by Elin Peer
“Like what?”
“I’m not sure but I’m going to figure it out,” she said with a solemn expression in her eyes. “But let’s not talk about that now.” Pearl snaked her hand under my arm and gave me a smile. “Today is such a great day and we’re not going to let anything spoil it.”
I smiled back at her. “You’re right! It is a good day. And tomorrow will be the children’s first real school day – That’s going to be interesting.”
For a while we stood quietly watching Archer and Marco guiding the children in some sort of game that made little sense to us. The box game had been my suggestion; this one was Archer’s introduction game.
“Should we get involved?” Pearl asked when two boys got into a loud discussion. But before we had a chance to do anything about it, Marco was master of the situation, grabbing each boy with a strong hand and pulling them apart. He shoved them in front of him, leading them away from the group.
“What do you think he’s telling them?” I asked Pearl, not liking the way the two young boys stood with their heads down.
“He’s probably threatening them with a painful death or something.” Pearl’s tone was sarcastic, but the look we exchanged said that none of us would be surprised if it really was the case.
“It’s going to take a while to get used to their ways.”
We both frowned when the two young boys dropped to the ground and started doing push-ups. Marco was counting and some of the Motlander children stopped to watch.
“What are they doing?” Tommy, who stood closest to us, asked.
Hunter turned back and answered: “They’re taking their punishment.”
“But it looks like fun,” Tommy exclaimed. “I wanna see if I can do that.” A second later, Tommy was on the ground imitating what he saw the two boys doing with Marco. Nicki and Raven quickly followed suit, and I couldn’t hide a smile when a small group of the Motlander children were doing push-ups for fun, undermining the punishment that Marco had given the two boys.
“What the fuck are you guys doing?” Archer called out, his hands on his hips and his face scrunched in annoyance.
Raven got up, brushed her hands off, and walked toward him. “It’s not fair that they get to have all the fun, and you shouldn’t call us guys when some of us are girls.”
“Push-ups aren’t supposed to be fun,” Archer explained. “Marco was teaching the boys a lesson because they couldn’t stop fighting. It’s a punishment.”
Raven furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. “Why would you punish them? Don’t you know that the moment we need love the most is when we’re most unlovable?”
Archer shook his head and sighed. “That’s not exactly how we do things here.”
“So you don’t do love circles?” Raven asked innocently.
“What the hell is a love circle?” Storm asked with a small snicker.
“We can show you,” Willow said and gave a sweet smile to Storm.
I took a step forward but Pearl placed a hand on my arm. “Kya, don’t,” she said softly.
“Archer.” Willow turned to face the large man. “Can we show what a love circle is?”
“You have to address me as Mr. Archer,” he corrected her and crossed his arms.
“Okay, Mr. Archer,” Willow said. “So can we?”
She took his small nod as a yes and called all the Motlander children together in a circle. “Oscar and Nikola, the two boys who had been fighting, were walking back to the group with Marco.
“Oscar and Nikola, you two have to stand in the middle,” Raven called out to them.
Archer and Marco took a position outside the circle with the other Northland children, and it was clear to see that they found the whole thing ridiculous.
“Now what?” Storm asked.
“Now we shower them with love,” Willow explained and since this was something the children from the Motherlands had all done since early childhood, they needed no further instructions. Holding hands, they walked closer, making the circle smaller until they were shoulder to shoulder surrounding the two boys.
Oscar and Nikola didn’t look too comfortable when the children all placed a hand on them and started singing. It was the traditional love song, using simple words.
Take my love and fill your heart.
That’s all you need for a fresh start.
No need to fight, no need to scare.
You are loved and we all care.
The children had reached the part of the song where they made funny faces to cheer up the person in the middle. Oscar and Nikola made funny faces back at them and standing back to back they started circling slowly, guided by the Motlander children, who knew the importance of looking everyone in the eye.
It was hard not to laugh when the children collectively gave a group hug, squeezing Oscar and Nikola together in the middle.
Archer clapped his hands to get their attention back. “Thank you for the demonstration, that looks… ehhm… fun, but I think it’s time to play some more games.” He pointed to Marco and Shelly. “You got this?”
Marco nodded and whistled loudly while gesturing for the children to follow him. Like a pack of wolves, twenty children followed the young man with Shelly taking up the tail end.
“Kya, can I talk to you?” Archer asked in a serious tone.
“Sure,” I said and was relieved when Pearl took her leave with a quick explanation that she needed to get back to Khan, who would be curious about how the first day had gone. I didn’t want her to see us have another argument.
“Just so we’re clear, if any of the students need punishment, I’ll make sure they get it. And it won’t be in some fucking love circle,” Archer said.
“I know, you told me so already.”
“And what happened to that no-hands policy that I insisted on?”
“As long as there’s no groping or hitting, I really don’t see the problem with them touching.” I tilted my head. “I told you a million times, touching is healthy, and besides, they will be touching when they massage each other tomorrow morning.”
