Free Normal by Francine Pascal Page B

Bank Street and out of view.
    He’d do anything for me, Gaia realized. Anything.
    So why can’t I talk to him? Why can’t I give him what he’s asking for?
    Gaia didn’t know.
    â€œWell!” Suko was swinging the wide mahogany door shut. She seemed visibly relieved now that the threat of a male intruder had passed. “I’m sure you want to settle in, Gaia. Zan will help you. Dinner is at seven sharp,” she added. Suko turned the door’s locks, and the harsh sound echoed through the gleaming room.
    â€œThanks,” Gaia said.
    She felt like crying suddenly. She had no idea why—it came out of nowhere. Gaia squinted for a moment and concentrated and it passed, and she felt fine again. An old habit. But she was trying toforce things to be right, to be bearable . . . and it wasn’t working.
    Come on, Gaia, she told herself. Time to be new Gaia. There’s nothing wrong with this place. There’s nothing wrong with Jake. There’s no reason to be angry. She turned and followed Zan up the stairs.
    A Bare, Clean Mattress
    â€œHERE YOU GO,” ZAN SAID. “HOME sweet home and all that.”
    Gaia looked through the door. She could see a very small bedroom. It was so narrow that the bed took up nearly the entire room. Gaia could tell, looking at the walls, that it had once been part of a much larger room—it had been partitioned off. There was a tiny wooden desk with a bright shaded lamp, and, at the other end of the narrow bed, a big window showing nothing but black night.
    There were no posters. There were no pictures or any decoration at all. The bed was unmade—a bare, clean mattress with sheets and blankets piled at one end. The floor was gleaming bare floorboards. Astreetlight outside shone yellow on the bare ceiling.
    â€œGreat,” Gaia said. She tried not to project any sarcasm, but it didn’t work. “Thank you, Zan.”
    â€œNo worries.” Zan was putting down the box she’d carried upstairs. She grunted with the effort. “What the hell is in here—rocks?”
    â€œSome books.”
    â€œAnyway, that’s me.” Zan was pointing at the next doorway. “If you need anything.”
    Gaia caught a glimpse of another, larger bedroom. The streetlight shone in the window, illuminating a Massive Attack poster. “Okay.”
    Zan followed Gaia into her tiny bedroom. Gaia went over to the window, peering out into the darkness. She could see the bright streetlamp and the shadows of the trees on the street. “So was that your boyfriend downstairs?” Zan asked. “He’s a little bit cute.”
    â€œHe’s—” Zan had asked a very good question, Gaia realized. What was Jake, anyway? “He’s my friend. I’m not sure.”
    â€œUh-huh.”
    â€œToo bad he couldn’t come in.”
    Zan frowned, squinting. “There are ways.”
    Gaia sat down on the bed. It was very firm. She could hear the springs creaking.
    â€œSo, you like to party?” Zan asked.
    â€œUm—sometimes, I guess.” It was a lame answer, but Gaia had no idea what to say. There was just noway to explain her life to this girl. And what Gaia really wanted to do was sleep —at least at that moment. Her headache was just beginning to fade.
    Looking at Zan, Gaia realized she’d given the wrong answer. Zan was already bored with her.
    â€œIf Suko tells you to do something, just do it,” Zan said.
    â€œSo you can’t break any of her rules?”
    Zan smirked. “Like I said, there are ways,” she said.
    Then she left the room, and Gaia started unpacking.
    Claustrophobic
    â€œTONIGHT WE ARE HAVING TERIYAKI,” Suko said. “I have made it for this special occasion—a new guest has joined our little family.”
    This isn’t my family, Gaia thought. That’s not what the word means.
    The dining room was big and bright, lit by soft white lamps