It was the fifth job he had tried since he came to Vandar after his divorce. Jareth stared in frustration at the chipped and faded full-length mirror. The red dye in his shower head had left reddish streaks in his brown-black hair, making him look like he was one of his race's adolescence. It was the last straw in a long line of vicious pranks that he was the target of in the men's dorm. The scandal with his wife preceded him on the intergalactic news.
Jareth grabbed his resignation papers and his space bag. He silently dropped the documents on the supervisor's old metal desk. Pete winced and looked away from the dark-skinned youth's golden alien eyes. "Look, I know you didn't deserve the lousy spin the press created about your divorce or the cruel treatment from the workers. I wish I could say I could do something to improve their attitude toward you.
"You tried, and I appreciate it, but we both know my being here isn't working." With that, the prince turned on his heels and headed toward his motorbike outdoors.
Jareth drove the long winding route to a small town in the shadow of a vast mountain. He whipped around one mountain curve and then another. The job thing was just not flying. Maybe he should just hide away for a while. His family owned a luxury mansion outside the small town of Marville. It would be a pleasant place to disappear to. When he reached Marville, he was low on power.
He stopped for a recharge at a small antiquated gas station that had been converted into a recharge station. He took his helmet off to cool off from the end of summer heat while he waited. He regretted that he hadn't spent the money on a fully air-conditioned suit. He leaned against the building, which was still shiny from a fresh layer of wood protectant put over its log walls.
A yellow jeep filled with loud, obnoxious Vandarian youths drove up. Shortly behind them came an official-looking white van with a logo that said "truant officer''. Out stepped a man in his thirties who, while in good shape, had odd-shaped eyes, a flat nose of a Vandarian born with an incurable defect, and, if Jareth remembered right, a slowness of mind.
"Get in the van!" the man shouted at the kids.
"Make us slow, brain." jeered one boy.
"Yeah, Shouldn't you've been euthanized by now?" Jareth was just about to move to deal with the teenagers when a police officer showed up.
"Get in the van now!" Officer Kinder brought his Taser out. The kids paled, shut up, and got in the van.
The truant officer's eyes fell on Jareth. "You too," He said slowly but firmly. Jareth was confused. He forgot briefly about the red dye in his hair that marked him as a youth of his race.
"Me too?" he repeated. The police officer put his taser away and watched with narrowed eyes and crossed arms.
"Yes, you need to go to school too. No truancies on my watch."
Jareth smiled in mild amusement. "I'm too old for school."
Angry tears welled up in the man's eyes. "You think I'm too stupe' to know. I know. I not that stupe. Your kind, red hair, school. You go. It's good for you." He sputtered out in a shaky voice.
Jareth winced when he heard the pain in the man's voice, whose mental capacity must have barely passed the level that required euthanasia. He knew too well how it felt to be made a joke of. The only way he could handle this while letting the truant officer keep his dignity was to go with him and explain the situation to whoever was in charge of the school. "You caught me. I'll go. You're too smart for me." Jareth said with his heavy Rillian accent.
The man smiled happily and patted Jareth on the shoulder. 'You'll see. It's good for you."
Jareth looked back at his bike and sighed. It was thumbprint secured to only him, so he would have to have a servant from the mansion drive him back to pick it up. He clicked an extra button on his Keypad, and an anti-theft shield shifted over the bike. He got in the van and watched as the beautiful, small, quaint town's buildings passed by. Soon they reached a large and ancient building. Over fading gray paint were tall, freshly painted letters that seemed out of place that read "Marville High School."
Inside the office, the paint was peeling off the walls, yet it had a stately air. The disrepair was obviously due to a lack of funds and not actual neglect.
At the front desk sat an old Vandarian woman with the dull look of one who had done the same work for years and had become numb to it. ''Well, well, well, if it isn't Mitchel and the gang. Principal Bolton is waiting for you.'' She said to the rowdy group of teens Jareth had the misfortune to have to share a van with. She then looked up at Jareth and over the school records.
"I see you are not in our school records. Let's see a Rillian Youth. Obviously, from that diplomat family who lives in town. I need your Identification card."
"Miss, this is a mistake. " Jareth said as he handed her his identification card.
"Hum," she said as she scanned his information into a very outdated computer. "No mistake. You are an underaged child out and about during government-set learning times. That means you legally have to attend the local public school diplomat's son or not."
"Look at my age. I am Adult." Jareth stuttered in borken Vandarian
"These public records say you are seventeen. And the red highlights in your hair confirm it. I've worked this desk far too long to be conned, young man. As soon as you get your schedule, you're going to class. No arguing unless you want to go to detention after school. I'll call an enforcement officer if necessary." She glared at him over a pile of paperwork with steel gray eyes over the rim of her glasses.
Jareth growled under his breath in frustration. He dealt with enough bureaucrats in his time that he knew he wouldn't get past this woman's stubbornness any time soon. He'd put up with the mess for a day and then bring in a legal assistant to straighten it out and delete his name from the records later.
Yes, he was seventeen, seventeen Rillian years old. Rillia's longer year put him at about 21 space years old. (He married early with permission from his family at 17 space years of age) He grabbed the class schedule with extreme annoyance and attended each class.
As the day wore on, his annoyance dissipated. Jareth noticed as long as he kept silent, he achieved a blessed invisibleness he lacked elsewhere. Some subjects, such as Vandarian history and the Vandarianezze, were not only quite exciting but challenging in a way that distracted him from the pain inside his heart. At the end of the day, he decided to let the mistake stand. He attended school every day and lost himself in the books that the school was rich in. That was until autumn came, and one simple event and the incredible friendships that came out of that one event turned everything in his life upside down in unimaginable ways.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Aleck ran her hands through her bright red hair as she waited at the old oak door. Aunt Karla's long blond hair swirled about her as she swiftly doubled checked everyone. She made sure they had everything they needed for school. Aleck picked at the paint on her fingernails. She had gotten home from the mental hospital a month ago, and now her time at home was up. Aleck hadn't been in school since the invasion of her world when she was eight years old. At the age of sixteen, she, who led troops into battle and devised ground battle strategies with more success than many older, more experienced men, stood trembling in fear of going into the unknown world of high school.
She felt Aunt Karla's loving arm around her shoulder. Aunt Karla put a hot cup of Caja into her hand. She took a sip of the powerful drug and began to feel the knots in her stomach relax and the apprehension melt away.
