seconds, she accepted and her creamy porcelain face appeared on the
screen.
“Hello,
Meyer,” she said, smiling. Miss Tolemy’s smile was something to behold.
“Hello,
Miss Tolemy. Listen, I had some extra sapien food around that was getting a bit
stale, so I sent it over on a Furr-Bines truck. It should be there in five or
ten minutes. Might be too late to unpack for the day, so I told my driver to
just unload them in the kitchen.”
“Very
well, thanks for letting me know. I’ll let my sapiens know and they can unpack
the boxes. I don’t know where they keep all their food, anyway.”
“Right,
of course. I never can keep up with what they like. I just let mine have passes
to go buy their own food, and they always end up getting too much. I hate to
see it go to waste.”
“Well,
I have plenty of saps. I’m sure they’ll eat it before it spoils.”
“Good
then. How’s your farm? Are your saps all in good health?”
“You
know how they are, always getting sick. What can you do?”
“Yes,
I know. Well, nice chatting with you, but as you can see, I’m all set for bed.”
“Of
course, Meyer. Thanks for thinking of us.”
“I
always do, Ginger. Listen, it really has been too long, and I’m thinking about
getting a new sap to take on my winter vacation. Mine are all so dull. Maybe
I’ll come by in a few weeks.”
“You
know you’re always welcome to browse, Meyer. It’s your special privilege.
You’re my best customer.”
“Yes,
I know. Good day, then.”
“Good
day to you. Have a good sleep.”
Meyer
blew her a kiss, just in case Byron or one of the Enforcers was monitoring his
communication. Miss Tolemy blew one back with her shiny pink lips, which had
been the objective. Meyer turned off the screen and lay back in bed. He tried
to smile, but he couldn’t quite muster one. He loved his saplings, and now he
had to give them all up. As if they heard his sadness, his four girls came in a
few minutes later and crawled into bed with him. Nice, but he still missed the
squirmy little warm bodies.
His
youngest girl snuggled up to him, and he put his arm around her absently. He’d
never evolved anyone else as young as her. Once, he’d considered evolving a
baby, but he wasn’t certain of a successful outcome, and he’d just hate it if
he killed one by mistake. Kelsie was eight, and sometimes he even had doubts
about her, so he hadn’t put any younger ones through the evolution process.
Maybe it was time to try.
The
five child Superiors lay in his big bed together as the day outside grew
brighter in the Texas heat, and soon, the five of them slept.
Chapter 19
Draven
woke and dressed quietly so as not to awaken Cali. But when he looked over the
seat, he found her already awake. She lay on her back holding the warped paper
book he’d had the night he found her garden.
“What
are you doing?” he asked.
She
started and dropped the book. “Nothing.”
“Surely
you can’t read?”
“No,”
she admitted, avoiding his eyes.
“Then
what were you doing?”
“I
don’t want to tell you.”
“Why
not?”
“Because.
I feel stupid.” She looked at him from under her lashes.
“You’re
not. You just don’t know a lot yet.”
“And
you’re going to teach me?”
“Oh,
I don’t know. I imagine I could teach you some things.” He smirked at her but
looked away quickly. What was he thinking? Crazy thoughts, as if she were a
real person.
“Well,”
she said after a moment, “that’s what I was doing.”
He
cleared his throat. “Teaching yourself to read?”
“No,”
she said, retrieving the book. “I was pretending to read. Making up what it
said.”
Draven
chuckled and rested his chin on the back of the seat. “What did it say?”
“You
know.” She shifted on the seat and rifled through the pages. “How to be a
Superior and stuff?”
“That’s
what you want to know?”
“Well,
no. I just figured that’s what your books would be
screen.
“Hello,
Meyer,” she said, smiling. Miss Tolemy’s smile was something to behold.
“Hello,
Miss Tolemy. Listen, I had some extra sapien food around that was getting a bit
stale, so I sent it over on a Furr-Bines truck. It should be there in five or
ten minutes. Might be too late to unpack for the day, so I told my driver to
just unload them in the kitchen.”
“Very
well, thanks for letting me know. I’ll let my sapiens know and they can unpack
the boxes. I don’t know where they keep all their food, anyway.”
“Right,
of course. I never can keep up with what they like. I just let mine have passes
to go buy their own food, and they always end up getting too much. I hate to
see it go to waste.”
“Well,
I have plenty of saps. I’m sure they’ll eat it before it spoils.”
“Good
then. How’s your farm? Are your saps all in good health?”
“You
know how they are, always getting sick. What can you do?”
“Yes,
I know. Well, nice chatting with you, but as you can see, I’m all set for bed.”
“Of
course, Meyer. Thanks for thinking of us.”
“I
always do, Ginger. Listen, it really has been too long, and I’m thinking about
getting a new sap to take on my winter vacation. Mine are all so dull. Maybe
I’ll come by in a few weeks.”
“You
know you’re always welcome to browse, Meyer. It’s your special privilege.
You’re my best customer.”
“Yes,
I know. Good day, then.”
“Good
day to you. Have a good sleep.”
Meyer
blew her a kiss, just in case Byron or one of the Enforcers was monitoring his
communication. Miss Tolemy blew one back with her shiny pink lips, which had
been the objective. Meyer turned off the screen and lay back in bed. He tried
to smile, but he couldn’t quite muster one. He loved his saplings, and now he
had to give them all up. As if they heard his sadness, his four girls came in a
few minutes later and crawled into bed with him. Nice, but he still missed the
squirmy little warm bodies.
His
youngest girl snuggled up to him, and he put his arm around her absently. He’d
never evolved anyone else as young as her. Once, he’d considered evolving a
baby, but he wasn’t certain of a successful outcome, and he’d just hate it if
he killed one by mistake. Kelsie was eight, and sometimes he even had doubts
about her, so he hadn’t put any younger ones through the evolution process.
Maybe it was time to try.
The
five child Superiors lay in his big bed together as the day outside grew
brighter in the Texas heat, and soon, the five of them slept.
Chapter 19
Draven
woke and dressed quietly so as not to awaken Cali. But when he looked over the
seat, he found her already awake. She lay on her back holding the warped paper
book he’d had the night he found her garden.
“What
are you doing?” he asked.
She
started and dropped the book. “Nothing.”
“Surely
you can’t read?”
“No,”
she admitted, avoiding his eyes.
“Then
what were you doing?”
“I
don’t want to tell you.”
“Why
not?”
“Because.
I feel stupid.” She looked at him from under her lashes.
“You’re
not. You just don’t know a lot yet.”
“And
you’re going to teach me?”
“Oh,
I don’t know. I imagine I could teach you some things.” He smirked at her but
looked away quickly. What was he thinking? Crazy thoughts, as if she were a
real person.
“Well,”
she said after a moment, “that’s what I was doing.”
He
cleared his throat. “Teaching yourself to read?”
“No,”
she said, retrieving the book. “I was pretending to read. Making up what it
said.”
Draven
chuckled and rested his chin on the back of the seat. “What did it say?”
“You
know.” She shifted on the seat and rifled through the pages. “How to be a
Superior and stuff?”
“That’s
what you want to know?”
“Well,
no. I just figured that’s what your books would be
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