Free Paint It Black by Nancy A. Collins Page A

launch his psionic strike, the figure laughed dryly and stepped from the shadows.

    'Hello, Bill. Did you miss me?'

    'Sonja!'

    She stood there looking tired, her leather jacket powdered with road dust, her mirrored shades equally grimy. In one hand she held a battered black nylon duffel bag, in the other a neatly wrapped present bound with colored twine. She smiled tightly, as if the corners of her mouth concealed fishhooks. Her head was surrounded by a blackish-red halo that strobed and pulsated like a lava lamp. The Other was very active tonight, it seemed. Palmer tried not to let his dismay taint his own aura.

    He hugged her, savoring the smell of her as he pressed his face into her hair. For a moment her shoulders seemed to quiver, as if struggling to shrug off an invisible burden.

    'Auntie Blue! Auntie Blue!'

    Palmer and Sonja stepped apart as Lethe bounded onto the patio, grinning broadly. Dressed in a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle T-shirt and a pair of bright yellow stirrup pants, she could have passed for a normal child - except for her golden, pupil-less eyes. Shambling in her wake, Fido paused at the sight of Sonja. Although Palmer could rarely 'read'
    the seraphim's aura, he knew that it, too, was disturbed by evidence of the Other's activity.

    Sonja smiled at the sight of her godchild, the stress draining from her face, and dropped down on one knee, opening her arms wide. 'C'mere and give me a hug, sweetie!'

    Lethe shot into Sonja's arms like an arrow, clinging to her tightly.

    'Are you staying this time, Auntie? Are you really staying for good?'

    'Maybe not for good, but at least for a couple of months.
    Here, let me have a look at you... You've grown, child! Hasn't she, Bill?'

    'Eighteen inches in the last six months.'

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    'Did you bring me something, Auntie Blue?'

    Sonja laughed and ruffled Lethe's dark hair. 'Here you go, darling. I just hope you haven't gotten too big for dolls.'

    'I'll never be too big for dolls! They're my babies!'

    Palmer stepped forward, gently nudging Lethe in the direction of the house. 'Lethe, why don't you and Fido go play with your new doll? Auntie Blue and I have some things to talk about. And tell her thank you for the gift.'
    'Okay, Daddy. Thank you, Auntie!'

    Sonja watched as Lethe skipped away, Fido lumbering after her like a demented pull-toy.

    'She's big, Bill. Too big for thirty months.'

    'You're telling me? That's why I've been trying to get you to come home. We need to figure out what to do with her.'

    It was several hours before they could be alone. First Palmer had to prepare dinner for those members of the household that actually ate food, then they had to go through the process of readying Lethe for bed. After baths and bedtime stories, it was close to midnight before he could join Sonja on the front porch. He found her curled up in the hammock, watching the night sky. She was still wearing her sunglasses.

    'I brought some refreshments,' he said, holding up a bottle of tequila. 'Any room there for me?'

    'Maybe,' Sonja smiled, moving so he could join her.

    Palmer cracked the seal on the bottle and took a hefty swig before placing it on the floorboards of the porch. He lifted his arm and Sonja flowed into its hollow like a shadow, one cheek pressed against his breastbone. They lay there for a long moment, Palmer idly stroking her hair.

    'Things are getting weird, Sonja.'

    She lifted her head from his chest and gave him a quizzical look. '"Getting"? I thought they'd been there for some time now!'

    'You know what I mean. This stuff with Lethe is getting out of hand - I don't know what to expect from her one day to the next! Hell, this time last year she looked like she was ready for kindergarten! Now she looks like she should be in the fourth grade!'

    'Is she giving you problems?'

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