Earth's Children
Summary: The parents of Harper tell their tale of life and love in Post-Commonwealth Earth.
Author: Luna Sealeaf
Rating: PG
"If True Love cannot survive the Long Night then, why, nothing can!"
-Serybl Nexrom
Romantic Poet
Episode Three
I must have stood there, perfectly still, for at least five minutes, just watching her walk away.
Why had I done such a stupid thing? Part of me couldn't understand all of the complex emotions coursing through my mind. I just wasn't equipped to handle so many life-changing events in such a short period of time. Never in my life had I acted so boldly with a girl –woman, I corrected myself. Young as she had looked, even then I could tell that she was no simple girl.
Well, no matter how beautiful she might be, I had surely ruined any chance I had of ever seeing her again. I didn't know her name, or where she lived, or even where she worked. Her obvious disgust for me wasn't so much of an obstacle – I had no doubt that I could easily win her over- but with the current state of emotions between us, she wasn't likely to seek me out on her own. It looked like I was going to have to forget about her and resign myself to possibly never seeing her again in my life.
That's when I felt something under my foot. It was a piece of cloth, like some sort of wrap.
I stared at it blankly for a second before my tired brain suddenly grasped what I was looking at.
It was hers!
Filled with glee I picked up the cloth and ran my hands against the material.
From that moment on I was mesmerized. I may not have realized it until a long time afterwards, but at that moment I was already in love with her. I wouldn't rest until I found her again.
The fact that she might never want to see me again didn't once cross my mind, which was so filled with youthful pride.
Speaking of rest, it was about time I rejoined Orla and Liam, or else they would surely begin to worry about me. Hopefully I'd be able to find them by going to the village square that she had directed me towards. The simple fact that she had been kind enough to leave me with directions, despite what I had done, served to increase my infatuation of her.
Then I took my first step forward –and gasped with pain, clutching at my stomach and lower rib cage. What the -?! Oh, right; she had kicked me.
No matter, that simply showed how strong she was; it did nothing to demean her in my eyes. So, limping and slightly bent over, I hobbled towards the village square.
"My God Evan! What happened to you?" with those words Orla flung her arms around my neck. Sure enough, Liam, Lughna, and my sister had been waiting for me in the shadows of the center of town. Around us loomed the eerie dark shapes of huts and make-shift tents set up by our fellow newcomers.
Orla let go of me long enough to turn a critical eye to my condition.
"I'm in love," I said dreamily, a no-doubt foolish looking grin settling over my face. Judging by the looks on the other threes' faces, they couldn't have been more surprised at my words if I had announced I was growing another head.
"More likely exhaustion has turned our brother's head," Liam suggested to Orla.
"No, I'm serious, look!" I held out the shawl for them to inspect. Lughna stroked it reverently, eyes wide with admiration.
"This must be really, really old!" she said softly. Orla nodded in mute agreement.
"We can ogle over Evan's love token tomorrow. Right now we need to get some rest we can find out where we're supposed to work in the morning." That said, Liam and the girls set about doing practical things, such as using borrowed pieces of wood, rope, and cloth to set up our own tent for the night.
Even I, despite my reluctance to deal with the real world, was dragged into helping.
But I didn't want to think about serious matters such as food, or a place to live, or work. While the others discussed these things, I stared at the stars and ran my hands through the cloth. At last Liam ordered me to bed, hoping that sleep would help my addled brains. Although certain that I would never be able to fall asleep, the events of the past two days caught up with me and morning came too soon.
Much to Liam's relief, my head had cleared during the night. Gone was the heady feeling I'd experienced since watching her retreating figure; my passion for finding her remained, but other thoughts entered my mind too. Nightmares of my father's lifeless eyes and my mother's still form brought my wits back to reality.
While Liam and I questioned other factory workers on our jobs, Orla and Lughna prepared a small breakfast.
"Hey, where'd you guys get the food?" I wondered out loud before devouring a potato straight from the fire. Liam didn't appear to hear my question, but Lughna glanced at Orla and giggled, which was strange enough, but then Orla leaned over the small fire and quickly placed more vegetables by the embers, thought not before I caught the faint blush on her cheeks.
"A very nice young man came and welcomed us here. He gave us the food."
Normally I could practically read Orla's thoughts before she had even formed them herself, but the strange emotion in her voice was completely foreign to me.
"He said his name was Devin Lahey," she continued before falling silent.
"Oh, that's nice." I said, not really caring all that much, merely grateful for the hot food.
Soon we had to begin walking to the factories, along with large groups of villagers. We had a few miles to cover and the people seemed to use this time in order to talk and mingle with their neighbors. At first I tried to look for the young woman, but quickly gave up. There were simply too many people surrounding us. So for the most part people ignored us, and I walked beside Orla in silence, which was rudely interrupted a few minutes later.
