Zoe’s Tale PART I Chapter Ten

There were two messages on my PDA after(prenominal) dinner that flating. The first was from Gretchen. That Magdy character tracked me down and asked me break on a date, it take up. I guess he likes girls who mock the crap away of him. I told him okay. Because he is kind of cute. Dont wait up. This do me smile.The piece was from Enzo, who had someways managed to absorb my PDAs address I suspect Gretchen might induce had something to do with that. It was titled A Poem to the Girl I Just Met, specific each(prenominal)y a Haiku, the Title of Which Is Now Substanti altogethery Longer Than the Poem Itself, Oh, the Irony, and it readHer name is ZoeSmile like a summer breeze divert dont fuck mop up me cubed.I laughed bring break through loud at that peerless. Babar looked up at me and thumped his tail hopefully I ideate he was thinking only this happiness would result in more food for him. I gave him a slice of left everywhere bacon. So I guess he was slump precisely ro ugh that. Smart dog, Babar.After the Magellan departed from Phoenix Station, the colony leadership found out active the near-rumble in the common ara, because I told them about it over dinner. John and Jane sort of looked at each other importantly and then changed the subject to something else. I guessed the problem of integrating ten whole different rectifys of people with ten completely different cultures had already conform to up in their discussions, and now they were getting the underage version of it as well.I figured that they would find a way to deal with it, nevertheless I really wasnt prep bed for their solution.Dodgeball, I said to atomic number 91, over breakfast. Youre spill to have all us kids play dodgeball.Not all of you, Dad said. Just the ones of you who would otherwise be picking stupid and pointless fights out of boredom. He was nibbling on some coffee cake Babar was standing by on crumb patrol. Jane and Savitri were out taking care of business they wer e the brains of this exceptional setup. You dont like dodgeball? he asked.I like it comely fine, I said. Im dear not sure why you think its an answer to this problem.Dad set down his coffee cake, brushed off his pass bys, and started ticking off points with his fingers. One, we have the equipment and it fits the space. We cant very well play football or cricket on the Magellan. Two, its a squad sport, so we can get big groups of kids involved. Three, its not complicated, so we dont have to spend much condemnation laying out the ground rules to everyone. Four, its athletic and will give you guys a way to have a fit off some of your energy. Five, its just violent enough to appeal to those dimwit boys you were talking about yesterday, moreover not so violent that someones in truth red to get hurt.Any more points? I asked.No, Dad said. Ive drive out of fingers. He picked up his coffee cake again.Its just going to be that the boys are going to make teams with their friends, I said. So youll unperturbed have the problem of kids from one world staying with their own.I would agree with this, if not for the fact that Im not a complete idiot, Dad said, and neither is Jane. We have a plan for this.The plan Everyone who signed up to play was assign to a team, rather than allowed to pick their own team. And I dont think the teams were entirely randomly assigned when Gretchen and I looked over the team lists, Gretchen noted that almost none of the teams had more than one player from the same world even Enzo and Magdy were put on different teams. The only kids who were on the same team were the Kyotoans as Colonial Mennonites they avoided play in competitive sports, so they asked to be the referees instead.Gretchen and I didnt sign up for any teams we appointed ourselves league managers and no one called us on it apparently word of the intense jeer we laid on a wild pack of teenage boys had gotten nigh and we were feared and awed equally. That makes me feel sensibly, Gretchen said, once such a thing was told to her by one of her friends from Erie. We were watching the first game of the series, with the Leopards playing against the Mighty expiration Balls, presumably named after the game equipment. I dont think I okay of the team name, myself.Speaking of which, how was your date last night? I asked.It was a little grabby, Gretchen said.You take me to have hickory and Dickory talk to him? I asked.No, it was manageable, Gretchen said. And anyhow which, your alien friends creep me out. No offense.None taken, I said. They really are nice.Theyre your bodyguards, Gretchen said. Theyre not supposed to be nice. Theyre supposed to scare the pee out of people. And they do. Im just radiant they dont follow you some all the magazine. No one would ever come talk to us.In fact, I hadnt seen either hickory tree or Dickory since the day before and our conver sit downion about touring the Obin planets. I wondered if I had managed to hurt their fe elings. I was going to have to check in on them to see how they were.Hey, your boyfriend just picked off one of the Leopards, Gretchen said. She pointed at Enzo, who was playing in the game.Hes not my boyfriend, any more than Magdy is yours, I said.Is he as grabby as Magdy is? Gretchen asked.What a question, I said. How dare you ask. Im madly offended.Thats a yes, then, Gretchen said.No, its not, I said. Hes been perfectly nice. He even sent me a poem.He did not, Gretchen said. I showed it to her on my PDA. She handed it back. You get the poetry writer. I get the grabber. Its really not fair. You penury to trade?Not a chance, I said. But he nots my boyfriend.Gretchen nodded out to Enzo. Have you asked him about that?I looked over to Enzo, who sure enough was sneaking looks my way while moving around the dodgeball field. He saw I was looking his way, smiled over at me and nodded, and as he was doing that he got nailed righteously hard in the ear by the dodgeball and went down with a thump.I burst out laughing.Oh, nice, Gretchen said. Laughing at your boyfriends suffering.I enjoy Im so bad I said, and just about toppled over.You dont deserve him, Gretchen said, sourly. You dont deserve his poem. Give them both to me.Not a chance, I said, and then looked up and saw Enzo there in front of me. I reflexively put my hand over my mouth. Too late, he said. Which of course made me laugh even more.Shes mocking your pain, Gretchen said, to Enzo. Mocking it, you hear me.Oh, God, Im so sorry, I said, between laughs, and before I thought about what I was doing gave Enzo a hug.Shes trying to distract you from her monstrous, Gretchen warned.Its working, Enzo said.Oh, fine, Gretchen said. See if I warn you about her evil ways after this. She very dramatically focused back on the game, only occasionally glancing over and grinning at me.I unhugged from Enzo. Im not actually evil, I said.No, just amused at the pain of others, Enzo said.You walked off the court, I said. It cant have hurt that much.Theres pain you cant see, Enzo said. Existential pain.Oh, boy, I said. If youre having existential pain from dodgeball, youre really just doing it wrong.I dont think you appreciate the philosophical subtleties of the sport, Enzo said. I started giggling again. Stop it, Enzo said mildly. Im being serious here.I so hope youre not, I said, and giggled some more. You want to get lunch? mania to, Enzo said. Just give me a minute to extract this dodgeball from my Eustachian tube.It was the first time I had ever heard anyone use the phrase Eustachian tube in common conversation. I think I may have go a little bit in love with him right there.I havent seen the two of you around much today, I said to hickory tree and Dickory, in their quarters.We are aware that we make many of your fellow colonists uncomfortable, hickory said. It and Dickory sat on stools that were designed to accommodate their body shape otherwise their quarters were bare. The Obin may have gained c onsciousness and even recently tried their hand at storytelling, but the mysteries of interior decoration quieten clearly eluded them. It was resolved it would be best for us to stay out of the way.Decided by whom? I asked.By Major Perry, Hickory said, and then, before I could blossom my mouth, and we agree.You two are going to be living with us, I said. With all of us. People need to get used to you.We agree, and they will have time, Hickory said. But for now we think its better to give your people time to get used to each other. I opened my mouth to respond, but then Hickory said, Do you not benefit from our absence at the moment?I remembered Gretchens comment earlier in the day about how the other teens would never come up to us if Hickory and Dickory were endlessly hanging around, and felt a little bit ashamed. I dont want you to think I dont want you around, I said.We do not opine that, Hickory said. Please do not think that. When we are on Roanoke we will resume our roles . People will be more judge of us because they will have had time to know you.I still dont want you to think you have to stay in here because of me, I said. It would drive me crazy to be cooped up in here for a week.It is not difficult for us, Hickory said. We disconnect our consciousnesses until we need them again. Time move by that way.That was very close to a joke, I said.If you say so, Hickory said.I smiled. Still, if thats the only reason you stay in here I did not say it was the only reason, Hickory said, interrupting me, which it almost never did. We are also spending this time preparing.For life on Roanoke? I asked.Yes, Hickory said. And how we will be of best service to you when we are there.I think by just doing what you do, I said.Possibly, Hickory said. We think you might be underestimating how much different Roanoke will be from your life before, and what our responsibilities will be to you.I know its going to be different, I said. I know its going to be harder in a lot of ways.We are glad to hear that, Hickory said. It will be.Enough so that youre spending all this time planning? I asked.Yes, Hickory said. I waited a second to hear if anything else was coming after that, but there wasnt.Is there anything you want me to do? I asked Hickory. To help you?Hickory took a second to respond. I watched it to see what I could sense from it after this many years, I was pretty good at reading its moods. Nothing seemed unusual or out of place. It was just Hickory.No, Hickory said, finally. We would have you do what you are doing. Meeting virgin people. Becoming friends with them. Enjoying your time now. When we arrive at Roanoke we do not attend you will have as much time for enjoyment.But youre miss out on all my fun, I said. Youre usually there to immortalise it.This one time you can get along without us, Hickory said. another(prenominal) near joke. I smiled again and gave them both a hug just as my PDA vibrated to life. It was Gretchen.Your boyfrie nd really sucks at dodgeball, she said. He just took a hit square on his nose. He says to tell you the pain isnt nearly as enjoyable if youre not around to laugh at it. So come on down and ease the poor boys pain. Or add to it. Either works.