Little Bird

There was always something different about Sun Song Shia, but like most little girls she just wanted to be loved. Strangely, it wasn't until the Chinese government stuck her in a research facility did she find the love and acceptance she craved. Song Shia returned to her parents only to be met with wariness and even fear. She craved her Baba's love most of all, but that love came at a terrible price. Song Shia fled China all the way to the Safe Zone city of Chicago. Even there she was monitored and strictly regulated by the government. Despite it all, Song Shia fell in love with a museum curator named Alex. Right from the beginning Song Shia warned Alex to "Run like hell!" Alex did not run. As their romance developed, Song Shia reluctantly brought Alex further into her world. Then their life together exploded when a devastating secret was exposed: a secret Song Shia kept not only from the world, but from herself. Little Bird is an expansion of "In Her Eyes," which appeared in the Jan./Feb. issue of F&SF and reprinted in The Year's Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Novellas, edited by Paula Guran. "In Her Eyes" was also a nominee for the Theodore Sturgeon award and an honoree for the James Tiptree award.