"Orla! Orla, hi!" Turning my head I saw a dark youth squeeze through the crowd in order to reach my sister.
"Good morning Devin," Orla replied, smiling yet turning her eyes towards the ground. Losing interest as they began to talk, I turned my attention to the villagers, curious about these strange people.
As far as physical features went there was a large variety among them, something I wasn't as used to, having grown up in an almost secluded area. The only thing that truly set us newcomers apart was our clothing, and our accents. Our clothes were made of a rougher material and cut differently. Where Lughna and Orla had knee-length shirts with long sleeves and pants, most women here wore simple dresses of dull colors. Liam and I blended in a bit better; vests, shirts, and pants of all lengths were the general choice of clothing for the men.
Becoming bored, and trying to take my mind off of my sore feet, I listened to Orla and Devin's conversation.
"Devin Lahey; it certainly sounds like an Irish name, yet you speak strangely, no offense," Orla quickly added, glancing up at Devlin before returning her gaze to the ground. Devin only laughed in a good-natured way.
"And you speak beautifully! But you're right about my name: my father's parents were from Ireland, I believe, and I was named for some great-uncle of his." He laughed again, eliciting a smile from Orla and I found myself warming to him despite myself.
"Could you explain something else for me Devlin?"
"Gladly, if I know the answer."
"Well, people here have told us that they are not considered subjects to the Nietzscheans, if this is so, then why were we forced to come here?" as this was something I was curious about as well, I listened carefully for his reply. At first Devin was silent, but then at last began to answer her.
"Every fifteen years or so, the Magog have attacked somewhere nearby. Our population is thinning, even as more workers are need for the fields and manufacturing plants, like the ones we work at. The nearby Lords requested that more workers be sent in –and so you were. It's not a bad life here though." He finished, perhaps trying to give some sense of comfort or relief to our situation. Orla smiled thinly and assured him that life didn't seem bad at all in Dunwich, but I knew by her troubled expression that she was remembering the night we'd been dragged from our home.
Had it really only been three nights ago? The thought was both startling and a little frightening, but there was no time to dwell on it; we'd reached the factory we'd been assigned to work at.
My first day of my job in this strange new world was...interesting. As the villagers had said, we were theoretically 'free citizens', or as free as any human could be on a planet ruled by Nietzscheans. However that didn't stop heavily armed Nietzscheans from patrolling our work unit and occasionally punishing someone they felt was working too slowly. Frankly, it was maddening; here we were, working, slaving, for the Ubers voluntarily and still being treated like dirt. Yet what could we do about it? If we fought, we'd die. It was as simple as that. There would always be more kludges to take our place: in short, I, my family, and all genetically un-engineered humans were expendable.
Not that my anger was curbed any. I still longed to turn one of those blasters on the Nietzscheans and take as many out as I could before I was stopped. But I also valued my life; at that time in my life anyway.
Besides, as I listened to my fellow workers talk, sometimes joining in a short conversation, I learned that daily life here was often significantly better than life as 'citizens' under direct rule of Nietzscheans, such as those people living in the refugee camps.
While any human was basically a slave, or at least a potential one, to the Dragans, those that lived inside the camps had a much harder time living than even we did.
The men and women gossiped about the constant sicknesses that always ran rampant throughout the close living quarters of the Human ghetto. Men, women, and even children would be pulled off the street at any random time and made into personal slaves to higher ranking Nietzscheans, or sold. Famine was also an almost constant problem; not to mention that every time the Drago-Kazov felt the need to reassert their authority and dampen our moral further they would raid a section of the human quarters, completely laying waste to it.
All in all, my education about the state of the rest of the world was quickly growing. My parents had been fond of telling us stories about Old Earth, before the Commonwealth had fallen, but these new lessons would be more likely to help me survive this unforgiving New Earth.
Work didn't last forever, thank whatever-Deity-still-lives! As the day ended we were each paid with some money as well as a week's ration of food. My mood was lifting rapidly and my thoughts soon dwelled upon my mysterious Lady of Love, who consequently hated me at the moment. It must be said; little would deter Evan Harper once I set my mind to something.
Outside I joined Lughna, Liam, and Orla in fading light. To my curiosity, no one moved even after I arrived.
"What are we waiting for?" I finally asked them.
"Orla's boyfriend," Lughna said in a teasing manner.
"He's not my boyfriend!" Orla denied hotly. I looked at Lughna with a puzzled expression at the playful mood she'd been in all day. I looked over her while she and Liam talked.
