I startled awake. Tom grabbed me before I could get up. “Ejis nae! Becky!”
Pas was feeding Galarsmen. He put a hand on my forehead, but I smiled. “I feel fine, Pas.”
“I think you should rest today!” The pastry floated back to his hand, and he held it for our healer to take a bite.
“But, Pas, I feel well. Let us bathe. Perhaps Yea Becky enjoys this also, eae?”
Pas nearly dropped the pastry. “Galar, you feel so well?”
“Eae! Should I nae?” He bit and smiled. “O, the sinarnins are very well this morning!” His hand wavered as he offered the last part to Pas.
Who took it fast, with a smile, so the old healer wouldn’t notice how far his hand drifted. “Ea, is well.” He rubbed my forehead and smoothed my bangs into place as he lifted Galar smoothly to his feet. His red-gold eyes opened very wide as Galar walked!
Tom lifted me and crawled just as smoothly to the edge of the giant, seven-sided bed. Put me on my feet. He held onto me as if expecting me to stumble, but I felt pretty good.
He gave me a big smile! “Diplomats found all of Ester’s family, and all of them agreed to board a ship this morning. By now, they are here, and walk to Calladia.”
“O, I am happy!” Feronoras leapt from the middle of the next bed.
Tom frowned. “Does Loronas know you came here?”
“Why should I nae be here? Both of you plan to see Kin Para today, do you?”
Pas waved a healer to him. “Will you let Tolan see you? He worries.”
Feronoras laughed and pulled his hand to his head.
The healer paled. “Fer, I thought Pirad could nae heal you.”
“Loronas brought him to me again, Tolan. He did more.”
“How did he so much, and you are well this morning? You nae slept long, did you, to be here now?”
“O, stop this worry! I feel well, and I wish to show our friends Kin Para today!”
“I will nae hold you! But if you weary, call another to continue, eae? And, come to me, nae Loronas. I have more experience.”
“Fa is well for me! Why this concern?”
“Tom, he must come to me, if he has unwells today! Will you tell him, that he listens?”
Tom looked from the very upset Tolan to the smiling Feronoras. “Fer, I agree with Tolan on this. Come, let us see Kin Para, and tell me, eae, if you weary?” Ejis nae, he nae knows what evil Pirad took from him yesterday!
And my husband doesn’t know I did that? But, I put thoughts of the festival and happy people in my mind.
We walked out and ported. Kin Para had lush tropical vegetation! Instead of sand, there was a carpet of flowers in a rainbow of colors! Fountains poured bathing sand.
And, so many Earthan kids! They ran around playing with Zheien, Elshars and a lot of Thordes, too! I giggled.
A little girl ran to me. “Oh, hi! You’re from Earth, too?” She had beautiful blond hair.
“Yes! I’m Becky, 1st Princess Of Esta Faho, and we are visiting Kin Para today.”
“Where? This is Pirapara.” Her blue eyes opened wide.
A middle-aged Zheien laughed and picked her up. “O, our city is Pirapara, and our prov, Kin Para, after the world we left, Vega. Nae concern. Our names will stay with you, in time.”
“But, I have to learn fast, like the Zheien kids!” She sighed and looked down.
“Vega? That’s a pretty name! There’s a star called Vega.” I looked up at the sky. “But, I don’t know how to find it, here.”
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“O, she is there!” Tom could see it. I didn’t see any stars in the daylight! Except the yellow sun, too bright to look at.
“Where? Zheien are smarter than I am.”
“It’s okay. Tom is smarter than I am, but I can ask him things. Your Zheien friends will tell you if you don’t know something that they know. Or, they’ll ask someone for you. Nobody knows everything.”
“Oh, that’s right! My parents—my new parents—are artists. They’re teaching me to paint with my feet! Right now they’re planning it for a re-monstr-ation. This is a lot to get used to! This is my sixth set of fosters. I need to learn fast!”
The Zheien all looked confused. “Didn’t they tell you that your new parents aren’t fosters? They’re your parents for as long as you live!”
She got that look that elementary schoolers get when they’re trying to figure out something that’s too hard. “That’s what the others said.” Tears spilled from her huge blue eyes.