Aunt Kara looked into her niece's sea-green eyes with her own brilliant emerald green ones. "You'll do fine." Her radiant smile was reassuring.
Her twin sister yelled in from outside. "Hurry up! We'll be late!"
Aleck stepped out into the brisk cool morning autumn air. She took a deep breath. The vast openness of the countryside, the brilliant colors of the fall leaves, and the delicious smell of ripe apples on the trees, hit her senses. A brisk breeze blew down from the nearby mountain lake, and the scent of pine drifted down.
She saw everything at once. Her little cousin Brock, with his light brown hair and brown eyes who looked like the spitting image of Uncle Donny, jumped up and down like an overzealous rabbit. "Don't worry, Aleck. Schools fun!"
Her cousin Aiden, who also looked like his father, toted a book bag over his broadening shoulders. ''All that knowledge of school from the vast experience of a five-year-old. Don't worry. You'll do fine."
Her younger brothers, with fiery red hair like their sisters and brilliant emerald eyes like their aunt, looked concerned. She knew it was because they knew the consequences would be terrible if she did not heal before the general recalled them again. Her twin sister glared at her with unsympathetic, irritated eyes and an overly made-up face. She straightened her gaudy outfit that was supposed to be the latest style and tapped her foot.
With the Caja-induced calm came clarity of thought. Since Aleck's return home, it was her twin sister, who she used to be best friends with as a child, who she got along with least. Her sister's current views on life seemed incredibly petty, irresponsible, and immature. But then again, what did a soldier, scarred by war, know of being a teen girl?
Aleck was fifteen now. She had not been a child in years. She couldn't be. Those who stayed petty, irresponsible, and immature died, either in the death camps of the Sharlakar or at the hand of the general or at the hands of another cyborg if their foolish behavior endangered others.
The dirt road they followed was richly decorated with the fallen leaves from the great oaks that lined the sides of the road, creating a natural isle rich in color. Almost every house that wasn't a farmhouse had a picket fence and a wraparound porch. Soon they reached the main street, which had one recharge station, a small-town restaurant, an old small grocery store, the town ice cream shop, and a small movie theater that showed only one movie at a time.
They crossed the street, passed the City hall with a beautiful antique clock tower, and were about to shortcut through the park when a bright yellow jeep with some teenagers who were about as obnoxiously dressed as her sister drove up. They had their music on full blast and were honking their horn loudly. They screamed in high-pitched yells and laughter for Alexia to get in. "See ya!" her sister sneered. She jumped in the jeep and sped away towards the school.
Aiden scowled at Alexia. "Not even the twins behave like she does!" he hissed. He took it as a personal affront to his parents, who always treated all their nieces and nephews under their care as their children. Aleck and her thirteen-year-old twin brothers, Shem and Payten, just stared after her.
Aleck knew why the twin boys had a reputation for mischief. Ever since the General used the boys' Borg codes to force them to murder their best friend slowly, the boy's stayed distant from everybody even in the seeming safety of their uncle's farm. They all knew that at any time, the twins could be contacted by a runner and be forced into pulling off another assassination for General Waller.
Aiden took a deep breath. He glanced at Aleck, whose hand was starting to shake. "You know the autumn festival is coming soon. You'll love it, Aleck. There are tons of food and vendors with different goods. Mom wins the best dessert contest with her cobblers every year."
Aleck attempted a smile. "Sounds great, Aiden. You have your first football game tonight, right?"
"Yeah, we have a meeting right before school starts." Said Aiden, who paused as they reached the elementary school.
Brock took his bag and pulled out a well-worn brown rough teddy bear with a missing eye. He handed it to Aleck hesitantly at first, then boldly. "Here, take Vern. Just don't let the teacher see him." He said in a conspiratorial whisper. "But when you get nervous about school, you can pull him out and hug him when no one is looking. That's what I did my first day of school."
"Thank you, Brock" Aleck took the well-loved bear and made a show of gently and respectfully putting it in her bag. "I'll take super good care of him. I promise." She watched her cousin run off and then turned her eyes to the ever-looming building that was her school.
...…
Odette observed the other students arrive in front of the old high school's double doors at the south entrance. There was the "cool" kid elite, the partiers, the jocks, intellects, and the computer geeks. They all seem to fit into some social group groove, except for three people. There was herself, with her goth aesthetic, Odette was an oddball in this hick farming town. Then there was Ben Thomson, who would have usually fit into the intellects and computer geeks' side of things. But Ben had a strict moral code because of his religious beliefs, which caused others to incorrectly label him as a stuck-up, goodie two shoes. Last of all was the Rillian kid, who was a loner.
She frowned as Mitchel Blank, a medium-build guy with a wiry type of muscle that marked him as fast and athletic, and his girlfriend, Alexia, and their group of cronies walked in being obnoxiously loud. Now they were stuck up. Why people wanted to be part of this "cool" kid elite group was beyond her. As far as she was concerned, they were just a bunch of cowardly bullies.
Odette watched with curiosity as a new girl with bright red braided hair, sea-green eyes, and a smattering of freckles across a cute upturned nose walked up to the student entrance way. She was dressed very plainly, with jeans and an olive green shirt. Odette was trying to figure out which group she would fall into when she noticed her friend, Ben, with his dark mocha-colored skin and thin six-and-a-half-foot frame, walking up lankly behind the girl in the awkward walk of a short kid who sprouted quickly and was not used to his body yet.
Odette waved at Ben, then groaned as Ben tripped and fell into the center of Mitchel's group of friends. They laughed at him and kicked him. Ben tried to escape, but before he could, one of the girls kicked him hard in the privates. He doubled up on the ground. Odette tensed. How could she get her friend out of the situation without making it worse for him?
Then before she could act, she saw the new red-headed girl approached the group with a look of cold, controlled rage on her face that chilled Odette right to her bones. When she spoke, her accent was odd, perhaps from one of the outer worlds. "What do you think you're doing, Alexia!?" As Alexia turned to the girl Odette was struck by how much they looked alike, the same red hair, the same sea-green eyes; only this girl's outfit was simple, and Alexia's was gaudy.
Alexia's face turned red. "Stay away from me, Aleck!"
