Someone knocked at the door.
Simon swore under his breath. He had drawn every curtain in the house, pulled every shade, and locked all the doors. Yet every sound still made him jump. He had a brief vision of opening the door and finding the winged creature standing there, its black armor gleaming with a sooty light.
The knocking came again, loud and angry. The toddler began to cry. The little girl stirred in her sleep, shifting on the couch. Simon hurried out of the living room and to the front hall.
He peered through the peephole. Katrina stood at the door, a bulging paper bag in each arm. Simon undid the deadbolt and the locks and pulled the door open.
“Took you long enough,” said Katrina.
“Sorry,” said Simon. “The boy started crying, and I wanted to make sure you weren’t…well, someone else.” Katrina headed for the living room, the bags rustling in her arms. “Did you get everything on the list?”
“Yeah,” said Katrina. She dumped the bags on the coffee table. “Diapers, disinfectant, baby powder, some clothes for these kids.” She gave him a look. “You’re doing the diaper, though.”
Simon shrugged and picked up the toddler. “Okay. I used to baby-sit when I was a kid, anyway.”
Katrina raised an eyebrow. “You did?”
Simon scowled. “Well, someone has to clean up the boy.”
“True,” said Katrina. She looked at the girl. “A fresh diaper and a bath aren’t going to do it for these kids, Simon. I think we should take them to the hospital.” She pointed at the bruises on the girl’s arm. “She looks pretty beat up.”
“No,” said Simon. He pulled the cloth diaper off the toddler, winced at the smell, and dumped it into a trash bag.
Katrina’s brows knitted. “Why the hell not? They need help.”
“I don’t think it would be wise,” said Simon.
Katrina folded her arms. “Just why not?”
“It wouldn’t be good for them. Or for us,” said Simon. He put the clean diaper on the toddler. “What did the girl say your name was? Lithon?”
Lithon babbled something incoherent and smiled. Simon set him down. Lithon began wandering around the living room, looking at everything with wide eyes.
“You’d better keep an eye on him,” said Katrina. “I don’t think your house is exactly child-proof.”
“Right,” said Simon. He shut the living room door. Lithon occupied himself by trying to climb onto the couch besides the little girl.
“So,” said Katrina. “I think you have quite a bit to tell me.”
Simon blinked.
Katrina sat in Maura’s easy chair. “Let’s think about this, college boy. About an hour ago I walked into your backyard and saw a door appear out of thin air. The door opened up, I saw a place that looked like hell’s basement, and this girl and this toddler appear out of nowhere. And, for some reason I can’t figure out, you’re insistent that we keep the boy and the girl a secret. You have quite a bit to explain, I think.”
Simon scratched at his chin. “Yeah.” He thought for a bit. Where to begin? “Okay. You were right. I wasn’t completely honest about the van. It…I suppose it began the day we had our first date, actually. I had to park outside the warehouse complex because a bunch of trucks were coming in. This thin man with a weird accent came up to me…”
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The Tower of Endless Worlds Page 40
