Read Online Broken by Susan Jane Bigelow - Free Book Online
Authors: Susan Jane Bigelow
Tags: Fiction
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Michael suggested.
"Safe for now," Broken said. "I want to sleep. Jane gave me some clothes."
"That’s good. But we shouldn’t stay here too long, okay?"
Broken nodded and turned her back to him. She wanted to be alone. He got the message and left.
Broken lay on the bed and thought about Jane.
* * *
"Hey, Doctor Lucky Jane!" Silverwyng waved jauntily to Lucky, who was filling out some forms at her desk.
"Hey, Sil," Lucky replied. "Back so soon?"
"Yeah." Silverwyng plopped down in Lucky’s spare chair. "Boring patrol, no one out there."
Lucky lowered her voice. "Did it happen again?"
A shadow passed over Silverwyng’s normally happy features. "No. Not this time. Hey, did… did Sky Ranger say anything? About me? He was in here earlier."
"How do you know that?"
Silverwyng grinned sheepishly. "Stole a look at your schedule."
Lucky sighed. "You should stay out of there. Doc will kill you, and me." She reached out a cupped hand next to the table, just as Silverwyng knocked a pencil holder off it. Lucky caught it deftly in her waiting palm. "No. He didn’t say anything. Should he have? What’s going on with you two?"
Silverwyng looked like she was about to cry. "Nothing," she managed before flying out of the room.
* * *
"Hey, Sil," said a familiar voice at the door.
Broken’s face cracked into a grin. "Hey, Doctor Lucky Jane."
"So." Jane came and sat on Broken’s bed. "What are you calling yourself now, ‘Broken?' What’s happened to you these past ten years?"
"Long story," Broken said. "You know how it started."
"Yeah. You couldn’t fly. I remember." Jane sighed. "I’m sorry, Sil. We tried so hard to fix it."
"I know."
"I left not long after. My luck… it went away. It turned on me, bad enough that I became a danger. Bad enough that they didn't chase me when I left, even with the rules. So I know how you feel."
"Yeah." Broken and Unlucky stared at one another for a long, long moment.
"How’s Ian?" Broken asked.
"Better," Jane said.
"Good."
"This is terrible," Jane said. "I’ve really missed you. Why didn’t you come see me before? You obviously knew where I was."
Broken shook her head. "Sorry."
"Have you really been living on the streets?"
"Yeah."
"Sil, that’s no way to live. You should have come here. We’d have taken you in."
Broken shrugged.
Jane stood, suddenly angry. "You could have come here! I didn’t fall apart completely after my powers went! Even though everything I touch goes bad, I still kept living! You can’t fly, so you’re normal , but you go to pieces! I don’t understand you, Sil. Why didn’t you come to me?"
"I couldn’t," was all Broken could say, long after Jane had stormed out of the room. "I’m sorry."
* * *
Silverwyng and Sky Ranger sliced through the air.
"What makes us special," Sky Ranger said, "Is this."
"It would be awful to be just normal," agreed Silverwyng.
* * *
That night, as he tried to sleep, fire scorched through Michael’s dreams. He tried to escape, but found no way out. All the exits were blocked.
And then, his dream burbled and gulped, and he was on a quiet seashore. Birds called overhead, the waves rushed at the sand, the sun shone lazily on his upward-tilted face.
Janeane sat on the bed next to him, slid in beside him. Peace enveloped Michael as her lips pressed against his. The sea roared, the waves crashed.
He could not remember such utterly calm happiness, even as their bodies started to move together.
She stayed with him that night, and the next, and the next….
***
Michael pushed Ian and Delmarva out of his mind. He forgot about fire. Janeane filled him with calm and peace.
They stayed at the house longer than they’d planned. They stayed until cold 2106 bled into colder 2107. Being near Janeane, Michael had lost his sense of urgency. All he wanted to do was be near her. She was so peaceful. He had never known peace like hers.
* * *
Broken flitted around the house like a demented ghost for
"Safe for now," Broken said. "I want to sleep. Jane gave me some clothes."
"That’s good. But we shouldn’t stay here too long, okay?"
Broken nodded and turned her back to him. She wanted to be alone. He got the message and left.
Broken lay on the bed and thought about Jane.
* * *
"Hey, Doctor Lucky Jane!" Silverwyng waved jauntily to Lucky, who was filling out some forms at her desk.
"Hey, Sil," Lucky replied. "Back so soon?"
"Yeah." Silverwyng plopped down in Lucky’s spare chair. "Boring patrol, no one out there."
Lucky lowered her voice. "Did it happen again?"
A shadow passed over Silverwyng’s normally happy features. "No. Not this time. Hey, did… did Sky Ranger say anything? About me? He was in here earlier."
"How do you know that?"
Silverwyng grinned sheepishly. "Stole a look at your schedule."
Lucky sighed. "You should stay out of there. Doc will kill you, and me." She reached out a cupped hand next to the table, just as Silverwyng knocked a pencil holder off it. Lucky caught it deftly in her waiting palm. "No. He didn’t say anything. Should he have? What’s going on with you two?"
Silverwyng looked like she was about to cry. "Nothing," she managed before flying out of the room.
* * *
"Hey, Sil," said a familiar voice at the door.
Broken’s face cracked into a grin. "Hey, Doctor Lucky Jane."
"So." Jane came and sat on Broken’s bed. "What are you calling yourself now, ‘Broken?' What’s happened to you these past ten years?"
"Long story," Broken said. "You know how it started."
"Yeah. You couldn’t fly. I remember." Jane sighed. "I’m sorry, Sil. We tried so hard to fix it."
"I know."
"I left not long after. My luck… it went away. It turned on me, bad enough that I became a danger. Bad enough that they didn't chase me when I left, even with the rules. So I know how you feel."
"Yeah." Broken and Unlucky stared at one another for a long, long moment.
"How’s Ian?" Broken asked.
"Better," Jane said.
"Good."
"This is terrible," Jane said. "I’ve really missed you. Why didn’t you come see me before? You obviously knew where I was."
Broken shook her head. "Sorry."
"Have you really been living on the streets?"
"Yeah."
"Sil, that’s no way to live. You should have come here. We’d have taken you in."
Broken shrugged.
Jane stood, suddenly angry. "You could have come here! I didn’t fall apart completely after my powers went! Even though everything I touch goes bad, I still kept living! You can’t fly, so you’re normal , but you go to pieces! I don’t understand you, Sil. Why didn’t you come to me?"
"I couldn’t," was all Broken could say, long after Jane had stormed out of the room. "I’m sorry."
* * *
Silverwyng and Sky Ranger sliced through the air.
"What makes us special," Sky Ranger said, "Is this."
"It would be awful to be just normal," agreed Silverwyng.
* * *
That night, as he tried to sleep, fire scorched through Michael’s dreams. He tried to escape, but found no way out. All the exits were blocked.
And then, his dream burbled and gulped, and he was on a quiet seashore. Birds called overhead, the waves rushed at the sand, the sun shone lazily on his upward-tilted face.
Janeane sat on the bed next to him, slid in beside him. Peace enveloped Michael as her lips pressed against his. The sea roared, the waves crashed.
He could not remember such utterly calm happiness, even as their bodies started to move together.
She stayed with him that night, and the next, and the next….
***
Michael pushed Ian and Delmarva out of his mind. He forgot about fire. Janeane filled him with calm and peace.
They stayed at the house longer than they’d planned. They stayed until cold 2106 bled into colder 2107. Being near Janeane, Michael had lost his sense of urgency. All he wanted to do was be near her. She was so peaceful. He had never known peace like hers.
* * *
Broken flitted around the house like a demented ghost for
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