walked away from the transport station.
The corridors here were mostly blue as well, and a few of the walls had pictures of fish on them.
At home, the pictures had been of birds.
Kyle’s place was like her family’s hab—a small kitchen, a sink, a big shared-space room with a vid screen and a few chairs, a privy, and two small sleeping areas with two beds each. Shared walls with the neighbors on both sides. She asked for water, which tasted like the stars and a good song, and washed a bit of the scent of Hugh’s blood from the back of her throat.
Kyle said, “I’ve got to go clean up a mess I left behind at work when all this started. I’ll get that, and then I’ll bring you dinner.”
She hadn’t been thinking about food until Kyle mentioned it, but now it was hard to think about anything else. She looked around. There were few personal touches. A picture of an older woman on one wall. On another, a painting of one of the planets the Fire had been to, a blue-water world with almost no land. It wasn’t even the last one they’d been to, but somewhere in the middle, some place her grandfather’s grandfather might have seen before he died. The picture stuck in her head though.
She dibbed the top bunk, and she and Marcelle stowed their stuff in drawers built into the walls.
Onor had no stuff, but he hopped up on the top bunk and sat beside Ruby, both of their legs dangling over. Marcelle, standing against the wall, opened her mouth like she was about to complain, but he produced three energy gels from his pocket. “This’ll get us though.”
Ruby thought she might kiss him. Except he’d like it too much. So she punched him in the arm and took the gel. After the sweet sticky stuff hit her stomach and got her brains working again, she remembered why the picture of the planet bothered her.
“I didn’t tell you guys. We’re almost home. Fox said we’re going to be there soon, like in our lifetime. Maybe even in a year. The problems we’re having—the stuff today—that’s all from starting to slow down.”
“Fox?” Marcelle asked.
Ruby dug the story out for them both, doing her best in spite of being tired. Because Onor had seen it, she couldn’t hide that she’d kissed Fox. She didn’t tell them how much she’d liked it, or how she’d asked Fox to take her with him.
When Kyle came with food, they swarmed him, eating silently and fast.
As he was clearing up, Kyle said, “There’s a man who wants to see you. I told him tomorrow.”
“Who?” Ruby asked. “We hardly know anyone here.”
Kyle shook his head, and a thin smile showed one cracked tooth. “Owl Paulie.”
“I don’t know an Owl Paulie.”
“Me neither.”
“Or me.”
Kyle smiled at the serial response. “We all know him here. He’s kind of a legend to us—used to cause all kinds of trouble with the reds and get away with it. He said he owes you gratitude for wrapping up his grandson’s head.”
Hugh? “Okay, we’ll meet him.”
“That’s what I told him. I’ll take you on my way to work.”
In spite of her exhaustion, sleep visited in slight waves, and she spent a lot of time thinking. She needed to know who would help her here and who wouldn’t. Daria might not even remember her. Her family was far away, which was partly good, except that she’d like to know they were all right.
If only Fox had taken her with him. Then she’d be someplace strange, but it would be wonderful, too.
7: The Old Man’s Tale
Onor woke from a dream where a rip in the roof led to the black of space. Lym, the home planet from the game Adiamo, swirled in the opening, a round, brown place riddled with seas and rivers, with mountains and birds and spaceships that flew for days or years instead of lifetimes. He hadn’t even recalled its name until just now. Lym . Lym, with enough water for everyone, all the time. That’s what he remembered the most about learning the game, the way his avatar could have all the water it
The corridors here were mostly blue as well, and a few of the walls had pictures of fish on them.
At home, the pictures had been of birds.
Kyle’s place was like her family’s hab—a small kitchen, a sink, a big shared-space room with a vid screen and a few chairs, a privy, and two small sleeping areas with two beds each. Shared walls with the neighbors on both sides. She asked for water, which tasted like the stars and a good song, and washed a bit of the scent of Hugh’s blood from the back of her throat.
Kyle said, “I’ve got to go clean up a mess I left behind at work when all this started. I’ll get that, and then I’ll bring you dinner.”
She hadn’t been thinking about food until Kyle mentioned it, but now it was hard to think about anything else. She looked around. There were few personal touches. A picture of an older woman on one wall. On another, a painting of one of the planets the Fire had been to, a blue-water world with almost no land. It wasn’t even the last one they’d been to, but somewhere in the middle, some place her grandfather’s grandfather might have seen before he died. The picture stuck in her head though.
She dibbed the top bunk, and she and Marcelle stowed their stuff in drawers built into the walls.
Onor had no stuff, but he hopped up on the top bunk and sat beside Ruby, both of their legs dangling over. Marcelle, standing against the wall, opened her mouth like she was about to complain, but he produced three energy gels from his pocket. “This’ll get us though.”
Ruby thought she might kiss him. Except he’d like it too much. So she punched him in the arm and took the gel. After the sweet sticky stuff hit her stomach and got her brains working again, she remembered why the picture of the planet bothered her.
“I didn’t tell you guys. We’re almost home. Fox said we’re going to be there soon, like in our lifetime. Maybe even in a year. The problems we’re having—the stuff today—that’s all from starting to slow down.”
“Fox?” Marcelle asked.
Ruby dug the story out for them both, doing her best in spite of being tired. Because Onor had seen it, she couldn’t hide that she’d kissed Fox. She didn’t tell them how much she’d liked it, or how she’d asked Fox to take her with him.
When Kyle came with food, they swarmed him, eating silently and fast.
As he was clearing up, Kyle said, “There’s a man who wants to see you. I told him tomorrow.”
“Who?” Ruby asked. “We hardly know anyone here.”
Kyle shook his head, and a thin smile showed one cracked tooth. “Owl Paulie.”
“I don’t know an Owl Paulie.”
“Me neither.”
“Or me.”
Kyle smiled at the serial response. “We all know him here. He’s kind of a legend to us—used to cause all kinds of trouble with the reds and get away with it. He said he owes you gratitude for wrapping up his grandson’s head.”
Hugh? “Okay, we’ll meet him.”
“That’s what I told him. I’ll take you on my way to work.”
In spite of her exhaustion, sleep visited in slight waves, and she spent a lot of time thinking. She needed to know who would help her here and who wouldn’t. Daria might not even remember her. Her family was far away, which was partly good, except that she’d like to know they were all right.
If only Fox had taken her with him. Then she’d be someplace strange, but it would be wonderful, too.
7: The Old Man’s Tale
Onor woke from a dream where a rip in the roof led to the black of space. Lym, the home planet from the game Adiamo, swirled in the opening, a round, brown place riddled with seas and rivers, with mountains and birds and spaceships that flew for days or years instead of lifetimes. He hadn’t even recalled its name until just now. Lym . Lym, with enough water for everyone, all the time. That’s what he remembered the most about learning the game, the way his avatar could have all the water it
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