The change in her was amazing. She and Orla had somehow obtained dresses like those of the village women and the color, a dark brown, complimented her complexion. Her face wasn't as deathly pale as it had been either; there was a faint touch of pink on her cheeks, and her dark brown eyes sparkled. I didn't understand what had caused this rapid change in her, but then I noticed how she looked at Liam, and it suddenly became clear; she was in love with him. Well, why wouldn't she be? Not only had he saved her life a few days ago, but he was tall and handsome, as well as strong. And Liam seemed to like her just as much. The thought of my serious older brother in a relationship with a girl was amusing, but my thoughts were soon once again filled with my mystery woman.
"There you are Orla!" That guy –Devin- jogged up to us and smiled at Orla before shaking my hand, and then Liam's. We exchanged glances and I shrugged. Whatever.
Actually, as I looked closer at Devin, he seemed familiar, but I couldn't for the life of me figure out why.
It was a long walk home and the five of us chatted amicably. Devin wanted to know all about Ireland while we were curious about Dunwich, despite all that we had already learned.
"There's not much to say," Devin insisted. For the most part, he was right. Even to us foreigners Dunwich was a fairly uninteresting place. I was impatient to begin my search and the walk home seemed to take forever. Although very tired I still raced into our tent and found the shawl –Orla had explained what it that that was the proper name for it- before realizing that I had no plan yet to help me find Her.
While Devin helped Liam figure out what we'd need to build a more solid house, I pestered the girls for help until finally Lughna gave me a suggestion:
"Take another look at the shawl; does it have anything to indicate who it belongs to? If it's as valuable as it seems they'd want to make it harder for someone to steal it and claim it belonged to them." While this made sense, I doubted I would find anything. Carefully looking over the length of the cloth in the evening light I was amazed to discover that Lughna was right. On the bottom right corner, in blue thread, was the letter 'J' , heavily encircled by embroidered flowers. A clue to Her name perhaps? Then Lughna, probably wanting more time with Liam's sole attention, suggested that I ask nearby villagers for help.
"She's right Evan. Just make sure you ask for their name first so they can't trick you," Orla added, smiling at me fondly from her seat on the ground. I thanked them both excitedly and then was off, not caring that Liam would surely berate me for not helping with the building plans.
I was no longer uneasy around these strangers whose home's we'd been forced to live among. I marched boldly up to the first person I saw: an elderly man –at least fifty- carrying two buckets of water down the main path that ran through the village. Seizing this opportunity I rushed forward and asked him if I could help carry the water. Eyeing me suspiciously for a moment, the man reluctantly nodded and passed the buckets to me, who nearly dropped them.
This man was stronger than he looked; those buckets were heavy! I tried not to let my lack of strength show by plastering a smile on my face. The shawl was tucked around my waist and I pondered how to broach the question when the man suddenly turned and asked in a curious voice,
"Hey! What're you doing with Miss Lahey's shawl? She couldn't 'ave given it to ya." So surprised was I at those words that I had to set the buckets down before I dropped them and spilled all the water.
"Actually I was going to return it to her. Could you –could you tell me where she lives?" I was breathless with excitement, shifting my weight from foot to foot, and I could see that the man was debating whether or not to tell me.
"I'm courting her, you see, or at least trying to, but I forgot to ask her where she lives." I stopped talking and could hear my heart pounding in my chest, while hoping he believed me. It wasn't really a lie, just a slight stretch of the truth.
"Someone courtin' Miss Lahey? Now ain't that somethin'. Here I'd thought she'd scared away all the young fellas." He chuckled in a friendly manner and I relaxed somewhat, grinning as I replied,
"Ah, well, I figure she's worth a few bruises," the man smiled kindly at me.
"That she is boy, that she is." Before giving me directions to find her house.
"But she won't be back from work for awhile!" I heard him call after me as I thanked him and started to run. Well, I at least knew part of her name: J. Lahey. Still running, I frowned slightly; that name sounded familiar. Where had I heard it before?
As I left the main part of the village my cares quickly dissipated. The old man had said that she lived in the hut farthest away from the other ones. Not very clear directions, but I found it easily enough. The hut was in a small valley between two hills, giving one the feeling that it was the only inhabited place for miles.
Whistling cheerfully, I sat in front of the door and waited.
A long stretch of time passed before at last I saw a figure walking slowly down the small hill. Quickly I stood up, feeling nervous again. What if my charm and good looks weren't enough? Finally I couldn't stand to wait any longer.
"Hello again!" I called out as she drew closer. She must not have noticed me until then, for she suddenly stopped walking and looked straight at me. Even in the dim light I could see the surprise across her face.
