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

тАЬI suppose youтАЩre wondering where your friends are.тАЭ
You stared at a pockmark in the floor.
тАЬYes? You want to know where your friends are?тАЭ
Impatient.
So you said, quietly, in a hoarse voice, тАЬYes.тАЭ
тАЬI sold them. TheyтАЩre gone. Poof. On other ships. Maybe
dead by now. They got me a good deal. Mukudori knew how to
raise kids, I give them that. And they were a little challenge to
takeтАФfor a merchant.тАЭ
You said nothing. It wasnтАЩt anything you hadnтАЩt figured out
already.
тАЬWant to know why I didnтАЩt sell you?тАЭ
Say what he wanted to hear. тАЬYes.тАЭ
тАЬCome here.тАЭ
No. In your head you said no. You couldnтАЩt move. You said
no.
тАЬCome here, Jos.тАЭ He stubbed out the cigret.
You moved. DonтАЩt feel. DonтАЩt think back. DonтАЩt.
He took your arm, looked at it.
тАЬHave you been eating?тАЭ
тАЬYes.тАЭ
тАЬAre you afraid?тАЭ
тАЬтАж Yes.тАЭ What would be the point of lying?
тАЬAfraid of me?тАЭ
You stared at his leg. Then you looked up into his face. No
feeling. ShouldnтАЩt feel.
He smiled. тАЬYouтАЩre a tough one. What I thought.тАЭ The smile
widened and he put his hand in your hair and rubbed.
тАЬGo take a shower, Jos. Right there.тАЭ He pointed to a
narrow door you hadnтАЩt noticed because of the webbing on it.
тАЬGo on.тАЭ He let go of your hair and patted your bottom. Like
Daddy used to do.
You hit him. Both fists and as much as you could before he
snatched your wrists and backhanded you across the face. The
floor came up. He grabbed you by the neck and hit you again
and you cried. All the tears came that you thought youтАЩd
stopped forever.
Where were Daddy and Mama? Why did they have to be
gone?
тАЬStop sniveling.тАЭ He took a knife from his boot and sliced off
all your clothes, so expert he didnтАЩt touch skin despite your
struggling. Then he put you in the bathroom, pried open the
shower door, and shoved you in. Cold air then cold water hit.
It shocked you into silence. тАЬGet your breath,тАЭ he said.
тАЬBreathe.тАЭ He waved the water to warm. You couldnтАЩt move.
The water stung your eyes until he told you to blink and to
keep blinking. Then he scrubbed you head to toe, everywhere,
and mocked things about you that you couldnтАЩt help. He
laughed because you were eight years old. Then he cut the
water and waved on the body dryer, left it on until you felt