by Vicki Weavil
“You saved her.”
Dad tightens his grip on my fingers. “No. I helped her pull herself back together. But I wasn’t doing it just for her. I know that now. After all these years, I can confess the truth. I took advantage of her, Ann. I used her need for comfort because I wanted—I needed—her. So desperately.” He shakes his head. “I shouldn’t tell you this, you shouldn’t have to hear it. But I know your mother is leaving Eco. She’s found someone else to fulfill my vow. And even though I’m angry, and hurt, and just want to break things, I can’t allow you to think the worst of her. She doesn’t deserve that, no matter what.”
“You know?” I can only manage a ragged whisper.
“Yes. I’m not quite as blind as many think.” He lifts our clasped fingers and presses his stubbly cheek against the back of my hand. “Don’t hate her, Ann. That will only hurt you in the end. And I never want anything to hurt you.”
I lean into him, resting my head on his shoulder. “I’m sorry, Papa. I know you still love her.”
“Oh, chica.” Dad’s grip on my fingers loosens. He drops my hands and pushes me back. Tears well in his eyes as he gazes into my face. “I wish that were true. But I’ve been worn away, like those pebbles you used to bring me when you were a little girl. Remember the one with the hole in it? So perfect, you thought some creature or alien being must have created it?”
I nod as I wipe my eyes with my fingers.
“Remember what I told you? That it was simply the wind blowing sand particles, polishing away layers of the stone?”
I do remember. A day where I sat in his lap and my mother … my mother was nestled close to us, examining my special stone. “You said it just kept being eaten away, in microscopic bites, by the sand. Until one day a tiny fissure appeared, and the fissure opened into a crack and the crack spread into a hole.”
Dad’s eyes are closed, and I wonder if he’s reliving that moment as well. “Not blasted away, not cut away, just worn away … by what, chica?”
“Time.”
My father leans in and kisses me on the forehead. “Yes, by time.” He stands and holds out his hands. “You understand what I’m saying?”
“Yes.” I allow him to pull me to my feet. “But sometimes, love grows stronger over time, doesn’t it Papa? I mean, I hope it does. I want to believe it can.”
“It can.” A smile illuminates his face. “All you have to do is look at your grandparents.” He swings my hands like he used to do when I was small enough for him to lift me off the floor. “And I love you more today, mi hija, than on the day you were born, though I would’ve sworn that was impossible.”
A fine web of lines radiates from the corners of his deep brown eyes. I realize he’s no longer young. Time, wearing everything away. “She’s asked me to come with her.”
“I see.” His smile fades. “And will you?”
“I don’t know yet.”
“Okay, that’s fair.” He studies me for a moment. “You have to do what’s best for you, Anna-Maria. Not for me or for her—for you.”
“Funny, Emie just told me that.”
“She’s a smart girl.” Dad lifts one hand to touch my cheek. “So are you. I’ll be proud of you whatever you decide. Never forget that.”
I cover his hand with mine. “I never forget anything you tell me.” My fingers fall away slowly. As I head for my bedroom I call back over my shoulder, “And time won’t ever change that.”
“Hot in here.” Dace wipes the sweat from his forehead with the edge of his sleeve.
“Duh, it’s a greenhouse.” I tap one of the black nutrient bins with the toe of my boot. “Want to help me move this, or are you happy playing boss?”
“Sure.” Dace squats down to get a good grip on the bin. “Just you and your grandmother take care of all this?”
“No.” I grunt and tighten my stomach muscles as we lift the heavy container. “Over there across the aisle is fine.” After we set down the bin, I wipe my hands on my already stained jeans. “Several people are trained to work in the greenhouse. It’s too important to rely on just one or two colonists. But grandmother runs the place, and she and I spend the most time working here.”
Dace straightens and casts a glance over the jungle of vines and other hanging vegetation. “You’d starve without it.”
