Question Another Teaser

Excerpt from Blood-Sister, Blood-Brother...



But Deimos had been, seemingly, recovering from her sister’s death, somewhat greatly due to the Outcasts closing ranks around her. She’d had high hopes for the Fury Twin before she’d heard the voice message.

“Lady Astarte, I know I have no right to ask you for your help after the hell I put you and your friends through, but I have no choice. It’s Janine. She’s not eating, not responding and I don’t know how to help her…” The male voice cracked slightly. “Please help, I can’t lose them both. Please.”

She hated Johann, and wouldn’t cross the street to put out a fire by pissing on him. But she didn’t hate the Fury Twins, and she had already lived with the pain of losing Shelly for over a decade.

She dialed the number from her office, refusing to give the sonofabitch a personal line.

“Ja, this is Richter.”

“Let’s get this done fast, Johann, what’s wrong with Janine?” Carson managed to school most of the contempt from her voice as she spoke to the hated bio-devisor.

“She’s stopped talking, eating. She stopped talking three days after she returned home. Evadne has been trying to get her to talk, she loves the girls, but she won’t even get out of bed, she keeps staring at Adrienne’s things. She doesn’t eat the food we bring her.”

Carson heard the tears choking the man’s voice, despite his past, where he’d openly declared the GSD to be defects that should be scoured from the population. She didn’t know what had caused him to change his tune.

“Tell me everything.”

“There is nothing much to add, she came home and simply shut down. She talked about something called a Noms, and muttered about things that made no sense. The few coherent words that anyone has coaxed out of her were Diamond, Razor, Jericho and someone named Cait but not in that order.”

“Outcasts.” Carson sighed. It would make sense that the deadly tight-knit band of GSD and crazy had been what kept Deimos going. Those kids had their issues, but they invariably pulled together when it mattered, especially when it came to comforting the lost.

“I’m sorry, what do Outcasts have to do with Janine?”

“Janine’s been friends with a group of the rowdiest and in-your-face GSDs and ragers on the campus.” Carson sighed heavily. “If I’m not missing my guess, the five of them adopted Janine and didn’t tell anyone when Adrienne passed away. They have always been rather tight with the twins. I don’t know what we could do, except perhaps bring Janine here for observation.”

“Would these Outcasts be willing to come to her?”

“Maybe. For her, likely, but as I said they are all GSD except Jericho and he’s black.”

“Evadne would not care, and for mein kinder If it would save them I would confess every crime I have committed and hand each of them a blade.” He sighed. “Janine’s shame at her body is my fault. Her sister’s death is my fault. Their desperation to ask that Jobe for help is my fault. I should have taken them and left before that madman, Dietrich, had a chance to get his hands on my daughters. Everything in their lives that has gone wrong is my fault. If they come, I will give you, and them anything you demand if it can even make my Janine smile just for a little while.”

Sir Lee wrote: Wait, there's a second character named "Evadne", besides Toni's grandmother? Man, those parallel words are weird... I mean, look at the names that get unexpectedly popular.
Oh well, at least it's not another member of the Legion of Elaines.

Holy shit, really? I had completely forgotten about Toni's grandma.

Edit: Well whaddya know? That is interesting.

I never said when this would publish...

But the story's done!

Fuel for the foodie bookies!