I am genuinely offended.
You said that three times already.
I'm still trying to make my point.
Go ahead the, I'm not interrupting. My friend said tolerantly
as we passed her family's scoop.
Not only had I been banned from going back home, but they allowed his
friends to come and go as they please, is there any justice in that?
Yes.
I am genuinely offended.
You said that four times already.
And I'm going to say it a fifth and sixth time, right until you
understand me.
Oh, I understand. Srene said patiently, she cast a glance back at
the scoop to see if there was anyone home, there wasn't, she continued.
you think your parents are making a huge deal over your brother. And that
they should have paid a little more attention to your striking news.
How many times in a lifetime do you get to break news like that to
your parents?
Once, Srene shrugged her stalk eyes at me, so you're a
cadet. They accepted you as an aristh serving the military, they accepted
me too you know.
The other part of the news.
You were one of the top scoring cadets.
One of the top scoring cadets? I snorted, Srene, I was the
top scoring cadet! I scored in the academy's history! And ha, I'm 'only'
a female. What a joke.
Well, congratulations, she replied dryly. I just don't
believe you.
You're still upset that you didn't get a higher score than me,
right? I asked.
Don't be such a jerk about it. And no, that's not what bothers
me.
Then what does?
Atzar scored higher than me. She grumbled.
Oh, Atzar. I paused, gave her a sly look, He did?
Scerne took a swipe at me which I dodged laughing.
You are seriously lucky. Srene grumbled.
You are in an undoubtedly perky mood. I countered. There was
nothing lucky about having to get kicked out of your home for a period of time
that may last a week.
Very funny.
It's hilarious isn't it? I said.
So.
So?
Oh, tell me about him, come on Degan, you've got two legends in
your family. And one of them is alive. We trotted towards a large
tree and stood underneath it.
So?
I shall repeat; one of them is alive and around our age. Maybe a few
years older. Doesn't this ring a few alarms in your brain? She gave me a
definite look.
I sighed, He wouldn't be interested in you.
And why wouldn't he? Srene said defensively. Then she gave me a
sly smile, Or maybe it's because I wasn't the top scoring cadet and I
hadn't made my mark in history yet?
No I said firmly, Because he isn't interested in anything.
Period. He wouldn't be. He's so stiff he's practically father!
Ignoring my remark, Srene said, so how does he look like? I've seen
holo's of your brother and if he's anything like the holo's then I'm the
happiest female alive.
You're making me sick.
Come on. Srene urged. Just for once this day, talk about him
rather than how many privileges you'd been banded from.
Like?
How is he like? She asked.
Srene, get a life, he doesn't look too good and he's not nice at
all. I stretched out my tail lazily. The conversation was getting rapidly
boring.
I think you already established that fact. She said dryly,
what I want to know is why.
I sighed in exasperation, Srene, he has a fairly large patch of fur
missing and a nasty cut that still hadn't healed. All right above his heart.
That isn't attractive.
I know that. She said crossly, and I know why. Your brother
had been through a lot; you should be a bit more appreciative. Like maybe not
getting him angry the way you got him angry. Allistar told me about that.
Allistar has nothing important to do currently, otherwise he
wouldn't have told you, and by the way, you don't have anything important to
do either. I retorted, You wouldn't stop laughing about it wouldn't
you?
No, what I want to know is, how couldn't you recognize him as
Aximili of Earth? Haven't you got holograms of him and Elfangor in your
scoop?
Yes, we do have some, I shrugged, but it's not like the
real thing, besides, I told you, when I saw him I did think I was looking at an
insane Andalite or an escape from prison or something.
I still don't believe you.
He looked terrible, you have to believe me, Srene, he was a complete
mess, not to mention he had this wild look to his eyes, and he's done a lousy
job of trimming his hooves. I swear, when he saw me, and then heard me say
'mother' and 'father' I thought his eyes were going to pop out.
But he took the news?
More like shoved it right back in our faces, he was so
disrespectful to my father.
What did you expect? The news was literally thrown at his face. He
didn't know about it. And then all of a sudden he's back on the home world
and has an older brother who's his 'little brother' and a little sister. I
think he took the news remarkably well under the circumstances.
I'm not 'little', we're probably the same age, okay, maybe
he's older, but I'm defiantly not 'little', besides, he almost
killed me. I fingered my sore face.
He bruised you up pretty bad. Srene looked at my cheek.
I though he fractured my face. The entire world went black for like
hours. Only it was seconds. I muttered. No one had ever hit me that hard
before. No one Srene.
I feel sorry for him.
You feel nothing for my face. I said, sounding profoundly hurt.
And I thought you were my friend.
You are, but if you continue this way, our friendship is gong to
seriously suffer.
Aren't you happy that I'm here?
Here? As in my home and is going to spend three days with me?
That's great, but like I said, don't get on the wrong side of the meadow
okay?
I'm always on the right side. I grumbled.
A few seconds ago you were not.
What's wrong with you anyway? I asked.
After spending an entire day with my family, I'm afraid you're
going to wish you were never born.
Can't you be optimistic?
I'm being realistic, spending three days with my family is a
nightmare –which after living for over fifteen years in it- I'm surprised I
still haven't awaken from it.
Your family isn't bad, I sighed.
My sibling is weird.
So is mine.
