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."I will attend."Brother Joseph regarded Jamie with a bemused, patronizing expression, as if he'd just seen him for the first rime."Young James," he said."So you have a gift.That much was obvious, that first time we touched the Holy Fire together." His eyes narrowed."Yes.Special.And very gifted indeed," he said in parting, and as he walked away his laughter echoed down the metal walls.The sound made him feel empty, and somehow unclean.As Jamie watched Brother Joseph's back recede he felt a new dread, a growing horror that had no name.The Chosen Ones didn't see it, saw only the bright side of him.They followed Brother Joseph wherever he went.Sarah was the only one who knew about it besides Jamie, that's how hidden it was.And when the preacher made him "channel"the Holy Fire, they both saw this darkness, so scary that Jamie made himself forget what he saw and touched, most of the time.But every time he saw Brother Joseph he remembered.And we're going to do it again tonight.Oh, no, he thought, and shuddered.In silence Joe finished cleaning his firearm and put it all back together.He seemed humiliated, and justifiably so.But Jamie still had questions to ask.About the milk carton, about his mother.And he was going to ask them; they were alone now, and there would be no better opportunity."Is he your daddy?" Jamie blurted, knowing no other way to start."Yes.He is.And it's nothing we need to talk about.As far as anyone is concerned, I'm just another soldier, fighting for the cause.I get no special treatment," he said, his eyes narrowing at Jamie."And don't you treat WHEELS OF FIRE 75me no different.If you do that I'll have to rough you up." He added that last, lightly, like a joke.But in that second, with that brief, angry expression, he looked just like Brother ]oseph.Joe, Joseph.Of course.How come I didn't guess before? Jamie knew he could get real depressed over this if he let it happen, but he tried not to.Joe's still Joe.Even my daddy's bad sometimes."Why didn't you know your daddy was coming?"Jamie asked, but immediately knew it was the wrong thing to say.Joe was looking at the ground, apparently not paying too much attention."Sometimes I just have to turn it off." Joe said absently, then looked at Jamie in mild alarm."No one can read minds.Remember that.And don't call him my daddy.He's my leader, and that's all that matters.""Oh," was all he said, and Joe looked relieved.Apparently, other people down here made a big deal over it.But then, those other people liked Brother Joseph."Something weird happened today when we were out getting supplies.""What's that?" Joe asked, brightening up.He sounded glad to change the subject."I saw my picture on a milk carton.It said I was a'missing child.' What does that mean?" he said, waiting for some kind of reaction from Joe.He found none, absolutely nothing.A stone mask went over his face, and Jamie knew something was amiss.It was the same mask he had worn when his father sneaked up behind them."Are you sure it was you?" he finally replied."Yep," Jamie said."Sure was."Joe frowned."Did you tell your daddy about it?"Jamie felt a little cold."Y-yeah, and he said it was someone else."Joe stopped and knelt again, but it was with an expression of such severity that Jamie wasn't annoyed by it; he was frightened."Then listen to your father.Do 76 Mervedes Lackey V Mark Shepherd not disobey him.It is the way of the Chosen Ones.It was wrong for you to ask another grownup when your father already told you it wasn't you." Joe held his chin in his right hand, forcing the boy to look directly in his eyes."If your father said it was someone else, then it was someone else.Don't ask anyone about it again."Jamie wanted to cry.This was the first time his friend had spoken to him like that, and it hurt terribly.This is still not right, he thought But he isn't gonna tell me anything else, either.Maybe Fd better not ask about Mom, then.Daddy already told me why she isn't here.It's because she doesn't want to be.But as Joe walked him back to his room, he couldn't believe this was the real reason.Joe walked him back to the tiny cubicle that served as his home.It was in a section of the underground that was lined with sheet metal, forming tubular habitats for most of the "civilian" Chosen Ones.That meant all the women, little kids, and the few men that weren't in the Guard, likeJamie's dad [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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."I will attend."Brother Joseph regarded Jamie with a bemused, patronizing expression, as if he'd just seen him for the first rime."Young James," he said."So you have a gift.That much was obvious, that first time we touched the Holy Fire together." His eyes narrowed."Yes.Special.And very gifted indeed," he said in parting, and as he walked away his laughter echoed down the metal walls.The sound made him feel empty, and somehow unclean.As Jamie watched Brother Joseph's back recede he felt a new dread, a growing horror that had no name.The Chosen Ones didn't see it, saw only the bright side of him.They followed Brother Joseph wherever he went.Sarah was the only one who knew about it besides Jamie, that's how hidden it was.And when the preacher made him "channel"the Holy Fire, they both saw this darkness, so scary that Jamie made himself forget what he saw and touched, most of the time.But every time he saw Brother Joseph he remembered.And we're going to do it again tonight.Oh, no, he thought, and shuddered.In silence Joe finished cleaning his firearm and put it all back together.He seemed humiliated, and justifiably so.But Jamie still had questions to ask.About the milk carton, about his mother.And he was going to ask them; they were alone now, and there would be no better opportunity."Is he your daddy?" Jamie blurted, knowing no other way to start."Yes.He is.And it's nothing we need to talk about.As far as anyone is concerned, I'm just another soldier, fighting for the cause.I get no special treatment," he said, his eyes narrowing at Jamie."And don't you treat WHEELS OF FIRE 75me no different.If you do that I'll have to rough you up." He added that last, lightly, like a joke.But in that second, with that brief, angry expression, he looked just like Brother ]oseph.Joe, Joseph.Of course.How come I didn't guess before? Jamie knew he could get real depressed over this if he let it happen, but he tried not to.Joe's still Joe.Even my daddy's bad sometimes."Why didn't you know your daddy was coming?"Jamie asked, but immediately knew it was the wrong thing to say.Joe was looking at the ground, apparently not paying too much attention."Sometimes I just have to turn it off." Joe said absently, then looked at Jamie in mild alarm."No one can read minds.Remember that.And don't call him my daddy.He's my leader, and that's all that matters.""Oh," was all he said, and Joe looked relieved.Apparently, other people down here made a big deal over it.But then, those other people liked Brother Joseph."Something weird happened today when we were out getting supplies.""What's that?" Joe asked, brightening up.He sounded glad to change the subject."I saw my picture on a milk carton.It said I was a'missing child.' What does that mean?" he said, waiting for some kind of reaction from Joe.He found none, absolutely nothing.A stone mask went over his face, and Jamie knew something was amiss.It was the same mask he had worn when his father sneaked up behind them."Are you sure it was you?" he finally replied."Yep," Jamie said."Sure was."Joe frowned."Did you tell your daddy about it?"Jamie felt a little cold."Y-yeah, and he said it was someone else."Joe stopped and knelt again, but it was with an expression of such severity that Jamie wasn't annoyed by it; he was frightened."Then listen to your father.Do 76 Mervedes Lackey V Mark Shepherd not disobey him.It is the way of the Chosen Ones.It was wrong for you to ask another grownup when your father already told you it wasn't you." Joe held his chin in his right hand, forcing the boy to look directly in his eyes."If your father said it was someone else, then it was someone else.Don't ask anyone about it again."Jamie wanted to cry.This was the first time his friend had spoken to him like that, and it hurt terribly.This is still not right, he thought But he isn't gonna tell me anything else, either.Maybe Fd better not ask about Mom, then.Daddy already told me why she isn't here.It's because she doesn't want to be.But as Joe walked him back to his room, he couldn't believe this was the real reason.Joe walked him back to the tiny cubicle that served as his home.It was in a section of the underground that was lined with sheet metal, forming tubular habitats for most of the "civilian" Chosen Ones.That meant all the women, little kids, and the few men that weren't in the Guard, likeJamie's dad [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]