by C. R. Daems
"Because of the snake? You believe it's dangerous?" Bellona asked, her eyes shifting to my neck where Red lay.
"No. I believe the krait bit the boys in self-defense. The krait and Anna have a symbiotic relationship, so an attack on Anna is an attack on the krait. There are very few instances of krait bites on Oxax. That is because the krait is basically lazy and nocturnal. And in this krait's case, it has a readily available food source, so hunger doesn't drive it," Adela said. "I just think children will complicate the adjustment. Parents can't help but worry about their own children, and they will have the priority. I'd like Anna to be their priority."
"I think you're right. From reading Mira's disciplinary reports, we know Anna got blamed in many of them. Her presence was cited as part of the problem, although she did nothing and wasn't involved in those incidents." She paused, her eyes meeting mine. "Anna, do you have a preference?"
"No, Your Honor," I said but then quickly added, "so long as I can keep studying. I enjoy learning." I almost added so does Red but knew that would make me sound crazy. Bellona looked to Adela.
"Yes, I discussed it with the Bordans. They are well-educated and liked the idea that Anna enjoys school. In fact, I think that offset their natural concern about the krait."
"Good. Then it's settled. I'd appreciate you keeping me informed of her progress, as it was my decision to let her be put with another family. I could have had her sent to a government institution, but I don't feel she should be punished for others’ actions. And I would appreciate a letter from you now and then, Anna." She smiled and I could feel the affection behind the words.
"I’ll write, Your Honor," I said. I liked her and knew she could be a friend if I would let her.
* * *
The next day, I was introduced to the Bordans, Carola and Joshua. Their home, a two-story brick house, looked large from the outside. The property was neat but not orderly. Carola was a middle-age woman, thin and frail looking but with lots of energy, which was apparent when she talked. Her short dark-brown hair had a few strands of grey, but her narrow face was smooth, with green eyes that looked alive and inquisitive. Joshua looked average in height and build, but his round face with its laugh lines around his brown eyes gave him a friendly look.
"Welcome, Anna. We are looking forward to having you and your companion staying with us," Joshua said as soon as we were inside the house.
"Joshua!" Carola said, hitting him on the arm. "That's not nice."
"Don't want to tippy toe around the subject for days. Just want her to know she and her krait are welcome," Joshua said, and looked to me. It was strange, but I was beginning to feel other people's strong emotions. At first I thought it was my imagination, but over time I became convinced it was real and wondered if maybe everyone could. Having no close friends, I had no way of finding out. But Joshua's smile was warm, and he didn't feel hostile. I liked the fact that he was being direct, so I reached into my blouse and gently caught hold of Red and pulled him out. As I did, he wrapped himself around my forearm with his head pointing in their direction as if ready to be introduced.
"Mr. and Mrs. Bordans, I'd like to introduce my companion, Red. He's lazy and spends most of his time inside my clothes or wrapped around my neck. He never leaves my body, not even when I wash. Actually, he seems to like the shower. He's poisonous. And although I've never known him to bite anyone except when I was being attacked, I don't let people touch him and try to be careful when they touch me. If it should happen, I have the antivenin. It works, but you would be sick for a couple of days." I held my arm up so they could see. Joshua leaned a little forward, as did Red.
"It ... he's very pretty," Carola said while her eyes examined him from head to tail.
"Thank you, Anna. That's what Carola and I needed to know—the rules. You have rules for us, and we will have rules for you." After Adela left, Joshua and Carola gave me a tour of the house. Compared to Koria House it was small, although the rooms were each a good size. The living room looked comfortable, with two well-used lounge chairs, two sofas, end tables, and an entertainment center. There was a small dining room with a table and six chairs, a good-sized kitchen with a small alcove with a table and two chairs, and three bedrooms—one the Bordans', one converted into an office, and one which looked to be a guest room.
"This one is yours, Anna," Carola said, smiling although she felt apprehensive. "Do you like it?"
