“Ester, I won’t argue with you. You have three weeks to grow a sprout for graduation, and maybe if fate allows, they will let you pass.”
Ester rolled her eyes. “But Sister—”
“That’s enough.” The Sister let out a sigh, her expression softened. “Ester, listen to me. This is very important, your future.”
“It’s not here,” Ester retorted, and the sister sighed again. Sister Genevieve cupped Ester’s chin and placed a kiss on her forehead.
“I expect nothing less than your best, but know that the world does not bless those who do not in turn put in the work.”
Ester sighed in defeat. “Yes ma’am.”
The sister waved Ester off, uncertain of her future and clasped her hands together. “Please Grand Mother in the sky, take hold of that child and give her wings.”
The wind picked up, blowing through Ester’s thick curly hair. Her future wasn’t here in the fields of Adum-la. She wasn’t meant to tend the soils, settle down, and marry. Those weren’t the dreams that occupied her mind anymore. She dreamed of fighting alongside her fellow rangers. In galactic battle, against all sort of enemies, protecting her fellow citizens and visiting planets far, far away. As she thought about her dreams, her heart beat faster. She was so close she could almost see herself walking into ranger school. There she would be equal, side by side with her fellow rangers and not some poor kid from the outskirts. She shut her eyes and took a deep breath. It was meant to be, she told herself as she clutched her necklace, the only thing she had left to remember her parents by. I’m going to make it mama, papa, she said to herself. She picked up the pace, her gait slowly turning into a jog. There were no breaks; she needed to stay in shape if she was going to get into ranger academy. She needed both a sharp mind and a trained body she thought to herself as she passed a few of her classmates on her two mile trip to school.
***
Ester could barely stay awake during her morning classes. They were so boring, she wished she could go out for a run. Brother Isa was going over galactic history, a subject Ester thought would be more interesting but instead it just put her to sleep. Brother Isa droned on about the history of their neighboring planet, Labadora, a large green planet much bigger than Rean that sat visible in the sky like the moon. Little was known about the planet, but it was rumored that the Labadorans were far from friendly. Some even going as far to call them uncivilized. Ester’s head dipped a little, but a tiny shock popped her in the butt. She yelped as all eyes turned to her.
“Is everything okay. Ester?” Brother Isa said, lowering his book.
“Yeah,” Ester forced a smile, as she tried to block out the snickers of her classmates. She looked behind her and saw Adis grinning at her. Ester cursed under her breath.
The bell rang, ending another uneventful day. Ester was sure she could get into ranger academy with physique alone, but she didn’t understand why she needed to waste her time in school. She was sure none of the kids in the metropolises took agriculture classes, but this was educational gold in Adum-la. She lifted her head and yawned as Brother Isa walked towards the front of the room.
“And remember class, you have a little over two weeks to prepare your advanced agriculture project. This will be your final grade. Enjoy the rest of your day. Safe travels.” The teacher dismissed them.
Ester slumped in her chair, like she needed another reminder. She got up and filed out of the room with the rest of the students. Just a day had passed since her big adventure, and it was far too soon to be pulled back into the real world.
“Ester.” A hand reached out and touched her shoulder.
Ester jumped and was greeted by the warm smile of another one of her housemates, but this one was much more of a pain.
“Luck, you scared me,” Ester snapped back, but Luck only chuckled.
“Feeling a little on edge, are we?” Luck said, as he flashed one of his more cockier smiles.
Ester rolled her eyes. He was by far the most handsome boy in school. His eyes soft and blue like the sea, with sun kissed sandy colored skin. His hair was curly and short, untamed, just like his spirit. Staring at Luck was like watching the sun set on a perfect day with the promise of a wonderful night to come, but Ester cared very little. She was one girl his charm did not work on. Ester reshuffled the books in her hands in annoyance and walked away.
“Ester, wait, I’m sorry.” Luck chased after her, but Ester only glared as Luck tried to keep pace beside her. “You know you’re really cute when you’re mad.” Luck laughed lightly.
“And you really know how to clear a room after a bottle of goat’s milk.”
