"Karin Lowachee - Warchild" - читать интересную книгу автора (Lowachee Karin)

want to cry. You had to cry butтАФno. No. No.
тАЬI asked you a question, Joslyn Aaron Musey.тАЭ
You whispered, тАЬJos.тАЭ
тАЬWhat?тАЭ
Loud voice. A voice that sounded full of bad smoke.
тАЬJos,тАЭ you repeated. тАЬM-my family calls me Jos.тАЭ
тАЬYour f-family?тАЭ Mocking. тАЬShit. You know your familyтАЩs
dead, donтАЩt you?тАЭ
You stared into that face. The tears pushed behind your
eyes but you forced yourself to stare into that unlined,
mocking face, and you didnтАЩt breathe when it blew smoke
toward your nose. You stared. And you memorized. You
memorized like Daddy had always told you to do if bad people
ever approached you.
The man was laughing without sound. Straight white teeth.
 тАЬYou have fight. ThatтАЩs good, youтАЩll last.тАЭ The eyes raked
over you head to toe. тАЬAnd youтАЩre a good-looking kid. ThatтАЩll be
a bonus. You seem healthy. And smart. So you know that
defiance at this point is a waste of my time. IтАЩll get rid of the
kids who cause me trouble. Copy?тАЭ
He smoked. He looked down at you as if heтАЩd just asked your
birthday.
You remembered a name youтАЩd heard. тАЬFalcone.тАЭ You were
never going to forget it.
Falcone smiled again. тАЬSmart boy. Maybe IтАЩll keep you for
myself.тАЭ
You stared at the floor again, but this time so he wouldnтАЩt
see the hate in your eyes. It might have made him angry. You
didnтАЩt fight when he got another man to take you back to the
room where Evan and the others waited. You walked calmly.
You saw how it was going to be: silence unless asked a
question. Thoughts in your head that would never reach your
eyes or out your mouth. Waiting.
Waiting without feeling. DonтАЩt think back. DonтАЩt dream .



IV
┬л^┬╗
Eventually they took everybody out, one by one, and
brought them back again. Some returned bruised. Others
crying. Others silent. Evan came back with all his hair cut off.
Evan had long blond hair that he always used to wear in a
tail, like his older brother Shane who made stationers stare
when he walked on their decks. But Evan came back with his
head shaved and a large bruise on his cheek, a cut on his lip
and a breakable look in his eyes. He sat in the corner and
didnтАЩt want anybody to touch him. You tried to and he shoved
you away. You didnтАЩt think, then, they were treating
everybody the same. The place that was left, this small room