"It's wonderful ... thank you." I stared in shock—my own room. It had a puffy looking bed, a night table with a lamp, a clock, a dresser, closet, rugs on the floor, a computer and entertainment center, and private bathroom. I was speechless as I walked around the room. "Thank you ..." I repeated, tears in my eyes and not knowing what else to say.
* * *
The next day, Joshua took me to a private school where he taught and introduced me to the headmaster, Mr. Valerian.
"How old is she, Joshua? About nine? She should be in the second quarter curriculum. As you know, we only teach third and fourth quarter subjects."
"I'm aware of that Val, but she's special. I've examined her records from Koria Hall, and she's ready for third quarter subjects." Joshua said. "And because of her ... medication, a small private school is the best environment." He grinned. I almost laughed. Joshua had a good sense of humor. After an hour explaining Red and his symbiotic relationship to me and the Coaca Virus, Valerian agreed to admit me on a trial basis if I could pass the second-quarter test. He took me to an empty classroom while Joshua went off to his first class.
"Anna, you will have two hours to finish the test. You must get eighty of the one hundred questions right to pass. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Mr. Valerian," I said. He waved me to a small desk and gave me a tablet.
"Read the directions and if you have any questions I'll answer them, otherwise, your two hours will begin when you click on the Start Test button."
I sat and read the directions, which explained all the things that constituted cheating.
"I'm ready, sir." I said and when he nodded I clicked on Start Test and a small clock appeared in the upper right corner. As I began reading, Red wound his way into my hair so only his red head stuck out, resting on my forehead. The questions appeared in groups: geography, reading comprehension, spelling, arithmetic, and science. They seemed easy, and I finished in a little more than an hour and handed the tablet back to him.
"That was very quick, Anna. You have almost an hour left if you wish to review your answers or think about the ones you skipped," he said looking concerned.
"No thank you, sir. I'm satisfied I've done my best."
He shrugged and took the tablet, punched in something and stood frowning at the screen.
"Have you seen or taken this test before?" he asked his frown deepening.
"No, sir. But I've studied all of the material on the test."
"You scored ninety-seven percent—"
"Sir, can I see what I missed?" I blurted and leaned forward then quickly sat back. "Sorry."
"Why do you want to see the ones you missed?" Now he looked and felt amused.
"So I don't make the same mistake again, sir," I said. He laughed and handed the tablet back to me. I spent a few minutes considering each question. I decided it was material I hadn't seen before when I saw the answers. "Thank you, sir."
"You may join the third quarter curriculum, Anna."
* * *
The next two years went by in a flash. I came to love the Bordans. They treated me like a daughter and included me in all their activities. If they had rules, I never heard them. I asked once, and Carola said I didn't seem to need them. At school, I was a loner, which was nothing new. At first most were interested in Red, and I answered all their questions. But as time went on, the novelty wore off, and I was ignored. I think part of the problem was the age difference. But it didn't help that I consistently scored better than everyone except one boy, who took it as a challenge. I didn't care, but he became furious when I would beat hi
m on a test or score higher on an assignment.
* * *
I stood at the bottom of the steps leading to the school entrance, waiting for Joshua. It usually meant some student had delayed him. Deep in thought, I didn't notice the ground vehicle until it had stopped and the side door slid open. A man knelt holding a small black and white party-colored puppy. It was adorable and not much bigger than the man's hand.
"Hey there. My dog just had five puppies. Would you like one?" he asked. A feeling of wrongness washed over me. He was lying. I was positive. But about what? I stepped back reflexively.
"They're free. Come have a look," he said in a coaxing tone, holding the puppy higher. More lies. I retreated another couple of steps. When he jumped out of the car, I spun around and dashed up the steps. As I opened the door, I saw Joshua coming down the hall toward me.
"Sorry, Anna. Last minute questions," he said, smiling.
When I turned around, the van had driven off. I reached up and stroked Red.
"What's wrong? You look pale, and you're shaking." He leaned over so his face was even with mine.
"A man in a car. He said he was giving away puppies, but he was lying.".