No, your brother is one of the top high-scoring exhibition tail
fighters, you're living in a dream Degan.
I took a deep breath, looked at my best friend, Srene, Aximili
scared me. He really did, when he exploded in my face I truly thought he would
kill me. You should have seen his tail move! Forget our combat trainer, he'd
take him any day!
I don't think that's true, come on Degan, we all know how good
your tail fighting is. Sarcastic remark, I may have scored high in the
academy, but truth was, I was one lousy tail fighter. I ignored the remark.
Since I was father's 'Little Princess' I rarely engaged in tail
fights with my brother. A quick banter? Yes. But I did not start tail fighting
only after I thought about enlisting in the military.
I shook my head, he knocked Allistar right off his hooves. Hey, he
didn't just scare mother and Allistar, I swear he scared father too. It was
like he could take all of us if he wanted to.
He did? Srene inquired.
No, I said, relaxing a little, he practically collapsed from
exhaustion. I think it was all too much for him.
It must have been. Srene said, I heard Allistar say that for
a few minutes the doctors truly thought he was gone, they were ready to give
up!
He was lucky. I said, shrugging it off.
He's strong. She shook her head at me. You're still mad
that your parents have warned you about coming back to your family scoop?
It's not just me, but Allistar too. Psychiatrist Sigarf said that
he was under a lot of stress. He recommended that my parents leave the land for
him for a couple of days; throwing out the source of his stress; my brother and
me. You know, so things are 'normal' to him. I paused, Forget us,
they don't have to worry about me, sure, if life was stressful for me no one
would care. I don't get it, all these years I've complained about Allistar
and my parents told me to tolerate him, how come Aximili gets to throw us
out?
Srene turned and faced me, all her four eyes looked into my face, Are
you okay?
Why wouldn't I be?
You're not yourself.
I shrugged like I didn't want to talk about it, but then I said, It
was scary okay? For once in my life I was afraid. Seeing Aximili really shook me
up, the first time I looked into his eyes, before I knew who he was…it was
like this Andalite's entire world had just turned upside down. And he was so
desperate to believe this was not reality. When he was talking to my parents? I
swear he was going to cry. It's just that for my entire life, I've never
seen anybody so hurt, least of all on the verge of crying.
Srene gave me a look, but I wasn't looking at her, It was unreal,
I've always thought my deceased brothers were invincible, the way the people
talked about them, the things my brothers did. Like nothing the enemy could do
could have hurt or bothered them. But you know what? It occurred to me that they
don't have supernatural powers, they're normal and…seeing him so suddenly
in front of me and alive, so unlike what people had said about him… I
stopped.
Srene was silent. But then he she said, Allistar said he was
lonely.
It isn't just that. I said, He couldn't identify with us,
he found nothing about home that was home. I paused again, The magnitude
of that just struck me, if home wasn't home, and our home is the safest place
in the galaxy then what is home? Where could he find it?
I overheard your mother speaking with mine. Scerne whispered,
And she doesn't know what to do, she said that every time she looks at him
she knows even though she has her son back, he is still lost to her.
What do you mean? He's alive. I said quizzically.
Scerne shook her head, No, she means she lost her son to war. And
that she'd rather known him to be dead than have him alive and lost. She
can't help him. She feels that whatever her old son is going through and
whatever motions he's trying to get past. He's going to have to do it
himself. Without her.
I said nothing.
Look, we're not supposed to be speaking about this. Scerne said
nervously, if my mother knew she'd be furious with me. I'm supposed to
be helping you deal with this.
No you helped me. I said, Thanks.
You don't need to thank me, I'm your friend. She laughed like
I said the most silliest thing in the world.
That's Srene for you.
Hey! Srene! A voice shouted.
Srene scanned the meadow with her stalk eyes, Jarium?
Srene's brother came galloping towards us, when he saw me he slowed
down a little, Hello Degan.
Hello Jarium. Jarium is four years younger than Srene and I, she
tells me her brother is quite fond of me, I never believed her. And I still
don't.
She told me every single time I come around he stops acting as a jerk and
is all decent and kind.
Do you two want to play drift ball? I'm meeting up with a couple of
friends on the main court of the academy.
We'll pass. I said quickly, the last thing I needed now was
more people to talk to. As sad as it was, people just can't stop prying in
other people's business.
Jarium shrugged at me, but then he gave me a smile. Suit yourself,
but I wouldn't stay too long with Srene, otherwise I'd turn brain dead.
Srene said, Jarium, if you don't leave us alone this minute
you-
I'm leaving. Jarium snorted, Why would I want to stay
around you anyway? I've had enough of you for half a day, why press it?
Good-bye. See you later Degan. He turned tail and fled to the opposite side
of the meadow. The last part of his thought speak was rushed.
See? I told you. Srene smiled.
Shut up. I muttered. You don't know what you're talking
about.
Like you do?
Positively.
Not.
I didn't bother replying.
So, do you like Degan? Hate her? I wouldn't mind hearing what you think about her. I'm afraid you're going to have to be a bit patient with me, I'm facing a serious writer's block on what I should write about what's happing on the human mother ship...I have one idea but I couldn't get in in writing. Argh! Marjory annoying.
Oh well, I'm thinking about using Degan. I'm not very sure about Allistar, but maybe I'll have something for him...