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There were a few changes they couldn’t avoid, thanks to the governislation—blood tests and psych tests and all that fun stuff—but they did their best, and I’ll give thes they did for us weren’t cheap They paid for the right to raise us the way that they did Entertainment equipht for practically nothing Anything that lets you outside, froear that doesn’t cut you off coet expensive The Masons paid in everything but blood to keep us in a place where there were blue skies and open spaces, and I’s and a boy we never knew

The garage door slid open as we pulled into the driveway, registering the sensors Shaun and I wear around our neck In case of viral ae becoet us in, but only a clean blood test and a successful voice check gets us out If we ever fail those tests, we’ll be incinerated by the house defense systee

Mo to his job on campus were parked in their norine, re my helmet as I started a basic postfield check of the h Santa Cruz had seriously daed my shocks Buffy’s cameras were still attached to the helmet and back of the bike I pulled the it and slinging it over ot out of the van and reached the back door three steps before I did “Wehiht-hand sensors

“Sure did,” I said, and positioned myself on the left

“Please identify yourselves,” said the bland voice of the house security system

Most of the newer systems sound more like people than ours does They’ll even ical studies have shown that closing the gap between man and machine increases co froet cabin fever as much when they think they have more people they can safely talk to I think that’s bullshit If you want to avoid cabin fever, go outside Our ia Carolyn Mason,” said Shaun

I smirked “Shaun Phillip Mason”

The light above the door blinked as the house checked our vocal intonations We ain: “Voice prints confir on your display screen”

Words appeared on lasses, and read, “Mares eat oats, and does eat oats, and little lambs eat ivy A kid will eat ivy, too Wouldn’t you?”

The words blinked out I glanced at Shaun, but couldn’t quite see the words appearing on his screen before he was reciting thees and les, say the bells of St Martins When will you pay ht over the door changed fro pads,” commanded the security systeainst the metal panels set into the wall The metal chilled beneathsensation in an to flash, alternating red and yellow

“Think we’re clean?” Shaun asked

“If not, it’s been nice knowing you,” I said Coether means that if one of us ever tests positive, that’s all she wrote; they won’t let anybody out of the garage until a cleanup crew arrives, and the chances of whoever co happens aren’t good Our next-door neighbor used to call Child Protective Services every six ether But what’s the point of life if you can’t take risks now and then, like coht started flashing green instead of red, continuing to alternate with yellow for a few reen to flash alone The door unlocked, and the bland voice of the house said, “Welcoia”

“S’up, the house?” Shaun replied, re unit before he walked inside, hollering, “Hey, ’rents! We’re ho called “ ’rents” I’m pretty sure that’s why he does it

“And we survived!” I added, copying the gesture and following hi closed and locked itself behind arlic bread

“Failure to die is always appreciated,” Mo an empty laundry basket on the counter “You know the drill Both of you, upstairs, and strip for sterilization”

“Yes, Mo up the basket “Come, Shaun The insurance bill calls us”

“Yes,Mom entirely, he turned and followed me up the stairs

The house was a duplex before Mole-family home Our bedrooms literally adjoin; there’s an inside door between the and prep work, and it’s been like that all our lives On the few occasions when I’ve had to try sleeping without Shaun in the next roo way on a six-pack of Coke

I dropped the laundry basket in the hallway between our doors before going intothe switch to turn on the overheads We use loattage bulbs in the entire house, but I’ve abandoned white light entirely in leaht of black-light UV la if used extensively; what they can’t do is cause corneal dae, and I appreciate that