around?”
“Not silence here,” she said, pointing at her ears. “Silence here.” Ketheria touched her fingertips to her chest. “There’s so much pain on Orbis. It makes so much noise.”
My sister sat with her shoulders slumped. She stared at her hands while she played with her fingers. She looked sad.
“Ketheria . . . the things you say . . . I mean how do you . . .
know,
like the thing about Smool?”
“I don’t know how. I just do. It’s like I know you’re my brother. It just is.”
“Oh,” I said, but I really didn’t get it.
“Can you . . .” I pointed at the ornate band of metal the Keepers had attached to Ketheria’s head.
“This? It works a little — not that much, though. I have to concentrate, but I don’t read people’s thoughts anymore. I know people don’t like that.”
I looked at my sister. She was eight years old, but I felt like I was talking to an adult. Even the older kids giggled and ran about the corridors playing with anything they could find, but not Ketheria. Those things didn’t interest her. Sometimes I felt that nothing really interested her.
“Are you OK?” I asked. “Do you miss our parents?”
“How could I miss our parents? I never met them,” she said, and I felt a little foolish about the question.
“You would tell me if anything was wrong, wouldn’t you? If someone was bothering you or, you know, anything.”
Ketheria looked up and smiled. “My brother, you have so many other things to worry about right now. A large burden is about to be placed on your shoulders once again and not by your choice. Do not worry about me. You will have far more serious issues to deal with.”
“You can see the future now?”
She shook her head and smiled. “It’s your destiny. I can feel it.”
I stared at my little sister.
“You know you’re only eight.”
“Almost nine,” she said.
“That must be the ocean,” Max said. “See, the far side of it over there, between those two buildings.”
Max was pointing out one of the windows that lined the room behind our sleepers. I squinted, but the lights from Core City made it impossible to tell the ocean from the buildings.
“Get over here,” I heard Odran say, and turned to see him drifting into our room. We moved quickly toward his glass-and-metal support. “If I’m forced to feed you and board you, then I intend to get my money’s worth.”
Odran handed me a metallic screen scroll.
“What’s this?” I asked.
“I’m making you the controller. You are in charge.”
“Me?”
Max gave me a little nudge and smiled.
I was going to be in charge of everyone?
I looked around for Switzer, but he wasn’t in the room.
“I don’t know what your aptitude is for handling others, but I’m sure we’ll find out. You are responsible for each person’s actions and ensuring the work gets completed. If it doesn’t, I will hold you personally responsible. Do you understand?”
“I can handle it,” I said. “The work will get done.”
“I hope so, for your sake.”
“What about social study classes?” Grace asked.
“I have no intention of paying for your education. Take that up with the Keepers.”
A couple of the kids smiled. They didn’t like taking the classes. Neither did I.
But I do like the idea of being in charge,
I thought. Maybe they were beginning to see that I could do good things on Orbis, that I was more than a second-class citizen. I was a softwire. Didn’t that count for something? I cradled the screen scroll in my hands. I wanted to poke inside and see what the work was.
Odran was counting all of the kids. “Two of you are missing. Where are they?” he demanded. Most of the kids shuffled around, staring at their feet. Switzer was not the most popular person, but no one dared give him up.
“Right behind you, alien sir,” Switzer said. I could see beads of sweat on his brow. He had just finished running from somewhere.
Switzer tried to slip around Odran, but the alien
“Not silence here,” she said, pointing at her ears. “Silence here.” Ketheria touched her fingertips to her chest. “There’s so much pain on Orbis. It makes so much noise.”
My sister sat with her shoulders slumped. She stared at her hands while she played with her fingers. She looked sad.
“Ketheria . . . the things you say . . . I mean how do you . . .
know,
like the thing about Smool?”
“I don’t know how. I just do. It’s like I know you’re my brother. It just is.”
“Oh,” I said, but I really didn’t get it.
“Can you . . .” I pointed at the ornate band of metal the Keepers had attached to Ketheria’s head.
“This? It works a little — not that much, though. I have to concentrate, but I don’t read people’s thoughts anymore. I know people don’t like that.”
I looked at my sister. She was eight years old, but I felt like I was talking to an adult. Even the older kids giggled and ran about the corridors playing with anything they could find, but not Ketheria. Those things didn’t interest her. Sometimes I felt that nothing really interested her.
“Are you OK?” I asked. “Do you miss our parents?”
“How could I miss our parents? I never met them,” she said, and I felt a little foolish about the question.
“You would tell me if anything was wrong, wouldn’t you? If someone was bothering you or, you know, anything.”
Ketheria looked up and smiled. “My brother, you have so many other things to worry about right now. A large burden is about to be placed on your shoulders once again and not by your choice. Do not worry about me. You will have far more serious issues to deal with.”
“You can see the future now?”
She shook her head and smiled. “It’s your destiny. I can feel it.”
I stared at my little sister.
“You know you’re only eight.”
“Almost nine,” she said.
“That must be the ocean,” Max said. “See, the far side of it over there, between those two buildings.”
Max was pointing out one of the windows that lined the room behind our sleepers. I squinted, but the lights from Core City made it impossible to tell the ocean from the buildings.
“Get over here,” I heard Odran say, and turned to see him drifting into our room. We moved quickly toward his glass-and-metal support. “If I’m forced to feed you and board you, then I intend to get my money’s worth.”
Odran handed me a metallic screen scroll.
“What’s this?” I asked.
“I’m making you the controller. You are in charge.”
“Me?”
Max gave me a little nudge and smiled.
I was going to be in charge of everyone?
I looked around for Switzer, but he wasn’t in the room.
“I don’t know what your aptitude is for handling others, but I’m sure we’ll find out. You are responsible for each person’s actions and ensuring the work gets completed. If it doesn’t, I will hold you personally responsible. Do you understand?”
“I can handle it,” I said. “The work will get done.”
“I hope so, for your sake.”
“What about social study classes?” Grace asked.
“I have no intention of paying for your education. Take that up with the Keepers.”
A couple of the kids smiled. They didn’t like taking the classes. Neither did I.
But I do like the idea of being in charge,
I thought. Maybe they were beginning to see that I could do good things on Orbis, that I was more than a second-class citizen. I was a softwire. Didn’t that count for something? I cradled the screen scroll in my hands. I wanted to poke inside and see what the work was.
Odran was counting all of the kids. “Two of you are missing. Where are they?” he demanded. Most of the kids shuffled around, staring at their feet. Switzer was not the most popular person, but no one dared give him up.
“Right behind you, alien sir,” Switzer said. I could see beads of sweat on his brow. He had just finished running from somewhere.
Switzer tried to slip around Odran, but the alien
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