"I came to return this," I held up the shawl and took a few steps towards her. She didn't move, but slowly her eyes went from my face to the shawl, and then back to my face.
"Thanks," the word was said slowly and uncertainly as she reached for it. Before she could take it from my hand I held it away from her grasp, causing her eyes to narrow.
"First you have to tell me your name. Your real name." I hadn't planned this, but I was afraid she'd take the shawl and order to me to leave. She seemed to struggle with her choices and I took a step back in case she decided to resort to violence. Again.
"Fine!" she snapped at me. "My name is Josephine Rose Lahey. Happy? Now can I please have that back?" I stood there, confused, and she quickly snatched the shawl out of my hands.
"Josephine? What kind of a name is that?" I blurted out before I could stop myself. Rose I'd heard before, but Josephine? "It sounds like an Uber name!" I said, again before I took the time to consider my words. But I was incredulous; of all the names I had fitted to my mystery woman, 'Josephine' wasn't even on the list.
"For your information, the eldest daughter in my mother's family has always been named Josephine. See this?" she pointed out the embroidered initial, hard to make out in the darkness. "This was sewn by my great-grandmother. So I'm sorry you don't like the name, but I'm actually rather fond of it." She stopped suddenly and we both stood there awkwardly. Now what? I wondered. She, Josephine, put a hand to her head as though in pain and I immediately felt guilty. No wonder she disliked me so much; I just couldn't seem to stop being horrible to her. First the kiss, then her name.
"Look, I don't think my brother's back yet, and I wouldn't mind some company right now, so would you like to come in and have some tea?" I couldn't believe my ears or my luck, but I wasn't about to lose my chance.
"Sure, thanks,"
"First you have to apologize to me. For last night," she folded her arms and stood there as I cleared my throat, suddenly embarrassed.
"Josephine, I'm sorry for kissing you, and annoying, and all, last night. I promise it won't happen again."
"Of course it won't. Now come on." She led me inside and went about lighting lamps and candles while I looked around her home curiously.
"Do you like Red Root tea?"
"I don't suppose you have any beer or whiskey?" I asked hopefully. Earlier that morning I'd started feeling poorly, and I assumed it was from lack of anything good to drink.
"No, just tea. Sorry." Her voice was getting short, as though I'd already annoyed her.
"Tea's fine." I hastily said. While she walked around I was putting some witty comments together in my head when she turned to say something. For the first time I was able to look at her in a fully lit place. It left me literally speechless, and I think I forgot to breathe as well. Nor did I notice that she was staring at me with a peculiar look in her eyes as well. If I hadn't already been in love with her before, I certainly was then. I couldn't explain what it was exactly that I found so captivating; she just had this dark, earthy quality to her which I found irresistible. In the back of my mind the words 'No wonder I kissed her!' rang through my head.
Before either of us could say anything, footsteps and laughter made us turn to the door, which was swung open a moment later. I found myself shocked as first Devin, then Orla, walked inside. Then my poor brain suffered another shock that caused it to freeze; While Devin and I stared at each other in surprise, I noticed his arm was around Orla's waist.
"What are you doing with my sister?!" We both exclaimed at the same time, and then fell silent as we glared at each other. Luckily women are more sensible that us men, at least when it comes to these kind of matters. With a gracious smile Josephine took a few steps forward.
"Hello, I'm Josephine Lahey, Devin's older sister," she introduced herself, shaking Orla's hand politely.
"Orla Harper, Evan's twin sister." They smiled at each other in an amused sort of way and I cast an annoyed look towards them.
"Would you care for some tea Orla?"
"Yes please, that'd be very nice." All this time Devin and I stood there, both confused. Why hadn't I realized all of this before? Orla had said his last name as Lahey, and besides, he looked just like his sister.
"Devin, we're out of firewood, you and Evan can go get some and bring it in." Devin nodded shortly and jerked his head towards the door, meaning I should follow him outside. Still trying to figure out exactly what was happening, I followed him.
Once outside he turned and looked me over. I did the same to him.
"So, I take it you like Josephine?"
"I take it you like Orla?" I countered. We were silent a moment. Then:
"If you hurt her, I'll kill you."
"Same here." I crossed my arms in a casual manner. Another moment of silence, and then Devin grinned and held out his hand, saying
"You know, this could work to our advantage. I'll help you win Josephine and you help me win Orla." I hesitated, then quickly grinned as well and grasped his hand.
"Tis a deal." I didn't add, as he showed me where the firewood was kept, that his job would be a lot harder than mine: Orla already liked Devin, but Josephine and I still had a long way to go.
In the end, though of course I didn't know it at the time, it was going to be a very painful courtship, though shorter than I had first anticipated. Then again, what else is more romantic than a near death experience...?
