The Silver Ship and the Sea Read Online Free PDF Page A

“You two, go on. Get something easy for him to eat. We’ll be in.”
    I smiled at Bryan. “Thanks for being here.”
    Kayleen found four small red apples in a basket on the counter. I dug goat milk out of the refrigerator and a few thick slices of bread, which we’d have to eat dry since the butter container had fallen from the counter in the quake and lay in greasy shards under the corner of the cabinets. We finished just as Bryan and Joseph came down the hallway and settled into chairs. Joseph’s hands shook in his lap and he didn’t reach for any of the food. I understood, but took a slice of apple, hoping to coax him into eating.
    Kayleen drummed her fingers on the table. “So, Bryan told you we’ve been talking. You’re almost an adult, Chelo. You will be in a year. Surely you can make a case for living by yourselves now. Itwould solve the problem of where you’re going to go. There are plenty of empty houses.”
    We’d daydreamed about the four of us living together when we grew up. Why not now? Who’d want us, anyway? I could be completely responsible for Joseph, protect him. A small sliver of hope rose inside me.
    Kayleen continued, her words rushing out like cool spring wind. “And maybe we can live there, too. I know Paloma would let me, at least sometimes. We could practice together without having to go outside. Joseph and I could explore the data fields more, maybe I could learn to handle more than two data streams.” She leaned forward, her blue eyes bright with her idea. “We could have our long talks and not worry about being interrupted. Bryan’s family can’t stand him. I bet they’d let him go.”
    Bryan looked less willing to believe in good fortune. “Will Town Council let us?”
    “Not if Nava is in charge.” I mused out loud, my head clicking through possibilities slowly. “She’d never allow it. She likes us where she can watch us. They let us be friends, but remember, they split four of us across three guilds on purpose, and gave two to the roamers, to keep us separate.” But what would the colony really do about leadership? Grief kept my head from forming questions as easily as usual.
    Bryan added, “Nava runs the logistics guild. Exactly the skills we’ll need to rebuild the town.”
    Kayleen held a slice of apple near Joseph’s hand. “I know you don’t want to eat. But you need to. Please?”
    Joseph ignored her, as if he couldn’t respond. I watched with growing alarm. He was never rude, never silent, never all the things he was that moment.
    After a moment, Kayleen set the apple down and asked him, “Hey, what do you think about us living together?”
    His voice shook. “I’m not going.”
    “Where?” she asked.
    “Back into the data streams. I can’t go there.”
    I bit back an immediate reply. He had to. He’d discovered his talent when he was six. I could still see it clearly—it was the first moment it really sank in that we were more powerful, in some ways, than even the adults around us.
    I was watching him in the playground at the park. His attention drifted, so he didn’t notice the ball as I threw it to him. Then he stiffened and his eyes widened so he looked puzzled and excited and scared all at once. He said, “Something’s trying to come in.”
    “What?” I asked him.
    “Demons.” His eyes rolled in his head and he sat down, going completely still, frightening me. It was as if he’d died right there, gone so far away that I might as well not have been there. A full minute later the boundary bell rang the high sharp tones for animal intrusion. It was a pack of demon dogs; fast four-legged animals with sharp teeth. Gi Lin and Steven scared the pack off, but from that day forward, Joseph’s primary play was listening to the vast wireless networks that surrounded us. I was deaf to them, but Kayleen quickly learned to join him in data-play.
    How to deal with Joseph’s fear? He fought commands; I’d circle back to his data connection later.