Marie's Journey (Ginecean Chronicles)

by La Porta, Monica

  Marie bit her bottom lip and looked up at the girl.

  “What is it?” Nora’s hand hovered a few inches away from the door.

  “Is it…? Are there any…?” She blushed.

  “Are there any what?”

  “Men?” Her voice came out as a choked, unintelligible whisper, but the girl must have understood her because she smiled and shook her head.

  “Communal dormitories are never mixed, silly Marie. And they’re for the people who have just arrived and don’t belong to any tribe, yet.” Nora’s voice had a singsong quality as if she were talking to a little kid who needed to be explained everything. At the same time, she rapped on the door—which Marie noticed was orange. “We’ve got private housing for the families. And every tribe has both dormitories for the singles and houses for the couples.”

  A moment later, two girls, a few years older than Nora and with a much more subdued disposition, came to welcome them.

  “Carine and Trisha, this is Marie. Marie, Carine and Trisha.” Introductions aside, Nora stormed inside, bringing her along by the hand.

  Another petite brunette, Carine, and a slightly taller auburn-haired, Trisha, to remember. Marie was already dizzy. Deep inside, she didn’t want to know the girls’ names. She gave the place a distracted look, which, despite corrugated metal walls and the small windows dotting them, reminded her too much of her dormitory back at the Institute. Longing and regret washed over her, but she steeled her heart and held back the tears. Nevertheless, they stung.

  “I like what you did with the place. Nice shade of lilac,” she heard Nora say to the two girls and then went on asking if they had decided to apply for any tribe yet. Marie wasn’t interested in knowing their answer, so she looked around to get a feel for her new home. Several layers of paint had been applied to the walls. The latest incarnation showed the previous palette where the lilac had peeled. Beds were oriented infirmary-style, heads to the walls. She counted at least twenty on one side, so there must be around forty women sleeping there. So much for privacy. Funny how her brief staying at Redfarm had accustomed her to the luxury of having to share sleeping quarters just with one person. Or maybe she just longed for Verena’s placid temper and quiet friendship. She closed her eyes and kept them shut for a long moment.

  “Are you okay?” one of the two girls asked, her voice too close to Marie for her liking.

  When she was sure she was beyond making a scene, she opened her eyes and looked at the girl. The petite brunette with a worried expression was waiting for her answer. “My arm.”

  Three sets of eyes zeroed on her offended appendage and that was when the fussing started.

  “You should do this—”

  “You should do that—”

  “No, it’s better if you—”

  “When it was my turn, I did this and—”

  They all talked at the same time. She brought a hand to her right temple and at the same time looked for a bed to sit on. “My head’s killing me.”

  Silence dropped on the room. Then Nora timidly opened her mouth to apologize. Marie waved the girl’s worries away. “It’s okay. I just need to be by myself for a moment.” She hoped the trio would understand and was rewarded by three nods.

  “Of course. Come to your bed.” The auburn-haired Trisha pointed at a bed at the faraway corner of the room. “We’ll find a better spot, but we’re full right now.”

  Marie eyed the shadowy corner and saw that her assigned bed was the last of the row and it stood against the wall and under a window. “No, it’s perfect. Thank you.” Then the girl’s words prompted her to ask, “Where’s everybody?”

  Trisha’s eyes went automatically to the door. “It’s dance night. The girls are out having fun.”

  It’s dance night, she repeated in her mind, disbelief coloring her thoughts. She looked at the girls, wasted young women, preparing to go to a dance. Zena’s warning to keep her mind opened came back to her loud and clear.

  “I heard it’s going to be so nice…” Carine played with a lock of her hair, lips turned down in a childlike frown.

  From her wishful tone, Marie understood they had drawn the short straw. She smiled at the girls. “No need to stay here on my behalf. I’m fine.”

  “We thought you needed company… first day at Vasura and all…” Carine couldn’t help a glance at her arm. “Sorry.”

