Lovers of Babel by Valerie Walker Read Free Book Online

match on the grid. Everyone has DNA on the grid that’s how they keep track of everyone in the underground. All we need is a strand of hair and we’ve got her,” George said.
    The next day the duo was on their way to New York in pursuit of a strand of hair. They would find it and ship it to forensics the exact same day. The forensics team in Washington was one of the best in the country and had the name of their girl and her residence in a matter of hours. George and the Australian were at Cameron’s doorstep in just a handful of hours from when they first arrived in New York. Her mother answered the door and immediately demanded that they leave the premises.
    “I won’t allow any reporters to harass my child!” She barked.
    “Ma’am we aren’t with the media we promise. We’ve actually come to help your daughter. We know what happened to her and why she was able to change herself,” George said reassuringly.
      “How could you know that?” her mother asked.
    “Because we also have special abilities. We saw your daughter’s story on the news yesterday and we came here immediately. Before last night, we thought we were the only two people in the underground with special powers, but now we’re not so sure. Please let us talk to her,” the Australian asked.
    The house was small inside with only a few pieces of furniture in the living room and a television that was propped up inside an antique bookshelf. To George and the Australian’s amazement there seemed to be hundreds of books inside the shelf; that was more than they’d ever seen at one time.
    “Where did you find all of these books?” George asked her.
    “I come from a family of book people. My grandfather’s mother was a librarian before libraries were a thing of the past. She passed down these to her son in hopes that he would keep the memories of a simpler time and pass them on to his kids.”
    “It looks like he did just that. Wow, these are in excellent condition!” The Australian exclaimed.
    “We’ve taken good care of them over the years. Cameron!” She yelled to her daughter. “You have company! She’ll be out in a minute, boys. I’ll go get you guys a refreshment.”
    As soon as she left the room a thin girl entered. She had long brown hair with curls that framed her face perfectly, flawless ivory skin that was radiant and big green eyes decorated with long thick eye lashes. When she spoke her plump lips puckered naturally.
    “I’m not interested in answering any questions right now,” she stated sternly.
    The men were enamored with the beauty standing before them.
    “Oh, n-no no we um, we’re not with the press. We we’re here to talk about your strange ability. We think we know the s-source of your new-found power,” the Australian stammered. George was still in awe.
    The Australian was starting to say something else when a picture on the wall caught his attention. He began to walk toward it.
    “Is this you?”
    “Was. It was me. Obviously I’ve had an image upgrade since then,” she said.
    George finally snapped out of his trance.
    “How did you do it? I mean these types of things don’t exactly happen every day,” George asked.
    “I’m not sure I know,” she said as she sat on a burgundy couch. “One second I’m the real me and then the next, I’m a completely different person. I mean I’m not complaining or anything. This is something that I’ve day dreamed about for my entire life and now, well look at me.”
    The men emphatically nodded in unison.
    “I just don’t understand how I could do this. I’m still waiting to wake up and realize that this is all an elaborate dream,” she said.
    Her mom entered the room with lemonade and orange slices that she placed on the coffee table before leaving again.
    “Do you remember what it was like the moment you transformed?” George asked Cameron as he sat next to her.
    “I remember feeling extremely humiliated. I’ve never felt so embarrassed. I put my hands