Summary: The parents of Harper tell their tale of life and love in Post-Commonwealth Earth.
Author: Luna Sealeaf
Rating: PG
"If True Love cannot survive the Long Night then, why, nothing can!"
-Serybl Nexrom
Romantic Poet
Episode Three
I must have stood there, perfectly still, for at least five minutes, just watching her walk away.
Why had I done such a stupid thing? Part of me couldn't understand all of the complex emotions coursing through my mind. I just wasn't equipped to handle so many life-changing events in such a short period of time. Never in my life had I acted so boldly with a girl –woman, I corrected myself. Young as she had looked, even then I could tell that she was no simple girl.
Well, no matter how beautiful she might be, I had surely ruined any chance I had of ever seeing her again. I didn't know her name, or where she lived, or even where she worked. Her obvious disgust for me wasn't so much of an obstacle – I had no doubt that I could easily win her over- but with the current state of emotions between us, she wasn't likely to seek me out on her own. It looked like I was going to have to forget about her and resign myself to possibly never seeing her again in my life.
That's when I felt something under my foot. It was a piece of cloth, like some sort of wrap.
I stared at it blankly for a second before my tired brain suddenly grasped what I was looking at.
It was hers!
Filled with glee I picked up the cloth and ran my hands against the material.
From that moment on I was mesmerized. I may not have realized it until a long time afterwards, but at that moment I was already in love with her. I wouldn't rest until I found her again.
The fact that she might never want to see me again didn't once cross my mind, which was so filled with youthful pride.
Speaking of rest, it was about time I rejoined Orla and Liam, or else they would surely begin to worry about me. Hopefully I'd be able to find them by going to the village square that she had directed me towards. The simple fact that she had been kind enough to leave me with directions, despite what I had done, served to increase my infatuation of her.
Then I took my first step forward –and gasped with pain, clutching at my stomach and lower rib cage. What the -?! Oh, right; she had kicked me.
No matter, that simply showed how strong she was; it did nothing to demean her in my eyes. So, limping and slightly bent over, I hobbled towards the village square.
"My God Evan! What happened to you?" with those words Orla flung her arms around my neck. Sure enough, Liam, Lughna, and my sister had been waiting for me in the shadows of the center of town. Around us loomed the eerie dark shapes of huts and make-shift tents set up by our fellow newcomers.
Orla let go of me long enough to turn a critical eye to my condition.
"I'm in love," I said dreamily, a no-doubt foolish looking grin settling over my face. Judging by the looks on the other threes' faces, they couldn't have been more surprised at my words if I had announced I was growing another head.
"More likely exhaustion has turned our brother's head," Liam suggested to Orla.
"No, I'm serious, look!" I held out the shawl for them to inspect. Lughna stroked it reverently, eyes wide with admiration.
"This must be really, really old!" she said softly. Orla nodded in mute agreement.
"We can ogle over Evan's love token tomorrow. Right now we need to get some rest we can find out where we're supposed to work in the morning." That said, Liam and the girls set about doing practical things, such as using borrowed pieces of wood, rope, and cloth to set up our own tent for the night.
Even I, despite my reluctance to deal with the real world, was dragged into helping.
But I didn't want to think about serious matters such as food, or a place to live, or work. While the others discussed these things, I stared at the stars and ran my hands through the cloth. At last Liam ordered me to bed, hoping that sleep would help my addled brains. Although certain that I would never be able to fall asleep, the events of the past two days caught up with me and morning came too soon.
Much to Liam's relief, my head had cleared during the night. Gone was the heady feeling I'd experienced since watching her retreating figure; my passion for finding her remained, but other thoughts entered my mind too. Nightmares of my father's lifeless eyes and my mother's still form brought my wits back to reality.
While Liam and I questioned other factory workers on our jobs, Orla and Lughna prepared a small breakfast.
"Hey, where'd you guys get the food?" I wondered out loud before devouring a potato straight from the fire. Liam didn't appear to hear my question, but Lughna glanced at Orla and giggled, which was strange enough, but then Orla leaned over the small fire and quickly placed more vegetables by the embers, thought not before I caught the faint blush on her cheeks.
"A very nice young man came and welcomed us here. He gave us the food."
Normally I could practically read Orla's thoughts before she had even formed them herself, but the strange emotion in her voice was completely foreign to me.
"He said his name was Devin Lahey," she continued before falling silent.
"Oh, that's nice." I said, not really caring all that much, merely grateful for the hot food.
Soon we had to begin walking to the factories, along with large groups of villagers. We had a few miles to cover and the people seemed to use this time in order to talk and mingle with their neighbors. At first I tried to look for the young woman, but quickly gave up. There were simply too many people surrounding us. So for the most part people ignored us, and I walked beside Orla in silence, which was rudely interrupted a few minutes later.
"Orla! Orla, hi!" Turning my head I saw a dark youth squeeze through the crowd in order to reach my sister.
"Good morning Devin," Orla replied, smiling yet turning her eyes towards the ground. Losing interest as they began to talk, I turned my attention to the villagers, curious about these strange people.
As far as physical features went there was a large variety among them, something I wasn't as used to, having grown up in an almost secluded area. The only thing that truly set us newcomers apart was our clothing, and our accents. Our clothes were made of a rougher material and cut differently. Where Lughna and Orla had knee-length shirts with long sleeves and pants, most women here wore simple dresses of dull colors. Liam and I blended in a bit better; vests, shirts, and pants of all lengths were the general choice of clothing for the men.
Becoming bored, and trying to take my mind off of my sore feet, I listened to Orla and Devin's conversation.
"Devin Lahey; it certainly sounds like an Irish name, yet you speak strangely, no offense," Orla quickly added, glancing up at Devlin before returning her gaze to the ground. Devin only laughed in a good-natured way.
"And you speak beautifully! But you're right about my name: my father's parents were from Ireland, I believe, and I was named for some great-uncle of his." He laughed again, eliciting a smile from Orla and I found myself warming to him despite myself.
"Could you explain something else for me Devlin?"
"Gladly, if I know the answer."
"Well, people here have told us that they are not considered subjects to the Nietzscheans, if this is so, then why were we forced to come here?" as this was something I was curious about as well, I listened carefully for his reply. At first Devin was silent, but then at last began to answer her.
"Every fifteen years or so, the Magog have attacked somewhere nearby. Our population is thinning, even as more workers are need for the fields and manufacturing plants, like the ones we work at. The nearby Lords requested that more workers be sent in –and so you were. It's not a bad life here though." He finished, perhaps trying to give some sense of comfort or relief to our situation. Orla smiled thinly and assured him that life didn't seem bad at all in Dunwich, but I knew by her troubled expression that she was remembering the night we'd been dragged from our home.
Had it really only been three nights ago? The thought was both startling and a little frightening, but there was no time to dwell on it; we'd reached the factory we'd been assigned to work at.
My first day of my job in this strange new world was...interesting. As the villagers had said, we were theoretically 'free citizens', or as free as any human could be on a planet ruled by Nietzscheans. However that didn't stop heavily armed Nietzscheans from patrolling our work unit and occasionally punishing someone they felt was working too slowly. Frankly, it was maddening; here we were, working, slaving, for the Ubers voluntarily and still being treated like dirt. Yet what could we do about it? If we fought, we'd die. It was as simple as that. There would always be more kludges to take our place: in short, I, my family, and all genetically un-engineered humans were expendable.
Not that my anger was curbed any. I still longed to turn one of those blasters on the Nietzscheans and take as many out as I could before I was stopped. But I also valued my life; at that time in my life anyway.
Besides, as I listened to my fellow workers talk, sometimes joining in a short conversation, I learned that daily life here was often significantly better than life as 'citizens' under direct rule of Nietzscheans, such as those people living in the refugee camps.
While any human was basically a slave, or at least a potential one, to the Dragans, those that lived inside the camps had a much harder time living than even we did.
The men and women gossiped about the constant sicknesses that always ran rampant throughout the close living quarters of the Human ghetto. Men, women, and even children would be pulled off the street at any random time and made into personal slaves to higher ranking Nietzscheans, or sold. Famine was also an almost constant problem; not to mention that every time the Drago-Kazov felt the need to reassert their authority and dampen our moral further they would raid a section of the human quarters, completely laying waste to it.
All in all, my education about the state of the rest of the world was quickly growing. My parents had been fond of telling us stories about Old Earth, before the Commonwealth had fallen, but these new lessons would be more likely to help me survive this unforgiving New Earth.
Work didn't last forever, thank whatever-Deity-still-lives! As the day ended we were each paid with some money as well as a week's ration of food. My mood was lifting rapidly and my thoughts soon dwelled upon my mysterious Lady of Love, who consequently hated me at the moment. It must be said; little would deter Evan Harper once I set my mind to something.
Outside I joined Lughna, Liam, and Orla in fading light. To my curiosity, no one moved even after I arrived.
"What are we waiting for?" I finally asked them.
"Orla's boyfriend," Lughna said in a teasing manner.
"He's not my boyfriend!" Orla denied hotly. I looked at Lughna with a puzzled expression at the playful mood she'd been in all day. I looked over her while she and Liam talked.
