The Beautiful People, Page 3

don'twant to look like everybody else, that's all." No, that's not it. Not atall it.

  "That man had too much to do with you. You'll notice that he had _his_Transformation, though!"

  "But he was sorry. He told me that if he had it to do over again, he'dnever do it. He said for me to be stronger than he was."

  "Well, I won't have it. You're not going to get away with this, younglady. After all, I _am_ your mother."

  A bulb flickered in the bathroom and Mrs. Cuberle walked uncertainly tothe cabinet. She took out a little cardboard box.

  "Time for lunch."

  Mary nodded. That was another thing the books talked about, which thetapes did not. Lunch seemed to be something special long ago, or atleast different. The books talked of strange ways of putting a load ofthings into the mouth and chewing these things. Enjoying them. Strangeand somehow wonderful.

  "And you'd better get ready for work."

  "Yes, Mother."

  The office was quiet and without shadows. The walls gave off a steadyluminescence, distributed the light evenly upon all the desks andtables. And it was neither hot nor cold.

  Mary held the ruler firmly and allowed the pen to travel down the metaledge effortlessly. The new black lines were small and accurate. Shetipped her head, compared the notes beside her to the plan she wasworking on. She noticed the beautiful people looking at her morefurtively than before, and she wondered about this as she made herlines.

  A tall man rose from his desk in the rear of the office and walked downthe aisle to Mary's table. He surveyed her work, allowing his eyes totravel cautiously from her face to the draft.

  Mary looked around.

  "Nice job," said the man.

  "Thank you, Mr. Willmes."

  "Dralich shouldn't have anything to complain about. That crane shouldhold the whole damn city."

  "It's very good alloy, sir."

  "Yeah. Say, kid, you got a minute?"

  "Yes sir."

  "Let's go into Mullinson's office."

  The big handsome man led the way into a small cubby-hole of a room. Hemotioned to a chair and sat on the edge of one desk.

  "Kid, I never was one to beat around the bush. Somebody called in littlewhile ago, gave me some crazy story about you not wanting theTransformation."

  Mary said "Oh." Daddy had said it would have to happen, some day. Thismust be what he meant.

  "I would've told them they were way off the beam, but I wanted to talkto you first, get it straight."

  "Well, sir, it's true. I don't. I want to stay this way."

  The man looked at Mary and then coughed, embarrassedly.

  "What the hell--excuse me, kid, but--I don't exactly get it. You, uh,you saw the psychiatrist?"

  "Yes sir. I'm not insane. Dr. Hortel can tell you."

  "I didn't mean anything like that. Well--" the man laughed nervously. "Idon't know what to say. You're still a cub, but you do swell work. Lotof good results, lots of comments from the stations. But, Mr. Poolewon't like it."

  "I know. I know what you mean, Mr. Willmes. But nothing can change mymind. I want to stay this way and that's all there is to it."

  "But--you'll get old before you're half through life."

  Yes, she would. Old, like the Elders, wrinkled and brittle, unable tomove right. Old. "It's hard to make you understand. But I don't see whyit should make any difference."

  "Don't go getting me wrong, now. It's not me, but, you know, I don't ownInterplan. I just work here. Mr. Poole likes things running smooth andit's my job to carry it out. And soon as everybody finds out, thingswouldn't run smooth. There'll be a big stink. The dames will startasking questions and talk."

  "Will you accept my resignation, then, Mr. Willmes?"

  "Sure you won't change your mind?"

  "No sir. I decided that a long time ago. And I'm sorry now that I toldMother or anyone else. No sir, I won't change my mind."

  "Well, I'm sorry, Mary. You been doing awful swell work. Couple ofyears you could be centralled on one of the asteroids, the way you beenworking. But if you should change your mind, there'll always be a jobfor you here."

  "Thank you, sir."

  "No hard feelings?"

  "No hard feelings."

  "Okay then. You've got till March. And between you and me, I hope bythen you've decided the other way."