Ben started to get up during the distraction. Mitchel grabbed Ben's hair and went to kick him down again. Then fast as a blink, Aleck had blocked Mitchel from kicking Ben. She grabbed his arm in a grip that forced him to release Ben's hair. She looked him dead in the eye. "Alie ta zask ime weviet, ani one bi valie windock zask de man." She said coldly in a language that sounded like Rillian.
Odette got a cold feeling in her gut. Something about the girl made her feel a little afraid for Mitchell.
Mitchel started to cuss. "You little..." His words got choked off. She moved in a blur forcing Mitchel violently to the ground. Odette shuttered as she heard his knees hit the ground with a cracking sound.
Odette swallowed her fear of Aleck and was about to go over to help Ben up when to her surprise, the Rillian quickly moved from his standard place against the wall into the conflict. He spoke in a heavy Rillian accent with an expression that looked like a strange mix of curiosity and shame. "He who would hurt one weaker than himself is a coward, but he who watches the one get hurt and do nothing is the greater coward." He said in interpretation of the strange phrase the girl called Aleck had uttered earlier. He helped Ben to his feet. "Six against one makes this an unfair fight and an act of cowardice."
"I've watched Ben stand up alone for what he believed was right when anyone else would have backed down. While you and your group can't even take down the weakest child without having to gang up on them, Mitchel." Jareth said coldly to the wiry boy on the ground. "You can let him up. Mitchel is too cowardly to do anything if he knows he can be beaten." Aleck let Mitchel go while staring at him with cold hard eyes.
Jareth turned to Ben. "My apologies. I should have stepped in long ago. I'm ashamed that this small, skinny, Vandarian teenage female showed more honor than me."
Alexia screamed at Aleck. "How could you!! How could you humiliate me like that?"
"How could you!" Aleck replied. "How could my own sister be such a… such a…."
Jareth did not hold back, "beach."
Odette approached the scene and corrected his pronunciation.
"At least I'm not a freak!" hissed Alexia to Aleck just as the football coach rounded the corner.
"What's going on here?" Mr. Mathews demanded. Odette groaned as she saw Alexia look away and smirk. It was no secret among the students that Mr. Mathews gave particular preference to his star players like Mitchel. She then turned back with a fresh load of false tears in her eyes.
"They started in on Mitchell called him a wimpy woos of a bate, who couldn't catch a ball to save his life. Then the Rillian kid punched him, and then they all started in on him."
"Well, now we'll just march you down to the principal's office right now." Said Mr. Mathews. Jareth made the intergalactic hand sign of disrespect by putting his hand on his elbow and holding up a fist at Mitchell's group when Mr. Mathews wasn't looking as they marched through the door.
...................
Principal Boltan scowled as Mr. Matthews spun his tale to her. She knew the students and the teachers at the school well enough to know that she was being fed a load of crap. "Well, are you going to suspend them?"
"Well, the problem is Mr. Matthews, if I suspend them, I would, in all fairness, have to suspend Mitchel for that incident earlier this week that you ask me to go easy on him for, wouldn't I." Mr. Mathews stared at her, then stormed out, muttering profanities.
Principal Boltan rubbed her temples as she looked over at the two groups. On the one hand, she knew that Mitchell was asking for what he got. On the other, she knew he had a life that was a nightmare at home, and much of his bullying tactics were an outlet from being abused. In the end, though, what it came down to was rules. Rules were there for the student's safety. She could not allow fights to happen on school grounds.
"While I do not doubt that Mr. Mitchell started the trouble." Mitchell started to protest, and she turned and glared at him, silencing him instantly. "Fighting and violence are not allowed on school grounds. So for fighting, you all have a month's detention in separate areas. Mr. Mitchell's group, you will be cleaning the cafeteria and gym. The rest of you will meet me in the first-year hall after school."
When the groups left, she looked down at the report on Mitchell's father that she had worked long and hard on that was about to go into an envelope marked police. "Well," she said to herself. "No, it's not always about the rules."
......................
Aiden moved over so Aleck could join him for lunch. It was a tiny school, so the high school and junior high cafeteria times were combined. "So, how did this morning go? Did you get lost or anything?"
"No, Jareth, Ben, and Odette showed me the lay of the school. But I can't walk home with you; we all have detention."
"Detention already! What happened?" He raised his eyebrows as she recounted details of that morning. "Makes me wish I had missed the junior high football meeting this morning. I'll let Mom and Dad know that you'll be late. They know Alexia well enough that she'll be in trouble for this mess, not you." Aiden picked through what he thought might be meatloaf and changed the subject. "Are you feeling better then this morning?"
"Jareth, Odette, and Ben have helped a lot. Their conversations help me keep my mind off things." Aiden shook his head in mild amusement. His cousin sure chose some odd friends. Then again, Aleck was far from ordinary.
She was quiet, respectful, distant, and very sad. When Aiden's Mom and Dad spoke to her, it was always like an adult. His parents never spoke of what they learned about when his cousin was in the psych ward. He saw his mom crying over it more than once and his dad trying to comfort her. Aleck almost seemed well, old for her age. She was undoubtedly different than Alexia. It was hard to believe they were identical twins though Alexia hadn't always been mean-spirited.
Aiden believed her issues were a combination of anger towards life, not taking to the hormone changes well, and a poor choice of friends. One day she would regret the friends she had chosen and her choices. The lunch bell rang all too soon. He patted his cousin's back in encouragement as they went off to their respective classes.
..................
It was the end of the school day, and the four friends stood staring at the empty tiled hall that seemed to stretch endlessly before them. With the soap buckets and scrub brushes in hand, they all sighed, bent down, and got to work. Jareth's golden eyes kept drifting toward Aleck. What a mysterious girl! Where did she learn that form of martial arts? Why was it he could sometimes hear what she was thinking? Could she hear him?
Jareth barely saved the bucket from turning over. He jumped as he heard her reply to the questions in his mind. "Yes, I can hear you. I don't know why we can hear each other. I learned the martial arts from a kind Rillian man who acted as a father to us after we were rescued from the death camps and before the General came."
"No one supervised us, so we often would spend time in a small separate cave away from the mail cavern base. The Rillian realized we were orphans left to our own devices. He took us under his wing while he was at the base. He would come back and forth for years on some excuse and spend time with us. He asked his father permission to adopt us, but it was never given. That was until the General came and refused any foreign help and no longer let foreigners on the worlds. We unfortunately never got to see him again."
