aren’t going to find much oil or natural gas here."
"Which is going to complicate farming enormously. And at the rate villages are combining, there's going to be some large concentrations of people to be fed."
Jack snorted. "Even the people who think you lot are dangerously insane part-animals admit we got the barricade up in a quarter of the time other people took. Those magic techniques of yours, you need to teach them to everyone with the right genes." He looked wistful. "My grandkids have some, I think." A widower, he'd accompanied his daughter, son-in-law and three grandchildren. "Magic. I'm damned glad you're here, and frankly, the way they treated my grandkids? I'd just as soon they never contact us again."
Old Wolf nodded.
Harry didn’t care for himself, but it hurt a bit to wonder if the parents of the so-called orphans had had regrets and made plans to come over, a chance now forever lost. If they showed up in two years, would even the youngest kids care any more? I can’t substitute for a parent, but I’ll help this collection of lost boys and girls as much as possible.
***
Milly and Lillian were talking to two girls Chris didn't know, and summoned him with a wave.
One of the new girls giggled. "Hi, I'm Cleo, and this is Cecilia. We just got here."
Chris nodded. "People keep coming this way, I dunno why."
Cecilia rolled her eyes. "You have walls. It's safe here." She looked about eighteen, blonde with big brown eyes.
"That's it? It's going to get really crowded if people keep coming, umm, why didn't you just build your own walls?"
She wrinkled her nose. "We tried. We ran out of gas for the chain saws, and people didn't want to syphon their cars, and anyway, by the time we got to Wisconsin, we were running a bit low."
Cleo was blonde too, her eyes a clear pale blue. "You guys seem to know what you're doing. That's . . . irresistible. I mean, you're starting to plow, the lions didn't get your cows, you've got buildings." Cleo looked around. "Two months ago I would have laughed at a crappy little third world shithole like this. I was old enough to be on my own. I can't believe mother talked me into coming with them."
Chris bristled. "It's not a shithole. I take it you aren't engineered?"
"Eww, no! Just my stupid little brother." Cleo eyed him and edged away. "You are, aren't you?"
Cecilia stopped smiling at him.
Typical. He'd really hoped he'd left that behind. "Better get over the attitude. More than half the people around here are engineered. Or better yet, go back to Earth if they get a gate open again."
They flicked a glance behind him. He turned to find Iris and two other girls walking up. They'd all come with their parents, but he'd met them a couple of times. And encountered Iris as often as he could make it happen.
Iris looked over Cleo, then Cecilia. Stuck her nose up in the air. "I'm engineered. I'll live longer than you, and be healthier than you. My teeth are straight, I don't have zits. And I don't have brunette roots showing."
"You don't have the really bad genes, do you?" Cleo was red faced, embarrassed and getting mad, judging by her changing expressions.
Cecilia looked Iris up and down, then the rest of them. "You look normal." She sounded dubious. "For a bunch of freaks."
Chris stood as tall as he could, which wasn't tall enough to look down his nose at her, but he gave it his best try. "I have tons of engineering. I have the power genes." He held his hands out in the warm sunshine, and imagined squeezing the heat into a glowing ball of energy. "I am a magician." The palms of his hands glowed. A fainter glow formed a sphere above his hands.
Milly was gawking at him , her embarrassed flush paling. Iris and her friends stared.
Cleo and Cecilia started laughing.
"What a loser!" They turned together, and walked away.
Chris stared at the glowing ball in his hands. Hot but not painfully so. More like a welcome relaxing heat. He tried to shake it off. It stuck to his
"Which is going to complicate farming enormously. And at the rate villages are combining, there's going to be some large concentrations of people to be fed."
Jack snorted. "Even the people who think you lot are dangerously insane part-animals admit we got the barricade up in a quarter of the time other people took. Those magic techniques of yours, you need to teach them to everyone with the right genes." He looked wistful. "My grandkids have some, I think." A widower, he'd accompanied his daughter, son-in-law and three grandchildren. "Magic. I'm damned glad you're here, and frankly, the way they treated my grandkids? I'd just as soon they never contact us again."
Old Wolf nodded.
Harry didn’t care for himself, but it hurt a bit to wonder if the parents of the so-called orphans had had regrets and made plans to come over, a chance now forever lost. If they showed up in two years, would even the youngest kids care any more? I can’t substitute for a parent, but I’ll help this collection of lost boys and girls as much as possible.
***
Milly and Lillian were talking to two girls Chris didn't know, and summoned him with a wave.
One of the new girls giggled. "Hi, I'm Cleo, and this is Cecilia. We just got here."
Chris nodded. "People keep coming this way, I dunno why."
Cecilia rolled her eyes. "You have walls. It's safe here." She looked about eighteen, blonde with big brown eyes.
"That's it? It's going to get really crowded if people keep coming, umm, why didn't you just build your own walls?"
She wrinkled her nose. "We tried. We ran out of gas for the chain saws, and people didn't want to syphon their cars, and anyway, by the time we got to Wisconsin, we were running a bit low."
Cleo was blonde too, her eyes a clear pale blue. "You guys seem to know what you're doing. That's . . . irresistible. I mean, you're starting to plow, the lions didn't get your cows, you've got buildings." Cleo looked around. "Two months ago I would have laughed at a crappy little third world shithole like this. I was old enough to be on my own. I can't believe mother talked me into coming with them."
Chris bristled. "It's not a shithole. I take it you aren't engineered?"
"Eww, no! Just my stupid little brother." Cleo eyed him and edged away. "You are, aren't you?"
Cecilia stopped smiling at him.
Typical. He'd really hoped he'd left that behind. "Better get over the attitude. More than half the people around here are engineered. Or better yet, go back to Earth if they get a gate open again."
They flicked a glance behind him. He turned to find Iris and two other girls walking up. They'd all come with their parents, but he'd met them a couple of times. And encountered Iris as often as he could make it happen.
Iris looked over Cleo, then Cecilia. Stuck her nose up in the air. "I'm engineered. I'll live longer than you, and be healthier than you. My teeth are straight, I don't have zits. And I don't have brunette roots showing."
"You don't have the really bad genes, do you?" Cleo was red faced, embarrassed and getting mad, judging by her changing expressions.
Cecilia looked Iris up and down, then the rest of them. "You look normal." She sounded dubious. "For a bunch of freaks."
Chris stood as tall as he could, which wasn't tall enough to look down his nose at her, but he gave it his best try. "I have tons of engineering. I have the power genes." He held his hands out in the warm sunshine, and imagined squeezing the heat into a glowing ball of energy. "I am a magician." The palms of his hands glowed. A fainter glow formed a sphere above his hands.
Milly was gawking at him , her embarrassed flush paling. Iris and her friends stared.
Cleo and Cecilia started laughing.
"What a loser!" They turned together, and walked away.
Chris stared at the glowing ball in his hands. Hot but not painfully so. More like a welcome relaxing heat. He tried to shake it off. It stuck to his
Similar Books
