her? He wouldn’t understand.
He’d only know she’d left him. Maybe he’d be sad and cry when she didn’t wake
him up in the morning dragging her noisy chain around.
And
what about Master? He’d chased them, and if he’d lost them, as Draven thought,
he’d go back home. And then he would beat Shelly to get an answer out of him.
Maybe he’d hurt the baby. And he’d do it in front of poor Shelly.
Cali sat up. “We have to go back for the baby,” she said.
But
Draven had already fallen asleep.
Chapter 18
Meyer
Kidd stood in the doorway to his bedroom looking at the solemn parade of
sapling faces turned to him.
“Now
you all know I love each and every one you,” he said. “But for now you have to
go stay with someone else. She’s a very nice lady, and there are lots of
mummies there to take care of you. Don’t worry, I’ll come visit all the time.”
Four
of Meyer’s girls patrolled the hallway ensuring the saplings behaved.
“Now
come and give Daddy a hug,” he said, bending to hug a tiny boy who was so busy
pulling apart a scrap of cloth that he barely noticed Meyer. “Now don’t be
rude,” Meyer said, snatching the cloth away. “Give me a hug.”
The
boy began crying and reaching for the cloth, but before returning it, Meyer
held it out of his reach until the sapling hugged him. The boy wiped his teary
face and toddled along looking appeased but not entirely happy. What an
ungrateful little snot. Meyer should have just let him rot in a Confinement
somewhere.
The
other nine children all gave him hugs, some of them with tearstained faces and
some with big smiles and some with somber eyes, depending on their age and
inklings of the significance of the move. Of course, none of them knew the real
reason, or the real significance. It was all because of those blasted Enforcers
snooping around in his business. Meyer had seen three of them since his latest
conversation with Byron, and one had even followed him to and from his last
Furr-Bines Inc. meeting. So it seemed like a good time to act rather than
react.
When
he’d hugged the last child, he stood. “Very well, girls, let’s get them loaded,
shall we?”
The
four girls herded the children along the hall and down the stairs to the back
entrance. Some of the saplings climbed into the boxes themselves, the older
ones helping his girls pretend it was all a game. Big laughs.
Meyer
stood at the bottom of the stairs watching, his hands in his pockets. It was
best this way. He couldn’t have so many of them around with Enforcers crawling
down his back all the time. At any moment, Byron might decide to make an
accusation, and then the whole lot of them would come swarming into his house,
pretending to be polite when really they were thinking how they’d like to steal
his things or that he should never have evolved at all.
Oh,
Meyer knew all about them. All about how ‘adult’ Superiors acted and thought
towards him. First shocked, then condescending and overly sweet, talking to him
as if he were simple. Then they started getting jealous.
They’d
already searched his homes once, and he wasn’t going to risk any last minute
fixes like he’d done that time. This time he was prepared. He watched the girls
load the boxes into the hauler. When the truck pulled out, Meyer closed the
door and went upstairs. He took off his shiny black shoes and lined them up
with the backs exactly even with the edge of the bed. Military precision. Or
boarding school precision.
He
removed his clothes and rebuttoned his shirt, zipped his pants, and folded them
in perfect squares. He opened his dresser and put them back in. Then he opened
his pajama drawer. Meyer loved pajamas, but most of them were too festive for
this morning. He chose a navy pair with a subtle pattern in the fabric and
dressed before climbing into bed and turning on his wall screen.
“Miss
Ginger Tolemy,” he said, and the screen began searching for a confirmation.
After a few
He’d only know she’d left him. Maybe he’d be sad and cry when she didn’t wake
him up in the morning dragging her noisy chain around.
And
what about Master? He’d chased them, and if he’d lost them, as Draven thought,
he’d go back home. And then he would beat Shelly to get an answer out of him.
Maybe he’d hurt the baby. And he’d do it in front of poor Shelly.
Cali sat up. “We have to go back for the baby,” she said.
But
Draven had already fallen asleep.
Chapter 18
Meyer
Kidd stood in the doorway to his bedroom looking at the solemn parade of
sapling faces turned to him.
“Now
you all know I love each and every one you,” he said. “But for now you have to
go stay with someone else. She’s a very nice lady, and there are lots of
mummies there to take care of you. Don’t worry, I’ll come visit all the time.”
Four
of Meyer’s girls patrolled the hallway ensuring the saplings behaved.
“Now
come and give Daddy a hug,” he said, bending to hug a tiny boy who was so busy
pulling apart a scrap of cloth that he barely noticed Meyer. “Now don’t be
rude,” Meyer said, snatching the cloth away. “Give me a hug.”
The
boy began crying and reaching for the cloth, but before returning it, Meyer
held it out of his reach until the sapling hugged him. The boy wiped his teary
face and toddled along looking appeased but not entirely happy. What an
ungrateful little snot. Meyer should have just let him rot in a Confinement
somewhere.
The
other nine children all gave him hugs, some of them with tearstained faces and
some with big smiles and some with somber eyes, depending on their age and
inklings of the significance of the move. Of course, none of them knew the real
reason, or the real significance. It was all because of those blasted Enforcers
snooping around in his business. Meyer had seen three of them since his latest
conversation with Byron, and one had even followed him to and from his last
Furr-Bines Inc. meeting. So it seemed like a good time to act rather than
react.
When
he’d hugged the last child, he stood. “Very well, girls, let’s get them loaded,
shall we?”
The
four girls herded the children along the hall and down the stairs to the back
entrance. Some of the saplings climbed into the boxes themselves, the older
ones helping his girls pretend it was all a game. Big laughs.
Meyer
stood at the bottom of the stairs watching, his hands in his pockets. It was
best this way. He couldn’t have so many of them around with Enforcers crawling
down his back all the time. At any moment, Byron might decide to make an
accusation, and then the whole lot of them would come swarming into his house,
pretending to be polite when really they were thinking how they’d like to steal
his things or that he should never have evolved at all.
Oh,
Meyer knew all about them. All about how ‘adult’ Superiors acted and thought
towards him. First shocked, then condescending and overly sweet, talking to him
as if he were simple. Then they started getting jealous.
They’d
already searched his homes once, and he wasn’t going to risk any last minute
fixes like he’d done that time. This time he was prepared. He watched the girls
load the boxes into the hauler. When the truck pulled out, Meyer closed the
door and went upstairs. He took off his shiny black shoes and lined them up
with the backs exactly even with the edge of the bed. Military precision. Or
boarding school precision.
He
removed his clothes and rebuttoned his shirt, zipped his pants, and folded them
in perfect squares. He opened his dresser and put them back in. Then he opened
his pajama drawer. Meyer loved pajamas, but most of them were too festive for
this morning. He chose a navy pair with a subtle pattern in the fabric and
dressed before climbing into bed and turning on his wall screen.
“Miss
Ginger Tolemy,” he said, and the screen began searching for a confirmation.
After a few
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