Second Wave Read Online Free

weary of being constantly surrounded by them. When she accompanied the Linyaari rescue crews, there were always several people with her, so that she could tell them where the plague was and almost as importantly, because they needed to conserve their healing strength, where it was not. When an area was contaminated or a person was sick with the disease, she saw swarms of tiny blue lights or dots that nobody else perceived. Many Linyaari had a particular psychic talent aside from the normal communication skills they all acquired sometime around puberty. Khorii’s mother, Khornya to her own people and Acorna to her human friends and adopted family, had even as a child been able to tell the mineral content of an asteroid just by looking at it. As she grew older, Mother had begun to be able to sense what was contained in certain spaces. All Khorii got were these stupid plague dots. It was an important talent, she knew, and at first she was grateful to have been given such a useful gift and to be special because of it. Now she wished she could share the dubious honor.
    It had been six whole Standard months after the plague began and three months since she had seen the plague around her parents that confirmed their suspicions that they were carriers. She was tired of being quite so special. If only a few other Linyaari—even one—had the same talent, she could rest without worrying about people dying in the meantime and could have some time to herself once in a while.
    Up the hall, Elviiz stopped to knock on Jalonzo’s door. The tall boy, heavy but quite strong, came out to talk. He ran a hand through his long black hair, making it stand out at all angles. By the time Elviiz explained his presence, Jalonzo was out the door, barefoot and dressed in shorts and a light knit shirt.
    Elviiz easily caught up with him, and the two disappeared around the corner to cross the shaded glass skyway that led to the science building. Khiindi bounced behind them until just before they turned, when he leaped onto Elviiz’s shoulder. The cat’s tail rounded the corner last of all.
    Khorii hurried to catch up, and Sesseli tried to keep pace. Khorii turned, and said, “You can come. We may need your talent. But stay out of the lab and out of the way until I tell you it is safe.”
    The little girl protested, “But I wouldn’t get the plague, Khorii. I’m too little. Jaya says only grown-ups who aren’t old people get the plague. It’s tied to hormonal development, you know,” she added sagely, without stumbling over the larger words. Sesseli was so cute and small it caught one off guard that she was also, for a human child, extremely precocious, which was the word humans used for someone whose intelligence and language skills were more advanced than most younglings in their age group.
    “I do know, Sesseli, but plague is not the only dangerous possibility. There could be bad men like Marl Fidd.”
    “It couldn’t be him, could it?” Sesseli asked, so alarmed that Khorii was sorry she’d mentioned the name of the bullyboy who had come uninvited aboard the Mana with Captain Bates and had proceeded to blackmail, threaten, and assault the rest of the crew mentally or physically until Khorii finally got the better of him. “You killed him, didn’t you, Khorii?”
    Khorii stopped and squatted beside the little girl, turning her so that they faced each other. “ Killed him? Whatever would make you think a thing like that, youngling? You know my people do not believe in killing or harming others. Of course I didn’t kill him. Did you pick up some wish of mine that he was dead? Because I did wish it sometimes, when he hurt you or the others. But I didn’t kill him. I didn’t have to, though I wouldn’t be surprised to learn he has died since I left him.”
    Tears welled up in the large blue eyes and ran down the soft pink baby cheeks. “I’m sorry, Khorii. I know you’re not mean. And you didn’t ever say you killed him, but when