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

You recognized the voices. Tammy, Whelan, Sano, Paul,
Indira, Kaspar, MasayoтАж all crowded around Evan and you,
touching for comfort, shivering as you shivered, sniffling and
crying. Scared.
Now that you werenтАЩt alone you were more afraid. Everyone
elseтАЩs fear added to your own and your heart trembled, all your
insides shook, and you dared not ask where Daddy and Mama
were. Evan usually had a big mouth and tousled you rough in
gym sometimes, but now he was silent in a way heтАЩd never
been silent in all of your life. What had he seen? What had
happened to Mukudori ? But you couldnтАЩt ask. Evan patted you
and didnтАЩt speak unless you asked a question.
But no more questions. You huddled with everybody else, all
who might have been left, and tried for hours to sleep.



III.
┬л^┬╗
In the dream you were home. Mama was tucking you into
bed and whispering тАЬmy starling,тАЭ like sheтАЩd call Daddy her
darling, but playing on the name of the ship. Mukudori meant
starling, she said. My starling. You fell asleep like you always
did to the hum of Mukudori тАЩs drives, and it was a song that
brought with it the sounds of your parents talking softly to
each other when they thought you werenтАЩt awake. Sometimes
Mama sat with you, rubbing your back with her hands, which
felt dry and rough even though her touch was light and made
you drowsy real fast. Sometimes Daddy sang to you. DaddyтАЩs
voice wasnтАЩt so great and sometimes you fell asleep to their
laughter and Mama saying, тАЬYouтАЩll make the boy deaf.тАЭ
You dreamed.
But light woke you hard again. The man had returned with
Adalia, whom he threw to the floor beside you. Her jumper
was torn and her face smudged with tears. You tried to touch
her but the man stepped in and grabbed you up, hit Evan
when Evan refused to let go. Evan fell back with a bruised
eye. You screamed and kicked but the man yanked you out
anyway. The hatch slammed shut, silencing the cries behind
you. The man swore, dragged you by the arm so hard you
thought your bones would snap. With satisfaction you noticed
bright red welts on his arm where youтАЩd dug your nails.
He bodily lifted you down the corridor. Dirty, dank
corridors, not like Mukudori тАЩs. Dull red stains painted the gray
bulkheads. Pulse-beam scars cut angular designs through
yellow deck numbers and doors. The lev whined and grated,
smelling of steel and sweat. He dragged you into a small room,
bare and brightly lit, and left you there. You rubbed your arm
and leaned into the corner, looking around. But there was
nothing to look at. It wasnтАЩt home. It was a nightmare you