Red Angel (2 page)

"That implies one krait per patient. Not very
efficient, given the virus sometimes infects hundreds before we can contain
it," the grey-haired man said. "And we don't know how long a krait
lives."

"True. We need to find some red-headed kraits and
study them, since we can't have Anna's. Maybe we could breed them, or better
yet, duplicate the toxins or organisms they inject to counter the
disease," Renata said with a shrug.

"And it's time Anna was released from the
hospital. She needs a normal life and to begin schooling. You can't expect her
to grow up here or in some lab. You've had her here for more than six months.
That's enough," Adela said. She was a nice lady and visited regularly. She
read me stories, played games with me, and answered my questions like Mommy
used to. She had even explained that Red wasn't an angel who could take me to Mommy
but necessary to keep me alive. That gave me a headache. If I died, wouldn't I
go to where Mommy was staying? And didn't that mean that Red was keeping me
from seeing her?

"You're right, Advocate Adela. She needs to be
monitored, but she doesn't have to be here for that. We'll leave it to you to
find her a suitable home, so long as you coordinate with us so we know where
she is and we can schedule regular checkups," the grey-haired man said.

Several days later, Adela came to take me from the
hospital. She brought a small bag where we packed the clothes she had bought me
over the months. After saying goodbye to everyone that stopped in as Adela got
me ready to leave, she took me out to a strange black skimmer. I felt the urge
to turn around and run back to the hospital that had been my home. It felt safe,
whereas the skimmer felt scary. I’d never been in or even close to one before. Where
would it take me? Would I like it there? Could I leave if I didn't? Did I have
a choice? I froze in front of the open door.

"Anna, I know it's frightening leaving the hospital,
but I promise you'll like your new home. There will be other children to play
with and for company," Adela said in her soft comforting voice. But it
didn't sound like something I would like. I was an only child and wasn't used
to having other children around. I preferred adults. Just then Red emerged from
my shirt and wrapped himself around my neck with his head lying on my shoulder
and pointing in the direction of the open door. I reached up and rubbed his
body and somehow felt better. Red never answered me, but I found touching and
talking to him helped relax me. Feeling a little better, I stepped in, decided
on a seat next to a window, and sat. Adela came and sat next to me. The door
closed and the vehicle rose into the air. I took a gasping breath and my hand
went to Red as I watched the hospital grow smaller as we rose higher and
higher. I wanted to scream but couldn't while struggling to breathe.

"Nothing to worry about, Anna," Adela said
as she took my free hand. "Skimmers are very safe. Your new home is many kilometers
away, and it would take all day by car. It will only take an hour this way, and
you can see the world as a bird sees it."

 
I began to
breathe normally as she pointed out various towns, lakes, and other interesting
sites and talked about each. I had so many questions I forgot about falling to
the ground.

* * *

The house, a white three-story brick building, had a
circular driveway that led to the red front door. In the middle of the circle stood
a large fountain with four statues of chubby children with wings. The grounds
were grassy up to the trees, which blocked further view. Mommy and Daddy's
house had been made of wood in a town surrounded by wheat fields and houses
within easy walking distance of each other.

This house looked to be alone in the middle of a
forest. At the front door, a tall man with a bushy beard and shoulder-length
hair answered. He gave Adela a broad smile.

"Hi, Adela. It's been a while. I heard you got a
promotion." His voice rumbled low in his chest.

"Yes. Mr. Veles had health problems, and the
doctor said he should do something with less stress, so I got it." She
choked out a laugh. "Jarek, this is Anna. I called Mira yesterday to let
her know Anna was coming."

"Hi, Anna. I'm Jarek. Welcome to Koria Hall."
He stepped back so we could enter.

Just then an elderly lady wearing glasses came
striding down the long hallway. She looked at me and then Adela.

"Hi, Adela. I assume this is Anna." Her
smile was pleasant as she held out her hand. I took it carefully. "Welcome,
Anna. I'm Mira. Come, Jarek will bring some milk and cookies while we get
acquainted. Afterward, I'll introduce you to the others and show you
around."

She led us down a hallway to a large room with a
wooden desk, four padded chairs of different colors surrounding a round table,
and a lot of pictures of children on the walls. In back of the desk was a large
curved window that looked out across a green lawn that ended at a thick line of
trees. It looked dark and scary.

"Adela, I'm a little troubled by the snake ... a
poisonous one. If it bit one of the children or the help ..." Mira scanned
me up and down looking for Red.

