Twin Speex: Time Traitors Book II (50 page)

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Authors: Padgett Lively

BOOK: Twin Speex: Time Traitors Book II

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He opened his mouth to ask her, but was startled by a small voice that floated up to him from the vicinity of his knees.

“Why are you talking to the air, Pop-Pop?”

She was only five, and her voice was high-pitched and squeaky like a cartoon character’s.

“Anita, what are you doing here?” He bent over to pick her up and gave her a quick hug before resting her on his hip.

She smiled at him mischievously, and his old heart melted. She was the beautiful amalgamation of so many different peoples, it hurt his eyes sometimes just to look at her.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head against his.

“It’s pretty.”

“What?” he asked perplexed.

“The shimmery air.” She pointed a couple of feet in front of Odell where Odette stood. “Right there.”

He raised his eyebrows at Odette, who mirrored the expression. It seemed that even a few generations removed from its source, the
Liberi
blood still showed up here and there.

Odell set his great-granddaughter down.

“Back to bed with you, pumpkin. Your folks will be mad at ole Pop-Pop if they find out you’ve been up so late.”

“You have to come with me.” She grasped his hand and wouldn’t let go, pulling him toward the door.

“Okay, but I can’t stay.” He smiled at Odette and made a little swirly motion with his hand, indicating that he would be right back. “I’m not done talking to the air, pumpkin.”

In her bedroom, he tucked Anita in next to her little sister and turned to leave.

“Come back and read to me, Pop-Pop,” she pleaded in her small voice.

“We’ll wake your sister,” he whispered

She looked at him scornfully, as if he were trying to trick her.

“You know Pooky never wakes up at night. She just sleeps and sleeps, but I’m not tired.”

Anita was right. Pooky slept the sleep of the innocent. Not like her big sister, who was precocious and troublesome.

“Okay, I’ll come back and read to you in a little bit,” he agreed. “What do you want to hear?”

“Pluribus et Concordis
,” she replied decisively.

Odell sighed. She was far, far too bright for her age.

“All right, I guess it’s never too early to explore the philosophical foundations of our collective humanity.”

She smiled brightly at him and clapped her hands together, bouncing a little on the bed.

Back in his study he called her name, but he knew it was no use. She was gone. She never stayed long. Still, he was disappointed.

Shaking his head tiredly, he ascended the mahogany staircase to the office above. His knees creaked a little, finally beginning to feel their age. The loft was as cluttered as the laboratory below, but here with bookshelves and telescopes, maps spread out across a large desk, and a small computer screen glowing and tucked away to one side.

He walked to a massive oak bookshelf where he kept his most prized editions and stood staring at the empty space where Gabriel’s book had been. He smiled sadly. This wasn’t the first time she had taken it. Over the years, he had found it missing more than a few times. He knew it would eventually show up. One day, he would find it back in its place of honor as if it had never been gone.

Odell snapped abruptly out of his reverie. If he wasn’t quick, Anita would come looking for him again. He turned to the wide windowsill where a pile of well-worn and tattered paperbacks were stacked. He pulled from its midst a particularly dog-eared edition of
The Time Machine
by H.G. Wells.

Odell turned and made his way back to Anita’s bedroom. There he would read to her until she fell asleep.

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