Red Angel by C. R. Daems Read Free Book Online

arm with his head pointing in her
direction.
    "Red
never leaves me. Never. He’s never aggressive, and I'm careful not to touch
anyone. You might think of him as an organic medicine dispenser to keep me in
balance." I shrugged, not sure what she expected.
    She laughed. "Him,
not it?"
    "He’s
been with me twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week for more than five
years. He even stays with me in the bath."
    "Yes,
that would elevate its status from inanimate to animate." Cain smiled.
"Santos, I'm fine with testing her and deciding afterward."
    They left me
in a small room with a wooden table and several padded chairs. Two large windows
looked out onto a manicured sports field with a track around its perimeter.
    Sometime
later, Cain returned with several tablets and a couple of books. She sat
opposite me at the oblong table and slid a tablet across to me.
    "This is
one of our standard tests for admittance to Waldron. It's not a timed test, so
there is no need to rush." She sat back and picked up another tablet and
began tapping on it.
    I tapped on Start and began answering the questions.
It didn't take long to go through the one hundred questions, as they were
standard third-quarter material.
    "I'm
done."
    She frowned
and tapped on her tablet. Her frown deepened.
    "You got
them all correct. Have you seen this test before?" she asked.
    "No,
ma'am, but it's all standard third-quarter material."
    "Yes, it
is." She tapped on her tablet again. "I've put the next test on your
tablet. Would you or your friend like something to eat or drink before you
start?"
    "I'm his
food dispenser," I quipped. I regretted it immediately when her mouth
dropped open. Then she smiled.
    "Symbiotic.
You both benefit from the arrangement. Would you like something?"
    "Water
or juice. I'm a little thirsty."
    "You can
begin the test," she said while tapping on her tablet. A few minutes later,
a young boy entered with two glasses. He set one by me and one by Cain and left
without a word. This test was a little harder, as some of the material was new,
and I had to spend more time on several of the questions. When I looked up,
Cain sat staring at me.
    "Does
... he always look at what you are reading?"
    "Most of
the time. I would imagine life as a snake is boring." I gave a tentative
grin.
    "Yes, I
would imagine it would be." She chuckled, then looked at her tablet.
"I see you're done with the test," she said, looking at her tablet,
which was obviously linked to mine. "You missed six. That’s impressive,
considering it's fourth quarter material. It's the final test for fourth
quarter students. Seventy-five percent is passing, so you passed. At this rate
you are going to graduate college before your age group is struggling with
fourth quarter material." She shook her head and gave a short laugh.
"Well, let's go tell Alexa she has a prodigy on her hands."
    *
* *
    At my
suggestion, the instructors didn't call on me or single me out, and the five
months went by quickly. I enjoyed the classes and the time with Alexa. She was
an interesting person. She had been in the Oxax Navy for thirty years, had been
promoted to captain, fought in several border wars, and had been injured in a
space battle that had required a career change to the judicial branch, which
was the reason why she became a magistrate when she retired.
    Many nights
we sat on her oversized couch talking or just reading like we were
tonight—quiet companionship. My concentration was broken when I realized Alexa's
cold feet were resting on mine. Somehow the contact was comforting, and I
closed my eyes and sighed with contentment. I opened them when I felt her foot
change position and found her staring at me and looking concerned.
    "Are
your feet always so warm? You feel like you’re burning up."
    "The
doctors claim it's the effect of my body fighting the poison Red injects me
with. But I'll tell you that after the Coaca fever, this is nothing. I lay in
the snow in only a light nightshirt and still felt