Archer made an annoyed sound in the back of his throat. “How about I take the Nboys running while you do the massage thing with your kids?”
“No! We’re not having two schools in one school.” I crossed my arms. “First they will do massage and then they will go running with you.”
Archer got that stubborn expression on his face that I had come to know so well. “They will go running in the morning as the first thing when they wake up. After that, you can lull them back to sleep with your meditation and massage, but not before my running.”
“You’re a stubborn mule.”
“I thought you said calling each other names was immature,” he pointed out in reference to an earlier discussion we’d had.
“Yes, I apologize,” I said politely. “But you drive me crazy.”
“I’m sorry, honey, but you were crazy way before you even came here.” He turned his back on me and walked away with a shaking head, muttering: “A fucking love circle.”
CHAPTER 8
Telling the Twins
Kya
Archer woke the kids up in the most brutal way. He and Marco simply walked into the sleeping dorms, turned on the light, and started shouting. The Nboys, who seemed used to the drill, got up, dressed, and gathered outside – all within a few minutes.
The children from the Motherlands, however, were confused, tired, and cranky at being dragged out of bed in such a rude manner. Victoria even started crying.
“Would you please stop shouting,” I told Marco in a firm voice.
Marco looked horrified at Victoria, as if he had never seen a girl cry before, which in all fairness he hadn’t.
“What happened?” A gruff voice from behind me asked. I turned to see Magni. “Why is she crying? Did you hurt her?” He scowled at Marco.
“Get out, all of you,” I instructed and squatted down next to Victoria. “What’s wrong, honey?” I asked in a soft voice.<
br />
“It scares me when people shout,” she managed to get out in between her crying.
“Is it because of what happened to you?” I caressed her hair. “I know about the tornado and how you lost your family, and I want you to know that you can talk to me about how you feel.”
Victoria opened up and told about the tragic day when her family unit had been swept away and she’d been the only one to survive. “It was early morning and I was still sleeping when my dad came yelling. I only survived because I hid behind the built-in.”
“The what?”
“It was my favorite hiding place when we played hide and seek, so when my dad shouted for us all to get to safety, I chose that spot.” She rubbed her eyes. “It was in the kitchen, under the built-in benches, just big enough for me to fit in. My brother once tried, but his shoulders got stuck, so it was my spot.”
“And no one else made it?” I asked.
She shook her head and looked down. “No, just me.”
I had known about this from her file. Victoria wasn’t the only student with a traumatic background, which was logical, since most of the kids didn’t have parents. They had been the easiest children to include in the experiment, since every normal parent in the Motherlands would refuse sending their children to the Northlands.
That’s why it had been such a triumph for Christina and me when Sheana Rene, one of the councilwomen from the Motherlands, had volunteered her two daughters. At least Rochelle and Shelly were healthy and not suffering from any major issues.
It took a while before Victoria was ready to go outside. But then I considered it a small victory that she had opened up and told about the trauma she had experienced only a few months ago. Dealing with emotional issues was something I was comfortable with, as it was connected to my work with children with special needs. I understood that even the best teacher in the world can’t teach a student anything if the child is worried, scared, or emotionally shut down in some way.
Victoria and I missed the running. Instead we sat soaking up the morning sun and waited for the others to come back. The first one to arrive was, predictably Solomon, followed by Storm and Hunter. Archer arrived with the tail end of the children from the Motherlands. The Nboys didn’t even look out of breath, and Nieall and some of the girls from the Motherlands looked to be in fine shape too.
“How far did you run?” I asked Archer.
“Just two miles,” he said. “It’s just to get the blood pumping; we’ll do longer runs soon. Tomorrow you’ll join us, right?”
I nodded.
“Okay, let’s get the breakfast going.” Archer clapped his hands. “If your name is on the list and you have breakfast duty, you will join Marco and Shelly in the kitchen; if not, head for the shower and get dressed – we’ll be eating in twenty minutes.”
“Run along,” I told Victoria with a smile and went to help with the breakfast.
Thirty minutes later, the children sat around the long dining table eating breakfast.
“Here, have a piece of bacon,” Nero offered Tommy, who happily snatched a piece from the plate.
“Ehhm, Tommy,” I said. “You don’t want to eat that, honey, it’s the real thing and not a substitute.”
He looked at the bacon in his hand and back to me as if he didn’t understand.
“It comes from a real pig,” I explained and complete silence fell around the table as everyone turned to look at me.
“What’s wrong with eating bacon?” William asked.
“Yeah, what’s wrong with eating bacon?” Marco chimed in.
“In the Motherlands, we don’t kill other species,” I said patiently. “What’s wrong is that in order for this bacon to be made, a pig had to die.”
“That’s so sad.” Victoria looked like she was about to cry again.
“What if that pig had friends and family?” Raven asked William, who had just stuffed his mouth full of bacon.
“If you don’t like to eat bacon or meat, no one is forcing you,” Archer said pragmatically.
“I like my bacon,” Solomon announced with a shrug.