“Yes.” I’ve known this fact all my life, but hearing it from someone else makes it feel real. The work we do, my grandmother and I, is important. Perhaps not all that exciting or challenging, but essential. I look about me at the flourishing plants, vines, and dwarf trees. Our colony couldn’t survive without these fruits and vegetables. Simple as that. Yet—I glance over at my grandmother—not easy. It’s taken the lifelong devotion of someone who doesn’t really get much credit.
Dace has been shadowing me all morning. He claims he needs to understand the colony’s infrastructure for his research. Pushing back the damp hair that clings to his forehead, he casts another glance about the greenhouse. “Something to be proud of—keeping all this going.” His gaze lands on my grandmother, who’s testing the level of phosphorous in one of the nutrient solutions.
She gives Dace a smile and peers into her portable monitor. “It’s taken some doing, I can tell you that.”
“The entire colony would have failed if Grandmother hadn’t spent night after night here in the early days, coaxing the plants to grow. Or so Grandfather tells me. Of course, you could say ‘force’ instead of ‘coax.’”
Grandmother shakes her finger at me. “Always with the smart mouth, nieta.” She pockets her monitor and meets Dace’s speculative stare. “It wasn’t that difficult. Easier than raising children.” Her eyes focus on me. “Or grandchildren.”
Dace turns his head but can’t quite hide his grin. I study his profile for a moment, wondering where he acquired his confidence. I know from our conversations he was raised in near-poverty and tormented by his peers over his lack of a father. Yet despite his outward diffidence, he’s not intimidated by others—no matter how old or wise or powerful. I guess it’s his devotion to research that trumps his fears. His dreams of discovery must outweigh any sense of inadequacy.
It’d be nice to have a dream like that—to study something that fascinates you, that you can pursue with interest your whole life. I shake my head. Stupid thoughts. I have a dream too. So what if it’s just leaving one place for another?
A sharp clang rings through the moist air. The front door vibrates as if the metal has been struck by a hammer.
I jog to the door and open it a crack. A slice of Kam’s pale face greets me.
“Open up,” he says, his visible eye narrowed to a green slit.
“Who’s there?” Grandmother’s voice sails over the sound of the air-circulation system.
I open the door wider. “Kameron Frye and his dad and uncle and a few others.”
A small knot of people stand in the narrow path that runs between the greenhouse and the domed animal pens. Standing just behind Kam is my mother, with Captain Patel at her side.
Dace is right behind me. “Looking for someone in particular?”
“Not someone,” replies Kam, stepping back as he slaps a thin metal pipe against his calloused palm.
My grandmother strolls over, pausing to slide a stun gun off a shelf near the door. She studies Dace and me for a minute while arming the gun. “Your mother’s outside.”
I swallow hard and nod.
“They want two of my fans for their mining machine. Need cooling elements, they say. Well, I say we need food more.”
“Will two fans make that much difference?” asks Dace. His expression is entirely serious.
“Perhaps not,” says my grandmother, “but where does it end? We don’t have that many spare parts lying around. I give them the equipment today, and then some of my fans go on the blink tomorrow. What then, Dacian Keeling?”
“Dace.” Those dark eyes survey my grandmother with interest. “Good p
oint. Truthfully,” he shuffles his feet on the rough grate of boards covering the concrete floor, “I totally agree with you, Ms. Solano. Or is it Dr. Solano?”
“Ms. will do.” My grandmother’s gaze brims with approval. “Dace.”
My fingernails bite into my palms again. “We need to do something.”
Grandmother puts out a hand to halt my progress toward the open door. “You’re not going out there, Anna-Maria.”
I flip my braid back over my taut shoulder. “Mom might listen to me.”
“Maybe.” Grandmother tightens her grip on my arm. “But I’m not willing to take that chance. Besides, your mother isn’t the only one out there, and even she can’t control every loose cannon on Eco.” She turns toward the entrance. “I’m going to have a little chat with our visitors. You two stay behind me—understand?”
Her eyes bore into me. I nod. “Bien.”
Leveling the stun gun, she braces one foot against the doorjamb.
Dace leans into me, peering over my shoulder. “Kam looks like he’s itching for a fight.”
