rather than
stolen?
Iofiel…
I could touch Iofiel. I could hold his hand
and kiss him and I’d never hurt him! We could date and I could have
a real boyfriend. Maybe make real friends. Excitement bubbles up
like a fountain and I bounce on my heels, unable to sit back down.
Caddie laughs. “Feels good, huh?”
“Yeah,” I admit, feeling a little
sheepish.
“Then it’s a deal. We can do the trade here
at my place whenever we need it. Oh, and Lucy?” I look at her and
she smiles. “Thanks.”
“For what? If anything else, I should be
thanking you!”
“I feel almost normal. I mean, yeah, I know
I’ll never be normal, but it’s nice to feel like it
sometimes. Yanno?”
Do I ever.
Chapter 12:
Lucy
This week has been heaven. No. Better than
heaven. It’s been heaven, dipped in milk chocolate and rolled in
walnuts. For the first time in a long time, I walk with a bounce in
my step, the energy inside me swirling and contented. The Need
doesn’t rear its ugly head, not even when I brushed up against a
girl in Phys-Ed. Despite the nasty look she gave me, nothing bad
happened.
I feel…alive. And if we’re honest? I do feel almost normal.
I haven’t seen Iofiel since that night. I
wonder if maybe he’s been assigned to another city or something, to
do whatever cyberhounds do, without my interference. Then,
morbidly, I wonder if that big hound killed him, ripped him to
pieces, and his corpse is rotting in the woods somewhere. Not a
happy thought.
“Earth to Lucy.” Caddie’s voice is a buzz in
my ear. I blink back to reality, looking at her from across the
table. She’s swirling her fork around in the myriad of
something-stew on her tray, her eyes locked on me. “Hellllooooo in
therrrrrre.” She makes a knocking motion on her head.
“Can it,” I mutter, but I’m grinning.
She laughs and shoves her tray away from her.
I nibble at the corner of the waxy butter bread and stack my tray
on top of hers. The stew sloshes over the side, forming a
congealing puddle of ew on the table. “So, you’re coming home with
me tonight, yeah?”
“Uh…” How long have I been spacing?
“Say yes.”
“Yes?”
“Good girl. You’re so meeting my mom.”
I slam on the brakes, staring at her. “No.” I
shake my head. No parents. Parents remind me of my dead mother and
never-been-there-ever father. I’m glad Caddie has someone to be
there for her, but no. No thanks. “I’d rather not.”
“She’ll adore you, Luce.”
“Again, I’ll pass.”
She rolls her eyes and snorts at me. “What’re
you, chicken? Little Lucy Chickenpants? Afraid of a big bad
mom?”
I growl at her, the sound sounding foreign in
my throat after a week of jokes and laughter. “I don’t do parents.
Obviously, they don’t do me either, else I’d have been adopted by
now.” She snaps her jaw shut at that, her next words dying on her
lips. I shrug. “It doesn’t matter.”
Caddie ducks her head in an apologetic-puppy
way. “She knows what I am and she loves me anyway. She won’t care
that you’re different.”
“I don’t want her to even know about me! I
trust you , but there’s a difference. You’re just as freakish
as I am. She’s not.”
“I want you to meet her. As my best friend.
Seriously, girl? You’re the closest thing to a friend I’ve ever
had. Mom, she worries about me. She thinks I’m destined to spend my
life alone. I want to share you with her, Lucy. She doesn’t have to
know what can do if you don’t want her to, but…at least meet her.”
I want to tell her no, but she’s fixed me
with a stare so shiny that I feel my resistance cave. I groan and
rub my face with both hands, my elbows grinding on the table.
“Okay. Fine. I’ll meet her, but I won’t like it.”
“Oh, you will,” she says. “Mom will weasel
her way into your heart with baked goods. Closest way to a girl’s
heart is through her stomach, yanno.”
I roll my eyes and she waggles a finger at
me. “So head to my
stolen?