The change in her was amazing. She and Orla had somehow obtained dresses like those of the village women and the color, a dark brown, complimented her complexion. Her face wasn't as deathly pale as it had been either; there was a faint touch of pink on her cheeks, and her dark brown eyes sparkled. I didn't understand what had caused this rapid change in her, but then I noticed how she looked at Liam, and it suddenly became clear; she was in love with him. Well, why wouldn't she be? Not only had he saved her life a few days ago, but he was tall and handsome, as well as strong. And Liam seemed to like her just as much. The thought of my serious older brother in a relationship with a girl was amusing, but my thoughts were soon once again filled with my mystery woman.
"There you are Orla!" That guy –Devin- jogged up to us and smiled at Orla before shaking my hand, and then Liam's. We exchanged glances and I shrugged. Whatever.
Actually, as I looked closer at Devin, he seemed familiar, but I couldn't for the life of me figure out why.
It was a long walk home and the five of us chatted amicably. Devin wanted to know all about Ireland while we were curious about Dunwich, despite all that we had already learned.
"There's not much to say," Devin insisted. For the most part, he was right. Even to us foreigners Dunwich was a fairly uninteresting place. I was impatient to begin my search and the walk home seemed to take forever. Although very tired I still raced into our tent and found the shawl –Orla had explained what it that that was the proper name for it- before realizing that I had no plan yet to help me find Her.
While Devin helped Liam figure out what we'd need to build a more solid house, I pestered the girls for help until finally Lughna gave me a suggestion:
"Take another look at the shawl; does it have anything to indicate who it belongs to? If it's as valuable as it seems they'd want to make it harder for someone to steal it and claim it belonged to them." While this made sense, I doubted I would find anything. Carefully looking over the length of the cloth in the evening light I was amazed to discover that Lughna was right. On the bottom right corner, in blue thread, was the letter 'J' , heavily encircled by embroidered flowers. A clue to Her name perhaps? Then Lughna, probably wanting more time with Liam's sole attention, suggested that I ask nearby villagers for help.
"She's right Evan. Just make sure you ask for their name first so they can't trick you," Orla added, smiling at me fondly from her seat on the ground. I thanked them both excitedly and then was off, not caring that Liam would surely berate me for not helping with the building plans.
I was no longer uneasy around these strangers whose home's we'd been forced to live among. I marched boldly up to the first person I saw: an elderly man –at least fifty- carrying two buckets of water down the main path that ran through the village. Seizing this opportunity I rushed forward and asked him if I could help carry the water. Eyeing me suspiciously for a moment, the man reluctantly nodded and passed the buckets to me, who nearly dropped them.
This man was stronger than he looked; those buckets were heavy! I tried not to let my lack of strength show by plastering a smile on my face. The shawl was tucked around my waist and I pondered how to broach the question when the man suddenly turned and asked in a curious voice,
"Hey! What're you doing with Miss Lahey's shawl? She couldn't 'ave given it to ya." So surprised was I at those words that I had to set the buckets down before I dropped them and spilled all the water.
"Actually I was going to return it to her. Could you –could you tell me where she lives?" I was breathless with excitement, shifting my weight from foot to foot, and I could see that the man was debating whether or not to tell me.
"I'm courting her, you see, or at least trying to, but I forgot to ask her where she lives." I stopped talking and could hear my heart pounding in my chest, while hoping he believed me. It wasn't really a lie, just a slight stretch of the truth.
"Someone courtin' Miss Lahey? Now ain't that somethin'. Here I'd thought she'd scared away all the young fellas." He chuckled in a friendly manner and I relaxed somewhat, grinning as I replied,
"Ah, well, I figure she's worth a few bruises," the man smiled kindly at me.
"That she is boy, that she is." Before giving me directions to find her house.
"But she won't be back from work for awhile!" I heard him call after me as I thanked him and started to run. Well, I at least knew part of her name: J. Lahey. Still running, I frowned slightly; that name sounded familiar. Where had I heard it before?
As I left the main part of the village my cares quickly dissipated. The old man had said that she lived in the hut farthest away from the other ones. Not very clear directions, but I found it easily enough. The hut was in a small valley between two hills, giving one the feeling that it was the only inhabited place for miles.
Whistling cheerfully, I sat in front of the door and waited.
A long stretch of time passed before at last I saw a figure walking slowly down the small hill. Quickly I stood up, feeling nervous again. What if my charm and good looks weren't enough? Finally I couldn't stand to wait any longer.
"Hello again!" I called out as she drew closer. She must not have noticed me until then, for she suddenly stopped walking and looked straight at me. Even in the dim light I could see the surprise across her face.