"How do you know, Anna?"
"His look," I lied, but I had no other way to explain that an adult would believe. I had come to the conclusion it had something to do with Red. He didn't talk or do anything I could interpret as communicating, but he was becoming more and more of a presence. I could feel it.
"You have good instincts, Anna. There are some bad men out there who prey on children. They lure them into a car or van and kidnap them. Let me know if you see them again."
I thought I saw the van once or twice in the school parking lot, so I never waited on the steps again and stayed inside the doors. I passed my third quarter and was moved into the fourth quarter curriculum. There I was even more of an outcast with the much older teenagers. After a couple of months, they ignored me so long as I was not heard from—so I became invisible. The instructors caught on quickly and never called on me, which helped. That made everyone happy.
* * *
We were sitting in the living room that evening, having a typical after-dinner discussion. Joshua and Carola were reviewing the laws of motion with me. I loved those talks because they went well beyond the standard textbook explanations and simplistic examples. Joshua taught math and physics, and Carola worked at a research company that designed shuttles.
"So, if my shuttle is accelerating at one hundred gravities, how many meters per second per second?" she asked. We had been discussing gravity for the past hour or more. I nibbled on my lip, eyes downcast in thought. Carola had made it easy by using a hundred.
"Nine hundred seventy six meters per sec per sec," I said tentatively, looking at Carola. She nodded.
"You have a good memory and—"
Suddenly the front door banged opened. A tall, thin man stepped into the room. He slammed the door shut behind him and stood there looking at each of us. Finally, his eyes settled on me, and he smiled. My heart pounded in my chest when I saw his hands and face were blotched with brown blisters, and I jumped to my feet.
"Run! Out the back and get the police," I screamed at Joshua and Carola, pointing to the hallway that led to the back door. As Joshua stood and took a step toward the man, I grabbed his arm to stop him and pushed him away, pointing to the hallway. "He has the Coaca Virus. Run! He can't infect me," I shouted as I ran toward the stranger.
The man smiled as I neared him. Halfway there, I changed direction and headed for my bedroom. He wanted Red, not the Bordans. His footfalls pounded behind me as he chased after me. I reached the door first, slammed it shut, and fumbled with the lock, which I had never used before. Neither Joshua nor Carola ever came in my room unless invited, not that it would have mattered—I had nothing to hide. The mechanism clicked into the locked position just as the man hit the door. He tried the doorknob for a minute and when it wouldn't open, he then threw his weight against the door. It shook with the force of the impact. I didn't think the door was going to hold for long or that the man was going to go away. In desperation, I searched for something to defend myself. Finding nothing suitable, I grabbed my bedside lamp just as the wooden doorframe splintered and he burst through the door. He laughed as he stalked toward me.
I swung the lamp, tearing the cord from the wall, which slowed its momentum and reduced the force of the blow. The lamp glanced off his face, tearing several blisters, and blood splattered everywhere. As I pulled the lamp back for another blow, he slapped me. The impact spun me around and into the wall. I stood against the wall, afraid to move—my head felt dizzy and my legs weak.
"Give me the krait, and I'll leave," he said, grinning. I could feel his growing excitement. I ducked under his arm and lunged toward the door, but he managed to grab my arm. Laughing, he pulled me to him and punched me in the face over and over again. I collapsed to my knees. He hung on, laughing hysterically. He yanked me back to my feet, and I managed to drive my head into his face. He let go as his hand went to his nose, and I fell back onto my bed. He growled under his breath as he reached for me. I scooted backward and fell off the other side.
My head still spinning, I crawled as fast as I could, not knowing where I was going but frantic to get away. Seconds later, my head rammed into his legs. When I looked up, he was staring down at me, grinning with his eyes wide like a crazy man. Despair tore at me as he reached for me. I lunged at his hand with my mouth and managed to latch onto a finger. I bit down as hard as I could. He screamed and punched me in the face—once, twice, and a third time. My mouth filled with blood and skin as I lay at his feet fighting to stay conscious. He knelt next to me and ripped my shirt open to expose Red. When he found him, he grabbed the red tail, which was the same color as the head. As he lifted him away from me, Red struck his neck and hung on. The man stood smiling, and I could feel the ecstasy radiating from him.