“Aww, that’s low,” Luck pouted, only half hurt. The two walked to the courtyard together, passing other students and faculty. “I noticed you looked a little nervous in class today.”
“And?” Ester kept walking, not slowing down even a bit.
“And I was wondering if there was anything I could do to help.” The two stopped. Ester was really bad at hiding her emotions, especially around Luck. The boy was gifted at reading people.
“Ugh, okay,” Ester sighed. “I really messed up my final project. The plant, it’s totally dead.” She sighed again.
“I know.” Luck said with another one of his award winning grins.
Ester could feel her eye twitch as her glare intensified. “You hungry or something, cause you’re asking for a fist sandwich.”
Luck took a step back and raised his hands up in defense. “Easy there, I am friend, not foe.” He smiled with his eyes. “Look Ester, I’d be happy to help you with your project.”
“Yeah, right, not even you can grow a plant in three weeks.”
“Oh, is that a challenge?” He folded his fingers into the shape of a gun and conjured up a tiny spark on the tip of his index finger. “Are you forgetting who you’re talking to? I am Luck Verden Hayes, grower of all things.” He winked.
Ester stared at him for many long seconds, then laughed. “Okay, you know arrogance doesn’t suit you, change it.” Ester walked around him, but not before Luck grabbed her hand. They were now standing with their backs facing each other.
“I’m always happy to help, I mean it.”
“I know,” Ester said.
He let go of her hand and watched her walk away, smiling to himself.
On the walk home from school, Ester stared up at the sky. The sun inched across a sea of blue, as slow as a sand snail. She couldn’t afford a bad marking after she worked so hard in all her units to maintain good marks. She was sure all the metropolis kids had perfect marks, but out here marks didn’t matter. They valued hard work in the fields. Long ago, it was something she took pride in. There was a time many years ago where she would have been happy with tilling the ground from sun up to sun down, but that all changed when her family was slaughtered. If her brother Corta was here, he would know how to get her out of this mess. He was good at figuring things out. She stopped alongside a farmer’s stand to pick up a few seeds for her project.
Maybe it might be a little easier to grow a tum tree, she told to herself as she browsed the shelf, twirling the curls of hair on the back of her neck. The shopkeeper smiled at her as she passed, shuffling her feet across the hay littered floor. This final project had been nothing but a headache, and she’d tried. She watered the plant, and put it out in the sun, just not every day, but who was she kidding. She only had herself to blame; she didn’t care about learning to farm. She wanted no part of that life, and now she was in a bind and without this plant she won’t graduate. Stupid, she cursed under her breath and settled on a package of opalia seeds.
When she arrived home, everyone was already busy with their daily chores. The younger children were in charge of sweeping and dusting, while the older children helped with fixing up the house and cooking. The boys were all outside tending to the garden, pulling weeds and watering the plants. In the kitchen the girls were mending clothes and sorting through donations. Ester walked into the kitchen. Algaza, Jer
mane, and Adis were sitting at the table.
“Well, look who decided to join us.” Adis said. “Surely you don’t think your little trip to the metropolis resolves you of your homely duties?”
Algaza and Jermane looked at her, but Ester swallowed her pride and tried to ignore her. “Of course not, I had to stop at Horvor’s.”
“What for?” Algaza asked, getting glares from Adis.
Ester shuffled her pack around. “Nothing big, just some seeds.” Ester pulled out the package of opalia seeds and showed her friends.
“Opalias.” Jermane’s eyes sparkled. “Those are my favorite.”
“Yeah, I just hope they’re easy to grow.” Ester clutched the seeds, eyeing them as if they had a plot against her. “Welp, I’m going to throw these in a pot.”
“You can’t be serious.” Adis laughed. “You do realize those are one of the hardest plants to grow?”
Ester clenched her fist. “I-I knew that, duh, just mind your business, Adis.” Ester stormed out.
“Ester, make sure the soil is balanced or they won’t grow,” Algaza frantically warned.
“Oh brother, I can’t wait to see how this turns out,” Adis smirked.
