Freegans part 61

Matt
There was a long, awkward silence.  When Cara finally spoke, it was in a strangled tone, as if she had a mouthful of marbles.
"How-how do you know?"
"I remember you!" said Madiza brightly.  "I can remember, when I was young, playing with my little cousin Cara.  Well, you weren't that little.  Just a year younger than me.  But to me that was very little.  And you look just like her, only older.  I even checked your hand, and it has the same scar on it from when you were two and cut it on a sharp rock!"

Cara looked down at her hands, and Madiza pointed to the left one.  There was indeed a scar, on the knuckle of her index finger.
"I wondered how it got there," Cara murmured.  Suddenly, her head snapped up, and she stared straight at Madiza.
"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME BEFORE?!"
"You didn't ask," was the mild reply.
Cara stood up.  For a moment, I thought she was about to hit Madiza, and I started to intercede.  To everyone's surprise, she hugged her instead!  I felt my jaw drop, and saw that Lucy's had too.  In all the years we had known her, Cara had never, never hugged anyone.  However, I guessed she was willing to make an exception for her own flesh and blood.  After stiffening in shock for a moment, Madiza hugged her back.

When she finally pulled away, Cara asked eagerly, "Who were my parents?"
"Logan and Sylvia McTavish."
"McTavish?!" we all gasped at once.  I asked, "As in-?"
"That's right, as in Angus McTavish.  He had a younger brother, Logan, who was lost during the attack by the consumerists that led McTavish to become the leader of the Freegans and take us to safety."
"So- is Mr. McTavish your father?" Lucy wanted to know.
"No."  Madiza shook her head and grinned her pointy-toothed grin.  We all looked at each other.
Finally, Ben used his hands to sign something at her.  I surmised that it was a question, because she said, "Angus McTavish also had a younger sister, Deirdre McTavish Hatter."

"H-  So your last name really is Hatter!" Cara exclaimed.
Madiza cackled with delight.  "Yes! Hee hee hee hee!"
We all had a good laugh over that.  It wasn't that funny, but it was a good way for us to work off stress.  After so much time being under pressure, and facing death, we were (hopefully) safe.  We needed an opportunity to laugh.  Everyone else was busy treating wounds, steering the sub, etc.  They were ignoring us.  I saw the Ox at the controls, Deep Thought tapping away at the computer system, Kestrel sitting by Max ( I got the impression there was something between them).  And then I realized that not everyone was ignoring us.  Sitting a few feet away, giving us one of the most wobegone expressions ever, was Paris.

Madiza suddenly noticed her old friend.  She stood up, and headed over to her.  Paris stood up too.  I noticed that they were about the same height, though Madiza's shaggier hair made her look a little taller.
"Ivy-Ivy, I am so, so sorry," Paris whispered.  "Can you ever forgive me?"
Madiza didn't say anything.  She stood there, practically nose to nose with Paris, staring her intensely in the face.  We watched with baited breath, wondering what she would do.
Suddenly, Madiza lifted a finger, and shaking it at the other girl, said five words in a stern voice: "Don't let it happen again!"
Then she smiled, and, taking Paris's hand, pulled her over to join our group.