Maria #1 aka Pippin: The UPS truck stopped at the house and the man dropped a large square box on the porch. Sebastian, who had been watching the proceedings from the kitchen window, got up to retrieve the package.
The return address was from Tony’s university in Navarre. Something this big must have been expensive to ship overseas. He kicked it inside so he wouldn’t have to put down his ice cream. For its size, it was surprisingly light.
He stood looking down at it as he finished eating and put away his bowl. Then he knelt down to open it.
He had to use his pocket knife and cut through several layers of brown packing tape. When he finally opened the cardboard flaps, he peered inside and raised an eyebrow.
The box was filled with strips of paper. It looked as though a whole book of sheet music had gone through a paper shredder and then been shipped to him. He dug his phone out of his pocket and called his cousin.
“Hello?” said a sleepy voice on the other end.
“What kind of care package is this?” Sebastian said. “Why did you ship shredded paper all the way from Spain?”
Tony laughed. “That’s just padding. It was cheaper than peanuts, and I was done with that symphony anyway. Stick your hand in.”
Sebastian obeyed. He drew out a pocket-sized book. It was an old edition. He turned it over and read the title, embossed on the leather cover in gold. “Newton’s Theories: A Summary.”
“I see,” he said, flipping through the pages.
“Pretty nice, huh?” Tony said. “There’s only one problem: it’s in Spanish.”
Con aka Samwise: It had been a month since he had lost his arm. It still hurt. The stump, that is. But really, it’s hard to distinguish between the mental and the physical pain.
He had been living off hand-outs and gifts the entire time. He had somebody knocking on his door every day with a casserole. People on the streets would randomly hand him a five, and sympathetically pat him on the back.
He felt guilty about it sometimes. It wasn’t like he was a veteran or anything. He hadn’t risked his life for anybody but himself.
He just got ran over by a madman in a monster truck.
But it had now been three days without a casserole, and he was starting to get restless, not to mention hungry. Did the world no longer care he was alive?
The doorbell rang. Ah, there was the world. Probably with a reaffirming casserole. Hopefully there were cookies involved.
He padded over in his slippers (compliments of the old lady down the street) and opened the door. No one was there. The world had left a package, though. It was covered in smiley faces and sparkles.
Again, that slight stab of guilt. He picked it up and carried it inside the house.
He slit it open using a machete he kept taped to the bottom of the table. Inside it, nestled among a bag of cookies, was a device. It was ticking.
“What kind of a care package is this?” Maybe his accident hadn’t been so accidental after all…
Maria #2 aka Fili: “Here.” Tea held out a squat, narrow rectangular cardboard box filled to the top with what looked like foliage, CDs and trash. She glanced up, but swiftly declined to meet Jed’s eyes as he took the box and reached inside.
“I appreciate the sentiment,” Jed sniffed, holding up a bunch of straws held together by a single rubber band. “But what kind of care package is this?” He sifted through to the bottom and sighed.
“Sick people need to drink a lot of fluids,” Tea said, her elbows tucked close to her chest. Sneakers squeaked on the linoleum of the hallway, younger students timidly slipping past.
Jed paused, trying to follow her thought proccess. “You could just...hand me a bottle of water.”
“Water is boring and not as cool as soup and I can’t cook so you can’t blame me.” Tea crossed her arms and her face tightened.
Jed rolled his eyes and started to return the straws. The rubber band broke and they fell emptily to the floor. Everyone stopped and stared at the multicolored straws rolling across the hallway, then traffic resumed as usual. Jed glared at Tea, who held a single bent purple straw.
“Is this your last straw?” she asked, a smile breaking through her facade.
The return address was from Tony’s university in Navarre. Something this big must have been expensive to ship overseas. He kicked it inside so he wouldn’t have to put down his ice cream. For its size, it was surprisingly light.
He stood looking down at it as he finished eating and put away his bowl. Then he knelt down to open it.
He had to use his pocket knife and cut through several layers of brown packing tape. When he finally opened the cardboard flaps, he peered inside and raised an eyebrow.
