The little girl looked about herself, chocolate brown eyes wide with wonder, trying to see everything at once. Her red hair was tied in short pigtails that stuck out to the sides, just above her ears. She was six years old, and it wasn't often that she was taken out on trips like these.

She clung to her guardian's gloved hand tightly. As they walked past each window, she peered in, until she came to one and stopped abruptly. "Look! Toys!" Toys! She echoed mentally, her excitement spilling over from her own mind into her guardian's.

The woman checked her watch impatiently. "Lyta, we don't have time to stop."

The little girl looked up with pleading eyes. "Please? Just for a minute?"

A reluctant sigh. "All right. You go and look at the toys, and I'll come and get you in five minutes. Stay in the shop and don't wander anywhere else."

Lyta nodded and bounced on the balls of her toes in excitement. Inside there were so many things to see she was almost dizzy, turning and turning to try and see them all at once. There were other children, too, looking at things, and poking at them with curious fingers.

Another little girl was putting people in a doll's house with a red roof, and Lyta approached shyly.

"Hi. I'm Tara. This is Mommy and this is Daddy and this is me." The girl chattered, touching each doll as she named them. "This is my dog, Barney." There was even a little dog doll, Lyta saw, with amazement. She found that its tail was on a tiny spring, and it wagged from side to side when she touched it.

"Why are you wearing gloves?" Tara asked.

Lyta blinked, and then shrugged. "I don't know. I just do." She hadn't ever thought about not wearing them. Everyone she knew wore gloves.

"Ok." Tara shrugged too. Then she thrust the 'Mother' doll into Lyta's hand. "Here, it can be your Mommy if you want!"

Lyta looked down at the little doll in surprise. It had a painted-on smile, and a daisy-print dress, and she felt odd suddenly, sort of sad. Reluctantly, she handed the doll back. "I don't have a Mommy or a Daddy."

"How come?"

Lyta shrugged again. "I just don't. I have the corps."

When she said that, a woman turned around sharply. Lyta saw the woman look down at her; saw blue eyes flick from her gloves to her badge, expression cold.

"We're going now, Tara." The woman said in short-sounding words. Lyta took a step back from her. The words in her head were angry, scared. Damned psi-corps is everywhere. They'd better stay away from my daughter.

Lyta didn't understand why the woman was mad at her. What had she done wrong? She wanted to ask, but the woman was already leaving, dragging her new friend with her.

Lyta Alexander was left standing by herself. For the first time, she felt different, and very, very alone.