“He always looks like that.” I spy Raid stepping out of the shadows between the dairy and the rec hall, Emie at his side. The two of them remain several yards away from Mom’s group. “Shhh … Grandmother’s talking.”
“I told you ‘no’ before—guess you didn’t listen. Now, stand down.”
My mother’s words ring out amid the hum of voices. “Paloma, don’t be difficult. We simply want to borrow a few things.”
“Not happening.”
“This is foolishness.” Mom steps forward, separating herself from the others. “You’re not stupid—you must understand what this opportunity means. Once we’ve gathered enough Promissium to guarantee a contract with a mining company, we can all leave Eco. Let the miners work while we reap the profits. We don’t need to concern ourselves with long-term survival.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I see my father and grandfather appear around the edge of one of the domes. They are jogging, their eyes fixed on the greenhouse.
“You’re assuming we all want to leave, Tara.” The business end of the stun gun never twitches. It’s pointed directly at my mother’s forehead.
“And why wouldn’t you?” Mom stands as still as a sentinel. “What is there on this godforsaken planet for you? For anyone?”
“Our life is here.”
Dad strides forward and lays a hand on Mom’s arm. “Enough, Tara.”
“What kind of life is that?” asks Mom, without acknowledging my father’s touch.
With Dad’s body blocking her aim, my grandmother lowers her gun. “The only life you’ve ever known. The life you should be protecting—for your child, if no one else.”
Dace grips my shoulder. I must’ve made some sound.
“I’m going to give my daughter more than that.” Light glints off Mom’s gilt hair. “I’m giving her the universe.”
“Not with my fans, you’re not. Besides, Anna-Maria is in here with me.” Grandmother leans to one side so the crowd can catch a good glimpse of Dace and me. “Along with the actual discoverer of your precious mineral. Perhaps he should have more of a say in what happens next.”
Someone shouts something about spacers as Connor Patel moves closer to Mom’s side. “Dacian, enough of this nonsense. Come out of the building. No sense mixing in a colony dispute.”
“It’s more than that.” Dace pushes past me. Grandmother makes a grab for his arm but he’s too quick for her. “This whole thing’s moving too fast, Uncle Connor.”
Dace faces off with his uncle. One of the Frye brothers yells out, “Just give us the damn fans,” but grandmother simply motions for me to join her just outside the doorway as my father and grandfather take up positions flanking Dace.
“Jason, Jason, Jason,” Mom murmurs. Toe-to-toe with my dad, she stares up into his stoic face. “As always, standing in my way.”
Kam bounds out of the group, flexing his hands. “I say we just shove ’em aside and take what we need.”
My mother waves him back. “Not yet.”
I’m astonished when Kam stops in his tracks, but a quick glance at his face tells the story. Of course he’s fallen under my mother’s spell. It wouldn’t have been that hard to win Kam over. She probably graced him with one of her enchanting smiles and talked to him as if he were a grown man. I make a disgusted noise. Grandmother glances over at me, pursing her lips.
Mom looks my father up and down. “I still think reason may prevail.”
“Since you’ve abandoned reason, not sure how that will work.” Dad keeps his gaze focused over Mom’s head.
Grandfather scans the crowd. “I see you back there, Efrain Medina. So who’s working on that broken pump you swore to fix today? And Lyssa Lee, finished with that fabrication project yet? No? Didn’t think so. Bunch of troublemakers. Go back to work, the lot of you, and leave my wife alone.”
“We are working!” Even Mom can’t prevent Kam from diving into the middle of a fight. He stalks toward my grandfather, who holds up one hand to halt his approach. “We’re the ones trying to excavate spacer boy’s mineral goldmine. Then we can all collect credits and blast off this rock. That work enough for you, old man?” Gaining courage from the noises of approval, he takes another step and fires off a rude gesture.
“Watch yourself, Kameron Frye.” My grandmother’s fingers tighten around the grip of her stun gun.
“Or what?” Kam drops the pipe and stands, legs spread apart, fists clenched at his sides. “You gonna blast me? Nah, I don’t think so.”