  She attempted a smile. Those girls were trying hard to be nice to her. “I’m very tired and once I take care of cleaning the wound, I’ll sleep like a rock.” She walked to her new bed and sighed. Yet another place to call her own.

  “Are you sure?” This time, Nora was the one asking.

  Marie turned on her way to her corner and reassured her with a better version of the smile she had already tried to use. “Yes. See you tomorrow morning?”

  The girl didn’t seem convinced, but stepped back toward the door. “If you really don’t need us…”

  She shook her head. “Have fun.”

  “Tomorrow, then!” Nora went to the door.

  “We’ll ask the other girls to be quiet when we come back later tonight.” Carine followed Nora.

  Marie truly smiled at that, but nobody saw her because she was already facing her bed. “That would be great. Thanks.” She waited until the door closed and the dormitory was finally silent. Then she went back to the door where she had seen the main switch for the big light illuminating the room too brightly for her throbbing headache. Once the light was turned off and the only glow showing her the way to her corner came from the outside lamps, she let go and cried. Not sobs or anything loud, just a stream of wet tears washing her face. She sat on her new bed and looked outside. The whooshing sound of the leaves brushing the metal wall was hypnotic and she concentrated on that while her eyes traveled to the building in front.

  A pale light came from inside the window facing hers. Something moved in and out of sight and startled her. A glimpse of a blond head came into view; it was just a moment and then was gone again. For reasons unknown, that sight calmed her and that gave her the strength to clean her wounds and smother her arm with the pungent salve. Once down, she lay on the bed, eyes on the ceiling, and tried to relax. Her new roommates came back from the festivities while she was still awake. She immediately turned toward the wall and slowed her breathing to feign deep sleep. It worked. Voices behind her immediately dropped to a pleasant whisper.

  “I like her so much, but she never looks at me.”

  “The music wasn’t as great as the last dance.”

  “You think so?”

  “I think it was great. They even played our song.”

  “Why doesn’t she look at me?”

  “Don’t know. You’re so pretty.”

  “Did you see the new recruits?”

  “No.”

  “A whole cargo of workers came yesterday.”

  “Let’s hope the new girl is nice.”

  “They said she was in a lot of pain.”

  “Poor thing…”

  ***

  First thing the next morning, Zena dropped by for a brief visit. “How’re you holding on?”

  “It could be worse, I guess.” Still groggy from having slept maybe the whole of sixty minutes and in several naps, Marie was hopelessly trying to put up a good show. She raised her arm to let the nurse examine it. “Is it supposed to look this way?” What she meant was if her limb was going to detach itself anytime soon. The pain was still excruciating and her head was still throbbing, or maybe it was the arm.

  “It’s redder than it should be, but nothing to be worried about. I’m more concerned about your evident lack of sleep.” Zena slowly caressed her head.

  As before, Marie sighed at the gesture. She could have fallen asleep to that, but a bouncing Nora appeared behind the nurse’s back.

  “Raise and shine, girlfriend!” Her biggest smile yet completed the picture. “Time to go eat breakfast and then chop, chop. Valery woke up on the wrong side of the bed.”


  Marie wondered how someone living in a waste plant could be so cheerful. The she remembered that Nora had been born there and didn’t know any better. Poor thing, she thought, but then she realized her error. No, poor me who knows better… “Give me five minutes.”

  “Let me help you.” Zena took the ointment jar from her hand and methodically removed the previous layer of what now looked like dirty grease. “It’s actually not as red as I thought. Healing has already started. When it starts itching, that’s a good sign. Your skin is knitting itself.”

  Marie was glad for the reassurance because the pain in her arm was making her anxious that it would never go away. She had never had in her life anything that had lasted for so long and with such intensity. It scared her not being able to control what was happening to her body. It made her angry that the pain was driving her to tears at the very moment. But she managed not to cry and that gave her a sense of great satisfaction.

