“First,” he bowed his head in what seemed like deference, “I will introduce myself to our new arrival.” He stared straight at her and smiled. “I’m Dr. Anthony Darden,” he began and her eyebrows rose. A professor was teaching high school? “And I can’t tell you what a pleasure it is to have the opportunity to teach you,” his voice was fervent.
Jeez, Fi thought, annoyed, I can’t wait until everyone in Eden starts to ignore me like in the old world. From the corner of her eyes she saw the other students staring at her and sighed. Great. In an attempt at politeness she managed a wan smile. He nodded, satisfied.
“And now, though you all know this already,” he chuckled. “This is Fi Kelly,” he extended his hand to indicate her. Like they couldn’t tell who the new person was in a ten-person class, Fi thought. Despite his point that they had all known this already, there were still murmurs and whispers when he made it official with his introduction. A couple kids actually started to clap for goodness’ sakes, until they saw her face. She didn’t do a good job of hiding her horror. Though she tried to smile, it came out wrong. Everyone was watching her and she realized that they expected some kind of response.
“Um,” she began, trying to keep her voice from shaking. “Hello everyone,” she finished and dropped her eyes. God that was lame.
“Uh, well yes,” Dr. Darden stepped in, sensing her discomfort finally, she thought. “Well, we can all get to know each other later,” he said and turned to grab his tablet. “For now let’s get back to balancing equations.” Low groans filled the room while Fi sighed in relief. She hated balancing equations, but it was better than any more of this excruciating examination by the colonists. As she put her head down, she heard a whisper.
“Hey, Fi.” It was the first boy, the tall, older one. “Psssst, Fi,” he said and she turned reluctantly. “Want to come sit with us?”
Her heart sank. She didn’t know what to do. Even though she didn’t want to join them, saying ‘No’ would seem cold. Nodding, she grabbed her tablet and moved over to join the two boys and the two girls who were seated at the long table. With the numbers, she was still ‘odd girl out’ at the end of the table, which gave some relief. Dr. Darden issued an assignment and they began working on it at the table. The students were mostly nice, she thought. The two girls were named Sara and Lisa and the boys were Simon and Teddy, the little wolf. When they had a break because they’d finished ahead of the other group, Teddy broke their silence.
“So did you really survive out there for like two years?” he whispered to her across the table, his eyes wide, his gaze impressed. She saw that the others’ eyes were wide as well, though Simon’s expression was a little different. She nodded and they all exhaled. Fi’s heart sank lower. This was going to be a long day.
This time it was Sara. “I heard that you were in charge and that you, like, fought off grown men and stuff,” she said, not even really asking a question. Fi was surprised at Sara’s expression. Her dark eyes were intense and she seemed almost, well, excited. Fi felt pained, but there was no getting around the truth. She nodded again and Simon gave a low whistle that startled her.
She saw that he was grinning at her. Oh God, she thought, taking a deep breath. That was what was different about his expression. Now that she was a little older, she recognized attraction when she saw it. The whistle got Dr. Darden’s attention and he chastised them for getting ‘off-task’. They put their heads down and got back to work. Regardless, Fi knew that the floodgates were opening and that she would only get peace while they worked, and she was right.
Once class was over, the entire group of students and Darden gathered around her to ask questions. They were so excited, and she knew that they deserved news from Topside, but she just didn’t want to be the one to answer questions. Mostly she stuck to nods and one-word answers.
“Do you really have a gun?” Yes. “How did you learn to shoot it?” Shrug. “Did you ever shoot anyone?” Yes. That was a tough one, her stomach had knotted up answering that question, but she couldn’t lie. “Did you fight off a platoon of soldiers?” No. “Were you starving?” Mostly.
“I heard that both your parents died of Sickness,” someone began and then was shushed by Darden. At least he realized the limits of personal questions, Fi thought angrily. I’m not a lab rat to be poked. Just then the door opened and in swept Asher, to Fi’s great joy and relief. Her face lit up into her first real smile of the day.