“But what if…” Victoria didn’t have a chance to finish her sentence before Archer cut her off.
“Look, no one is forcing anyone to eat meat. At every meal there will be both vegetarian and normal food so everyone can make their own choices. Understood?”
“Vegetarian food is normal food for some of us,” I pointed out and noted how Tommy was still casting longing glances at the bacon.
“Finish your breakfast, you have about ten minutes to get ready for the start of school,” I informed them. “This morning Shelly will be leading you in your first meditation together.”
I waited for the kids to finish their meal and start breaking up before I tapped Hunter and Willow on the shoulder and signaled for them to come with me.
“There’s something special about you two,” I told them when they sat in front of me in my small office. “Can you guess what it is?”
Willow let her beautiful green eyes roam over Hunter and he frowned back at her.
“I don’t know what’s special about her, but I’m the fastest runner here,” Hunter said proudly, and I didn’t bring up that Solomon and Storm had beaten him this morning.
“That’s not what I meant by special.” Giving them a minute to think, I asked them to stand up and face each other.
“Do you remember having met before?”
“No.” Hunter shook his head.
Willow on the other hand narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “Does the name Jeremy mean anything to you?” she asked him.
“No,” he repeated.
She drew in a sigh. “I had a brother named Jeremy.” Her voice was soft and pleasant. “We grew up together until we were three years old and he was sent to the Northlands. I don’t remember much about him, but I imagine he would look like you by now.”
“Do you remember having a sister?” I asked Hunter.
“I don’t remember anything from my life before I came here.” Hunter turned to look at me. “What is this about?”
“Your name wasn’t always Hunter; did you know that?” I asked him.
Willow’s eyes expanded and she held her breath, turning her eyes to me expectantly.
I smiled at them both. “That’s right, you two are siblings.”
Hunter gaped while Willow impulsively flung her arms around his neck and gave him a big hug. “I never thought I would see you again!”
“Wait, I have a sister?” he muttered.
“A twin sister,” I clarified and almost laughed at the way he stood stiffly, holding his arms back from touching Willow. “It’s okay, Hunter,” I chuckled. “You can hug her back.”
Slowly Hunter wrapped his arms around Willow’s back and allowed her to hug him for another five seconds before he pulled back. “How come you remember me when I don’t remember you?”
“Because I’ve seen pictures of us together.”
“But why was I sent here?”
“Your mother was a peacekeeper,” I said and explained: “The Nmen have a peace treaty with the Motherlands and as part of that agreement they receive a number of boys from us each year. Women who agree to carry an Nboy are honored among us and called peacekeepers because their sacrifice keeps us all safe.”
“You really don’t remember me at all?” Willow was looking into Hunter’s eyes.
“Sorry,” he muttered.
“So how do you feel now that you know that I’m your sister?” she asked with a smile.
“I don’t know. Strange, I suppose.”
“Aren’t you happy?”
“Yeah, but I’m not sure how to feel about it.” He scratched his arm and looked away.
Placing a hand on each of their shoulders, I said: “Don’t worry, you have plenty of time to figure this out and get to know each other again. First, I think we should go and share the good news with the rest of the children but after we’ve done the morning massage, I suggest that yo
u two take a walk and talk. I can imagine you have questions that you want to have answered.”
“Yes, I want to know everything about what happened to you after you were sent here,” Willow said excitedly. “And I can tell you all about what happened to me too; how I grew up, who my friends are, how I felt about coming here, and how much I’ve missed you.”
Willow took Hunter’s hand and he tensed up. “I don’t think you should touch me. If Archer or Magni sees it, I’m going to be in a lot of trouble.”
“No, you won’t.” She laughed. “We’re not just ordinary students, we’re twins, and that means we’re supposed to be best friends and hold hands as much as we want to.”
Hunter looked skeptical but followed us when we walked back into the schoolroom where the others were finishing up their meditation.
“So, what do you think of your first meditation?” I asked in the direction of some of the Nboys.
“Feels a little silly,” Nero chuckled.
“That’s just until you get used to it,” I assured him and moved into the cozy corner where they were all currently sitting.
“I have some really good news,” I said and got everyone’s attention. “This is such a wonderful experiment because not only are we bringing together boys and girls from each side of the border, we’re also bringing together a pair of twins.” I smiled widely when Willow couldn’t hide her enthusiastic excitement and wrapped an arm around her brother’s shoulder, beaming at the rest of the students.
“Hunter is my twin,” she exclaimed.
“For real?” Solomon made big eyes and looked to Hunter. “She’s your sister?”
“Apparently so,” Hunter said.
“Do we have more siblings in the group?” Raven asked excitedly.
“No, I’m afraid not, but aren’t you really happy for Hunter and Willow?”
Congratulations were heard from around the room and a bunch of questions were asked.
“I’m afraid we don’t have time to answer all the questions right now,” I said. “It’ll have to wait because right now you’re going to have your first morning massage.”