It never occurred to Jareth to direct thoughts towards her mind. She changed the subject from her "Father" whom he could sense that she missed. "I used to mind-speak with Alexia all the time until the Cutoff. Then terrible things happened that Dad didn't want her to see, so he ordered me to break the mind link. She hates me for it, but it was for her own good."
Jareth put a wall up mentally and hoped it blocked his thinking. Terrible things? Death camps? Kind Rillian, of high enough rank to teach an orphaned Vandarian the High Rillian Guard Martial arts style, acting like a father to her? And who else? She said, "us." The mystery around this girl deepened. He directed another thought at her. "Could you hear what I was thinking then?"
Aleck shook her head. "No. but you didn't want me to." Jareth smiled; he could have privacy of mind when he wanted it; that was good.
Jareth stopped the mind conversation and observed Odette, a short girl with straight black hair and slanted double-lidded eyes, and Ben, a tall, lanky teen with light brown tight curly hair and light brown eyes. They both were far from typical Vandarian teens. They were more individualistic and independent-minded. Neither cared what others thought of them.
There were worse people Jareth could be stuck having detention with. Jareth was used to servants and maids obeying his every whim. Scrubbing floors was a novel and rather unpleasant experience. He frowned as he thought of how poorly he treated servants under him whose job was to clean. Next time he would show much more consideration and respect. This was no easy job.
Jareth stopped his mind conversation as Odette started to as Aleck a list of questions she wanted to ask the mysterious new girl. "I heard you call Alexia your sister. Is she really your sister?" Aleck used a case knife to get some gum off the floor.
"Yes, she's my twin. We got separated during the Cutoff. She wasn't always mean like that. We used to be best friends when we were little. She changed so much and not for the good."
"I know. Alexia didn't get mean until she started dating Mitchel and hanging with his goon squad."
Ben nodded in agreement with Odette. "We all grew up together in this small town where everyone knows everybody. Up to a few years ago, we considered Alexia, a friend. Then she betrayed the friendship all for a boy and started being mean to everyone."
"What was that form of martial arts you used on Mitchell?" Ben asked.
"I'm not sure. It is something an old Rillian friend, who was like a father to us, taught my brothers and me to give us another tool to survive the war."
"What war?" Jareth, Odette, and Ben asked in unison.
Aleck's arms didn't slow scrubbing even though she stopped. Her arms seemed to move independently from her. She knew the government never openly acknowledged the war and had a way of silencing those who would talk about it. Then again, Aleck would have never risen to the level of leadership she achieved if she could not assess the character of others.
She knew these new friends would be smart enough to keep silent. "The government will not acknowledge it, and you could be charged with sedition if you speak of it." She warned. "And because I still have nightmares about it, I'll tell you once, but you must promise me never to speak of it again." Aleck looked over at them. They all nodded their heads in promise. "A race we never encountered before raided the outer worlds. They were a gray-skinned people, thin with equally gray, bloodshot eyes and teeth like sharks. They put us in death camps and slaughtered us like cattle for food."
"A few of us escaped or were rescued from the horrors of the death camps, and we were able to start an underground rebellion. There were so few of us left that age didn't matter. If you could aim and shoot at the enemy, you did. Those who came back with the most Sharlakar killed with the fewest men lost were made officers. We finally managed to drive them off our worlds, but very few of us left, and the damage done to our worlds because of the war made them uninhabitable, ugly places. The few adults left took refuge on the main worlds once the war was over."
Odette perceived an oddity in the sentence before and asked, "And the children?"
"Between the Sharlakar and that monster of a General that the Vandarian government sent to "help" us at the last space year of the war, my brothers and I were the only children I know of that survived. And that was because we were too good at what we did for the General to kill us." Aleck stopped scrubbing. She stared into space and started to rock back and forth while tears streamed down her face. She found herself drifting into dreams of the past.
Aleck watched that bruit of a general use her brothers' cyborg codes to force them to kill her brothers' best friend. She heard their screams echo down the corridor as he beat them. She managed to use some of her mild mental abilities to shift the general's rage off them and onto her, saving her brothers. She bore the brunt of the rest of the beating. He then used the cyborg codes to force her to pick up her brothers' friend's body. Blood splattered on her blouse as she dragged him out the door.
She limped in pain. Her cyborg codes were now forcing her to dump her brothers' friend's body in the trash heap on top of the rest of the children's bodies. Her brothers screamed in her direction. Colonel Mires passed her while he carried each of her brothers under an arm to the infirmary. Unfortunately, the next time the General asked them to kill, they would do it immediately.
Aleck shook herself out of the dream. She needed her medicine that was in her bag but shook too hard to get it. Jareth had tears in his eyes that, for the first time in his life, were for someone other than himself. He took her bag and found the medicine pictured in her mind. He shook the can of the emergency hot Caja and opened it. He put it in her hand, being careful not to touch her. She had left out a lot in the storytelling but made up for it with the violent pictures in her mind. Bitterness filled his stomach as he remembered when his second eldest brother returned with the report of the problems and invasion he saw on the Vandarian outer worlds.
"Father, please, I know they are not of Rillia, but the people there are dying in mass. Their government is doing nothing I can see. A small force could be a turning point for them." Zane pleaded.
"They are Vandar's people. They are Vandar's problem," Said the King. Jareth stared after Cassia, who just waltzed by him with a smile and a wink. Who cared about some minor skirmishes with worlds that weren't Rillia's?
"If the Sharlakar gains a foothold there, they will become our problem."
"There a small outer world problem that Vandar will have under control soon enough. It's not our business."
"There's three orphaned children there. Let me adopt them, please, and take them out of the war. It's a nightmare for them."
"Let three Vandarian children have rights to the Rillia throne. I think not! Permission denied." With that, the king waved his hand in a sign of dismissal.
Jareth closed his eyes. "All the children dead. Oh, Father, we should have listened to my brother more." He whispered to himself.
Soon the medicine had calmed. Aleck and Odette started talking about the upcoming fall harvest festival. By silent agreement, the friends avoided all mentions of the cutoff and the war. Jareth looked over the new girl in concern. The conversation seemed to help her some but the pictures in her mind. Jareth shuttered.
At the end of the week, the newfound friends met over at Aleck's in a fallow field where Jareth and Aleck agreed to teach Ben and Odette some of the Royal Rillian martial arts style.
