not up to her. You couldn’t stand being in that place anymore, just like she couldn’t stand to leave it. It’s unfair to ask each other to go against that instinct.”
“It is strange. I surprised myself when I said I wanted to come back with you. There’s something about the City. Our time there wasn’t peaches and cream, but it wasn’t all that bad either. The wonders of technology. The promise of a longer, happier life, with medical breakthroughs we couldn’t even imagine.”
Vince nodded. “If I had to choose one word to describe the City, it would be potential. For both good and bad.”
“I guess we saw a bit of both.”
“With Greene gone and Simon on top, who knows where that potential will swing?”
“Simon isn’t trying to lead, though. He doesn’t want power. He just didn’t want Greene to have it.”
“That’s what he says, but will he change his mind? There’s no one to get in his way now. He has an army of followers and everything else he needs to take Greene’s position. Only time will tell if he takes advantage of that power. Personally, I don’t know what’s worse. The City under Simon’s rule, or the City with no ruler at all. Either way, things will be different. They’ll be complicated.”
“And we’ll be prepared for anything,” Alan said. “We’ve already endured so much. There’s nothing he can throw at us that we can’t handle.”
“I hope you’re right, but I suspect otherwise. With a man that crazy, it’s hard to predict anything.”
“Hey!” Charlotte shouted from inside. “Izzy’s having another seizure! I need your help!”
They ran back inside, where Izzy was convulsing on the bed. This episode seemed more violent than the first. Her spine arched up and down, her arms flailed at her sides, and her head shook at a frightening rate. An unsettling moan rose from her lips in sporadic waves.
Charlotte looked to Alan in a panic. “What do I do?”
“Why are you asking me?” he asked, trotting over to help.
“What did you do last time?”
“I just held her head, I think. I was a little distracted by the boatload of soldiers shooting at us.”
Charlotte gently held Izzy’s head in place.
Vince walked over and secured her legs. “Just make sure she doesn’t fall off the bed. The seizure should pass soon.”
“You’re right,” Alan said. “It only lasted a few minutes last time.”
“Is she in any danger?” Charlotte asked. “There’s nothing we can do to make it better?”
Alan shook his head. “As long as she doesn’t hit her head or fall, that’s all we can do. Last time she was completely fine once it was over. I think she’s used to having these things.”
They watched her body wriggle and squirm. Her eyes rolled back, showing only the whites.
“How could you ever get used to something like this?” Charlotte said to herself. “It looks so painful.”
They stood over Izzy and let the seizure reach the end of its cycle. When her body finally came to a rest, her eyes rolled forward, and she lay still, panting.
“Are you okay, honey?” Charlotte asked.
Izzy opened her mouth, and a dribble of blood fell from her lips. “I think I bit my tongue.”
“Let me see.”
Izzy opened her mouth and stuck out her tongue. There was a small laceration at the tip, where her tooth had sliced through.
“It’s just a small cut. Did you hurt anything else?”
She shook her head and smiled.
“What do you call these things?” Alan asked. “They scare the hell out of me every time.”
She shrugged. “It’s just a seizure. I have them all the time. It’s no big deal.”
“No big deal?” Alan said. “It looked like a pretty big deal to me.”
“Daddy says I have them because I’m special. I’m not like other people.”
“What does he mean by that?” Alan said, frustrated.
“You clearly aren’t a parent,” Charlotte said. “He means that Izzy is the most precious thing in the world to him. He would do anything
“It is strange. I surprised myself when I said I wanted to come back with you. There’s something about the City. Our time there wasn’t peaches and cream, but it wasn’t all that bad either. The wonders of technology. The promise of a longer, happier life, with medical breakthroughs we couldn’t even imagine.”
Vince nodded. “If I had to choose one word to describe the City, it would be potential. For both good and bad.”
“I guess we saw a bit of both.”
“With Greene gone and Simon on top, who knows where that potential will swing?”
“Simon isn’t trying to lead, though. He doesn’t want power. He just didn’t want Greene to have it.”
“That’s what he says, but will he change his mind? There’s no one to get in his way now. He has an army of followers and everything else he needs to take Greene’s position. Only time will tell if he takes advantage of that power. Personally, I don’t know what’s worse. The City under Simon’s rule, or the City with no ruler at all. Either way, things will be different. They’ll be complicated.”
“And we’ll be prepared for anything,” Alan said. “We’ve already endured so much. There’s nothing he can throw at us that we can’t handle.”
“I hope you’re right, but I suspect otherwise. With a man that crazy, it’s hard to predict anything.”
“Hey!” Charlotte shouted from inside. “Izzy’s having another seizure! I need your help!”
They ran back inside, where Izzy was convulsing on the bed. This episode seemed more violent than the first. Her spine arched up and down, her arms flailed at her sides, and her head shook at a frightening rate. An unsettling moan rose from her lips in sporadic waves.
Charlotte looked to Alan in a panic. “What do I do?”
“Why are you asking me?” he asked, trotting over to help.
“What did you do last time?”
“I just held her head, I think. I was a little distracted by the boatload of soldiers shooting at us.”
Charlotte gently held Izzy’s head in place.
Vince walked over and secured her legs. “Just make sure she doesn’t fall off the bed. The seizure should pass soon.”
“You’re right,” Alan said. “It only lasted a few minutes last time.”
“Is she in any danger?” Charlotte asked. “There’s nothing we can do to make it better?”
Alan shook his head. “As long as she doesn’t hit her head or fall, that’s all we can do. Last time she was completely fine once it was over. I think she’s used to having these things.”
They watched her body wriggle and squirm. Her eyes rolled back, showing only the whites.
“How could you ever get used to something like this?” Charlotte said to herself. “It looks so painful.”
They stood over Izzy and let the seizure reach the end of its cycle. When her body finally came to a rest, her eyes rolled forward, and she lay still, panting.
“Are you okay, honey?” Charlotte asked.
Izzy opened her mouth, and a dribble of blood fell from her lips. “I think I bit my tongue.”
“Let me see.”
Izzy opened her mouth and stuck out her tongue. There was a small laceration at the tip, where her tooth had sliced through.
“It’s just a small cut. Did you hurt anything else?”
She shook her head and smiled.
“What do you call these things?” Alan asked. “They scare the hell out of me every time.”
She shrugged. “It’s just a seizure. I have them all the time. It’s no big deal.”
“No big deal?” Alan said. “It looked like a pretty big deal to me.”
“Daddy says I have them because I’m special. I’m not like other people.”
“What does he mean by that?” Alan said, frustrated.
“You clearly aren’t a parent,” Charlotte said. “He means that Izzy is the most precious thing in the world to him. He would do anything
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