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Prax pulled up his hand terminal The connection was still dead, but his wallpaper was a picture froood Lifetihing and dangling the doughy, delighted bundle that had been Mei

“Her?” Prax said “She was here?”

The confusion in the teacher’s face answered him There’d been a —had co one

“She was on the computer,” the teacher said “She was in the systehts flickered The ser, and the air recyclers were huled to suck out the volatile particulates A boy whose name Prax should have knohimpered, and the teacher reflexively tried to turn toward him Prax took her elbow and wrenched her back

“No, you ive Mei to?”

“The system said it was her mother! She had identification It cleared her”

A stutter ofoutside, and then the kids started to shriek The teacher pulled her arainst the drop door

“She was about thirty Dark hair, dark eyes She had a doctor with her, she was in the system, and Mei didn’t make any kind of fuss about it”

“Did they take her medicine?” he asked “Did they take her medicine?”

“No I don’t know I don’t think so”

Withoutto, Prax shook the woman Only once, but hard If Mei didn’t have her htbefore her i down

“Show me,” Prax said “Show me the picture The woman who took her”

“I can’t! The syste people in the hallway!”

The circle of children dissolved, screa, her hands pressed to her face Her skin had an almost blue cast to it He could feel the raw anih his brain The calm that fell on him didn’t take away from it