  “Done. Rane asked about you.”

  “I wanted to ask you about her. Where is she? And why I haven’t been assigned to an infirmary?” Marie had thought about that a lot during the almost sleepless night.

  Both Zena and Nora looked at her surprised by her question, but Zena answered her. “She’s at the hospital, of course.” She paused for a moment. “And why should you be in an infirmary?”

  “Because I’m training as a nurse.” The reality of her present position dawned on her and she amended, “Until two days ago, I was working with the doctor back at Redfarm.” Or was it three days? She wasn’t sure of how long had passed since the moment Callista had doomed her out there.

  The nurse looked at her with suspicion. “Why didn’t you say anything earlier?” Marie didn’t have time to say anything back because Zena pointed a finger at her and asked, “Rane will validate your claim, right?”

  Marie vigorously nodded. “Yes.”

  “Well, this is good news.” Zena’s lips turned up in a smile.

  At the same time, the always-cheerful Nora looked anything but pleased by the revelation. “I guess it’s great.”

  Zena gave the girl a look and then faced Marie again. “I’ll talk to Valery and I’ll arrange your transfer from the agriculture to the medical field.”

  “But she just arrived!” Nora looked at the nurse with pleading eyes.

  Zena dismissed her with a wave of her hand, sticky fingers spreading the strong smell of the ointment under their noses. “She can always visit you.” She cleaned the grease on her pants, leaving several handprints on the heavy cotton.

  The girl turned her big eyes to Marie. “Will you?”

  “Of course.” She nodded, sealing the deal with a handshake, which immediately transformed into a vicious hug. Marie couldn’t believe something so small could be so strong. Cheeks blushing, she silently implored Zena to help her out.

  The woman waved her away. “You go eat something. I’ll run to Valery to explain the situation.”

  They exited the barracks at the same time. Zena went north and they south toward the cafeteria. Not even three steps and Nora enthusiastically greeted a group of girls walking toward them. Marie stood behind, preferring to remain aside. A playful wind made little storms of the confetti lingering from the previous night’s activities. She closed her eyes and breathed slowly. The day promised to be warm and humid but now was pleasant, and the hope she could keep working with Rane made her feel light. Scuffled steps brought her back and she caught the end of a group of workers rounding the corner. Before the men disappeared behind the barrack, a set of green eyes zeroed in on her.

  “Grant!” Her legs moved of their own initiative and she stood before him, her arms outstretched to hug him, but she realized what she was about to do in time and stepped back, flushed and breathless. “You’re here.” She looked around, worried the girl was behind her, but Nora was a few steps back and talking to her friends. She moved behind the corner, where nobody could see her and Grant.

  He followed and then looked down at her, relief in his eyes. “When did you get here?” His hand reached for her head, but stopped just as she had. “I can’t believe you’re here.”

  She stood, her mouth agape. The warmth of the almost-happened caress lingered between them. “I was so worried about you.” Her heart started beating at a funny pace. “What are you doing here?” She thought she’d never see him again and now he was here, standing before her. Her eyes darted sideways to see if Nora was coming after her, but Grant’s presence was more compelling than her fear of being discovered.

  He lowered his head for a moment and then raised his eyes to stare into hers. “Turns out I was lucky.”

  “What do you mean?” She shifted from one foot to the other.

  Grant smiled at her. “I was the third in line.”

  Memories from the night Callista had sentenced her to Vasura came back. “So you were sent here.” She didn’t say out loud how glad she was things had worked out that way, but she felt a lightness she hadn’t expected to experience.

  He tilted his head as if to look at her better and then his gaze paused on her arm and his smile dimmed. She instinctively tried to hide it, but he moved his hand on her shoulder and stopped her. “Is it still painful?”

  She felt an electric zing scorching her skin at the contact with his hand. The gesture was too intimate. Heart wildly beating in her throat, she didn’t jerk away from his touch, his fingers gently squeezing her skin in a small circular massage. “Zena just told me it’s healing well.” The twelve numbers branded on his arm got her attention. “Did it take long for the pain to become bearable?”