"The krait never leaves her. Their relationship
is symbiotic. In addition, the krait is lazy and isn't inclined to bite unless
teased. In the unlikely event someone is bitten, I will leave this anti-venin
and syringe. Fill it to the mark, which is at 0.5 cc."

"Can I see it, Anna?" Mira asked. I reached
inside my blouse, and Red wrapped himself around my wrist. I pulled him out and
held him up for her to see but kept him close to my chest.

"What does it eat?" she asked, leaning a bit
closer while pushing up her glasses.

"My blood," I said, and she jerked back in
her chair. "When he bites, he puts something in me that keeps the virus
from killing me. He never leaves me ... even when I shower." Thinking
about it, I couldn't help giggling. Red seemed to love the water and even the
soap.

Mira looked at Adela for a long moment. "All right,
Adela. We'll try. I trust you wouldn't allow Anna here if it was dangerous."

"Anna and her krait aren't dangerous; however,
the other children need to be warned her snake isn't a pet and is
poisonous."

When Adela left, I was given a tour of the building. In
addition to Mira's office, there was a big kitchen with two cooks, a narrow
dining room with a long wooden table, two classrooms, an oversized living room
with communication and entertainment devices, and a study room. Upstairs had
two large bedrooms with bathrooms, one for the girls and one for the boys, and
rooms for the live-in staff: one cook, Jarek, another woman, and Mira. When she
finished the tour, she had the children assembled in the living room.

"Children," Mira began when everyone was
seated. "This is Anna. She is joining us as a full-time resident. Anna
caught the Coaca Virus—"

"Why isn't she dead?" one of the taller boys
asked.

"She was lucky." Mira paused, looking at me.
I didn't agree. I was alone without my mommy and daddy. I would prefer to be
with them. "A snake saved her. Anna, show the children the snake."

I reached into my blouse and grabbed Red and pulled
him halfway out.

"That snake feeds off Anna, and in the process it
injects her with a poison that keeps the virus in check. That snake is not a
pet. It's poisonous, and it bites. If for whatever reason you get bitten, you
must come get me or send someone to get me. I'll have to give you an injection
that will prevent you from dying … but you'll be very sick for several days. So
believe me, you want to leave that snake alone. It never leaves Anna, so you
don't have to worry about it being loose, and it is unlikely to bite you unless
you upset it." She then introduced the six girls and seven boys.

* * *

The first couple of weeks were the hardest. They all
wanted to see my krait. I let them see it, but I had to keep telling them not
to reach for it or bang into me. The boys were the worst, wanting to see it
moving or wanting to hold it or other dumb things. When they couldn't get their
way, they became nasty, so by the end of the month no one wanted to talk to me
or play with me. It hurt a little, but Koria Hall had its own school and
library, and most of the time, I was happy to be off in a corner reading or
studying. Besides, I had my krait for company.

At first I found learning to read and do math hard.
Then something strange happened. I was reading when Red wound himself into my
hair and laid his head on my forehead, looking down at the book like he was
interested. Since he was my only real friend, I began reading aloud softly
while pointing to each word. It was kind of fun, and Red felt like a real
friend. Over the months the subjects got easier, and I found I could remember
more with less effort. By the end of the year I was the best student in the
class, which didn't endear me to anyone.

My solitude made me an outsider subject to taunts,
ridicule, and jokes. It hurt, but I knew if I let it show, it would get worse.
Fortunately, by the second year the game had become tiring and mostly stopped.
By then I enjoyed being left alone. During the third year the trouble began
again. We were all three years older. I was going on for nine and the older
boys were now twelve and thirteen and full of mischief. They had been giving
the older girls a lot of grief but had left me alone except for remarks intended
for me to hear. Two or three boys would be huddled together, and when I passed,
they would raise their voices enough for me to hear.

"Let’s steal her precious snake. I'll bet she'd
do anything for us to get it back."

"That damn snake is dangerous. We should kill it
before it hurts someone."

"Let’s steal that snake and throw it in Mira's
room. I'll say I saw her do it. Get that stuck-up bitch expelled." And so
it went on for months. I didn't know how much they really meant, but I was
smart enough to know eventually one or more of them would do something dumb, so
I went out of my way to be in rooms with other people. Months later, while
curled up in a corner of the living room studying and quietly reading to Red,
the room suddenly became empty. I thought that funny, as there was always
someone watching the tapes, or a broadcast, or playing games until late into
the night. I stood just as three of the oldest boys entered the room, smiling.

