Lesser Gods by Adrian Howell Read Free Book Online Page B

live with the village idiot, Sweet Sixteen,” I retorted with a grin, and Terry had little choice but to laugh it off along with the rest of us.
    We took our seats at the dining table. Perhaps fearing retribution from Terry, Alia sat next to me, with Mark on her other side. Laila chose the chair between me and Terry, and Cindy sat between Terry and Mark. It was usually a pretty large dining table, but six made it feel just right.
    Since Laila had a chair next to mine, I got to talk a bit with her over dinner. Laila did seem to know a good deal about Alia and me, but as to Terry’s claim that she was “fascinated,” I sincerely doubted that. I was more interested in her. New Haven’s blanket-ban on associating with Cindy’s family meant I didn’t often get to learn about the lives of other Guardians here.
    Laila Brown was a fourth generation Guardian, but surprisingly there wasn’t a single psionic in her family. Her great-grandparents had accidentally discovered the Guardians and, rather than having their memories altered, had chosen to be converted into the faction. Since then, all marriages leading up to Laila’s birth had been with other non-psionics.
    “My mother is the only non-psionic on the Council,” said Laila. “She took charge of our Guardian breakaway faction when my father, who had been the leader, was taken by the Angels.”
    “I’m sorry to hear that,” I said. “But your father wasn’t psionic either?”
    Laila shook her head. “He wasn’t, but the Angels thought he was. They caught him and converted him. I haven’t seen him since I was Alia’s age, but I think he’s still alive, working for the Angels now.”
    “Maybe he’ll come back when his conversion wears off.”
    Laila smiled. “I hope so. The Angels probably won’t care if one non-psionic deserts them.”
    “Addy is looking for his sister,” said Alia, butting in from my other side.
    “Alia, hush,” I said quietly, not wanting to talk about Cat at this table.
    “I thought you were his sister,” Laila said to Alia, and Alia beamed at her.
    “Addy has another sister,” explained Alia, ignoring my frown. “She’s with the angles.”
    “Angels,” I said, giving Alia a nasty look, “not angles.”
    Alia knew that I wasn’t correcting her pronunciation, but rather admonishing her for talking about Cat in front of Laila. She promptly stuck her tongue out at me.
    “Oh, be nice to her, Addy,” laughed Laila. “She’s trying the best she can.”
    “First of all, Laila, it’s Adrian,” I replied firmly. “Second...”
    I couldn’t think of a second, but Laila got the message that I didn’t want to discuss Cat, and asked no more about her.
    Despite the fact that she was Terry’s best friend, at first glance, Laila Brown had seemed a pretty typical schoolgirl. But glances were deceptive. Laila had been through some tough times too. She had Terry’s air of tenacity tempered with the compassion of one who understood and respected the suffering of others. I wasn’t sure myself why I didn’t want to talk about Cat in front of her. Perhaps it was because we had just met, or maybe I just didn’t want to parade my troubles at a party.
    As the conversation shifted to Terry and Laila’s past school year, I got to hear a bit about Terry’s life as a student. There were plenty of non-Guardians attending Terry’s high school who she could have easily befriended, but Terry preferred the company of people who were a part of the faction. Unfortunately for her, now that it was public knowledge that she was living with Cindy, the Guardian families had not only forbidden their kids from talking with her, but had actually sent a formal petition to the New Haven Council demanding that Terry not be allowed to return to school in the fall.
    “It’s really horrible that they went so far as that,” said Laila. “You should hear my mother talk about them when she’s at home.”
    Terry laughed. “It’s okay, Laila. Really.