  Grant’s lips curved up, not quite a smile. “A few days.”

  She grinned in response. “Then I’m perfectly on track.”

  He suddenly stepped back from her, a flicker of fear passing behind his green eyes. Someone moved behind her and she remembered Nora. Her heart, already vexed by so many different emotions, skipped a beat or two. She tried to calm her nerves and turned. “Nora!” She didn’t know what to say. It’s not what you think?

  One small movement of Nora’s chin pointing at Grant and she blinked in surprise. Had she understood what the girl wanted? Her eyes widened, but before she could ask or do anything, Nora took the situation in her own hands by introducing herself to him. The lines of what was proper and what wasn’t were getting blurry. But of one thing she was certain: no proper fathered woman would ever be caught offering her name to a worker just because. That certainly wasn’t proper.

  Grant looked at the girl as if she had sprouted horns on her head. When Nora reached to shake his hand, he failed to reciprocate the gesture. He looked at Marie, silently asking for guidance, and she shrugged, as conflicted as he was. Mostly, she hoped not to attract any attention by refusing to comply with the girl’s eccentricities. Finally, to her relief, Grant outstretched his hand and took Nora’s in his, but Marie had to provide his name.

  The girl grabbed it and energetically shook it. “Nice meeting you, Grant.”

  Marie watched as Grant, easily twice in height compared to Nora, returned the greeting with his eyes darting left and right, probably looking for a guard coming to throw him into an isolation chamber for having touched a woman in public.

  Nora seemed oblivious to the tension she had created. “Have you been appointed to a field?”

  “Yes…?”

  “Then you haven’t turned eighteen yet.” The girl seemed pleased by that. “No recycling duty for pretty boys like you, yet. And which field have you been appointed to?”

  His eyes became even wider and he retracted the hand she was holding. He hesitated a moment, probably trying to figure out how to answer. “The apple orchard.”

  The girl’s face lit up. “A friend of mine works there. You’ll like it.” Then she turned to face Marie. “It isn’t far away from Valery’s fields.”

  “Hey, recruit?” A man in his mid-forties, brown hair tied in a long braid and several loops dangling from both his ears, waved at him.

>   “You should probably go.” Nora looked at the man and smiled at him.

  Grant turned to face the man and blanched. He made to move, but then spun on his heel and whispered to Marie, “I’m glad you’re fine.”

  She didn’t know what to say or do. Nora’s presence made everything difficult. “Bye…”

  He started walking backward and before turning and disappearing behind the corner, he gave her one last look, but thankfully didn’t say anything.

  “See ya.” Nora waved her hand at him. “He seems like a nice boy.”

  Marie stared at her in disbelief. “He’s a worker.” She couldn’t help but wonder what was passing through the girl’s head.

  “Seems quite obvious.” Nora’s lips formed an amused smile.

  Maybe she isn’t all there. “Worker as in a man…?”

  Now, it was the girl’s turn to regard her as if she were simple. “And?”

  “You just talked to and shook hands with a man!” She lowered her voice at the last second.

  Nora laughed. “Oh, that’s nothing.”

  “That’s nothing? Are you insane?” She regretted the use of the word almost immediately, but the girl didn’t seem to take it personally.

  “The look on your face is priceless.” Nora laughed some more and then wiped her eyes. “I treat everybody the same.”

  The statement left Marie almost speechless again. “You do?”

  Nora nodded. “I do. Besides, weren’t you talking to him when I found you?”

  She sighed. There wasn’t much she could say to that. “I was sentenced to spend my life here for less.”

  “I heard the stories about outside.” The girl shuddered, then stepped closer to her and laid one hand on her arm. “You’ll see things are different here.”

  She let Nora pat her, too distressed to care. “I can see it already, but how? Why?”