Status: To be updated in micro-segments.
It's Only the Rain
Eight Wait
‘This is Alastair.’ Taylor helped the girl out of the dirt, while Alastair sprang out of his crouch. He was tall, taller than Taylor, so that he looked skinny like my brother when really he was lean and tough. ‘And this is Daphne. Play nice.’ Taylor grinned, and I saw it was a grin with edges.
I looked Daphne up and down, and nodded. She was more my size. I held out a hand for shaking, but the fawn of a girl only looked bemused and ducked under her own brother’s wing. Alastair, on the other hand, looked threatened. I quickly withdrew my hand and stuffed my fingers in my pocket, to be safe.
‘There’s no use hiding anymore, I suppose.’ Taylor had his back turned, but it would have been a mistake to say that it was because he was bitter. He was watching. Always. For Them. There were four of us now, and that meant he couldn’t spare his one eye to look at me when he was talking. ‘I’ve had them for five weeks.’ Five. The number dropped into my brain like an ice cube. Five was the number of weeks it took my closest family member to confide in me, and only then by force. It didn’t even bother me that Taylor talked as though the boy and girl were pets. He shifted slightly, an adjustment of his shoulders, and I knew him well enough to tell that this was because he was about to grant me some concession.
‘Kate, Daphne has a gift. You’re bleeding internally. You’re not used to this much radiation, even as a child born after the comet–’
‘I’m not a child!’ I straightened, trying to be tall, but the only person I surpassed was Daphne.
‘Regardless.’ Taylor continued smoothly, as though I’d never happened. ‘Daphne can help you. Daphne?’
The girl shuffled forward, her vibrant hair hanging lank around her head in a way that made her look submissive, like a nun in one of our salvaged encyclopaedias. Face to the ground, she thrust something out towards me; a vial of something silver and watery, like liquid light. I didn’t take it at first, but I could feel Taylor’s eye on me, and didn’t want to disappoint him.
‘Drink it.’
I did. It tasted of nothing, and didn’t make me feel instantly better, but any health I gained must have been sapped when I learned that Alastair and Daphne were coming home with us.
I looked Daphne up and down, and nodded. She was more my size. I held out a hand for shaking, but the fawn of a girl only looked bemused and ducked under her own brother’s wing. Alastair, on the other hand, looked threatened. I quickly withdrew my hand and stuffed my fingers in my pocket, to be safe.
‘There’s no use hiding anymore, I suppose.’ Taylor had his back turned, but it would have been a mistake to say that it was because he was bitter. He was watching. Always. For Them. There were four of us now, and that meant he couldn’t spare his one eye to look at me when he was talking. ‘I’ve had them for five weeks.’ Five. The number dropped into my brain like an ice cube. Five was the number of weeks it took my closest family member to confide in me, and only then by force. It didn’t even bother me that Taylor talked as though the boy and girl were pets. He shifted slightly, an adjustment of his shoulders, and I knew him well enough to tell that this was because he was about to grant me some concession.
‘Kate, Daphne has a gift. You’re bleeding internally. You’re not used to this much radiation, even as a child born after the comet–’
‘I’m not a child!’ I straightened, trying to be tall, but the only person I surpassed was Daphne.
‘Regardless.’ Taylor continued smoothly, as though I’d never happened. ‘Daphne can help you. Daphne?’
The girl shuffled forward, her vibrant hair hanging lank around her head in a way that made her look submissive, like a nun in one of our salvaged encyclopaedias. Face to the ground, she thrust something out towards me; a vial of something silver and watery, like liquid light. I didn’t take it at first, but I could feel Taylor’s eye on me, and didn’t want to disappoint him.
‘Drink it.’
I did. It tasted of nothing, and didn’t make me feel instantly better, but any health I gained must have been sapped when I learned that Alastair and Daphne were coming home with us.