“This is unproductive.” My mother turns to the captain. “Connor, can you talk some sense into your nephew? My family’s apparently past all hope.” She stares directly at me.
I meet her gaze without flinching. “There’s actually a plan that might please everyone, if you’d listen. Dace thought of it.”
“Oh, so the spacer’s making the rules now?” Kam sneers at me before turning to address the milling crowd. More colonists have arrived, obviously drawn by the commotion. Most seem content to hang out at the fringes, casting a wary eye on the proceedings. “That what we want? Strangers landing here, mucking about on our planet, telling us how to do things?”
Shouts erupt and several colonists push their way forward. Most take up positions behind Kam. But two people walk past him to join my father and grandfather in flanking Dace. One is Emie.
The other is Raid. “Back down, Kam.”
“Protecting your honey, are you?” Kam insolently shoves his hands in his pockets. “Even though she’s probably banging junior scientist over there?”
Raid’s attempt to lunge at Kam is curtailed by Grandfather gripping his shoulder and yanking him back.
“No need to fight, son,” says Grandfather, releasing Raid. “Don’t soil your hands.”
Mom’s eyes narrow as she examines Kam. Sure, she’s happy to make use of him, but I know she won’t permit anyone to insult me. Her pride’s too great, if nothing else. Kam doesn’t realize it, but he’s just made a dangerous enemy.
“Enough of this.” Mom turns back to my grandmother. “Very well, Paloma. We won’t pursue this matter any further today. But we will have our machines, all the same.”
“I’m sure.” A triumphant smile lights Grandmother’s face. “But you won’t have my fans.”
Mom’s gaze flits from Grandmother to the others opposing her, coming to rest on Dad. “We’ll find another way. The mining will proceed, with or without your blessing.”
As Mom walks away, Dace chases her and clutches her arm. “You can’t rush this! You don’t know what’s at stake!”
She turns and stares at him, shaking off his hand. Disdain emanates from her like a scent. “Whatever do you mean? I know exactly what I’m doing, as does your uncle.”
Dace’s lower lip quivers. “No, you don’t. None of you does. You don’t understand what you’ll be destroying … ”
“
Dace!” I dart forward, inserting my body between him and my mother. “Don’t say another word.”
“I must.”
“You promised.” I take hold of his hands and stare beseechingly into his face.
Dace shakes his head. “I’m sorry, Ann.” He pulls his hands from my grip and steps back to address the growing crowd. “The truth has to be told. You need all the facts before you make this decision.”
“What do you mean?” Captain Patel glances from Dace to my mother.
“It’s no one’s fault. Or maybe it’s mine.” Dace lifts his chin. “I should’ve said something sooner. But I promised Ann … ”
“Ann?” Emie’s lips tremble as she turns to me.
All our talks, and I’ve still been keeping secrets. Yes, I know, Emie. I know I’ve failed you. I stiffen my spine and keep my focus on Dace. “You can’t do this. We had a deal.”
“Some things are more important.” Dace’s gaze locks with mine. There’s trace of pity in his look, which only infuriates me more.
Behind him, Raid’s expression shifts from astonishment to confusion. I narrow my eyes at Dace. “More important than promises?”
“Than promises that should never have been made, yes.”
Connor Patel ignores my mother’s fierce glare. With his attention on his nephew, Connor absently rubs the back of his neck with one hand. “I’m confused. What’s this all about, Dacian?”
“You promised!” I hate that this comes out as a wail, that my entire body is vibrating with anger.
“You aren’t alone on this planet,” says the boy who kissed me in the lake.
“Damn you.” I spit out the words.
“How so?” My mother moves closer.
Dace shoots me an apologetic look and plunges ahead. “There’s another life form living here. Not just insects and lizards, but a species of mammal that seems to possess a high level of intelligence. They live underground—in the lakes and rivers that flow through the caverns beneath our feet. Ann and I discovered them. Or they discovered us—I’m not quite sure which.”