Ester rushed towards the shed in the back of the house. Who cared what Adis thought, she was going to make this plant grow. It was too late to earn the perfect mark, but anything was better than nothing. She was grateful for the fact that she hadn’t slacked off the whole year. Her marks were pretty padded, but so was her competition. So, she would need to put her everything into this project. Just as Ester was about to open the door to the shed, she was the bombarded by clumps of dirt. She spun around with such ferocity, the guilty party stopped their assault at once.
“Um, it wasn’t me.” Riker held up his dirt covered hands, as Ester fumed towards him.
Then slam, another clump of dirt struck her on the side of her face, getting in her hair and ear. She growled and wiped away the filth, catching Tommy laughing some feet away.
“Tommy! You’re dead meat!” Ester shouted as sparks crackled from her fist. Tommy’s eyes got big, and he and his friends turned and ran away. “I’m not going to forget this, you worms!” she growled as she dusted the rest of the dirt out of her hair, displacing her short tied ends even more.
She sighed. She would have to shower tonight, which meant she had another thing to do. She opened the shed door, trigging the flickering motion sensor light. Some of the other kids plants were resting in the window and Ester stared at them with envy. Along with Ester, Jermane, Adis, and Luck were also graduating this year. She wouldn’t miss Adis or Tommy and his friends, but it would be hard to say goodbye to Jermane and Algaza and the younger kids. Ester pulled out a soil crusted pot and dusted it off. It was small and had some cracks in it, but it would have to do. She rinsed it under the sink, inspecting it for larger cracks.
“I hope that’s not the pot you’re using for your plant?” Luck smiled, leaning against the door frame.
Ester jumped and shut off the water without looking at him. “If you’re going to help, help. If not, piss off.”
“Ooo, sassy.” Luck walked over and placed his hand over Ester’s. “Here, let me find a better pot for you.” Ester froze momentarily and allowed Luck to take the pot. “This one will be much better.” He presented her with a rounder pot, handmade, with an aged gold glaze. “This will hold more soil.”
Ester inspected the pot. “Thanks.”
“What kind of plant did you decide on?” Luck asked as he pulled a large sack of soil from underneath the wooden work table.
“Opalias.” Ester said as she rinsed the pot. Luck stopped and looked at her. Their eyes met, and she could tell he was on the edge of laughing. “What?” Luck’s smile weaned as the corners of his mouth trembled, then he burst into laughter.
“Opalias are one of the hardest plants to grow.” He clutched his gut. “Surely you know this?” She rolled her eyes. “But,” he reached over head to pull out a jar of nutromix, “they don’t take long to sprout.” Ester’s face perked up. “If you do it right, of course,” he added.
“Well, blast me in the foot, I’m screwed.” Ester plopped onto a stool. Luck looked at her warmly and smiled, cooling the fire in Ester’s heart if only for a minute.
“Don’t worry.” He stood in front of her, looming dangerously close. “You have me remember?” His face hovered only inches from hers.
“And you do realize just because you’re helping me with this, it doesn’t mean I’m settling down with you.” Her words halted his advance, but he recovered quickly.
“Of course.” Luck took a step back. “But, if you change your mind—”
“Yeah, yeah, you’ll be here.” Ester shook her head. Sometimes she wished he would just get the message.
“Waiting.” Luck teased with a smile
Ester rolled her eyes. “They’d bury you before you ever got the chance to marry me.” Ester chuckled under her breath.
“What was that?” Luck raised an eye.
“Nothing.” Ester cracked a smiled.
The two continued to talk as Luck guided Ester on how to pot her plant. In the window, a shadow lurked, watching the two as they worked. With fists clenched, Adis swore she would make Ester pay for stealing the attention of Luck from her.
***
Night rolled in and all the children gathered around the tele to watch the Var Alex Show, a nightly program featuring the latest artist and performers from all over the planet. This show was one thing the children could agree on and was sort of a tradition around the house. Tonight’s show featured Dr. Blaze and Friends from the hit children’s show. The children were enamored, and though Ester didn’t want to admit it, she was into it, too. Dr. Blaze and his sidekick danced around the stage, preforming their trademark hero dance. The children laughed, but did not notice Sister Genevieve hovering in the doorway.