They surrounded me, blocking the way to the door. The
oldest, Donar, blocked my way, a sneer on his bulldog face as Mannus and Sher
each grabbed one of my arms.

"Well, snake-bitch, it's time we taught you your
place. You don't belong here with real children." He nodded to Mannus.
"Let go of her arm." He looked at me. "Vermin," he spat
out.

I tried to jerk away at the evil look he gave me, but
Sher still gripped my other arm.

"Reach in and get your pet, or I'll have Sher
break your arm. Or maybe I'll rip your clothes off you."

I couldn't fight them; they were bigger and stronger.
Besides, I hated even the thought of fighting, but I wouldn't help them hurt
Red.

Donar drew back his fist and punched me. My face
exploded in pain as my head snapped back. Coppery tasting blood ran down my
lips. Donar held up his bloody fist. "Get that snake out or I'll break
more than your nose." Before I could say anything, he punched me in the
stomach.

I doubled over, spitting blood into his face as my
breath exploded out of me.

He jumped back and swiped the blood out of his eyes.
"Bitch! Sher, break her arm."

"We can't claim she attacked us if she looks beat
up. We'll get in trouble," Sher whined.

"What can they do to us? Besides, it's her word
against ours. Break it, damn it! Mannus, get her other arm."

I writhed as Mannus took hold of my arm and was shoved
into Sher. Donar grabbed me by my throat but let go suddenly,
jerkinh
back to nurse his hand against his chest. "Damn
you!"

Sher clutched me closer and Red struck.

"Ouch," Sher shouted.

Red slid toward Mannus who let go and hurriedly backed
up. Everyone now stood several steps away from me.

Donar clutched his hand with the other as it swelled,
already twice its size. He collapsed to his knees, bent over, and puked. Sher
moaned as his face puffed out and began turning colors: red and maroon and
purple. He bent
over,gagging
on his vomit.

"Mannus, run for Mira. Tell her to bring the
antivenin. They’ll die if you don't hurry," I shouted, and pointed to the
door.

He hesitated, open mouthed, before running off.

I kissed Red and held him to my cheek and felt his
tongue licking ...
me or my blood
, I
wondered? I laughed and felt my nose throbbing with waves of pain. Mira and
Mannus ran in several minutes later.

"I knew you'd be trouble," she said, looking
down at Donar and Sher.

I said nothing. Over the years, I had gotten used to
being blamed as the
cause
of most
conflicts, although it wasn't in my nature to cause trouble. I watched as she
filled the syringe and injected first Donar, then Sher. Then she called the
police.

"I want you gone," she shouted, her face
twisted in anger. I sat quietly stroking Red under my shirt. He probably didn't
care, but it made me feel better. The police arrived an hour later. I listened
as the boys claimed I attacked them with my snake. After recording their versions
of the incident, the officer walked over to me and stared at me for a minute
before speaking.

"Give me that snake, young lady."

 
"No.
If you take my snake, I'll die, and you'll be a murderer. I held out my hand
with the medical bracelet they had given me at the Mercy Hospital.

"Take it off," he said, eyeing me like I was
a krait.

"Can't. It doesn't have a release, so I can't
lose it. My life depends on it." I stretched my arm out and turned
sideways to make him feel safer. He turned it slowly as he read, his eyes
darting up frequently to check on the krait. Then he dialed the number on the
bracelet.

"This is Sergeant Pilate. I have an Anna Paulus
in custody. Her snake bit two boys. She will be charged with murder if they
die." He listened and then turned to me. "All right. A senior
Advocate will be here within the hour. You sit. No more trouble, or I'll shoot
you and that snake," he said loudly while pointing at me. Nothing had
changed. No one wanted my side of the incident. I was assumed guilty because ...
actually I wasn't sure why. I sat wishing Red would end it for me. I was tired,
my arms and stomach ached, and my face was on fire. Advocate Adela arrived an
eternity later. She took one look at me and shouted.

"Look at that child. She's got a broken nose
which is still bleeding and her arms are black and blue. I'll bet you haven't
even heard her side of the incident." She held up her hand before anyone
could reply. "There will be an inquiry into this incident, but for now,
I'm taking her to the hospital. I'll be responsible for having her available
for the inquiry." She reached out her hand. When I took it, she helped me
up and supported me to her shuttle. I think I fell asleep, because the ride
seemed to take only minutes. We were met at the door by Doctor Renata, a nurse,
and a security guard.