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My ?class? was informalI answered questions every night after dinnerI found that as long as I
was willing to do this, Ian and Doc and Jeb would leave me alone during the day so that I could
concentrate on my choresWe always convened in the kitchen; I liked to help with the baking
while I spokeIt gave me an excuse to pause before answering a difficult question, and
somewhere to look when I didn't want to meet anyone's eyesIn my head, it seemed fitting; my
words were sometimes upsetting, but my actions were always for their good
I didn't want to admit that Jamie was rightObviously, people didn'tlike meThey couldn't; I
wasn't one of themJamie liked me, but that was just some strange chemical reaction that was
far from rationalJeb liked me, but Jeb was crazyThe rest of them didn't have either excuse
No, they omega deville watch didn't like meBut things changed when I started talking
The first time I noticed it was the morning after I answered Doc's questions at dinner; I was in
the black bathing room, washing clothes with Trudy, Lily, and Jamie
?Could you hand me the soap, please, Wanda?? Trudy asked from my left
An electric current ran through my body at the sound of my name spoken by a female voice
Numbly, I passed her the soap and then rinsed the sting off my hand
?Thank you,? she added
?You're welcome,? I murmuredMy voice cracked on the last syllable
I passed Lily in the hall a day later on my way to find Jamie before dinner
?Wanda,? she said, nodding
?Lily,? I answered, my throat dry
Soon it wasn't just Doc and Ian who asked questions at nightIt surprised me who the most
vocal were: exhausted Walter, his face a worrisome shade of gray, tiffany toggle necklace was endlessly interested in
the Bats of the Singing WorldHeath, usually silent, letting Trudy and Geoffrey talk for him,
was outspoken during these eveningsHe had some fascination with Fire World, and though it
was one of my least favorite stories to tell, he peppered me with questions until he'd heard every
detail I knewLily was concerned with the mechanics of things?she wanted to know about the
ships that carried us from planet to planet, their pilots, their fuelIt was to Lily that I explained
the cryotanks?something they had all seen but few understood the purpose ofShy Wes, usually
sitting close to Lily, asked not about other planets but about this oneHow did it work? No
money, no recompense for work?why did our souls' society not fall apart? I tried to explain that
it was not so different from life in black fendi spy bag the cavesDid we not all work without money and share in
the products of our labor equally?
?Yes,? he interrupted me, shaking his head?But it's different here?Jeb has a gun for the
slackers
Everyone looked at Jeb, who winked, and then they all laughed
Jeb was in attendance about every other nightHe didn't participate; he just sat thoughtfully in
the back of the room, occasionally grinning
He was right about the entertainment factor; oddly, for we all had legs, the situation reminded
me of the See WeedsThere had been a special title for entertainers there, likeComforter
orHealer orSeekerI was one of theStorytellers, so the transition to a teacher here on Earth had
not been such a change, profession-wise, at leastIt was much the same in the kitchen after
dark, with the smell of smoke and baking bread filling the balenciaga twiggy roomEveryone was stuck here, as
good as plantedMy stories were something new, something to think about besides the
usual?the same endlessly repeated sweaty chores, the same thirty-five faces, the same memories
of other faces that brought the same grief with them, the same fear and the same despair that
had long been familiar companionsAnd so the kitchen was always full for my casual lessons
Only Sharon and Maggie were conspicuously and consistently absent
I was in about my fourth week as an informal teacher when life in the caves changed again
The kitchen was crowded, as was usualJeb and Doc were the only ones missing besides the
normal twoOn the counter next to me was a metal tray of dark, doughy rolls, swollen to twice
the size they'd started atThey were ready for the oven, as soon as the current tray was balenciaga dix motorcycle don |