“It was nice to meet you all,” she said brightly, grabbing her bag and running toward the door. Asher stopped her at the door by blocking it with his arm, and she frowned at him in confusion. Didn’t he realize that she was desperate to leave? Knowing full well that everyone was staring at them, he leaned down and gave her a soft, lingering, kiss. Gasps filled the room and she smiled into his lips as he kissed her. She covered a small laugh with her hand as she pulled away. “Oh,” she whispered, glad that he was so demonstrative now.
“Hello my love,” he murmured and pulled her close as she melted into his side. With his arm around her, he turned her toward the door and took one last glance over his shoulder at the students. As they walked out he asked her, “Did you have a good first class?” The door shut behind them and the entire roomful of people stared at the door, stunned.
Lisa spoke first, her voice breathy. “Who the hell was that?”
Simon answered with a frown. “That must be the guy…with the sword.” His tone was wry. “Asher, I think.” He shook his head. “Obviously her boyfriend,” his disappointment was palpable.
Lisa echoed him. “Yeah,” she sighed, “obviously.”
Wishes Granted
Kiara’s Gift
----------- Fi -----------
Life in the colony stabilized for the Family, making Fi a little sad and wistful at times. As much as she loved her new life, she also missed having her Family around her. That was why she was so excited that they had all decided to have Christmas together. The door to her pod slid open behind her and Asher floated into the room.
“Hey Ash,” she grinned and gestured him over to the bed to sit. There was only one other tiny chair in the room, so the bed often doubled as a couch. “I have a surprise for you,” she said in her best mysterious voice. His eyebrows rose as he approached and leaned in to give her a soft kiss before sitting on the bed.
“You know that I always love surprises from you,” he teased. Her mouth dropped open and she smacked his leg. He just would not let go of her little spying moment in the woods.
“Well it’s more of a surprise for Kiara,” she clarified as she plopped next to him and leaned to reach into a space between the bed and wall. She pulled out a large book with a white cover. To keep it secret, she held it behind her. Asher craned his neck and pretended to wrestle with her to get a glimpse, but she batted him away.
“Let me tell my story first,” she laughed, pushing him back with one arm while she held the book down. Asher gave in and sat still, his face amused. “Ok,” she began, “so when we first got together you said something in passing that I realized came from a favorite children’s book of mine.” He tilted his head, intrigued.
She took a deep breath. “It made me see the person inside, the person who came before,” she added and he nodded in understanding. “I know it helped me to trust you and I actually think it made me love you,” she admitted, turning red and laughing a little. Asher grabbed her free hand and started stroking it, giving her the shivers.
“So, anyway,” she tried to focus on her thoughts and not the electricity of his touch. “Another thing that made me love you was how wonderful you always were with the Family and the children, and especially,” she said with tears in her eyes, “with my family.” They were silent for a moment, both thinking of Maggie. “And most, most especially,” she added, brightening, “with Kiara. And soooooooo,” her voice grew excited, “on my last raid I got something that was to be just for you and Kiara.” She pulled the book from behind her and set it onto Asher’s la
p.
“Oh my God, Fi!” he laughed and turned it over in his hands. “A Light in the Attic.” His voice was warm, like he’d discovered an old friend. “I loved Shel Silverstein when I was a kid,” he said with a happy smile. She nodded.
“I know. And I know that Kiara will love him as well,” she said. “Before our last Seek, I searched Eden high and low for his books and didn’t find them. I knew I wanted to get this for Kiara, for you,” she added, “and so I also grabbed a ton of other children’s books for the colony as a whole to justify bringing something special, something personal, back from a colony Seek.”
She searched Asher’s face for disapproval. They both knew that Seeks were for the colony, not for personal gain. Asher smiled at her. Phew, that was good, she thought. She was worried he would be disappointed in her. She continued. “I wanted you to be able to give this to Kiara for Christmas, so you could sit together and read it with her. I wanted it to be something that Kiara would own, that would be all hers, from you,” she finished and Asher shook his head.
