Coolhunting — Kristine Kathryn Rusch

Steffie makes her living as a coolhunter -- someone who discovers an interesting look and makes it fashion, often overnight. She's escaped her stifling upbringing, but her sister KD has not. KD, genetically altered to remain a child, asks Steffie to help her run away from home, and Steffie just might try. A Locus Award finalist, and winner of the Science Fiction Age Reader's Choice Award. “This is a fascinating and thought-provoking novella and perfectly exemplifies one of the reasons I enjoy Rusch's writing as much as I do. Her stories often unfold with a breezy, entertaining flow, leading one to expect something fuzzy and warm. Except at its heart, her fiction has a deep emotional edge that, while it might seem at odds with the storytelling style, turns out to be perfectly suited to it, paying off her readers with rich dividends.” -- Charles de Lint The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction