I rushed to the others, but Becky was staring at that bed, the one with Math~an on it. That’s Ella and Farley’s bed! But there’s at least 5 other couples on there, and some are his relatives from Titan. Uh oh.
She paled. Somethings’ not right! Yelena looked nervous, too. Then Becky pulled us outside.
“What’s wrong, Becky? You’re pale!”
“You didn’t see that man’s arms?” Yikes, that was Farley? Math~an went to Farley!
They kind of looked puzzled.
She led me away from the door. Lowered her voice. “There are mine poisons that make Zheien’s arms and legs twist. Get your healers to look at your husbands. But tell ‘em not to hide from their healers.”
All of us nodded.
“But, why would they hide from a healer?” Elsie blinked her brown eyes at her and cocked her head. All those beads in her braids rattled. She always looks classy.
“I don’t know. I wish I did! That’s like going to a doctor with a broken arm and saying, ‘I don’t want to wear a cast today. I just won’t say anything!’ Maybe they see it as a sign of weakness.” Becky sighed.
A diplomat was walking by and came over. Bowed. “Yea Becky. Are you troubled? I am Het Paren, Diplomat Of Rahn Estar, and I came to help.” Glad to see him on his feet! Maybe because he is not from Esta Faho?
“Het Paren, you are a diplomat. Why would you hide from your healer?”
He paled. “If one hides from his healer, perhaps he fears his healer thinks him unfit for his work! Any of us wish to work as long as we can. But Cevit Ion changed our Guides, rules every diplomat must follow. Some Zheien of yellow skin have frequent unwells, and herbs nae work reliably on us. Because of this, some avoid a healer. Or, wish to die in honorable work, but Cevit Ion now releases us to Decision again and wishes nae to die when a healer can save him. If one has two severe injuries to the back of his head, he must leave his work.
“Pirad can give his memories to a clone, and his cloned ba might choose his work and his skills are useful. Do you know of one who hides from his healer?”
Becky got the memory-sharing stare. He paled!
“Thank you, Het Paren.”
“Do you have other questions?” That skin was barely yellow after this, and he shook all over. I worried. People can be dying, and we wouldn’t know!
“No, thanks! Are there any other Earthans here besides us? With husbands from Esta Faho?”
“There is a lady with five young ones and an elderly mother. She worries. Shall I take you to her? She is in Piedmont Park.” Elderly mother? Oh. Now, she’s on my list, too.
That has to be Stacy. I wanted to talk to her.
“Piedmont Park! Let’s go!” Elsie, Becky and I were excited!
Yelena, too. “I love kids! With five, maybe she could use a hand!”
He opened a portal and helped us step through. It was like stepping in a bathtub with warm water, then stepping out in a cool breeze. We stood by that huge lake. But, instead of mud and weeds, there was yellow sand all the way around the lake and plenty of places to sit! And lots of tall trees of many kinds!
The lady looked up. All her kids had a frightened look!
That diplomat bowed. “One needs me. Are you well, Lady Becky?”
She tried to bow and fumbled. So she curtsied. “I am well. Eae yeo!”
He smiled and ported away.
She looked after him with a sigh. “Hello, I’m Becky. This is Bedelia, Elsie and Yelena. We’re from Esta Faho.”
“Esta Faho? Where’s that?”
I waved up a map. “Here’s Piedmont Park, and on the east side of it are the 5 cities of Rahn Estar. The Earthan Colony’s kind of around the Beltline, but I think a lot of people might put their houses between the lake and a city, whichever city they want to be near. Ferrimos is where King Challet lives. To our south is—Marenalay? But, I thought it got destroyed! Maybe they rebuilt it.” I opened my mouth to tell ‘em it’s rebuilt--
“How long does it take to walk the Beltline? I heard there’s more parks than Piedmont.” Elsie smiled. “Oh, an hour and a half! Answered my own question! I learned to write progs, so I’m havin’ to look up things all the time. There’s 13 parks.”
“Progs?” Becky’s green eyes went wide.
“Programs. You know, like software. I help Ella write ‘em, but she’s teachin’ me. She should be out here, not in there! Where’s Rainbow on this map? Oh, north of us. Yeah.”
The map had other provs around us. But they were from Elshar Mashai, where the Zheien Colony moved from. Half of this planet is K’hasa Zha. I heard about that place in Rainbow! Elshars poisoned it. Did they poison Esta Faho?
“I wish I could do something clever like that. My parents made me get married at 13.”
“But dat’s illegal! Ya have to be 16 an’ go to Juvie Court—”
“My parents and his made me go to Mississippi. I—don’t mind me. People don’t like drama. I’m Stacy.” Why didn’t Mississippi change the law, too, like Georgia did? Just awful!