Iofiel…
I could touch Iofiel. I could hold his hand
and kiss him and I’d never hurt him! We could date and I could have
a real boyfriend. Maybe make real friends. Excitement bubbles up
like a fountain and I bounce on my heels, unable to sit back down.
Caddie laughs. “Feels good, huh?”
“Yeah,” I admit, feeling a little
sheepish.
“Then it’s a deal. We can do the trade here
at my place whenever we need it. Oh, and Lucy?” I look at her and
she smiles. “Thanks.”
“For what? If anything else, I should be
thanking you!”
“I feel almost normal. I mean, yeah, I know
I’ll never be normal, but it’s nice to feel like it
sometimes. Yanno?”
Do I ever.
Chapter 12:
Lucy
This week has been heaven. No. Better than
heaven. It’s been heaven, dipped in milk chocolate and rolled in
walnuts. For the first time in a long time, I walk with a bounce in
my step, the energy inside me swirling and contented. The Need
doesn’t rear its ugly head, not even when I brushed up against a
girl in Phys-Ed. Despite the nasty look she gave me, nothing bad
happened.
I feel…alive. And if we’re honest? I do feel almost normal.
I haven’t seen Iofiel since that night. I
wonder if maybe he’s been assigned to another city or something, to
do whatever cyberhounds do, without my interference. Then,
morbidly, I wonder if that big hound killed him, ripped him to
pieces, and his corpse is rotting in the woods somewhere. Not a
happy thought.
“Earth to Lucy.” Caddie’s voice is a buzz in
my ear. I blink back to reality, looking at her from across the
table. She’s swirling her fork around in the myriad of
something-stew on her tray, her eyes locked on me. “Hellllooooo in
therrrrrre.” She makes a knocking motion on her head.
“Can it,” I mutter, but I’m grinning.
She laughs and shoves her tray away from her.
I nibble at the corner of the waxy butter bread and stack my tray
on top of hers. The stew sloshes over the side, forming a
congealing puddle of ew on the table. “So, you’re coming home with
me tonight, yeah?”
“Uh…” How long have I been spacing?
“Say yes.”
“Yes?”
“Good girl. You’re so meeting my mom.”
I slam on the brakes, staring at her. “No.” I
shake my head. No parents. Parents remind me of my dead mother and
never-been-there-ever father. I’m glad Caddie has someone to be
there for her, but no. No thanks. “I’d rather not.”
“She’ll adore you, Luce.”
“Again, I’ll pass.”
She rolls her eyes and snorts at me. “What’re
you, chicken? Little Lucy Chickenpants? Afraid of a big bad
mom?”
I growl at her, the sound sounding foreign in
my throat after a week of jokes and laughter. “I don’t do parents.
Obviously, they don’t do me either, else I’d have been adopted by
now.” She snaps her jaw shut at that, her next words dying on her
lips. I shrug. “It doesn’t matter.”
Caddie ducks her head in an apologetic-puppy
way. “She knows what I am and she loves me anyway. She won’t care
that you’re different.”
“I don’t want her to even know about me! I
trust you , but there’s a difference. You’re just as freakish
as I am. She’s not.”
“I want you to meet her. As my best friend.
Seriously, girl? You’re the closest thing to a friend I’ve ever
had. Mom, she worries about me. She thinks I’m destined to spend my
life alone. I want to share you with her, Lucy. She doesn’t have to
know what can do if you don’t want her to, but…at least meet her.”
I want to tell her no, but she’s fixed me
with a stare so shiny that I feel my resistance cave. I groan and
rub my face with both hands, my elbows grinding on the table.
“Okay. Fine. I’ll meet her, but I won’t like it.”
“Oh, you will,” she says. “Mom will weasel
her way into your heart with baked goods. Closest way to a girl’s
heart is through her stomach, yanno.”
I roll my eyes and she waggles a finger at
me. “So head to my
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