Jareth nodded approvingly at the field Aleck had shown him. "The leaves piles will make a good break, and it's far enough away from the farmhouse we shouldn't be interrupted."
"So what do we start with?" said Ben trying to imitate Tri-di's cheap martial arts movie moves. "Flips, kicks, and throws?"
Jareth and Aleck both laughed and said in unison. "Falls and rolls."
"Falls. I think Ben can do that without help." teased Odette lightly.
Ben nodded sheepishly.
Jareth sighed. "When you are in a fight, you need to know how to fall without one breaking a bone and two be able to get up on your feet quickly again to be able to defend yourself."
"Enough talking time to get started. I'll model the first one, then you two try." Jareth looked over in surprise at the crispness in Aleck's voice. He touched her mind briefly.
"If the General succeeds in his plans, these skills might save their life." Jareth frowned. "The General again? Just what does that monster have planned?" He thought. Jareth kept silent, not wanting her to fall into another nightmare. Maybe just maybe, it was time to contact Zane and find out just what happened during the time of the cutoff.
Jareth looked at his friends. "Yes, Let's begin." Both he and Aleck started to model the moves.
Both Odette and Ben groaned as Jareth commanded "again."
Odette Moaned. "Who could have ever dreamed that there was a right and wrong way to fall?"
"Another ten sets." Ordered Aleck.
"Can't we take a break? We've been at this for hours?" Ben moaned.
Just then, Aleck's Aunt Karla came out and called. "Time for dinner."
"Saved by the dinner bell." Odette grinned as they headed toward the big, white farmhouse. Delicious smells floated in from the kitchen, making all the friends' stomachs rumble with hunger.
Jareth smiled at the simplicity of the farmhouse. So different from the palace he grew up in or the mansion he lived in now. Yet there was something comforting about the simple dark green couches on a well-polished wood floor. A middle-aged man, who must have been Aleck's Uncle Donald, who sat on a wooden rocking chair while reading to a little boy, somehow made the scene. It reminded Jareth of an art scene he saw in a museum.
Uncle Donald put down the book that he was reading to the little boy and stood up with his hand extended to Ben. "Hello Ben, right? And Odette, and you must be Jareth."
The little boy wiggled in excitement. "Hi, I'm Brock," he said enthusiastically, jumping down. "I like school. Do you? Do you want a see my room! Also, I have a fort in the backyard. And…" Jareth smiled. The boy reminded him of his nieces and nephews. Brock was obviously at an age where he automatically claimed any friends of his older siblings as his own.
Uncle Donald's smile went all the way to his light brown eyes. "Ease up, Brock; you'll get a chance to show them around another day. Right now, I expect they're a little hungry. Why don't you show them where to wash up." Brock nodded eagerly and grabbed Ben's hand as he dragged him toward the nearest bathroom. Jareth shook his head, bemused by his own emotions. For the first time, he could remember he was in a place that felt, well, like a home.
..............................…
Uncle Ben already knew a little bit about Aleck's friends simply because it was the nature of a small town with a population of about two thousand. The tall, lanky young man named Ben had a reputation in town for having incredible integrity and honor for his age. Odette was darker and sadder somehow. Uncle Donald knew that her parents had just divorced, and she had been shuffled to the side most of her life by their selfish ambitions.
He could tell from the snatches he'd caught of the conversation out on the field that she was the type who saw through the facades of people easily and would never pretend to be anything she was not.
Uncle Donald frowned as he considered Jareth. The Rillian the Rillian was a prince who did not want anyone to know who he was. Uncle Donald had known immediately who he was. He was very good with faces. He had seen the podcasts about the divorce. Also, when he was younger and in the military, he ran into enough Rillians in his time of service to know one marked as high born, and the red dye in the young man's hair was not enough to fool Uncle Donald. Uncle Donald also knew enough about people, in general, to figure out that the press had done an incredibly unfair piece of work on this young man. For Aleck's safety, though, he needed an excuse to talk to Jareth alone, to ensure some things.
As always, the dinner his wife cooked up was superb. Each of the friends, stuffed to the gills, sat back from the table as the slots opened up to take the dishes that could be auto-washed to the auto washer. Ben looked up at the clock and politely excused himself to go home since he had to be back home by nine. Odette said she would go with him since she had the same curfew. Before Jareth could make an excuse to leave, Uncle Donald stopped him. "Jareth, before you go, I was wondering if you could help me lift the hood back onto my tractor for me in the barn."
"Sure, but I have to be back by ten," Jareth said. Uncle Donald smiled wanly. He wondered if he needed to be back by ten or was making an excuse, so it sounded like he had a curfew too.
Once they reached the barn, Uncle Donald opened up the conversation bluntly. "You want to explain to me, your highness, why a grown Rillian prince is attending high school?" He laid a hand on one shoulder and looked the youth in the eye.
Jareth gave a start. Then swallowing, he took a deep breath. "After catching Cassia with one of my officers in my bed, I killed him and immediately had the guards arrest her. It was all humiliating and painful, especially how the press made it sound like I abused her. The press even spun it to sound like it was why she had the affairs. I came to Vandar to hide from the world. Unfortunately, my divorce and the bad press followed me here. I tried four different jobs but got treated like I was a monster at all of them. I finally came here." Jareth went on to tell Uncle Donald about the circumstances that landed him at the school and how he, Aleck, Ben, and Odette had met up earlier in the week.
"Your interest in Aleck?" said Uncle Donald.
"She is intriguing, sir, but she is still a child. I respect the fact that she stands up for what she believes. And I'm never alone with her or Odette. Ben is always along as well. Odette and Ben also have honorable qualities and would never allow anything to happen."
Jareth seemed to hesitate at first but seemed to make a decision. "The weird thing is that I can hear what she is thinking. And sir, you need to know something about what happened to her during the time of the cutoff. I think she was caught in the middle of some war."
Uncle Donald held a hand up. "Believe it or not, I know about it, son, but let's not talk about it. It's amazing how walls can grow ears, and if we are caught talking about it while you would just be escorted off this world, my family and I could be executed.
Jareth nodded. "I guess I'm just worried about Aleck. She has these waking nightmares sometimes, and the images in her mind are so horrible." Jareth shuttered. "I try not to listen in, or mind speak to her unless she wants me to, but when she gets like that, it's like she sucks me into the memory too."
