Read Online Dragon Virus by Laura Anne Gilman - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Laura Anne Gilman
Tags: Novella, Book View Cafe
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been around for generations,
digging itself deeper into their DNA, making Changes, and if nobody knew what
caused it, they sure as hell weren’t going to figure out how to stop it.
Every generation, and fewer and fewer Normals being born.
So why them? Why Bethy?
o0o
A week went by. Steven stayed out of the house as much as
he could, missing dinners, leaving early for school. His parents didn’t
question him, barely even noticed. The lines were back on his mother’s
forehead. His dad’s temper was even quieter, like he was walking on eggshells
inside.
Contrary to Josh’s prediction, nobody asked about his new
sister. If they had, he couldn’t have answered them. He didn’t go into her
room, couldn’t stand to be near her.
When the telepreacher’s show was piped over the system at
their favorite hangout, he got up and left.
o0o
It was like that for two weeks. Two godawful weeks of
pretending everything was… normal.
“Did you hear?”
They were lazing in the sunlight outside during lunch
period. Susan, Josh, Melly, Steven, and Wicker. Steven sat off to the side,
picking at the bread of his sandwich. Wicker had the news, dancing up and down
on his skinny-bone legs.
“Pauly and whatshisname, the guy he hangs with. Couple-five
Norms jumped ’em after school.”
That go everyone’s attention, and Josh stopped playing with
Melly’s black braids long enough to roll over on the table and look at Wicker
in disbelief. “You’re shitting me!”
“So help me, s’true. Pauly says he was just walking home and
they came howling at him and — Terrence, that’s his name.”
Steven recalled Terrence then — almost as skinny as Wicker,
no obvious Change until you looked into his eyes and your own reflection looked
back. Silvered eyes, could see in pitch black even better’n a cat. His dad grew
up with a bunch of Internals like that, but that was the old days, when they
still tried to modify the obvious mutes, or hide them.
“What happened?”
“What do you think happened? Three’re still in the hospital.
Cops’re calling it self-defense.”
“Well duh, it was.” Susan dismissed the news and went back
to her California roll.
“They don’t get the fact that we’re stronger than they are,”
Melly said sadly.
Josh curled his hand back into her hair and pulled her to
him for a kiss, while Steven looked at Wicker, who was still dancing with joy
of having had gossip first. Some day they will, he thought suddenly. Some day
they will get it. And God help us all, then.
o0o
Friday, there was nowhere else to go. He came home
reluctantly, walking into the aftermath of another argument. Ugly weight in the
air, the echoes of crying, shouting. The scent of exhaustion heavy everywhere.
Nowhere to run, no way to get around it.
“You’re going to do this, aren’t you?” He tried not to sound
accusing, but his mom flinched anyway.
“Steven. Please. My sister can give her a better life than
we can.”
“Bullshit.” His voice cracked. “If we’re going to do this,
be honest about it. You don’t want to look at her and think —”
“And think what?” his father interjected, his temper rising
like a snake. “That she’ll grow up to hate us? That she’ll blame us for being
different?”
Steven looked up into his father’s face; the years of living
in a Normal world etched on a face that otherwise hid his Changes underneath.
Anger repressed until it exploded, or ate him from within. Steven couldn’t
afford anger.
“Or that we’ll grow to hate her,” he said quietly, instead. “Hate
her for being different.”
Bias crimes were on the rise. He’d checked in the library
after school that day, after his moment of clarity, idle curiosity that came
back now to haunt him. A 48% jump in the past three years. It was getting
worse. Lines were being drawn; the ones who used to pass, like his parents,
being forced to choose when they were outed by former friends, disowned by
family on the other side
digging itself deeper into their DNA, making Changes, and if nobody knew what
caused it, they sure as hell weren’t going to figure out how to stop it.
Every generation, and fewer and fewer Normals being born.
So why them? Why Bethy?
o0o
A week went by. Steven stayed out of the house as much as
he could, missing dinners, leaving early for school. His parents didn’t
question him, barely even noticed. The lines were back on his mother’s
forehead. His dad’s temper was even quieter, like he was walking on eggshells
inside.
Contrary to Josh’s prediction, nobody asked about his new
sister. If they had, he couldn’t have answered them. He didn’t go into her
room, couldn’t stand to be near her.
When the telepreacher’s show was piped over the system at
their favorite hangout, he got up and left.
o0o
It was like that for two weeks. Two godawful weeks of
pretending everything was… normal.
“Did you hear?”
They were lazing in the sunlight outside during lunch
period. Susan, Josh, Melly, Steven, and Wicker. Steven sat off to the side,
picking at the bread of his sandwich. Wicker had the news, dancing up and down
on his skinny-bone legs.
“Pauly and whatshisname, the guy he hangs with. Couple-five
Norms jumped ’em after school.”
That go everyone’s attention, and Josh stopped playing with
Melly’s black braids long enough to roll over on the table and look at Wicker
in disbelief. “You’re shitting me!”
“So help me, s’true. Pauly says he was just walking home and
they came howling at him and — Terrence, that’s his name.”
Steven recalled Terrence then — almost as skinny as Wicker,
no obvious Change until you looked into his eyes and your own reflection looked
back. Silvered eyes, could see in pitch black even better’n a cat. His dad grew
up with a bunch of Internals like that, but that was the old days, when they
still tried to modify the obvious mutes, or hide them.
“What happened?”
“What do you think happened? Three’re still in the hospital.
Cops’re calling it self-defense.”
“Well duh, it was.” Susan dismissed the news and went back
to her California roll.
“They don’t get the fact that we’re stronger than they are,”
Melly said sadly.
Josh curled his hand back into her hair and pulled her to
him for a kiss, while Steven looked at Wicker, who was still dancing with joy
of having had gossip first. Some day they will, he thought suddenly. Some day
they will get it. And God help us all, then.
o0o
Friday, there was nowhere else to go. He came home
reluctantly, walking into the aftermath of another argument. Ugly weight in the
air, the echoes of crying, shouting. The scent of exhaustion heavy everywhere.
Nowhere to run, no way to get around it.
“You’re going to do this, aren’t you?” He tried not to sound
accusing, but his mom flinched anyway.
“Steven. Please. My sister can give her a better life than
we can.”
“Bullshit.” His voice cracked. “If we’re going to do this,
be honest about it. You don’t want to look at her and think —”
“And think what?” his father interjected, his temper rising
like a snake. “That she’ll grow up to hate us? That she’ll blame us for being
different?”
Steven looked up into his father’s face; the years of living
in a Normal world etched on a face that otherwise hid his Changes underneath.
Anger repressed until it exploded, or ate him from within. Steven couldn’t
afford anger.
“Or that we’ll grow to hate her,” he said quietly, instead. “Hate
her for being different.”
Bias crimes were on the rise. He’d checked in the library
after school that day, after his moment of clarity, idle curiosity that came
back now to haunt him. A 48% jump in the past three years. It was getting
worse. Lines were being drawn; the ones who used to pass, like his parents,
being forced to choose when they were outed by former friends, disowned by
family on the other side
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