Fangboy

found himself in the care of kindly nuns, but none of the boys dared risk it.

The only thing Nathan had to look forward to was Adoption Day. He’d much rather have his real mother and father back, but since that wasn’t a possibility (at least not in a non-supernatural, non-terrifying manner) he hoped to find replacement parents soon.

Nathan marched out with the other boys, trying to think merry thoughts in hopes that parents would want a happy child.

The first visitor was a portly woman who explained to Steamspell that her husband had gotten caught up at work, but that he trusted her to make the right decision. Green eyes were a preference, though not a requirement. Upon hearing this, Malcolm opened his green eyes as wide as he could, so wide that Nathan worried they might roll right out of their sockets and Malcolm would have to go chasing after them, which would be awkward since he wouldn’t be able to see what he was chasing after. Nathan decided that should this happen, he would help Malcolm find his missing eyes, even if it meant receiving an extra beating from Steamspell.

“I do like this one,” the woman said, looking at Malcolm. “But how do I know he is not evil? That’s what my friends warned me about. ‘Don’t get an evil child or you’ll regret it.’ My friend Catherine, she adopted an evil one, and oh, the stains!”

“I understand your concern. I’m given evil children every once in a while, and rest assured that they are all…” Steamspell hesitated, trying to decide which answer would most please the woman. He decided that “executed” was not the way to go. “…hugged into a state of goodness.”

“Delightful! Oh, my husband will be so pleased!” She ruffled Malcom’s hair. “I can’t wait to start giving him aptitude tests. Oh, young Percy, you’ll be so happy at your new home!”

“My name is—”

“Yes, Percy, it will be a wonderful new life for you. Let’s go.”

Percy left with his new mother, beaming. The other boys grumbled.

When the next man and woman got out of their car, Nathan knew he had found his new parents. The woman wore a pretty dress and jewelry that sparkled, and she had long curly blonde hair that hung over her shoulders. The man wore a blue suit with a yellow tie. They both smiled.

“Look at all of the little darlings!” said the woman. “I wish we could take all of them home!”

“As do I,” said her husband. “But we agreed that we wouldn’t do that.”

As they walked down the line, Nathan stood up as straight as he possibly could, imagining that giant hands were stretching his body. The woman’s smile brightened as she saw Nathan. “Well, hello there,” she said.

“Hello,” Nathan replied, saying it without showing his teeth.

“What’s your name?”

“Nathan.”

“Why, that’s what we would have named our own child if my womb weren’t barren. Tell me, Nathan, do you like baseball?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Do you like potatoes?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Do you like dogs? We have three dogs. You’d have to take them for walks every day, and promise to feed them, and play fetch with them.”

“I would! Every single day!”

The woman excitedly clapped her hands. “I adore him! What do you think, Charles?”

“I like him. He’s short but not too short. How old are you, Nathan?”

“Six.”

“Ah, I remember when I was six. The world had endless possibility. Oh, how my days were filled with harmless mischief. Do you like to fish?”

Nathan nodded, though he’d never been fishing. It sounded like a gleeful activity.

“Wonderful! I think our search is over. Give us a great big smile, Nathan!”

Nathan froze. Would they still want him if they knew? What if they were repulsed? What if they threw up, right there in front of all of the other orphans?

He gave them a small, closed-mouth smile.

“Are you only that happy?” asked the man. “We’d hoped to bring overwhelming joy to a young orphan. How disappointing.”

Nathan didn’t know what to do. He didn’t want to scare them off, yet he couldn’t very well refuse to smile if he hoped to be adopted. The perfect parents would love him no matter how he looked, right? Maybe they wanted a child with sharp teeth. Maybe they’d driven sixteen hours just because they heard that in this particular orphanage there was a little boy who’d been born with exactly the kind of teeth they’d dreamed their future son would have. If he didn’t smile, they might move on down the line and choose a boy whose teeth were merely slightly crooked!

He smiled, exposing his teeth completely.

The man and woman looked at him, their faces expressionless.

There was a long moment of silence.

“Oh,” said the woman. “Oh, dear.”

The man turned to Steamspell. “Are all of the children like this?”

“No, no, not at all. He’s our one aberration.”

“Well, he looks like a fine boy, but obviously we can’t bring such a severely mutated child into our lives. Perhaps we were too hasty about the whole parenting thing.” He put his arm around his wife. “We should go home and read some more books on the subject, don’t you think?”

“Yes, that would be best.”

They left.

Nathan no longer smiled.

“You poor miserable beast,” said Steamspell. “How disappointing it must be to have actually believed that they were going to give you a home.” He laughed. “You’re a gullible lad, Boy With The Teeth. A most gullible lad indeed. Heh heh. I’d have given my right arm to be able to peek into your mind at that moment when he asked if you liked fishing. You must have been so excited.” He laughed and laughed, belly shaking, until he was forced to wipe a tear from his cheek. “Ah, there’s nothing more amusing than the self-delusion of a six-year-old. Now, all of you, get back to work.”

As Nathan stood there, drowning in humiliation, he wondered if Reggie was right.

Nathan had teeth that could easily bite through somebody’s neck.

Steamspell had a neck that deserved to be bitten through.

It was worth considering.

FIVE

“Here’s the plan,” said Reggie. “Steamspell sleeps with his door locked at night, but Milton here survived two years on the street by breaking into garages and sleeping under trucks, so he can handle that part. He’s a light sleeper, but he’s used to background noise, so Angus and Cyrus will pretend to have night terrors and scream in their sleep, which will cover the sound of the lock picking. Nathan, you will sneak in there—make sure to have your mouth open already, to save time—and bite his jugular vein. Do you know which one that is?”

“No,” Nathan admitted.

Reggie tapped him on the neck. “Right there.”

“Will there be a lot of blood?”

“Of course. That’s the whole point.”

“What if it gets in my mouth?”

“You can’t do this without getting some blood in your mouth. That’s part of the sacrifice. Or perhaps the reward. Timothy’s mother was a psychologist before she abandoned him, so he’ll help talk you through any guilt or trauma afterward.”

“What will you do?” Nathan asked.