Free The Nest by Kenneth Oppel

world.”
    The queen was maddening, the way she talked, the way words poured out of her and spiraled around.
    â€œBut you’re still not telling me—”
    â€œâ€˜Yes’ means yes and everything that entails. We’ll finish the baby, and you’ll go into his room one morning and there he’ll be, and he’ll be healthy and it’ll be like the old one was never there.”
    â€œAs if my parents wouldn’t notice!”
    â€œNo one will ask questions,” the queen said. “You think they’ll care when they discover he’s healthy? You actually think they’ll wonder, ‘Hmmm. How can he be so healthy all of a sudden? How worrying! How suspicious!’ They’ll just be so grateful. And it will be Theo. Just healthy. And before you know it, you’ll forget all about that crappy little broken baby.”
    I felt like I’d been slapped. Those were the first unkind words she’d spoken.
    â€œThat’s mean,” I said.
    â€œSometimes the truth hurts. Now, just think howhappy your parents will be. They’ll be so happy, and everything will go back to the way it was. Happy, happy, happy.”
    â€œHappy . . .” I suddenly caught the smell of freshly cut grass again, felt a cooling summer breeze.
    â€œThat’s right. And all you have to do is say yes. Yes to the end of suffering and heartbreak. Yes to making your mother and father happy. Yes to making a better life for everyone.”
    I thought, It’s just a dream anyway .
    I thought, It has no power over me .
    I thought, Why not?
    â€œFine,” I whispered.
    â€œI’m sorry. I didn’t hear that.”
    â€œYes,” I muttered.
    â€œMore clearly please.”
    â€œYes, then! Yes! Yes!”
    I was aware of a vast welling sorrow in my chest,like a huge breath I didn’t know needed exhaling. I was crying.
    â€œThere now,” said the queen kindly, and her antennae brushed my tears away. “There, there. Let the sadness out. You’ve done the right thing, Steven. Such a brave, wonderful boy. Thank you.”
    And I cried, and woke, my blankets all tangled up around my breathing hole, smothering me. I pulled my head clear and sucked in air. For a moment I was confused and couldn’t remember what had happened. When I did, I felt sick in my stomach. I’d done something terrible. I’d said yes. I’d agreed to help the wasps replace the baby.
    Breathing deep, I tried to calm myself. Dr. Brown had said dreams felt very powerful but they weren’t real experiences. Right now this didn’t make me feel one bit better.
    I whispered to myself, “I didn’t mean it.”
    Like I was hoping someone would reply. Like someone would forgive me.
    â€œI didn’t mean it,” I said again.
    â€œI didn’t mean it,” I said fiercely, teeth pushed against my pillow.

A T AROUND ELEVEN THE NEXT MORNING , Dad went to pick Mom and the baby up from the hospital. The baby was crying and seemed more energetic. Mom looked wiped out, but she smiled and said it was amazing anyone could get better in a hospital with all the beeping and buzzing and people coming in and out at all hours.
    â€œHow is he?” I asked.
    And Mom told me everything the queen had told me in my dream—almost everything. “When he’sstronger, he’ll have the operation. Maybe as soon as this week. But the doctors said he can stay at home till then. We just need to take extra care with him and make sure he doesn’t get all limp again, or his fingernails or lips get blue. And then, with a bit of luck, he’ll have the operation.”
    â€œAnd then he’ll be all better?” asked Nicole, running her truck back and forth over an action figure.
    â€œHe’ll be better,” Mom said. “Not all better. There’s always going to be things . . . different about him.”
    It was the first time Mom and Dad had really said