Uncle Donald nodded, understanding his concern. "Believe it or not, Jareth, we've done all we can for her. I'm thankful she has friends watching out for her. Just be careful."
"Now boy, I appreciated you being straight up with me about Aleck... And yes, you are just a boy. You're the same age as my daughter Caroline, who is away at university now. Now I know that right now, you view her as a child and would protect her as a child, but in two years, Aleck will be seventeen and legally an available adult to marry. And let's face it, Twenty-three and seventeen are not all that far apart."
"Now, I'm not forbidding the friendship, but I will ask, given the circumstances, that you give us a chance to get to know you better. Tomorrow is a major harvest day, and it would be a good day for you to come and help me out. Nothing like working side by side with a man to get to know a man."
"Thank you, sir. I'll be here." Jareth said.
"Thank you?" Jareth looked up, and Uncle Donald swore tears were in the young prince's eyes.
"Thank you for not judging me and being willing to get to know me." With that, Jareth turned and walked away.
Uncle Donald nodded to himself. He knew Jareth would in no way harm Aleck deliberately. But Uncle Donald was realistic and practical. The Boy was a divorced Rillian who had already been mated. His hunger for women would be much stronger than an average unmated Rillian his age. Uncle Donald would keep a close eye on him and get some promises over time. Anyway, a little down-to-earth, hard work would be good for the Rillian prince, who no doubt had been waited on hand and foot all his life.
"Jareth." Uncle Donny called after him. "We start at the crack of dawn." Jareth nodded, put on his helmet, and sped away.
........................…
Jareth showed up at the crack of dawn at the farmhouse. He smiled as Aleck walked in and raised her eyebrows in surprise to find him waiting in the living room with the rest of the family, who all seemed to be waiting for something.
Uncle Donald walked in, and everyone stopped talking and turned toward him. "Okay, here is the Chore break up today. "The older boys will help me load the bales of Flav wheat into the truck. The girls and Brock will help Aunt Laura bring in the Aphan apple harvest from the trees. Everybody will help crate up the Aphans and load them into the truck." Uncle Donald clapped his hands twice, and everyone headed out the door to their respective chores.
Sweat dripped down the Rillian's forehead despite the autumn chill. He grunted as he lifted the last sheaves of wheat into the transport truck. "The Naval academy wasn't this hard." He griped. The twins snickered. He glared at the two skinny twin boys with irritation. They rapidly threw bale after bale in the truck without breaking a sweat. Aiden was sweating at least but still loaded up the bales reasonably quickly. "Up to now, I'd say I was in great shape," Jareth muttered.
Aiden overheard him and patted him reassuringly on the back. "Hard farm work muscles aren't the same as gym muscles. In the gym, you stop after you feel the burn. On the farm, you keep going till the Job's done. Makes for stronger muscles and more endurance, don't worry, you'll get used to it." Being reassured by a thirteen-year-old that was outdoing him was not a confidence builder.
Aiden's head turned at his Uncle's Call. ''Yup… I hear Father calling, and from the sound of that cow's mooing, it sounds like Old Betsy landed in the ditch again. We'll have to get her out." Aiden jumped out of the truck and rushed towards the ditch. Jareth hesitated, then followed out of curiosity.
Jareth reached Uncle Donny and stared at the cow mooing miserably in the ditch. Aiden jumped into the ditch. Jareth stood there still while uncle Donald and Aiden struggled with the cow. Uncle Donald looked up at Jareth in irritation. "Stop staring and get in here and help." Growled Uncle Donny to Jareth. Uncle Donny grabbed the new rope Aiden handed him.
"You did not ask me to," Jareth stated in an almost wounded voice.
"Shouldn't have to. You see someone who needs a hand doing somethin,' you help. That's it, period. You don't sit there watching them flounder waitin' for them to ask you to kick in and help. Now stop feeling sorry for yourself and move it!"
Jareth was flabbergasted. Uncle Donny didn't care that he was a prince. Neither did Aiden, who glared impatiently while waiting for Jareth to come down and help in the ditch. He sighed and jumped in to help Old Betsy out. He discovered that he hated that cow. It kicked back and hit him in the shin, and Jareth fell back and grimaced in pain and anger. "Just hand me the gun Uncle Donny, and we'll have steak."
"And waste a good milk cow. I don't think so. Anyway, Betsy is part of the family and if it comes between you goin' or her, Well…" Jareth glared up at the grinning farmer from the ditch. He muttered something about cow jerky, got into position, gave one more shove, and finally got the stupid cow out of the ditch with Aiden's help. As they climbed out, the ungrateful cow kicked at him again, and he jumped out of the way. Uncle Donny just chuckled as he led her away.
Soon Aunt Karla had rung the bell for snack time. Jareth went gratefully to wash up. He noticed that the girls came in just as sweaty as the boys from picking the apples and bringing the baskets into storage. He stopped on the porch and looked over the land, amazed at how much work got done in one morning. Jareth would never take a farmer for granted again.
At last, he got to work with Aleck. As he worked that day on the farm, he found that digging into the farming eased the pain in his heart in incredible ways. He was learning a load from Uncle Donny, who he found to be a very wise and practical man. There was something in this family that his own lacked. He found he craved whatever it was and enjoyed it. He knew somehow he would be back again the next day and the next, helping with the farm. Soon lunch was underway, and conversation and laughter rang back and forth. He found himself laughing as well, laughing for the first time in ages.
Soon it was time to clean up, and Jareth sat there. Aunt Karla turned to him. "What do you expect to be waited on hand and foot? Get up and clean your spot."
"Sorry, I am used to having servants, so I'm not sure what to do."
"Come on; I'll show you. I'll let you give me a hand in the kitchen," Aunt Lara said as she patted her swollen stomach with a smile. At that, Jareth was doubly embarrassed at letting a pregnant woman do all the work. For the first time in his life, he found his hands in suds, washing dishes. As he finished the dishes, he heard a knock on the door. It was Ben and Odette. They were going to go out to the fallow field to practice.
Uncle Donny stopped Jareth. "You can join them in a little bit. I need your help in the barn with a tractor. Promise it won't be more than an hour, then you can join them." Jareth went to the barn with Uncle Donny. Soon they were looking at an old rickety tractor with faded green paint. "Open the hood; I'll be back with some tools.' Uncle Donny said as he headed out of the barn.
