Man-Kzin Wars XII by Larry Niven (books you have to read .TXT) 📕

Fear shoots straight into my heart, and I jump away from her, stumbling over debris as I fall against the wall.

KJ stands, her eyes wide in shock. “I'm sorry. Was that not okay?”

The focus returns in my eyes and my heartbeat settles. I see her standing before me, vulnerable and weak. My stomach feels the same. The vulnerability gets to me, and a nervous laughter darts out of my mouth.

“Why are you laughing?” she demands, the weakness flipping to an embarrassed anger.

My cheeks flush, and a new kind of fear encompasses my body. I want KJ to like me. But what if she doesn't? I muster all the confidence I was created with in response: “I've never been kissed before.”

She smiles, “If you react like that every time, it will never happen again.”

That's the last thing I want. Aside from the shock and fear, the feeling I had was of uninhibited happiness. Since I turned and became more woke, this is the closest I have felt to being human. “I promise it won't.”

“Good.” She grabs my hand and pulls me through the door. We descend through a building that is in much better shape than the one from which we came. There are cracks and holes in the walls, but the footing is sturdy.

Before I can register any more of the building, we jump out of a hole in the ground floor into the street. It's clean. That's the first thing I notice. No trash, no debris, and most important, no bodies. It gives me a glimpse of what this city might have looked like during a better time.

“Get behind me.” I step in front of KJ. Ahead of us, I spot two figures walking across the street.

She pushes me aside and keeps walking. “Don't worry. It's safe.”

I catch up to her. I'm a little weary, but I do my best not to show it. “Where are we going?”

“My home.” She picks up her pace, and I follow suit. We pass the two figures from before, and they go about their conversation without even glancing at us. This part of the city has a lot less weight hanging over it. We make a couple of turns, passing a few more people, and then stop in front of a short building.

“Is this it?” I ask.

“Yes. Stay close to me, and don't get offended by anything my family says.” She grabs my hand and leads the way.

The building is only one story high, and though it's run down, it appears well taken care of. The area around the outside is clean compared to how the rest of the city looks. We enter the building through a door covered with heavy fabric. The second it falls back behind me, darkness surrounds us. She smacks the wall right next to my head, and a dim light flickers on above us.

“Sometimes it needs a little help.” She smiles at me. “The solar panels don't capture as much sun as they probably once did.”

“KJ, is that you?” An older woman steps out with two smaller versions of KJ behind her.

KJ pushes me forward. “Ma, this is—”

“What are you doing?” the woman screams back. She pushes the two little ones back. “How dare you bring that filth in here!”

The woman takes a step toward me, but KJ gets in the way. “No, he's not like that. He's the one I told you helped me. He was in trouble with the Cabras at the Dhimashada. I got him out.”

“I told you not to go messing around there.” The woman's shoulders settle, and she lets the younger ones run out to hug KJ. Now that all three are together, I can tell that they aren't identical, though it seems like everything about them is struggling to be. The blonde hair, blue eyes, big smiles.

KJ turns to me, “These are my sisters. Pocket is the youngest, and Jean wishes she was the oldest, but she's not.”

Jean sticks her tongue out at KJ and storms off into another room. My eyes follow her away, then lock with the eyes of the older woman.

She grabs my face with both hands and pulls me close to her face. “Let me get a closer look at you.”

“That's my mother, Martha.” KJ hands off the information as she walks into the adjoining room. “It's best to let her finish.”

“What happened to your eye?” Martha gets right to it.

“Yeah?” Pocket adds, excited for the answer.

“I lost it,” I spit back. I have never felt more uncomfortable than I do right now. The scientists created me to deal with interrogations if I were captured. This just doesn't register.

Martha looks at me for agonizing moments longer and then disappears into the same room as Jean. I'm left alone in this dim-lit room. There is a long couch pushed against the side wall with a short table in front of it. Under the only two windows flanking the door are small shelves stacked with books. The same heavy fabric as the door covers the windows.

I'm about to call out for KJ when a tug at my arm lets me know I'm not alone. Pocket, the youngest, is standing right beside me. Has she been there the whole time?

“Where is KJ?” I demand. Perhaps a little too strong, since she takes a step back and her eyes dart wide.

She grabs my hand and leads me into the room KJ had entered.

“Are you hungry?” KJ says the second I walk through the threshold.

The little one is still holding my hand, and she does not seem to want to let go. I decide to let it be.

“She likes you.” KJ smiles at me. “I'm a bit jealous.”

Pocket and I compete for embarrassment. Both of our faces have turned bright red. This must scare Pocket, because she lets go of my hand and runs off. I'm relieved, since I was already feeling awkward enough without her holding my hand.

“Go set the table for dinner!” KJ