"That's it, my lovely krait. Fill me with your wonderful elixir."
After a long while, he walked out of the room singing loudly. I lay there in despair, my face and body throbbing from all the blows, but that didn’t matter. I was going to die.
When Red had discovered me all those years ago, I would have welcomed dying so I could join my parents in Heaven. Today I was content to wait. I would die eventually like everyone else and then I would find my parents or not. Compared to the clock in Heaven, my time on Oxax was but a fraction of a second. I already missed Red. He not only kept me alive, but he had become a part of me—a companion who listened to my fears and shared my joys. I loved him. Tears streaked down my face as I cried. The physical pain was nothing compared to the pain of losing Red. I lay still wanting to die but knew it would take days of suffering before peace came at last. I couldn't help moaning softly as the pain intensified. I welcomed it, as it took my mind away from Red, if only temporarily.
Sirens wailed and lights flashed through the windows. The police had arrived—too late, I mused now, beyond emotion. I had died inside.
"Are you all right?" Carola's voice came from outside my window.
"Stay away, Carola, please. The man was contagious. This house will be contagious. Tell the police to contact the hospital. They will need protective suits," I croaked out just above a whisper that I hoped was coherent. I think my jaw was broken.
"Lady, step back. Someone may still be in there. What does she mean ... contagious?" the man's voice faded as they walked away. As I lay on the floor losing consciousness, I dreamed I felt Red slide onto my chest, wrap himself around my neck, and his tongue brush my cheek—a wonderful dream.
* * *
I awoke in the hospital where it had all begun years ago—with machines beeping, an IV in one arm, and a blood pressure wrap on the other. As I tentatively explored my body, I came to the conclusion I was a mess. My jaw was in some kind of a brace, I had a soft cast on my arm, my chest was bandaged, there was a patch over one eye, and I think my one leg felt heavy like it had a
cast. I laughed. It seemed futile to fix me up so I could die in a day or two. Then I felt Red in my hair and his head on my forehead. My head was probably the only place without bandages. I cried with joy—the happiest day of my life.
"I see you’re awake, Anna," Doctor Renata said. "You didn't have to go to all this trouble to see me. You could just have called." Her smile was warm. "How do you feel?"
"Wonderful," I blurted in a strange sounding voice, which caused her mouth to drop open.
"I doubt that. How is your level of pain?"
"I'm comfortable. But what happened?"
"You don't remember?"
"Oh, I remember the fight, if you can call it a fight. It was a bit one-sided. No, afterward. He ran off with Red ... and Red's back." I looked up to where his head rested.
"I don't know all the details, but I know they found the man who attacked you dead in the living room. It appears Red gives you enough poison to keep the virus under control. He injected the man with enough to kill twenty, which is strange. None of us thought the krait would care who he latched onto so long as he or she had the virus, but he apparently does." She stood staring down at Red. "Thank you for warning the police the man was contagious. He could have caused another epidemic if you hadn't. Oh, I have two very anxious people waiting to see you. They’ve been sitting outside your door for more than forty-eight hours." Renata left, and shortly afterward Joshua and Carola entered.
"How are you feeling, Anna?" Carola asked, tears in her eyes.
"Lying here I feel fine, but I doubt I'd enjoy getting out of bed." I gave a small laugh, which confirmed what I thought as pain shot through my chest and face.
"We are looking forward to you coming home ..." Joshua said, and I felt their conflicting emotions. They loved me but were afraid.
"No, Joshua, Carola. You wouldn't be comfortable with me in your home now. And I love you too much to put that burden on you. That man was the first, but he won't be the last. The Coaca Virus will drive men to do what they wouldn't otherwise. And this time we were lucky he didn't get anywhere near you."