The Lion of Mars

by Jennifer L. Holm

  “A kind of bonding agent,” he said, his fingers hovering over his digi-slate. “It works better than duct tape, supposedly.”

  The flowers from Commander Laurent were in a plastic jar of water on his desk.

  “What does it mean?” I asked him.

  “What does what mean?”

  “Commander Laurent said giving someone flowers was an Earth tradition,” I said. “What does it mean?”

  Sai’s face turned beet red. “Yes, well, it has many different meanings, I suppose. Friendship, of course.”

  I remembered the digi-pic of him and Commander Laurent dressed as pirates. “You were friends with Commander Laurent?”

  “Yes,” he said, looking down.

  “Did you play Ping-Pong with her?”

  “Ping-Pong?”

  “We played it every day at the French settlement. Commander Laurent played against me a few times,” I said. “She’s really good at it!”

  He barked a laugh. “I remember. She’s the most brilliant woman I’ve ever met,” he said, and he looked sad.

  I changed the subject. “What are you working on?” I asked him.

  He rubbed his forehead. “Writing a situation report to send to Command. I need to fill them in on everything that’s happened since we were rescued.”

  “Can you ask them to send kittens?”

  I was just joking.

  “After everything you children have been through, you certainly deserve a kitten,” he said, a solemn look on his face.

  I didn’t know what to say.

  “Bell,” Sai said, “Trey told me what happened on the train. It was very, very brave of you to walk through the tunnel by yourself to get help.”

  But he was wrong. I hadn’t been brave.

  “I almost gave up. I was scared the whole time,” I confessed.

  His eyes met mine, and he nodded.

  “That’s what bravery feels like,” he said.

  * * *

  I was happy to be back in my own bed. There was no denying the comfort of being home. And I was looking forward to some changes. Trey was moving back in with me, and Albie would be moving into Phinneus’s old room.

  As much as I loved Albie, I was getting a little sick of the sad music. Albie kept playing the same three songs over and over and over again. He was doing it now, lying in bed and staring at the ceiling as the music played. The songs were about broken hearts, lost love, and being alone forever. They were worse than the snoring.

  “Albie,” I finally said, “can you maybe play something else? It doesn’t have to be happy, just not so sad.”

  He sighed and clicked off the music. He whispered, “I miss her so much, Bell.”

  It wasn’t hard to figure out who he was talking about. Layla.

  “Every single second of the day, I wonder what she’s doing,” he said. “What is she thinking? What is she eating?”

  “You think about what she’s eating? Really?”

  “I’m in love, Bell,” he said.

  I wasn’t sure what else to say. This seemed like a conversation he should be having with Flossy. She had a lot of opinions on romance. Well, mostly what to wear when falling in love.

  “What am I going to do next?” he asked me.

  “Well, supper’s in half an hour,” I said.

  “Not now,” he said. “I mean in the future. I want to see her again. I can’t just forget.”

  I understood what Albie meant. I couldn’t stop thinking about everything I’d seen and experienced in the other settlements. It was like having a bite of delicious cake: I wanted more.

  “Maybe you can ask Sai if we can have a visit?” I suggested.

  “I did,” Albie confessed. “He said no.”

  I wasn’t surprised. “Did he give a reason?”

  “Sai said the illness was a crisis situation. But things are back to normal now. It’s not fair.”

  That’s when I knew how upset Albie was, because he never disagreed with Sai. It was like watching a small crack start to form.

  Albie clicked the music back on and rolled over to face the wall, making a noise that sounded suspiciously like a sob.

  The sad song swelled in our room.

  DATE: 10.1.2091

  FROM: CDR Dexter

  TO: US Terrestrial Command

  MESSAGE: Situation Report

  After it was determined that our crew would not survive without the viral medication, it was decided that some of our members would seek aid from the French settlement. They had a supply of medication on hand and donated it to us. All crew members are currently healthy.

  The children have asked for a kitten. If you can find a way, it would be most appreciated. This has been a very trying time.

  Sai Dexter, COMMANDER

  Expeditionary & Settlement Team

  United States Territory, Mars

  “Where’s Albie?” Meems asked me when I came to supper.

  “He said he’s not hungry,” I told her.

  Concern flickered over her face. “Is he getting sick?”

  I wasn’t sure. Could you get sick from love?

  “He’s just listening to sad songs,” I explained.

  “I see,” she said. “I’ll take him a plate later.”

  “Bonjour,” Flossy said as she sat down at the table. She was wearing a French scarf around her neck.

  “Quoi de neuf?” Vera replied.

  “What does that mean?” Meems asked curiously.

  “ ‘What’s up?’ ” Vera explained.

  “My favorite slang is C’est top!, which means ‘That’s great!’ ” Flossy said. “The French have lots of cute phrases!”

  Salty Bill started ladling a thick stew into our bowls.

  “Merci!” Flossy chirped.

  I had a sudden thought. “We have to thank them!” I said.

  “Thank who?” Trey asked.

  “Everyone! We should send thank-you notes to the French and the other countries that helped us!” I said.