Jareth pulled the lever to pop the hood. He went to open it the rest of the way and found it stuck. He struggled with it until he kicked the tractor in rage and frustration, and to his horror, several things, including a door, popped off the tractor but the hood was still not popped. Just then, Uncle Donny walked in and shook his head. "Jareth, you have no patience and a short fuse. You need to learn to be patient and keep that temper of yours in check, or you'll never get this tractor fixed."
Jareth gritted his teeth and, under Uncles Donny's watchful eye, started to fix what he broke. He had to redo stuff several times while learning to go slow and take his time. After an hour, Uncle Donny kept his promise and let him go. Uncle Donny looked after him, satisfied. If the boy was intent on sticking around, he needed to learn some things, and there was nothing like a rickety old but faithful tractor to teach that.
After the training, the friends asked to go into town for a while. Uncle Donny gave them permission.
...............
Payton and Shem leaned against the tall maple tree, watching the friends walk away in the distance. "It is nice that Aleck has friends. It seems to help her heal," Payton said, crossing his arms.
"Yet it is dangerous also. And that is no ordinary Rillian," said Shem, unconsciously doubling his brother's movement. "Aleck does not know he is Father's brother. Nothing would thrill General Wallock more than the murder of a Rillian Prince, especially at the hands of a girl who is falling for him, hum," said Shem, concerned and scowling at the friends walking down the road.
Payton cocked his head thoughtfully. "True, but for now, she needs the friendship. And we'll downplay him carefully. Guard him without guarding. Her innocence will save her and him. The colonel guarded that well enough," said Payton, grimly kicking back his foot against the tree.
"Agreed," said Shem, pulling a leaf off the tree and twirling it thoughtfully. "But I wonder if he guarded her innocence too well. Her complete ignorance may save her from General Wallock. But from a divorced Rillian prince whose hungers have been awakened by marriage. That I wonder, the day will come when she is no longer legally a child, and he is drawn to her."
"He is honorable and would not touch her to take her as his wife without an agreement," responded Payton as he knocked the leaf out of his brother's hand.
"Yes, but Aleck will not understand what she would be agreeing to," said Shem.
"It is a case of the greater evil," said Payton. "Better Jareth takes her in her innocence than General Wallock discover what we do not wish him to know. Soon, General Wallock will recall her, and then they will be separated. The problem should be solved. We just have to make sure there is no recognition of him, to begin with. Meanwhile, let's make sure the Rillian does not get too comfortable here," said Payton, holding up a bottle of super glue with a glint in his eyes.
Shem raised an eyebrow and grinned. If they were going to guard the prince from a distance, they might as well have some fun with it.
...................
Never before in his life had Jareth wanted to strangle two thirteen-year-olds more than he did at that moment. He sat humiliated, super glued to the porch swing. The girls went inside so Uncle Donny could cut his pants off of him. "Well, those boys have a strange way of looking out for their sister, that is for sure." Uncle Donny chuckled. Jareth hissed unamused through his teeth as uncle Donny persisted with cold hands and scissors to get him out of the swing.
Chapter Autem Festival
The smell of Aunt Kara's Cobblers Made Aleck's mouth water as she helped set up the booth. Aleck laughed as Jareth put a knuckle in his mouth that Aunt Kara had just rapped with a wooden spoon. "You know she's all-seeing, right. You'll never be able to sneak a piece of cobbler when she's not looking." Aleck Directed at him mentally.
"But they're sooo good." Came the mental complaint.
"I'm surprised you didn't try to buy all the cobblers from her." Laughed Aleck as she put price tags on each dessert.
"I did offer, but she said I shouldn't be stingy and that much sugar wasn't good for me." Jareth sulked mentally.
"Is that Ben and Odett? What on earth is that following Ben?" Aleck's eyes widened as what looked like a table with spider legs was trailing behind Ben and several other odd-looking machines, each carrying different things for his booth.
"You're late," Jareth called out, you're not going to get the booth set up before the festival starts.
"Say's you, Watch and be amazed. Team Ben assemble the booth." Came his voice command. Aleck and Jareth watch in awe as Ben's robots scrambled to put the booth together, sorted out the toys Ben made and put price tags on them.
Brock started to jump up and down in excitement. "The Marvorles Warlord." He squealed. "Ben, can I see?"
Ben laughed, pushed a button on the back of the mini robot he made and handed it to Brock. "Here, you can have this one." Brock took the moving figure and started to play with it. Aleck smiled as he gasped in surprise when it responded to his conversation with some key phrases the character would say in the show.
"Thank you so much, Ben!" Ben just nodded with a smile. Soon the festival started, and people came pouring into the park.
"Ben, isn't your family here?" Asked Uncle Donny.
Ben nodded. "They are running an ice cream stand near the other end of the park."
"Ah, I see; I tell you what, I'll watch your stand for a bit so you kids can enjoy the festival some." Uncle Donny slid behind the booth, shooed Ben out, and handed Aleck some money.
"Thanks, Uncle Donny."
The friends passed booth after booth selling everything from Fried candy bars to face painting sessions. Aleck froze as she came to a doll booth. "No way." She whispered. "Can I see that doll right there?" The booth manager nodded, pulled it from the shelf, and handed it to her.
"Aleck?" Said Jareth in concern.
"It's just like the one father gave me."
"Father?" Asked Ben.
"Yes, the kind Rillian Man who helped us during the war."
"Do you need your Caja?" Odette asked in concern.
"No, it's a good memory; I don't even mind talking about it," Aleck said absently.
The others looked around in fearful concern. "Not here." Jareth reached over as if to touch Aleck. His hand hovered for a second near her cheek, and he withdrew it quickly. "Let's go on a walk, Mount Ker's trailhead is near here, and no one should be on the trail since their all at the festival."
"We'll take the doll," Jareth announced loudly to the vendor and handed her his chip card. The four of them moved quickly to the trail glancing back in fear hoping no one overheard Aleck.
They hiked in a way until they hit the meadow. "To the center of the meadow," said Jareth. "I don't suppose, Ben, you have a robot that can patrol the meadow's perimeter with you?"
Ben pulled out what looked like a small bird and smiled. "Will a drone that can scan for body heat work?"
