Free Socket 1 - The Discovery of Socket Greeny by Tony Bertauski Page B

and the one you came from, where
the regular people live.” He looked over his shoulder. “I sincerely
doubt you can go back. In case you haven’t noticed, they don’t know
we exist.”
    Whether South Carolina was my home or not, I
knew right then and there I didn’t want to end up wearing a onsey
in jungle colors. And the dear thing was really stepping on
my nerves.
    Broak walked along the rocky ledge. The
grimmets stirred a cloud of dust getting out of his way. Broak
glared at them crawling along the branches. He brushed his chest
off again.
    “You don’t like this place,” I said.
    “I am not a fan of the Preserve,” he said,
wiping each arm, dutifully. “It is absolutely filthy. It is
unorganized. Unpredictable. Pivot belongs here, not me. After all,
the Paladins built it for him.”
    “They built what? That tree?”
    “The entire Preserve.”
    5.2 square miles of tropical jungle, all
for one person? “That’s impossible.”
    He brushed both arms, both legs, licked the
back of his hand and rubbed it off. Clean as a cat. Broak squatted
next to Pivot, brushed the hair from his eyes. Pivot did not
move.
    “He is a mutant. Like you. Although you had
the benefit of your father’s association with the Paladin Nation,
Pivot came from the general population. He was an accident. I
suppose we found a Mona Lisa, after all.” He looked at me. “What do
you suppose the odds are of finding two?”
    “Let’s get something out in the open.” My gut
lit up. “Are you looking for a fight? Because it feels like you
are, and I just met you.”
    The rehearsed smile creased his porcelain
cheeks. “It’s a great moment in history, dear Socket.” He raised
his hands in celebration. “I’m the perfect breeding. Pivot’s the
lucky mutt. And you… well, we’re not sure what you are, just yet.
Let’s just say you show promise.”
    “Not that this matters, but I don’t give two
shits what you think. I don’t care if I ever read another thought
or stop another moment in time. You can drop me off back home, if
you like. I was happy with my old life.”
    Then it hit me. Happy with my old
life? Every day of my life felt like pushing a boulder up a
hill waiting for something to happen. It was always that way, like
I was missing what I was supposed to be doing. Now that I was with
the Paladins, I didn’t feel like a freak.
    Broak pulled Pivot up and put his arms around
us both. “Pivot’s special. And I don’t mean the he-can’t-see kind
of special, either. The Paladin Nation needs him. They need me.
And, if what we’ve seen so far from your preliminary tests, you
just might be special, too. Whether you like it or not, we have
been chosen by a higher power to serve. All we can do is celebrate,
dear Socket.” He leaned close, his breath odorless. “Long live the
Paladin Nation.”
    He shook us once, twice and let go.
    “Now if you will please excuse me,” he said,
“I have to get out of this place. When you get some free time, join
me on the tagghet field, won’t you? I’ll teach you the sport in no
time. It will be worldwide within a couple years; you should know
the rules, at the very least. And I must warn you, I’m quite good
and I don’t go easy on beginners.” He smirked, the first sign of
real emotion. “I’ll give you quite a thrashing, but you will thank
me for it later.”
    “When am I done testing?”
    “They evaluated me in three days.” He looked
at Pivot. “They gave up on Pivot. You? Like I told you, you are
somewhere in between.” He winked. “Come see me when you can.”
    He walked down the slab. The grimmets hovered
over me, watching. A red one landed on my shoulder. We looked at
each other, both surprised at the sudden intimacy.
    “By the way, you will have to clean yourself
up,” Broak called. “The white hair is odd but I like it, I really
do. But you’re going to have to clean it up. Better yet, cut it.”
He stopped at the edge of the trees. “And for God’s sake, don’t