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Becky shook hands with her. “Listen, my name is Becky, and I’m Antomias, 1st Prince Of Esta Faho’s wife. If you need any help, I’ll help you get it. School’s provided here for everyone.”
She kept explaining. “Food’s provided, and any clothes you want to design or copy, like if you saw something on a website. If we all wanted to dress up like Disney Princesses—” Becky made a sky blue dress with a much higher neckline than they do, complete with butterfly wings that moved! And a magic wand with sparkles as she moved it! Cool!
Stacy stood up and wore a white one that looked awesome on her! I had a yellow one, Elsie a brown one with diamond-shaped panels in a variety of bright colors with African-looking designs, and Yelena had a pink one! All of ‘em got excited! I giggled. Always wanted to be a princess, growing up. But I changed mine to light green, our family color. Wished my husband was awake to see it!
All Stacy’s kids had brightly-colored outfits! Her boys had prince costumes!
She giggled. They ran around and the girls pirouetted. Their medieval hats and caps didn’t move.
“And, clothing formers don’t cost anything! Food doesn’t—”
“But, I looked at the food. It’s all restaurant food!” She looked down.
“There are no limits. Absolutely none! And the treaties that Earth is considering in the UN won’t have any separate accommodations for the poor. No food allowances or any of that nonsense!”
She got this worried expression. “Stacy, are you all right?”
“Mom! Her oldest girl, about kindergarten age, shook her arm and she didn’t look at her. All the kids got upset!
An Ishah healer popped in. “Oh, what is wrong? Mrs. Boswell? I need help, here!”
Five other healers picked up the kids, but they didn’t want to be picked up. That’s weird!
The kids screamed, and the frantic healers tried to talk to ‘em, and Stacy’s healer didn’t seem to know what to do! All the kids tried to get Mom’s attention. Stacy’s healer made her sit down.
Stacy still stared into space, with this horrified expression. Blinked. “Oh, my, I went to Merit Colony with all my kids! We got sick because I went in the clinic! They said—I’d lose my baby!” Merit Colony! I felt sick. She hugged her big belly.
Becky put her arms around her and she cried.
“Don’t worry. You all got aandats, right?”
“They gave us white ones, on the ship! I’ll be—in debt—”
“No, you won’t!”
That first healer came closer. “Lady, there is na cost! Do you feel all right? What happened?”
“I saw my future! Will it still happen?” She shook all over.
Becky sat beside her on the padded bench. “No! These futures can be changed! That’s why we’re here with the rest of Elshar Zheiea, because they saw what happened to—”
Because King Challet asked us all to come here. All yellow Zheien. They all came from his original colony, the one they created for all the Elshars who married Zheien, before Feia Na created the Ishah.
Stacy trembled. “I didn’t choose to come here! I followed some of the people I saw when we went to the place with the white sand, and I didn’t know which ship to get on. Is it too late to choose another one?”
“There isn’t a time limit. Why don’t you live here for a while? If you want to move, you can take your house with you. It’s easy to move the whole thing, and doesn’t cost anything to do it.”
“They said I could have a house, but I didn’t want the one we lived in—” She looked sick!
“You can have another one! That diplomat might know who to ask.” Whoosh! He stepped out of a portal.
Stacy shook harder. Her brown skin went kind of grayish.
That Ishah healer waved. “Oh, daughter, I can help—you fear men? I can bring another healer.”
“Ejis nae! Should I leave?” Het Paren went white, and his eyes, black! His record showed him as having brown skin. I hadn’t seen it.
“I knew you—but you married Serie. I—” Her five year old?
“Ejis nae!” He got the blank stare.
A lady healer came for Stacy.
“What’s w-wrong with him? Is he sick? I upset him!” She cried.
All the kids got upset again!
“Listen to me!” Becky held her hand and kneaded it. “It’s okay. He’s seeing his future. I don’t know how that happens. He’ll talk to you in a min. We have plenty of healers, so nobody’s dying.” My heart beat fast. If he was from Esta Faho I’d be more—but he’s from Rahn Estar. They have mine poisons, too. Becky put him on the bench beside her, on the other side of her lady healer.
“Daughter, have some of this.” The healer held out a vial of white powder.
“I’m—pregnant—is my baby okay? She was sick in that other future! I lost babies—is she one of the ones I lost?” She sobbed.
“Oh, your baby is all right. You had healing, and you may have more any time. Let me take a look.” Gently, she put her tri-fingered hands across Stacy’s forehead. Those blue eyes stayed a serious blue. She’s worried. I’m worried!