  Mary walked back down the aisle, past the rows of desks. Past the menand women. The handsome, model men and the beautiful, perfect women,perfect, all perfect, all looking alike. Looking exactly alike.

  She sat down again and took up her ruler and pen.

  Mary stepped into the elevator and descended several hundred feet. Atthe Second Level she pressed a button and the elevator stopped. Thedoors opened with another button and the doors to her Unit with stillanother.

  Mrs. Cuberle sat on the floor by the T-V, disconsolate and red-eyed. Herblond hair had come slightly askew and a few strands hung over herforehead. "You don't need to tell me. No one will hire you."

  Mary sat beside her mother. "If you only hadn't told Mr. Willmes in thefirst place--"

  "Well, I thought _he_ could beat a little sense into you."

  The sounds from the T-V grew louder. Mrs. Cuberle changed channels andfinally turned it off.

  "What did you do today, Mother?" Mary smiled.

  "Do? What can I do, now? Nobody will even come over! I told you whatwould happen."

  "Mother!"

  "They say you should be in the Circuses."

  Mary went into another room. Mrs. Cuberle followed. "How are we going tolive? Where does the money come from now? Just because you're stubbornon this crazy idea. Crazy crazy crazy! Can I support both of us? They'llbe firing _me_, next!"

  "Why is this happening?"

  "Because of you, that's why. Nobody else on this planet has ever refusedthe Transformation. But you turn it down. You _want_ to be ugly!"

  Mary put her arms about her mother's shoulders. "I wish I could explain,I've tried so hard to. It isn't that I want to bother anyone, or thatDaddy wanted me to. I just don't want the Transformation."

  Mrs. Cuberle reached into the pockets of her blouse and got a purplepill. She swallowed the pill. When the letter dropped from the chute,Mrs. Cuberle ran to snatch it up. She read it once, silently, thensmiled.

  "Oh, I was afraid they wouldn't answer. But we'll see about this _now_!"

  She gave the letter to Mary.

  _Mrs. Zena Cuberle Unit 451 D Levels II & III City Dear Madam:_

  _In re your letter of Dec 3 36. We have carefully examined your complaint and consider that it requires stringent measures. Quite frankly, the possibility of such a complaint has never occurred to this Dept. and we therefore cannot make positive directives at the moment._

  _However, due to the unusual qualities of the matter, we have arranged an audience at Centraldome, Eighth Level, Sixteenth Unit, Jan 3 37, 23 sharp. Dr. Elph Hortel has been instructed to attend. You will bring the subject in question._

  _Yrs, DEPT F_

  Mary let the paper flutter to the floor. She walked quietly to theelevator and set it for Level III. When the elevator stopped, she ranfrom it, crying, into her room.

  She thought and remembered and tried to sort out and put together. Daddyhad said it, Grandpa had, the books did. Yes, the books did.

  She read until her eyes burned and her eyes burned until she could readno more. Then Mary went to sleep, softly and without realizing it, forthe first time.

  But the sleep was not peaceful.

  "Ladies and gentlemen," said the young-looking, well groomed man, "thisproblem does not resolve easily. Dr. Hortel here, testifies that MaryCuberle is definitely not insane. Drs. Monagh, Prinn and Fedders allverify this judgment. Dr. Prinn asserts that the human organism is nolonger so constructed as to create and sustain such an attitude throughdeliberate falsehood. Further, there is positively nothing in thestructure of Mary Cuberle which might suggest difficulties inTransformation. There is eviden
ce for all these statements. And yet weare faced with this refusal. What, may I ask, is to be done?"

  Mary looked at a metal table.

  "We have been in session far too long, holding up far too many otherpressing contingencies. The trouble on Mercury, for example. We'll_have_ to straighten that out, somehow."

  Throughout the rows of beautiful people, the mumbling increased. Mrs.Cuberle sat nervously, tapping her shoe and running a comb through herhair.

  "Mary Cuberle, you have been given innumerable chances to reconsider,you know."

  Mary said, "I know. But I don't want