Shadow Seed
Page 2
***
That was the point Leon always woke. It was a bad memory that had become a recurring nightmare. Sitting up, he found himself on the couch in his home.
At the table in the next room over, Sara spat food out in disgust. “Eww!”
Leon examined his hand as if he expected to find the wound he’d suffered in his dream.
“Fighting old battles again?” Sara asked, before poking at her dish. “I thought this stuff was supposed to taste like chicken.”
“I figured it would,” Leon said, joining Sara at the table.
“Figured?” Sara said.
Leon shrugged. “They’re the same size, and they sound like them, so…”
Sara pushed the plate aside. “The stuff that should be meat tasted like grass.”
Leon looked bewildered, “You’ve eaten grass?”
Sara rolled her eyes. “I like to live dangerously.”
Leon scratched his head. “I’m sorry I don’t have much to offer,” he said, pulling out a deck of playing cards. “Would you like to play a game? Maybe you’ll forget about being hungry.”
“Hungry is an understatement, Leon,” Sara said. “I’m gonna die. How can you eat this stuff?”
“I never have.” Leon said.
“What about that pig thing I had last night?” Sara asked. “That was even worse.”
“I don’t eat anything,” Leon answered. “Most Vesuvians don’t. If we do, it’s out of curiosity.”
“What happens to the food then?” Sara asked.
“Our blood burns it off, but it's not a pretty sight,” Leon explained, “We get real hot and weak like we're sick.”
Sara sighed. “Well, while the idea of never having diarrhea is interesting, a diet of blood still doesn’t sound so great.”
“We drink alcohol sometimes, but even then, it’s just for a good laugh.” Leon said.
“You must get sloppy drunk then.” Sara chuckled, placing her arms on the table and resting her head.
“Not really,” Leon said, then thinking. “You know what? We can go to Neila’s Pub. She might have something you can eat.”
Sara quickly stood. “Let’s go!”
Wasting no time, they both headed outside and walked around to the back.
Leon noticed some rustling in a nearby hedge. “Get out here, Chris.”
Sara looked over to see a young boy and girl emerge from the bush.
“And you brought Delia,” Leon said. “What are you two up to now?”
“We just wanted to see the human,” Chris answered.
Delia clung to Chris’ arm. “You’re…a human?” she asked.
Sara thought the kids were cute. “Um…yeah, I’m human.”
Leon tried shooing the kids off. “Don’t you have study or something?”
“We are studying!” Chris said.
A dozen children then came out of hiding.
Delia stepped toward Sara. “We’re supposed to observe the human.”
Sara laughed, flattered.
“The Council wants her well-treated,” Leon said, stepping between Sara and the kids. “Stop bugging her.”
“It’s okay,” Sara said, as the kids scattered.
“That's what you think,” Leon said. “Give them half a chance and they'll want to spend all day with you. C'mon, the pub is just a few blocks down.”