Lost Boys by Card Orson Scott

Author:Card, Orson Scott [Card, Orson Scott]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Horror, Fantasy, Mystery, Science Fiction, thriller, Adult, Paranormal
ISBN: 9780062284488
Goodreads: 17368155
Publisher: Harper
Published: 1992-11-01T08:00:00+00:00

Lee Weeks lived in a simple ranch-style house out in the county, but there was a lot of yard around it and it was all meticulously landscaped and manicured. And the driveway was a turnaround. La-di-da, thought Step as he drove up and parked at the front door.

Mrs. Weeks answered the door. She was slim, and Step imagined that she probably thought of herself as tall, though of course she was much shorter than he was. She brought him into the living room and engaged him in conversation; he was aware that she was extracting information from him, but it wasn’t really the information he expected her to be interested in. She did ask what he did for a living—the standard American status measurement—but then she went on to talk about an odd array of things, including local politics.

Gradually it dawned on him that she was testing him. But for what? She found out that he thought the mixed-race city schools should be consolidated with the mostly-white county schools. That he opposed Jesse Helms and his racist attacks on Governor Hunt, his probable opponent in the next election. What could this possibly have to do with Lee? Yet it was only when Lee’s mother was certain that Step was a staunch civil rights supporter that she finally called her little boy into the room.

Little boy! When he walked into the room, Step realized that the kid must be at least six-five, because Step, at six-two, found himself staring straight into Lee’s chin. Nineteen years old, tall enough to be an NBA guard, and his mother still wouldn’t let him drive or go out with strangers until she interviewed them. Strange indeed. Especially since he was really a good-looking kid. Surely somewhere along the line he would have found out that he was attractive to women and got himself out from under her thumb.

Lee was cheerful enough, though, and when they finally got out into the car, Lee started laughing. “Mom’s really something, isn’t she!”

“A very interesting woman.”

“She treats everybody like a patient.” Lee seemed to be full of barely smothered mirth.

“A patient?”

“Oh, she’s a shrink, didn’t you know? Couldn’t you feel yourself being analyzed?”

“I guess I could,” said Step.

“She’s nice, though,” said Lee.

That was a weird thing to say about your own mother, thought Step. And he said it with such detachment that she could have been anybody. His teacher. His chauffeur.

Which, in fact, she was.

It was already well after eight o’clock, so Step had been right when he guessed that they’d probably only get to make one visit tonight. Step had decided on Sister Highsmith, an elderly widow, since she would presumably be glad to see them and wouldn’t throw him any curves as he was introducing Lee to the idea of home teaching. On the way to her house, he briefly told Lee what home teaching was all about.

“Oh, so we’re not, like, giving a lesson,” said Lee.

“A message is all. Very brief. And then drawing her out, letting her talk.

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