“Ester,” she whispered softly, but loud enough to be heard above the tele.
Ester turned and eyed the sister warily. She hoped she wasn’t in any more trouble. She stood, moving carefully not to trip over anyone. The sister smiled and led Ester into the kitchen, where all the sewing materials were laid out. Ester relaxed and noticed Jermane was there too, all pinned up in a layer of fabric. The two girls exchanged smiles as Ester was led to a chair and seated as Sister Genevieve moved gracefully around the room gathering things.
“Ester, your ceremony is coming up soon, so we must get you ready.” The sister clasped her hands together.
When donations fell short, Sister Genevieve made the children’s clothes. They didn’t have the tones to purchase nicer fabric, but Sister Genevieve made due hemming and altering second hands. But it was a household tradition that all ceremonial clothes were handmade. To the Sister, their graduation ceremony was more than just a graduation, it marked the end of their time in her care. And each child received these ceremonial garments as gifts for the special place they held in her heart.
Sister Genevieve picked through her boxes of needles, when she remembered that she left her favorite one on her nightstand. She told the girls she’d be right back and hurried off. Ester nodded and looked over at Jermane. Draped delicately over Jermane’s body was the start of a beautiful Kiko robe, customarily worn by the Dagee people. This was Sister Genevieve’s ancestral tribe, before joining The Order of Peace. With striking similarities to a large quilted blanket, a Kiko robe was designed by piecing together square pieces of fabric with different colors and patterns. This created a robe with a college of different symbols, each with their own meaning. Jermane was Ling-del, which was a small tribe from the nation state of Cha-la, but her mother and father died from sickness. So, with no one to care for her, she wound up here. To Sister Genevieve, heritage and family were everything. In honor of Jermane’s lineage, the Sister created a Kiko robe decorated with Ling-del symbols and colors. Ester fell in love with Jermane’s beautiful jade colored robe. Jade was the stone of Jermane’s tribe and symbol of their
nomadic culture. Once finished, Ester was sure it was going to be beautiful. Adis and Tavanee walked into the kitchen and marveled at Jermane’s robe. Tavanee, who was only fifteen, couldn’t wait for Sister to make her Kiko robe.
Tavanee awed at the detail. “Wow, Jermane! Your Kiko robe is really pretty.”
“Thank you,” Jermane replied as Adis walked by without a lingering glance.
“Sister Genevieve has already made my Kiko robe, and I believe it is her best work yet.” Adis stopped at the edge of the table, flipping her long black hair out of her face.
“I bet,” Ester muttered sarcastically.
Adis faked a smile, ignoring Ester’s sour expression. “But I’m sure yours will be just as nice, Jermane.”
“Oh-oh no, I’m sure yours is going to be the very best Adis,” Jermane stuttered over her words.
Adis grinned and looked over at Ester. “Yes, indeed. By far I’ll be the best dressed girl at the ceremony.”
“Oh, give it a break,” Ester spat back.
Adis shot her a glare. “Hmp, you’re just jealous.” Adis snapped. “Besides it looks like you won’t even be graduating.” Adis’ grin returned when she saw the level of rage building up in Ester’s eyes. Shocked, Jermane and Tavanee both looked at Ester.
“Ester, is that true?” Jermane looked at her friend with worry.
“Of course it’s true,” Adis laughed. “Go head, tell them.”
Ester clenched her jaw tightly. She was so close to jumping out of her chair she could barely contain herself. “It’s not even that big of a deal. So what, I botched my final project. I’ve got good enough marks.”
Adis’ grin widened as she went in for the kill. “Ha, good enough, but not the best. I mean you’re still trying to get into ranger academy right?”
That statement struck a nerve, and Ester was out of her seat before she could control herself. Jermane quickly shuffled between them, forcing Ester to a holt. Adis laughed, but stepped back for measure.
“It’s your dream, not mine,” Adis shrugged. “Come on, Tavanee. We best let Sister do her work, even if some of us won’t be graduating.”
The Distance Between Page 2