Slated by Teri Terry Read Free Book Online

Penny comes over to join us.
Soon I learn that Ben’s dad is a teacher, his mum is an artist and works in the workshop at the Dairy; Tori’s dad is a councillor in London, and she stays with her mum in the country. He’s just home some weekends and the way she says it, sounds like she thinks it is a good thing. At seventeen they are both a year older than me, and know Amy from school. The same school I’ll be going to as soon as they let me.
‘Where’d you really come from then?’ Tori demands as soon as Penny moves out of earshot to see how the next group is getting along.
‘What do you mean?’
‘Where were you, before here.’
‘At the hospital. I just got out last Sunday.’
‘I don’t believe you.’
‘Tori,’ Ben interrupts. ‘Play nice.’
She smirks at him. ‘There is no way she was just released, the way she talks. You know it as well as I do. We’ve both been out more than three years; you know how the new ones are.’
‘I was in hospital longer than most,’ I say. ‘Because of nightmares.’
‘How long?’
‘Nine months, or so they tell me.’
‘Even so. You’re different.’
And I want to protest, argue. My mouth half opens, but then shuts again. There is the proof. Most Slateds would just smile and agree with anything you said to them. What is the point in denying what is so obviously true?
I shrug. ‘So what if I am?’
‘Ah ha!’ Tori says.
Ben leans forward, searches my eyes with interest. ‘What is wrong with being different?’
Tori scowls, then Ben gives her a hug and the scowl goes.
‘Want to meet up with us on Sunday?’ Ben looks at me, his arm still across Tori’s shoulders. ‘We’re going to the county show.’
Tori looks both surprised and annoyed.
‘I don’t know. I’ll have to check if I’m allowed.’
She rolls her eyes. ‘Sure. Whatever.’
And I get the distinct impression that if I want to get along with Tori, I’ll need to keep well clear of Ben. And somehow, I don’t think that’s what I want to do.

Penny corners me as everyone is leaving.
‘Kyla, stay. I want to talk to you alone.’
She waits until the last one goes, then sits next to me.
‘I heard about your blackout a few nights ago. I need to check your Levo.’
She pulls out a handheld scanner, like the ones in hospital but smaller, and plugs it into her netbook. She holds it over my Levo and graphs flash across the netbook screen.
‘Oh my God.’
‘What?’
‘Look, Kyla. See for yourself.’ She touches the screen, selects a graph marked 15/09. A whole section of it, in the early hours of Tuesday morning, is in the red. She touches the points and numbers appear on the screen.
‘Kyla, you were 2.3. That is too close. What happened?’
I stare back at her. Just 0.3 away from not waking up at all . My stomach twists.
‘Well?’
‘I don’t know. I had a nightmare, that’s all. I didn’t wake up. Next thing I knew the paramedics were there, injecting me with Happy Juice. I still have the headache to prove it.’
‘Your Levo isn’t affected by dreams, you know that. It is when you wake up afterwards.’
I shrug. ‘I don’t remember waking.’
‘What was the dream?’
‘I don’t remember,’ I lie.
She sighs.
‘I just want to help you, Kyla. You’re not due for your first hospital check until the weekend after next, but maybe we should move it up to this one.’
‘No! I just need—’ how do I put this in nurse friendly words? ‘—I need distraction , to fill my time and my mind. Can I starting going to school? Please.’
She leans back, and looks in my eyes as if searching for something.
‘It’s too soon. You need to get used to things at home, first. And—’
‘Please.’ I don’t say what I am thinking, that it is being home all day alone with Mum – the Dragon – that worries me. These last days in bed with her and Sebastian my only company made even my nightmares seem good.
‘Distraction is all well and good, but you need redirection as well. I’ll give you some