  “I don’t know,” Sai began, just as Meems said, “What a lovely idea.”

  “You’re always telling us we should send thank-you notes! We send them to people we’ve never even met! How can we possibly not send them to people we know?” Vera argued. “It’s just good manners.”

  “They have a point,” Eliana agreed.

  Sai didn’t look happy. “All right.”

  “C’est top!” Flossy said.

  * * *

  Everyone—grown-ups and kids—wrote thank-you notes. Albie’s note to Layla looked more like a book. The next morning, Sai delivered them on the train to the various settlements.

  I discovered the plastic box a few days later. I was on dust duty, and it had been left on the platform in the train tunnel. Inside were letters for everyone. Flossy shrieked when she saw her pile, and Albie smiled so big that I thought he would tip over. I got three letters—from Taavi and Wei and Amélie.

  Bonjour, Bell,

  How is Leo? I miss you. Tell Flossy the baby is still stinky.

  Mes amitiés,

  Amélie

  Even Sai got a letter: from Commander Laurent. He studied it for a long time.

  “What did she say?” I asked him.

  He cleared his throat. “Advice on technical issues,” he said in a neutral voice. “Dust remediation and such.”

  “Sounds exciting,” I said.

  “Yes,” he said.

  * * *

  Soon we were exchanging notes with the other settlements every few days.

  Sometimes there were small gifts in the plastic box. A bottle of cinnamon. A soft knit hat. A pair of goggles with tinted lenses. A packet of seeds.

  But it wasn’t just the letter
s and treats that made the difference. It was the feeling that we weren’t alone anymore. We had friends who cared about us. Our world was so much bigger now.

  Taavi sent me drawings of cats, and Wei sent me funny jokes. Amélie mostly sent me daily reports about the baby. She made a comic and called it The Daily Baby.

  She never failed to make me laugh.

  The biggest surprise came a few days later. Someone—we weren’t sure who—sent us four Ping-Pong paddles and a small bag of balls. All we needed was a table.

  Trey and I ambushed Darby and Eliana at breakfast.

  “Can you make us a Ping-Pong table?” Trey asked.

  “I’m not awake yet. Did you say ‘Ping-Pong table’?” Eliana replied with a yawn.

  “Here, Peanut Butter,” Darby said, handing her a cup of coffee.

  She took a gulp and blinked at us. “All right, what is all this about?”

  “They sent us Ping-Pong paddles and balls!” I said.

  “I see,” Eliana said with a wry look. “Where will it go?”

  “What about the recreation room?” Trey suggested.

  “But that will take up a lot of space,” Sai grumbled.

  “The recreation room is supposed to be for fun,” Darby pointed out.

  “Please?” I asked.

  Eliana looked at Sai. “Come on, Sai. What’s the harm in it?”

  “Fine,” he huffed.

  “Woo-hoo!” Trey said, and we bumped fists.

  Everyone pitched in. Eliana helped us design it. Darby found a large piece of plastic that made a perfect tabletop. Meems knit a net of purple yarn. Sai even let us use some plastic barrels for the base. The result didn’t look as nice as the French Ping-Pong table, but it worked, and that’s all that mattered.

  That evening after supper, we kids played Ping-Pong. We laughed and smiled and had fun. It was perfect. Only one thing was missing.

  Our friends.

  * * *

  I was sitting with Flossy and Vera in the recreation room, watching a French digi-reel. It had shown up that morning in the plastic box.

  Albie walked into the room.

  “I need your advice,” he said to Vera and Flossy.

  Vera waved her hand. “Speak.”

  “I want to make a gift for Layla,” Albie said. “But I don’t know what girls like.”

  “What about flowers?” Flossy suggested.

  “We don’t have any flowers here,” Albie said.

  “We could make some,” Flossy said. “Algae-paper flowers?”

  Albie brightened. “That’s a good idea!”

  Vera shook her head. “Why would she want paper flowers when they grow real ones in the French settlement?”

  I was confused.

  “Wait,” I said. “I thought flowers were for friends.”

  “Flowers are romantic,” Flossy said. “For when you’re in love.”

  In love?

  Did that mean Commander Laurent liked Sai?

  Maybe even…loved him?

  In the end, Flossy convinced Albie to make Layla some chocolate fudge. Apparently, it was also an Earth tradition to give candy when you were in love. That sounded like a good tradition to me.

  * * *

  “Do you think she’ll like it?” Albie asked, staring at the perfectly wrapped package of fudge that he’d made.

  It was after supper, and we were all in the mess hall. Salty Bill had served the extra fudge for dessert. It was a delicious treat. Too bad Sai was missing out on it. He was up in the COR working on something.

  “It’s candy,” I told him.

  “I’m sure she’ll love it,” Meems assured him.

  “Remember the first present I gave you, Peanut Butter?” Darby asked Eliana with a smile.

  “Did you give her candy, too?” Flossy asked him.

  Eliana snorted. “I wish. He gave me a pair of boots.”

  “Boots?” Vera asked.