“Oh, that’s hard. But don’t worry. The longer you’re here, it’ll get more real.” I rubbed her cold little hand.
“Will it? Everybody’s talking about this miracle healer, Pirad, who wakes up people who were dead, but he can’t wake up my parents. They drowned, on Earth. Were they wicked? God sent a flood to Noah’s people because they didn’t listen. But we went to church.”
“Vega, I am Perisnah, King Of Kin Para. I am also our religious leader. Your fa gave you to firemen, to save you. He was nae wicked, and neither was your mea. I am sorry Earth nae had stasis, to save them for Pirad’s healing. But know this, they watch from that world of spirit and wish for your happiness. They wished you to live.”
“Then, tell me how good I have to be, to stay here! I wanna keep Fa an’ Mea!”
“Vega, Child, you are good! They will nae send you back. If they wished it, I would nae hear of it! But they will nae change. Even now, they seek you. I bring them—”
“I was bad! I ran away!”
I rubbed her hand harder. “Vega, did something upset you?”
“I-I was—” She was walking with them, when she saw one of the Earthan dads get mad at his daughter. She took off running, then got scared her new parents must be mad that she ran off, and she got lost. When she saw me, she thought I looked nice, and she wanted to ask me to talk to ‘em. Too embarrassed! This poor kid!
I sent a diplomat to give that fella a talking to! And, his record already had a yellow mark. Yellow means a person who might commit an injury on another person. I read up. The abuse progs put a yellow mark if a person gets angry about the minimum protections. And, the fella was this kid’s last foster! He pushed her down concrete steps and she had to have a lot of healing, on the ship!
I showed Perisnah. This is a man who shouldn’t be near kids, wandering around in the festival where lots of ‘em are! He got so angry he rumbled.
Vega got more upset, so I took her. She clung to me!
He appeared. “Hey! I was watching—”
“You have a yellow mark on your record. Do you care to explain to me—”
“I don’t have to explain anything to anybody! It’s a free country! Now, if you’ll excuse—” He tried to turn away, but a containment had him. “Let go of me!”
“Young son, I am Perisnah, King Of Kin Para. I hereby revoke your citizenship here. You are banned from all worlds of Alb. To Earth with you, with my complaints!” A light blue portal took him away!
He let Vega see. “Sae, he will nae frighten you or any of my young friends, now.”
“O, here is my sae! Thank you, my liege!” A young lady bowed, with blue eyes that wavered between dark and light. She pulled at her long, blond hair when Vega didn’t look.
And a young man ran up and bowed, too. “Is she unwell? Shall I bring a healer, for her?”
“Vega, they aren’t mad. They’re worried about you.” I turned towards her new mea.
She sighed. “They’re always nice, until they get me in that closet.” That was a very quiet whisper.
Both of them gasped. Wept. “She thinks I plan to do evil!” The young man nearly fainted! Perisnah caught both of them! “Ejis nae, we need healers!”
Two Ishah healers ported. One took the young man. “Nae me! See my sae!”
They were both male. “Can you bring a lady healer? She’s scared of men.”
Now Perisnah trembled. “Ejis nae, I harmed her?”
“You can’t help it. Men have urges.” Vega kept her head on my shoulder.
“No. Most men are nice. You had some bad experiences, but it takes time to build trust. I want you to meet Suma. She helped my sister, who was hurt by a bad man, too.” I touched her mind, but there were a lot of copies of her. One of the Kin Para ones came.
First, her brown eyes fixed on Perisnah, and she assured him he didn’t hurt her. Then she explained things to her new parents, that trust takes time. Progs keep her safe from any of the new Earthans and Elshars who might feel naughty, and she offered to stay in their home for a while to help her. They nodded.
Then Suma came over. “Hi, Vega. Your parents aren’t mad. Want to come back to the festival and do some art?”
She nodded and let her mea pick her up. Her fa was scared to touch her. Suma brought his hand up. “Want to hold Fa’s hand? He’s scared to hurt you, but he won’t. If you hold his hand, he’ll feel better.”
“Okay.” She did.
They talked as they went back to the artisan’s area.