everything okay. Make her papa not a monster and make her mama well again. Make her stop being so scared.
So she’d hit the button and run into her room and slammed the door, and she’d run into the closet and slammed that door, too, and she’d scampered to the very back and had hidden in the darkness, waiting for the nightmare to end.
There, in the darkness, with her mother’s blood staining the bottoms of her bare feet, the voices started to whisper to her.
lost so lost little girl lost little lamb
They sounded like part of the closet itself, like the walls had peeled away and stretched long and thin like rolls of paper and had crumpled into words pasted on the thick air. She pressed her hands against her ears and tried to listen only to the sounds of her heart thumping madly in her chest, of her ragged breaths, tried to convince herself that she was really very brave and not at all scared because she was supposed to grow up to be a hero …
… and then her father had found her.
“Here … I … come!”
The door ripped open, and Joannie screamed and screamed and screamed …
… and her father’s hand clamped onto her shoulder and she screamed louder, so loud that she almost didn’t hear Iridium’s panicked voice: “Jet! Wake up! It’s a nightmare, Jet. Listen to me—it’s a nightmare! Joannie, wake up!”
Jet stared owlishly at the girl on her bed, blinked as she took in the clear blue eyes, the thick black hair, the worriedset of the mouth. Recognition dawned, pushed through the fog of her dream. “Iri?”
“Yeah.”
She exhaled, slowly, and when she mopped her sweat-slick bangs away from her eyes, her hand trembled. As she took another shaky breath, she noticed that the room had every light panel on. “Where …” Her throat was raw, and she swallowed, tried to work some moisture into it before she spoke again. “Where’re my goggles?”
Iridium bent down, grabbed something from the carpet. “You mean these?” She dangled the ruined optiframes from a finger. “Looks like you tore them off in your sleep.”
“Oh.” Biting her lip, Jet felt her heart sink into her stomach. Without the special lenses, how would she shut out the darkness at night?
Iridium placed the goggles on Jet’s nightstand, right next to her clock. “Um. Until you get them fixed, you can, you know, keep the lights on overnight.” She sounded caught between worry and embarrassment.
“But …” Jet frowned, said, “but that’ll interfere with your sleep. And it’s against code.”
“Don’t worry about me—I’m happy in the light.” Iridium grinned wickedly. “And as for code, what the proctors don’t know won’t hurt us.”
“But it’s breaking the rules.”
Her father’s voice, smoky with insanity:
You broke the rules.
If Iridium noticed how the blood had drained from her face, she ignored it, instead stabbing a finger at Jet. “You want to sleep in the dark?”
She wrapped her arms around herself, shivered. Her voice a whisper, she said, “No.”
“Then let me do this for you, and don’t bitch about it.” Iridium blew out a frustrated breath. “Christo, I try to do something nice, and I get ‘code’ shoved in my face.”
“Sorry.”
Iridium blinked at her, then sighed. “No, I’m being bitchy. Happens when my sleep gets interrupted with the screaming meemies. So. You want to talk about it?”
Remembering her mother’s bloody, broken form, her father’s capering glee, Jet shook her head.
“Well. Okay.” Iridium got up and headed to her own bed. “You change your mind, you know where I am.”
“Thanks,” Jet mumbled, lying back and surrounding herself in the thick comforter. “You sure you’re okay with the lights like this?”
“Jehovah!” Iridium spat. “Don’t push your luck. Bad enough that I’m nice to you. People hear about this, and my rep’s ruined for sure.”
“Sorry …”
“Christo, Joan, I’m joking.”
Jet shivered. She wanted to tell Iri
So she’d hit the button and run into her room and slammed the door, and she’d run into the closet and slammed that door, too, and she’d scampered to the very back and had hidden in the darkness, waiting for the nightmare to end.
There, in the darkness, with her mother’s blood staining the bottoms of her bare feet, the voices started to whisper to her.
lost so lost little girl lost little lamb
They sounded like part of the closet itself, like the walls had peeled away and stretched long and thin like rolls of paper and had crumpled into words pasted on the thick air. She pressed her hands against her ears and tried to listen only to the sounds of her heart thumping madly in her chest, of her ragged breaths, tried to convince herself that she was really very brave and not at all scared because she was supposed to grow up to be a hero …
… and then her father had found her.
“Here … I … come!”
The door ripped open, and Joannie screamed and screamed and screamed …
… and her father’s hand clamped onto her shoulder and she screamed louder, so loud that she almost didn’t hear Iridium’s panicked voice: “Jet! Wake up! It’s a nightmare, Jet. Listen to me—it’s a nightmare! Joannie, wake up!”
Jet stared owlishly at the girl on her bed, blinked as she took in the clear blue eyes, the thick black hair, the worriedset of the mouth. Recognition dawned, pushed through the fog of her dream. “Iri?”
“Yeah.”
She exhaled, slowly, and when she mopped her sweat-slick bangs away from her eyes, her hand trembled. As she took another shaky breath, she noticed that the room had every light panel on. “Where …” Her throat was raw, and she swallowed, tried to work some moisture into it before she spoke again. “Where’re my goggles?”
Iridium bent down, grabbed something from the carpet. “You mean these?” She dangled the ruined optiframes from a finger. “Looks like you tore them off in your sleep.”
“Oh.” Biting her lip, Jet felt her heart sink into her stomach. Without the special lenses, how would she shut out the darkness at night?
Iridium placed the goggles on Jet’s nightstand, right next to her clock. “Um. Until you get them fixed, you can, you know, keep the lights on overnight.” She sounded caught between worry and embarrassment.
“But …” Jet frowned, said, “but that’ll interfere with your sleep. And it’s against code.”
“Don’t worry about me—I’m happy in the light.” Iridium grinned wickedly. “And as for code, what the proctors don’t know won’t hurt us.”
“But it’s breaking the rules.”
Her father’s voice, smoky with insanity:
You broke the rules.
If Iridium noticed how the blood had drained from her face, she ignored it, instead stabbing a finger at Jet. “You want to sleep in the dark?”
She wrapped her arms around herself, shivered. Her voice a whisper, she said, “No.”
“Then let me do this for you, and don’t bitch about it.” Iridium blew out a frustrated breath. “Christo, I try to do something nice, and I get ‘code’ shoved in my face.”
“Sorry.”
Iridium blinked at her, then sighed. “No, I’m being bitchy. Happens when my sleep gets interrupted with the screaming meemies. So. You want to talk about it?”
Remembering her mother’s bloody, broken form, her father’s capering glee, Jet shook her head.
“Well. Okay.” Iridium got up and headed to her own bed. “You change your mind, you know where I am.”
“Thanks,” Jet mumbled, lying back and surrounding herself in the thick comforter. “You sure you’re okay with the lights like this?”
“Jehovah!” Iridium spat. “Don’t push your luck. Bad enough that I’m nice to you. People hear about this, and my rep’s ruined for sure.”
“Sorry …”
“Christo, Joan, I’m joking.”
Jet shivered. She wanted to tell Iri
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