“You’re really something Fionualla,” he smiled. “That you would feel that you had to do something for the whole colony to justify one tiny kindness toward your sister,” he began, stroking her jaw. With a happy sigh, she closed her eyes for a moment. “That you would do something nice for both your sister and for me at the same time,” he continued, “and,” he chuckled, “somehow tie your love for me into it too.”
“I know,” she joked, “it’s probably overkill,” she admitted and Asher hugged her with his free hand and then opened the book. He grinned at her.
“I know this is for Kiara,” he said, “but how about we read a few together before we give it to her tonight?” Fi nodded with enthusiasm while Asher turned the pages. Suddenly he stopped and turned to her. “So what did I say?” he asked and she frowned, confused. “When we first ‘got together’ you said.”
“Oh!” she laughed and turned to the table of contents. Then she flipped through to the right poem and pointed. Asher burst out laughing.
“This? This was the thing I said that made you trust me?” His body shook. “Oh God,” he gasped, holding his stomach with his free hand. Tears came to his eyes. “This was the thing I said that made you love me?” This question came out between gasps as he pointed again at the page. Fi nodded, covering her mouth as she laughed with him.
“True story!” she admitted while she doubled over. “What can I say?” She had no explanation for herself either. Asher’s laughter slowed and he took a deep breath, wiping the tears from his eyes.
“Oh God,” he breathed, “Oh Fi,” he shook his head. He turned to her with a smile. “Fi, I don’t know how we would have met in the other world,” he began and Fi breathed in sharply. She had never thought about that before. What if they had never met? “And so here I am, feeling guilty that I’m so damned happy every day,” he said and Fi nodded in understanding. It did seem unfair to be so insanely happy, given the world outside. “But now I know for sure that we were meant to be.” He patted the book.
“Because I got you that book?” Fi asked, confused.
“No,” he shook his head, “Because I remember now.” His voice grew firm and Fi was startled by the sudden intensity in his eyes. “I remember saying this,” he pointed to the book, and Fi’s heart fluttered. He remembered that? Her eyes searched his as he shook his head. “At first I didn’t understand because you said that this referred to ‘when we first got together’. I thought you meant my birthday since that was the first time that we, you know, said how we felt.” Fi nodded and a slow smile crept across her face as she realized where he was headed. He did remember. Asher shook his head and looked at the book again.
“But that’s not what, or rather, when you meant, was it?” he asked and Fi shook her head.
“No,” she smiled down at her hands in her lap.
“I said this,” he pointed at the page, “the very first time we sat and strategized, inside the garden, right after the attack.” His words were quiet and soft, each one leading the memory one step farther back in time. “I said this to you the day that we met,” he emphasized. Fi held her breath and nodded. Her eyes shone.
“When I felt it and when I admitted it were not the same,” she explained as a happy tear ran down one cheek. Asher reached out and brushed it away and kissed her. He pulled away and met her eyes.
“That’s how I know we were meant to be,” his voice was rough. “Because that’s when I felt it too.” Then he took a deep breath and sighed. He turned back to the book and smiled again. “Thank you for this Fi,” he said, “and for everything,” he added and she lowered her eyes in embarrassment.
“So shall we have a ceremonial reading?” she proposed and Asher nodded.
“Of course, very appropriate,” he said and cleared his throat. As he started to read, he struggled to suppress his laugher.
“You may leave the clam on the ocean's floor,” he began with a snicker, and then Fi chimed in.
“It's all the same to the clam.”
Rachel’s Miracle
----------- Fi -----------
“Ouch!” Fi cried and put her fingertip in her mouth where she’d gotten it with the needle. She was sitting in the small family room of the Skillman family pod. Like most of Eden, it was painted a dull grey color. Fi wasn’t sure who picked that, she thought every time she flipped on the light and saw it in her own pod. It was so grim. Now she perched on a small vinyl chair with a corner of the sewing project secured in her left hand.
