Glitch by Heather Anastasiu

saw the blurry outline of his head. He pushed back some hair that had fallen in my face. His cool hand was soothing. My whole face felt stiff and a little swollen, like I was wearing someone else’s skin.
    “Wh-wha happen?” I asked, my voice raspy. My lips were too big and my mouth tasted funny.
    “Here, drink some water if you can.” Adrien lifted a glass to my lips. I sipped slowly.
    “You had a severe allergic reaction,” he said. “Probably to the pollen or something, we don’t know yet.” He swallowed hard, his jaw working as he leaned down closer. “I’m so sorry, Zoe.”
    “You couldn’t have known,” I managed. My mouth felt a little better after I sipped the water. I lifted a shaky hand and took the glass from him to drink some more.
    “Still.” He shook his head and looked angry at himself.
    I took another sip and was finally able to open my eyes all the way and take in my surroundings. We were in a small room but it didn’t feel cramped. It was dark, with stained wooden walls, and there weren’t any windows but I was pretty sure we were underground. The air smelled different. Cooler, less moist. I was lying on a worn couch with a faded flower design. A few pillows had been put under my back and head to prop me up.
    I was wearing fresh gray clothes too and my hair was clean, but everything else in the room was in complete disarray. Overturned stuffed chairs, pillows tossed about. A table was knocked over in the middle of the floor, a chipped leg pointing straight up. A mug lay next to it, broken and resting in a dark wet puddle. I had never seen anything that wasn’t orderly and perfectly organized. This was complete chaos. Then I remembered what I had overheard a moment before.
    “Did … did I do this?” I asked, pointing around the room.
    Adrien smiled, looking almost proud. “It was impressive. I’ve never seen anything like it. A little like being inside a tornado. Seriously, the other Gifteds are going to be amazed when they meet you.” He paused when he noticed the look on my face. “Don’t worry about it. Really. Nothing was damaged, and it’s all just junk anyway.”
    Adrien gestured to the woman standing in the shadowed corner. “This is my mother, Sophia. She washed all the allergens off you, so you should be fine here, for now. You’re safe.”
    She stepped forward and I got to see the face of the woman with the angry voice. She wasn’t what I’d expected. She was thin, with long gray-blond hair that had been twisted into a ton of tiny ropes that hung halfway down her back. Her skin was dark but not caramel like Adrien’s—hers looked worn and leathery. She was wearing green trousers and a sleeveless undershirt. Her eyes were keen but a little glazed like she was tired. I nodded to her, unsure of what to say and wondering if she knew I’d heard most of their conversation about me.
    “Greetings,” I said, using the Community salutation without thinking.
    She raised one slim eyebrow. “Greetings,” she said caustically, then shook her head and left the room through a side door.
    “She does not approve of me.” I stared after her.
    “Ignore her,” Adrien said. “She’s just…” He paused, looking after her with a frustrated look. “Just … my mom.
    “Anyway.” He came closer. “I’m so glad you’re awake. You scared the cracking hell out of me. You’d stopped breathing and I was so afraid—” He shook his head like clearing away the memory. “Luckily Mom keeps an epinephrine shot in her med kit. Can you sit up? Or do you need to rest more?”
    “I want to sit.” I tried to push myself up with my tired arms. I felt more exhausted than I had in my entire life. Adrien sprang up and helped me into a sitting position, arranging the pillows behind my head so I didn’t have to hold it up on my own.
    “Do you think you can eat?” He handed me a plate with a few pieces of buttered bread. I took it eagerly. I was starving.
    “This tastes good,” I said,