standing there in plain sight, she wasn’t going to get herself all dirty just for him.
“ So, what should I do?” she asked.
He didn’t answer immediately. Instead he scanned the sky with his head cocked, like he was listening. Eventually, he said “What should you do about what?”
“ About my conference with the principal. What do you think I’ve been talking about?”
“ Why’re you asking me? Tell your Dad, it’s his problem.”
Mosey quietly chambered a round in his sniper rifle and looked through the scope at a herd of sheep grazing on the library lawn a couple of blocks away.
“ Don’t you listen? He hates doing stuff like that. He’s always like —here she assumed a fake deep voice— “A man’s job is differ’nt than a woman’s, y’see. Ah’m s’posed t’ take ya huntin’ and runnin’ guns and stealin’ fuel from the military outposts. Y’know, Dad stuff.”
“ I don’t know what else to say, Nessa.” Mosey lowered the gun. “Ol’ Braman’s the only parent you’ve got. Say, would you mind getting more out of view?”
“ I am not showing up at my conference with dirty clothes. I’m already going to have to clean my shoes after standing in this muck. What are we doing here anyway?”
Mosey raised his weapon and shot off a round to check his sighting. The sheep scattered.
“ Anyway,” she continued, “ you don’t seem to be doing anything useful. So, I thought maybe you could come along and kind of represent the family.”
He lowered the gun then looked at her, amazed. “We’re not family.”
“ Sure we are. You’re like a big brother to me.”
He shook his head. “No. We just met three months ago, when you and your old man showed up at the havens. I don’t know hardly anything about you, ‘cept that your name is Nessa, and that for some reason you’re always hanging around with me.” He ejected the spent shell and chambered a new round. “And I’ll have you know that what I’m doing here is…is defending our God-given liberties against a corrupt political system.” He returned to scanning the blue sky. “And while you’re nice enough, I can’t be getting involved with anyone right now, or probably ever. It’s time for me to be a man, and I got other responsibilities.”
Nessa looked at him for a moment. “Whatever. Look, it’s time for my meeting.” She plucked her school bag out of a nearby shrub. “Sure you won’t come, big brother?” Mosey mumbled something but kept his eyes skyward. “Have fun defending the country,” she shouted back at him as she walked up the path.
As she left, Mosey leaped up, sighted, and fired high into the blue.
Some 500 yards up and away, the guidance system of an unarmed aerial spy drone shattered. The vehicle spun into a precipitous descent that climaxed in the middle of a paved soccer field. The impact rippled the grass for blocks around.
The principal’s office was drab, tidy, and decorated in a way that suggested it was done against his will. Sitting in a chair facing his desk, Nessa listened in on the muffled conversation outside the door.
“ Her father won’t come. I’ve told you that.” It was Miss Duren, the language teacher.
The principal answered. “There’s no point in meeting without him. And besides, I need to get Henderson off the roof.”
“ The biology teacher? Is he up there again ?”
The principal groaned. “Look, I need to get my books. Do you still want to speak with her, even without a parent?”
“ Yes, definitely. There are some…issues that I feel—”
He cut her off. “Fine. Use my office.” Seconds later the door opened and Miss Duren followed the principal into the
“ So, what should I do?” she asked.
He didn’t answer immediately. Instead he scanned the sky with his head cocked, like he was listening. Eventually, he said “What should you do about what?”
“ About my conference with the principal. What do you think I’ve been talking about?”
“ Why’re you asking me? Tell your Dad, it’s his problem.”
Mosey quietly chambered a round in his sniper rifle and looked through the scope at a herd of sheep grazing on the library lawn a couple of blocks away.
“ Don’t you listen? He hates doing stuff like that. He’s always like —here she assumed a fake deep voice— “A man’s job is differ’nt than a woman’s, y’see. Ah’m s’posed t’ take ya huntin’ and runnin’ guns and stealin’ fuel from the military outposts. Y’know, Dad stuff.”
“ I don’t know what else to say, Nessa.” Mosey lowered the gun. “Ol’ Braman’s the only parent you’ve got. Say, would you mind getting more out of view?”
“ I am not showing up at my conference with dirty clothes. I’m already going to have to clean my shoes after standing in this muck. What are we doing here anyway?”
Mosey raised his weapon and shot off a round to check his sighting. The sheep scattered.
“ Anyway,” she continued, “ you don’t seem to be doing anything useful. So, I thought maybe you could come along and kind of represent the family.”
He lowered the gun then looked at her, amazed. “We’re not family.”
“ Sure we are. You’re like a big brother to me.”
He shook his head. “No. We just met three months ago, when you and your old man showed up at the havens. I don’t know hardly anything about you, ‘cept that your name is Nessa, and that for some reason you’re always hanging around with me.” He ejected the spent shell and chambered a new round. “And I’ll have you know that what I’m doing here is…is defending our God-given liberties against a corrupt political system.” He returned to scanning the blue sky. “And while you’re nice enough, I can’t be getting involved with anyone right now, or probably ever. It’s time for me to be a man, and I got other responsibilities.”
Nessa looked at him for a moment. “Whatever. Look, it’s time for my meeting.” She plucked her school bag out of a nearby shrub. “Sure you won’t come, big brother?” Mosey mumbled something but kept his eyes skyward. “Have fun defending the country,” she shouted back at him as she walked up the path.
As she left, Mosey leaped up, sighted, and fired high into the blue.
Some 500 yards up and away, the guidance system of an unarmed aerial spy drone shattered. The vehicle spun into a precipitous descent that climaxed in the middle of a paved soccer field. The impact rippled the grass for blocks around.
The principal’s office was drab, tidy, and decorated in a way that suggested it was done against his will. Sitting in a chair facing his desk, Nessa listened in on the muffled conversation outside the door.
“ Her father won’t come. I’ve told you that.” It was Miss Duren, the language teacher.
The principal answered. “There’s no point in meeting without him. And besides, I need to get Henderson off the roof.”
“ The biology teacher? Is he up there again ?”
The principal groaned. “Look, I need to get my books. Do you still want to speak with her, even without a parent?”
“ Yes, definitely. There are some…issues that I feel—”
He cut her off. “Fine. Use my office.” Seconds later the door opened and Miss Duren followed the principal into the
Similar Books