"I came to return this," I held up the shawl and took a few steps towards her. She didn't move, but slowly her eyes went from my face to the shawl, and then back to my face.
"Thanks," the word was said slowly and uncertainly as she reached for it. Before she could take it from my hand I held it away from her grasp, causing her eyes to narrow.
"First you have to tell me your name. Your real name." I hadn't planned this, but I was afraid she'd take the shawl and order to me to leave. She seemed to struggle with her choices and I took a step back in case she decided to resort to violence. Again.
"Fine!" she snapped at me. "My name is Josephine Rose Lahey. Happy? Now can I please have that back?" I stood there, confused, and she quickly snatched the shawl out of my hands.
"Josephine? What kind of a name is that?" I blurted out before I could stop myself. Rose I'd heard before, but Josephine? "It sounds like an Uber name!" I said, again before I took the time to consider my words. But I was incredulous; of all the names I had fitted to my mystery woman, 'Josephine' wasn't even on the list.
"For your information, the eldest daughter in my mother's family has always been named Josephine. See this?" she pointed out the embroidered initial, hard to make out in the darkness. "This was sewn by my great-grandmother. So I'm sorry you don't like the name, but I'm actually rather fond of it." She stopped suddenly and we both stood there awkwardly. Now what? I wondered. She, Josephine, put a hand to her head as though in pain and I immediately felt guilty. No wonder she disliked me so much; I just couldn't seem to stop being horrible to her. First the kiss, then her name.
"Look, I don't think my brother's back yet, and I wouldn't mind some company right now, so would you like to come in and have some tea?" I couldn't believe my ears or my luck, but I wasn't about to lose my chance.
"Sure, thanks,"
"First you have to apologize to me. For last night," she folded her arms and stood there as I cleared my throat, suddenly embarrassed.
"Josephine, I'm sorry for kissing you, and annoying, and all, last night. I promise it won't happen again."
"Of course it won't. Now come on." She led me inside and went about lighting lamps and candles while I looked around her home curiously.
"Do you like Red Root tea?"
"I don't suppose you have any beer or whiskey?" I asked hopefully. Earlier that morning I'd started feeling poorly, and I assumed it was from lack of anything good to drink.
"No, just tea. Sorry." Her voice was getting short, as though I'd already annoyed her.
"Tea's fine." I hastily said. While she walked around I was putting some witty comments together in my head when she turned to say something. For the first time I was able to look at her in a fully lit place. It left me literally speechless, and I think I forgot to breathe as well. Nor did I notice that she was staring at me with a peculiar look in her eyes as well. If I hadn't already been in love with her before, I certainly was then. I couldn't explain what it was exactly that I found so captivating; she just had this dark, earthy quality to her which I found irresistible. In the back of my mind the words 'No wonder I kissed her!' rang through my head.
Before either of us could say anything, footsteps and laughter made us turn to the door, which was swung open a moment later. I found myself shocked as first Devin, then Orla, walked inside. Then my poor brain suffered another shock that caused it to freeze; While Devin and I stared at each other in surprise, I noticed his arm was around Orla's waist.
"What are you doing with my sister?!" We both exclaimed at the same time, and then fell silent as we glared at each other. Luckily women are more sensible that us men, at least when it comes to these kind of matters. With a gracious smile Josephine took a few steps forward.
"Hello, I'm Josephine Lahey, Devin's older sister," she introduced herself, shaking Orla's hand politely.
"Orla Harper, Evan's twin sister." They smiled at each other in an amused sort of way and I cast an annoyed look towards them.
"Would you care for some tea Orla?"
"Yes please, that'd be very nice." All this time Devin and I stood there, both confused. Why hadn't I realized all of this before? Orla had said his last name as Lahey, and besides, he looked just like his sister.
"Devin, we're out of firewood, you and Evan can go get some and bring it in." Devin nodded shortly and jerked his head towards the door, meaning I should follow him outside. Still trying to figure out exactly what was happening, I followed him.
Once outside he turned and looked me over. I did the same to him.
"So, I take it you like Josephine?"
"I take it you like Orla?" I countered. We were silent a moment. Then:
"If you hurt her, I'll kill you."
"Same here." I crossed my arms in a casual manner. Another moment of silence, and then Devin grinned and held out his hand, saying
"You know, this could work to our advantage. I'll help you win Josephine and you help me win Orla." I hesitated, then quickly grinned as well and grasped his hand.
"Tis a deal." I didn't add, as he showed me where the firewood was kept, that his job would be a lot harder than mine: Orla already liked Devin, but Josephine and I still had a long way to go.
In the end, though of course I didn't know it at the time, it was going to be a very painful courtship, though shorter than I had first anticipated. Then again, what else is more romantic than a near death experience...?