  “She was complaining that her feet were cold,” he said. “I asked a buddy who was coming to the lunar settlement from Earth to bring a pair of boots.”

  “Well, they were warm, I guess,” Eliana said.

  “You loved those boots, Peanut Butter,” he teased her.

  She blushed.

  Sai walked into the mess hall with an expression I couldn’t decipher.

  “I just heard from Command,” he said.

  “What did they have to say?” Meems asked.

  “Are they sending a kitten?” I asked. “I have a name all picked out!”

  ”If they send a kitten, I want to choose the name this time!” Vera said.

  ”No way,” Trey said. “You’ll just pick some sad name and make the kitten wear all black.”

  Flossy snorted a laugh, and Vera glared at her.

  “Here,” Sai said, handing me his digi-slate. “Read for yourself.”

  I read it out loud.

  DATE: 10.13.2091

  FROM: US Terrestrial Command

  TO: CDR Dexter

  MESSAGE: Re: Situation Report

  You do not have authorization to liaise with hostile nations. Tensions remain high here. Cease all contact immediately.

  Request for kitten denied.

  Evelyn Morris, COMMANDER

  Mars Space Command

  United States

  No one said anything. It felt like all the air had been sucked out of the room.

  “Cease all contact?” Flossy whispered.

  Vera exploded. “It’s not fair!” she shouted.

  I agreed. And the kitten part seemed kind of mean.

  “Vera,” Meems said.

  “They didn’t help us when we needed them the most!” she shouted.

  “It wasn’t their fault. The launch window wasn’t in our favor,” Sai said. But there wasn’t much conviction in his voice. It was like he was trying to convince himself.

  “But why do we listen to them?” Vera demanded. “Why?”

  “Because it’s a direct order,” Sai said.

  “But my birthday’s coming up!” Vera cried. “We were going to have a party and invite everyone!”

  “You’ll have other birthdays,” Sai said.

  “But I’ll only turn sixteen once!”

  Meems leaned forward. “We’ll have a cake and—”

  “I don’t want a cake! I want my friends!” Vera shouted.

  “I’m sorry,” Sai said. “We have to listen to Command.”

  “It’s dumb! They’re all dumb! I hate them!” Vera shouted.

  Albie looked miserable. He stared at the pretty package of candy.

  “Not much point now, I guess,” he said.

  He walked over to the trash can and tossed the box in.

  * * *

  The next morning, Sai officially cut off contact with the other countries.

  The dust storm had finally ended. The sky was clear for the first time in months.

  But belowground, a different kind of storm was raging. A dark, gloomy sadness had fallen on the settlement. It crept around corners and curled up on the couch. It made mealtimes silent and stole away laughter. Everything felt diminished, bland, like all the color was gone.

  It was in random quiet moments that I missed my friends the most. Like when I was brushing my teeth or petting Leo or doing nothing at all.

  Like now. It was early morning and I was lying in bed. Instead of getting a few more minutes of sleep, I was thinking about Amélie. What would she do today? Would she and Taavi and Wei play Ping-Pong? What digi-reel would they watch tonight?

  The breakfast chime sounded in the distance. Albie didn’t move in his bed. I knew he was awake because the room was quiet: no snoring.

  “Isn’t it time to get up?
” I asked.

  “I guess so,” he said without enthusiasm.

  Albie wasn’t the same. Sure, he did his chores and went through the motions, but he never smiled now.

  We arrived late at breakfast. Salty Bill brought out a tray of green buns for us.

  “I made you kids a special treat,” Salty Bill announced. “They’re all chocolate!”

  “Thanks,” I said, taking one.

  I took a bite of the chewy bun. It didn’t taste as good as I remembered. Then again, nothing seemed as nice these days. Of course, I was happy to be home. But I’d glimpsed another kind of life, and it had been snatched away. It was like a digi-reel I would never get to finish.

  Sai cleared his throat loudly. “So, Trey, how would you like to be my new junior apprentice?”

  “No thank you,” Trey said quietly.

  “What?” Sai asked. “But you’ve always wanted to apprentice.”

  Trey wouldn’t meet Sai’s eyes. “I changed my mind.”

  I wasn’t surprised. We had all lost our spark. There was nothing to look forward to anymore. No reason to be excited.

  Take Flossy. She’d stopped dressing up in her fun Earth outfits. Next to her, Vera was picking at her breakfast. Her hair was growing out, and her bangs were sloppy. They were distinctly un-Vera. Even the grown-ups noticed something was wrong.

  “Are you going to cut your hair again, Vera?” Meems asked.

  “What’s the point? It’s not like anyone will ever see it,” she replied loudly.

  Meems sighed.

  “In fact, maybe I’ll pierce my nose. I hear that’s an Earth custom,” Vera taunted. “Who cares what I look like, right?”

  Vera knocked back her chair and stormed out of the mess hall.

  “It’ll be fine,” Meems said, trying to sound positive. “She’s just going through a phase.”

  “It won’t be fine!” Flossy cried. “And she’s not going through a phase!”