The box was filled with strips of paper. It looked as though a whole book of sheet music had gone through a paper shredder and then been shipped to him. He dug his phone out of his pocket and called his cousin.
“Hello?” said a sleepy voice on the other end.
“What kind of care package is this?” Sebastian said. “Why did you ship shredded paper all the way from Spain?”
Tony laughed. “That’s just padding. It was cheaper than peanuts, and I was done with that symphony anyway. Stick your hand in.”
Sebastian obeyed. He drew out a pocket-sized book. It was an old edition. He turned it over and read the title, embossed on the leather cover in gold. “Newton’s Theories: A Summary.”
“I see,” he said, flipping through the pages.
“Pretty nice, huh?” Tony said. “There’s only one problem: it’s in Spanish.”
Con aka Samwise: It had been a month since he had lost his arm. It still hurt. The stump, that is. But really, it’s hard to distinguish between the mental and the physical pain.
He had been living off hand-outs and gifts the entire time. He had somebody knocking on his door every day with a casserole. People on the streets would randomly hand him a five, and sympathetically pat him on the back.
He felt guilty about it sometimes. It wasn’t like he was a veteran or anything. He hadn’t risked his life for anybody but himself.
He just got ran over by a madman in a monster truck.
But it had now been three days without a casserole, and he was starting to get restless, not to mention hungry. Did the world no longer care he was alive?
The doorbell rang. Ah, there was the world. Probably with a reaffirming casserole. Hopefully there were cookies involved.
He padded over in his slippers (compliments of the old lady down the street) and opened the door. No one was there. The world had left a package, though. It was covered in smiley faces and sparkles.
Again, that slight stab of guilt. He picked it up and carried it inside the house.
He slit it open using a machete he kept taped to the bottom of the table. Inside it, nestled among a bag of cookies, was a device. It was ticking.
“What kind of a care package is this?” Maybe his accident hadn’t been so accidental after all…
Maria #2 aka Fili: “Here.” Tea held out a squat, narrow rectangular cardboard box filled to the top with what looked like foliage, CDs and trash. She glanced up, but swiftly declined to meet Jed’s eyes as he took the box and reached inside.
“I appreciate the sentiment,” Jed sniffed, holding up a bunch of straws held together by a single rubber band. “But what kind of care package is this?” He sifted through to the bottom and sighed.
“Sick people need to drink a lot of fluids,” Tea said, her elbows tucked close to her chest. Sneakers squeaked on the linoleum of the hallway, younger students timidly slipping past.
Jed paused, trying to follow her thought proccess. “You could just...hand me a bottle of water.”
“Water is boring and not as cool as soup and I can’t cook so you can’t blame me.” Tea crossed her arms and her face tightened.
Jed rolled his eyes and started to return the straws. The rubber band broke and they fell emptily to the floor. Everyone stopped and stared at the multicolored straws rolling across the hallway, then traffic resumed as usual. Jed glared at Tea, who held a single bent purple straw.
“Is this your last straw?” she asked, a smile breaking through her facade.
Con aka Samwise: She was gorgeous. Her mere appearance brightened the room visibly. At least it did for Caleb. The stately way she walked…no, floated…it blew him away.
She was so out of his league.
“Gawk much longer, and she might notice.” Caspian nudged his friend.
“That’d be nice…” Caleb breathed, in a daze.
Caspian took a step back. “Uh-oh, man. What’s wrong with you?”
“I think…it might be…it just might be…love.” Caleb said in a whisper. His eyes were still riveted on her as she moved through the hall, stopping to talk with students every four feet or so.
“Uh…dude. She’s way out of your league.” Caspian shook his head.
“Thanks so much.” Caleb said, managing sarcasm despite his rather dazed state. “I feel like dirt now.”
Caspian persisted. “Think mud. And she’s a flower.”
“Mud is good for a flower.” Caleb pointed out, always the stickler for points. Especially Biology ones.
“Too much could smother it.” Caspian hurried to say. “I think…I think Caleb…we should break the glass.” He motioned to the red box hanging on the wall next to him.
Caleb’s eyes returned to proper focus. “What, no way, man!”
