Part 6 (1/2)
”Yes, ma'am.”
”Oooh, and polite! I didn't expect that from a filthy feral boy. Would you like another sandwich?”
Nathan gave her a vigorous nod.
The three of them stood in the kitchen as Nathan ate two-and-a-half sandwiches and drank three full gla.s.ses of apple juice. If they were going to murder him, Nathan figured that they would have gotten around to it by now, so he relaxed.
”We have to figure out what do with you,” said Penny. ”But the first thing we have to do is clean you up.”
She used very hot water and had a painfully firm grip on the sponge, but it felt like torture with a purpose, as opposed to the mindless beatings of Bernard Steamspell. Penny washed his face and his ears and between his toes and scrubbed until he felt like he might not have any skin left, though he could clearly see that he did, and no veins had come loose. When she'd removed the dirt from every visible part of him, she gave him the sponge and left the bathroom so he could finish the job.
What a wonderful day this had been!
He looked at himself in the mirror and grinned.
Then he frowned. He might be clean from head to toe, but he was still a monster.
Penny and Mary were sitting on the living room couch, and smiled at him as he walked in. He didn't smile back.
”Do you feel better?” Penny asked.
”Yes, ma'am.”
”Good. So, Nathan, we've been wondering about something. Would you mind so terribly if we took a closer look at your teeth?”
SEVEN.
Nathan wanted to cry. This was the end of their kindness. Should he run now, before they could shoot him or throw things at him, or should he keep his mouth tightly closed in hopes of receiving another hour or two of generous behavior?
He did neither.
Instead, he opened his mouth.
Not all at once. First he gradually lifted his upper lip, exposing the top row of teeth a fraction of a millimeter at a time. Then he exposed the lower row. Penny and Mary watched him, their faces betraying no emotion.
With his teeth fully revealed to the sisters, Nathan just stood there, his ears ringing and his stomach hurting.
Finally, Penny spoke: ”Goodness...”
”What happened?” asked Mary. ”Did somebody do that to you?”
Nathan shook his head. ”I was born this way.”
”Goodness...” Penny repeated.
”We could tell that there was something unusual about them,” said Mary, ”but we never suspected this.”
”Are you frightened?” Nathan asked.
Mary laughed. ”Of a little boy like you who came to us starving and covered in mud?”
”That's not what I meant. I don't want you to be scared, I just thought that you might be, is all.”
”No, we're not scared,” said Penny. ”Mystified, but not scared. May we see them closer?”
Nathan walked over to the couch and opened his mouth wide. He had to trust them. They'd treated him so nicely. They couldn't reject him now, could they?
”Incredible,” said Mary. ”It's not just the front ones. I would think that it would be difficult to chew with that kind of arrangement, although I suppose if you never knew differently it wouldn't be such a challenge.”
”May I touch them?” Penny asked.
Nathan nodded.
”And do you promise not to bite me while I satisfy my curiosity?”
Nathan nodded again.
Penny put the tip of her index finger into his mouth and tapped it against one of his front teeth. She winced and withdrew her finger. ”Ow. They're as sharp as they look.”
”I'm sorry,” said Nathan.
”Oh, it's not your fault. We should be the ones to apologize. We're gawking, and that's impolite. You may close your mouth now.”
Nathan closed his mouth.
”Well, Nathan, you've certainly made it an interesting day for us. I suppose we'll need to take you to whomever it is that deals with lost little boys, but I'm sure it's been a tiring day for you, and you don't want to sit and watch adults do a lot of paperwork on your behalf. Would you like to stay with us until tomorrow morning?”
”Yes, I would,” said Nathan, almost weeping with relief. ”I really would.”
They all sat together on the couch, and Nathan told them about his adventures and tragedies. They looked sorrowful as he talked about the death of his parents, and angry as he told them about life at the orphanage, and astonished as he spoke of living alone in the forest. (They believed the forest part of his story in general, but a.s.sumed that it actually took place over a much shorter timeframe than what Nathan claimed. After all, young boys were p.r.o.ne to exaggeration.) ”What did you say the other boys called you?” Penny asked.
Nathan lowered his head. ”Fangboy.”
”What a ridiculous nickname. Fangs are the teeth on the upper corners. You'd think that if they were going to make your life miserable, they could at least do it accurately.”
”You're not going to send me back there, are you?” Nathan asked.
”Absolutely not. We won't lie and say that we know exactly what's to become of you, but I promise you will never have to go back to that dreadful place ever again.”
”Thank you.”
Mary had been trying unsuccessfully for the past twenty-five seconds to remove a twig from Nathan's hair, and finally gave up. ”I give very poor haircuts,” she said, ”but they're better than what you've got. Should I give it a try?”
”Yes, please.”