"Um. Yeah." Ben tossed it in the air. Aleck did her own scan of the area, impressed as she was with the technology Ben invented. Her cybernetics were designed for war, and she trusted them more than Ben's toys.
"Area clear," announced Ben. A few seconds later, her scan showed her the same thing. Was it her imagination, or did Ben's little bird just out due to her scanning reading on speed.
"Ok, Aleck," Odette said, sitting on a huge fallen tree trunk. "Tell us about your father and the doll." They all waited patiently as Aleck stared at the sky, lost in memory.
"Clear" yelled the soldier.
"Yeah, for how long?" Aleck thought as she nervously scanned the sky for the ship that was supposed to be landing and bringing them badly needed supplies. The sun would set soon, and the fire from the fins of a shuttle landing at night would scream we're over here, a lot louder than it would be landing in the day. At last, the light from the tail fin of the ship showed up. "Come on, Come on land quickly," Aleck muttered. Time seemed to stretch for an eternity. At last, the ship landed.
All the soldiers rushed to the ship, grabbing boxes, the minute the supply hold door opened. They loaded things as quickly as they could on the transport vehicle. The piolet of the small craft helped. He was a huge Rillian man who had come to visit the leader of the rebel base a few weeks before.
They're coming! Shouted her brothers Shem and Payton as they fired at the first Sharlacar troops to clear the distant ridge. Soon the whole Battalion was shooting as they each took turns disappearing into the forest. The Pilot pressed a button, and the ship blew up. Aleck looked around in irritation as she noticed no one thought to grab the pilot to lead him back to the rendezvous point at the secret base.
She ran and grabbed his hand, quickly dragging him towards the woods while her brothers covered her back, shooting any Sharlakar who came in sight. She motioned them to stop for silence as they disappeared into the underbrush. She waited until the sounds of the attract from the 2nd battalion started as they attacked the Shalakar to distract them from those escaping with the supplies. She then motioned them to follow her. Soon they arrived at what seemed to be a hole in the ground. The attached anchor lines to the nearest tree and slid into the hole into the vast cavern below.
She watched, impressed as the stocky Rillian moved down the rope as if he was a thin, light man instead of the 200-something slab of pure muscle that he was. The twins and her pulled off the camouflage caps they wore to reveal the flaming red hair and wiped the sweat off their brows.
"Can we talk now?" The Rillian signed, pointing to his mouth and moving his lips silently.
"Yes," Aleck answered out loud. "We can talk now, Father."
The children ran into the man's arms. "You boy's been staying out of trouble?" Shem and Payton's sheepish grin told him they'd been doing anything but staying out of trouble.
He raised an I brow and looked at Aleck. She sighed."They got creative with the bathroom stall doors, sound bite chips, and the intercom system." They're still having to scrub the bathrooms for it.
Well, I suppose it's better than messing with the food supply and environment by catching every Vera rat they could find to release it into the cafeteria. "We never did release them."
That is because "I caught you trapping them humm. and that joke would not have been so funny once food supplies ran low."
"Now, the bathroom one has my interest." The boys told them with wicked grins what they did and how they made it sound like the person in the next stall was having interesting stomach issues and broadcasted over the whole base along with dialog like it was a sporting event. "There you go, that is a good prank. Everyone may be grossed out and discussed, but no one is harmed." But here I have something for you. He pulled off his bag and started pulling out different toys to the delight of all the children while sayin, "no, that's not it. Ah, here we go. A book of the best pranks pulled in history.
"Father, don't encourage them." Said Aleck in exacerbation.
The Rillian just laughed, pulled out a doll, and gave it to Aleck, "here, little one; this is for you. My daughter, who is about your age, wanted you to have it. The doll was beautiful with long hair, long lashes, and eyes that seemed to almost really see. Now the other toys are for the other children on the base. You can get it to them, yes?"
"Yes, father. Of course, of course, there's not a lot of us. The Sharlakar tend to prefer…"
"Yes, little one, I unfortunately know, but for just a little bit, let us forget about the war. I brought a book. Do you want me to read it to you?"
They nodded. "But we need to check in with the commander first said Aleck, and then we can go to our little cave to read." Said, Aleck.
"Alway's the responsible one hum Aleck." Aleck smiled sadly up at father. "We have to be Father if we want to live."
"Even these two rascals?" he said, smiling, ruffling the boys' hair.
"Yes, even the twins know when they must be silent, when they have to kill, and when they must steal. So yes, Father, even those two. Come, the command center is this way."
The children led him quickly through the Cavern system avoiding fake flooring and pitfalls, climbing through steep passages that would be difficult for most people to handle.
The commander was overseeing the supplies that came in. Father turned to the children. "Go deliver the toys while I talk to the commander." Aleck and the boys went out and then hid in the tunnel above so they could hear the conversation. It came in broken through the tunnel, but this was its gist.
"....do not approve of you using children in... way."
"Those kids stopped being children a long time ago… There are too few of us; we need anyone who can hold a gun and shoot, and those kids are some of the best leaders we've got… Unnaturally brilliant for their age… the tactics they come up with…."
The conversation moved on to more boring things, so the children moved out to deliver the toys.
Soon they returned to their little cave. Father was waiting for them with a frown on his face. "Father, what's a matter? Why are you sad?"
"It seems I'm powerless to take you out of this war for different reasons, but perhaps I can at least I can give you some skills to survive it. Come up top with me. The children climbed up through the hole that led outside the cave that opened to a meadow that was their secret spot. "Now I'm going to show you some tricks to fighting someone much bigger and stronger than you when they get up close. Now Shem, and Payton, I see skepticism on your face; come at me with your best moves." The boys did and then stared up in shock as they found themselves flat on their backs.
They trained for hours until night fell. At night as promised, Father read them a story. Aleck put her arms around her new doll and fell asleep to the sound of Father's voice.
"Father regularly came every two months to deliver supplies, that was until the General came. The General refused to let any outside agents in, and we never again go to see Father." Aleck finished.
"What happened to the doll?" Odett asked.
" The general destroyed it," Aleck said, looking down at the doll Jareth had bought for her. But this one is just like the one Father got me. "Thank you, Jareth" Aleck reached out to touch him but remembered that it was forbidden and drew back her hand.
"We should head back to the festival before we're missed." Said Ben. They all nodded and made their way back in silence, each lost in their world of thought.