it three inches long all over.”

“That will certainly help folks to tell the difference. It will also decrease your bond price.”

“Hooray. More choices in a lower tier.”

“How do you know that?”

“There always are.”

The medic sighed. “Right, here we go.”

Hair began falling, and Aubrey smiled. Avery was going to have a heart attack. Blaming her was going to be different with a change in appearance.

The haircut took ten minutes, and her head felt lighter. “Oh, that’s better. Thank you.”

The woman blinked. “That... is very flattering. You are quite the beauty.”

“Shh. Don’t tell anyone.”

They giggled, and the medic looked at her hand. “Oh, we need to repair that. How did you tear off a nail?”

“Untying rope around my wrists and ankles. Time was a factor.”

“Oh. Does it have anything to do with the haircut?” The medic looked at her.

“Yes, as a matter of fact, it does. Apparently, I was seen taking the last of the rations in our group. My sister cried as she admitted she had seen me. Very tragic. She hated to turn me in. I haven’t eaten in three days.”

The medic paused. “I can confirm that for you if you like.”

“That would be helpful when I actually go to eat.”

“First, we put you in a scanning unit and find out what needs to be fixed, then we will put you in a repair unit.”

“Great. Did my sister require repairs?”

“No, she was fit and healthy, as if she hadn’t suffered lack of anything.” The medic gave her a knowing look.

“Yeah, that seems right.”

They eased her into the scanner, closed the lid, and light went through her, followed by the pulse of an ultrasonic examination without the gel.

When the lid opened again, the medic was looking at her with a serious expression. “You have a lot of healed breaks.”

“Yes. I used to be used as a bait animal by my sister. She would commit crimes, insult people, and pretend to be me. They did not take it well. I wore the results. I don’t want her pretending to be me anymore.”

“That is understandable. Come this way to the repair unit.”

She nodded and walked over to the repair unit. “Does everyone go through this?”

The medic laughed. “No, you either have to be dying or very polite.”

She nodded. “Thank you.”