“Careful,” Lucy chided her with a chuckle. Fi was not the type to sit and patiently sew anything by hand, so Lucy appreciated her help. They stopped for a moment and Lucy held up the small quilt, shaking it out so that they could see their work.
“It’s beautiful Aunt Lucy,” Fi smiled. Even though it wasn’t her kind of thing, she was glad to help with this project. Lucy was sewing a special quilt for Rachel. It was something Lucy’s mother and grandmother had both done for their own children, but the tradition had ended with Lucy. When they went on the run, Lucy had become the one who had taken responsibility for all sewing and repairs. The altered backpack that had borne her daughter safely to Eden had been her handiwork.
“I always knew how to sew from my mama, of course,” Lucy told Fi as they worked on the quilt, heads down. “I just didn’t particularly care for it,” she explained and Fi chuckled through her teeth, a pin held in them at the moment. “I didn’t see the point,” Lucy said. “Clothing and linens were everywhere and they were so cheap. Why would anyone spend time hand sewing anything?” Thinking of her pinpricked fingertips, Fi had to agree.
“I understand Aunt Lucy,” she agreed. “But now…” she said, leading Lucy’s thoughts.
“Yes,” Lucy confirmed. “Now I understand and am so thankful that I knew how to do it.” Fi knew she was thinking of that pack, with Rachel’s tired legs dangling from it. All thoughts of that time were chased from their minds when Lucy held up the beautiful little quilt they were working on now. Each square had something in it about a family member, as well as his or her first initial. They were making it from scraps of linen that were too destroyed to be useful to the colony anymore. It wasn’t like fabric, or anything for that matter, was readily available to give as gifts.
Most Christmas gifts were actually just swaps these days. They were things that you no longer needed or wanted, but which someone else might like such as cards, games, instruments, or clothing. In Eden, everyone knew how to barter. Despite this, everyone in the Family had wanted to make something special for Rachel. They were all so happy that she seemed to be doing well. Behind Lucy they heard a noise and the two hid the quilt just before a smiling Rachel walked into the room with John. Fi noticed that his face was very flushed and almost sweaty. He nodded to her in greeting.
“We were going to wait to tell everyone until tonight,” he said, setting his hands on Rachel’s shoulders. Fi could see that Lucy was holding her breath. What was up, she
wondered? “But it’s fitting that Fi be here, be with us.”
“Tell me John,” Lucy said, her voice trembling. As Fi watched, tears welled up in John’s eyes and they started to fall.
“It’s a miracle Lu,” he said and started to cry outright. “She’s clean,” he choked and Rachel’s tears began to fall as well. Lucy howled in relief and jumped up and hugged them both fiercely as they cried. Fi did not want to disturb them so she sat in silence, happy but confused.
“C’mere Fi,” John roared over his wife’s head and waved her to join them. “You did it!” He folded her into their arms as she approached. “You did it Fi,” he hugged her.
“I did what?” Her head swung between all the tearful, happy faces. It was Rachel who explained. Embracing her, Rachel looked into her eyes.
“I’m in remission Fi,” she said and then she started crying again. “The cancer is gone.”
“Oh God Rach!” Fi exclaimed and she hugged Rachel again hard. “Oh God, Thank God!” she said and she felt herself begin to cry as she held Rachel close. Her tears were a release from all of those days and nights spent worrying, from the memories of deciding whether to give Rachel the meds or not, and of then watching her suffer and fade. And now here was Rachel, pink and well fed, with a full head of hair. And she was in remission. It was true; Fi thought to herself, she had done it. She had saved Rachel Skillman’s life. Well, she thought humbly, Eden had saved Rachel’s life.
When they arrived, Rachel had been very near death. There was no means to do a bone marrow transplant in Eden and they’d run low on the oral chemotherapy drugs. Every night Rachel crossed Fi’s mind, the sole worry still dancing around inside her, stealing her sleep. Fi sighed, releasing her friend who was really like another little sister. Smiling tearfully, she sniffed. “I can’t think of any better Christmas present in the entire world,” she said and all three of them laughed in relief.
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