“These feelings…they can be dangerous.” Caspian said slowly. “We’re supposed to…it’s the law.”
“But, I don’t want to lose this…” Caleb pleaded, risking another glance at the girl.
Caspian shook his head. “It’s not natural.”
“I’m afraid you might be wrong on that score…” Caleb said slowly.
Caspian just shook his head. “You have to do it.”
Caleb shook his head right back at him. “Not doing it. I’m sorry, man.”
Caspian reached up, and smashed his fist through the glass. “No, I’m sorry, man.”
An alarm went off throughout the school. Caleb stood there, rooted to the ground. Caspian walked up to him, and handed him the rose from inside the alarm. “It had to be done.”
“No.” Caleb breathed, watching as the girl slipped out the doors, and out of the building.
“You’ll get over it.”
“I didn’t want to!” Caleb protested, turning the rose over and over in his hands.
“I’m sorry, man. See you in a couple weeks.” Caspian walked off. “You’ll be better by then.”
“Oh, I don’t think so.” Caleb muttered, watching his friend walk away. Sticking out of his back pocket was the rose.
Maria #2 aka Fili: “I’m telling you, these things will be preventing tragedies left and right!” Tea insisted, dogging at Jed’s heels.
“I’m not interested-” Jed exchanged a glance with Kory on his left.
“And the student council isn’t interested,” Kory said apologetically. “Nifty idea though.”
Tea ground her teeth in frustration. “Come ON. You two are MEN. When are you going to let me actually talk to a lady on the student council? This needs to be implemented as soon as possible.”
Kory’s eyes shifted from Tea to the ground, sky and uncertantly back to Jed. “I’m not sure everyone sees it as something the school needs,” he started hesitantly.
“Kory.” Tea looked like a dark cloud with a mission. “Get me an actual woman to talk to and we’ll discuss the specifics later. How can you deprive all the poor girls here of the opportunity to meet their true love?”
Jed stopped and Tea ran into his back; Kory stopped a few steps ahead. “Tea. Leave him alone for five minutes and stop exaggerating your fantasy. It’s a stinking cheesy idea and you know it.”
Tea’s hands and folder bursting with paper fell to her sides and she stared blankly at Jed for a minute. “True love,” she said slowly. “Is not something you can drop for five minutes and stop exaggerating. It is a fantasy and that’s why we need this!” Her voice rose as she finished and smacked Jed with her flimsy folder.
Maria #1 aka Pippin: Salome and Zorah scuttled down the street, past dozens of shouting market vendors. They giggled at the antics of a child and a stray dog, but dared not look up or speak until they had passed out of the main road and away from the noise of the market.
“That was fun,” Zorah said, unwinding her headscarf. “But I’m not sure it was worth the work.”
“Please,” Salome said. “You like drama even more than I do. One day we should protest our non-admittance instead of sneaking in. But really, it’s so easy to do in a dark theatre.”
Zorah shrugged. “Easy for you, anyway.”
They walked on down the deserted alley, looking up at the vandalized buildings. At the end of the alley was a perpendicular street which bustled with the decaying energy of the nearby market.
“Hey, look.” Salome pointed toward an outside staircase, above which was a red box containing a single rose. It bore words which read, “in case of love at first sight break glass”.
She scoffed. “Cute idea, I guess, but whoever stocks this thing must spend a lot of money on roses. How often would someone use it?”
Zorah gripped her arm. “I don’t know, but we might need it right now.” She gestured ahead of them, where a dashingly handsome foreigner was helping an old woman across the street. “He’s so…”
“Zorah, you’re ridiculous,” Salome said, and dragged her friend around the corner.
She was so out of his league.
“Gawk much longer, and she might notice.” Caspian nudged his friend.
“That’d be nice…” Caleb breathed, in a daze.
Caspian took a step back. “Uh-oh, man. What’s wrong with you?”
“I think…it might be…it just might be…love.” Caleb said in a whisper. His eyes were still riveted on her as she moved through the hall, stopping to talk with students every four feet or so.
“Uh…dude. She’s way out of your league.” Caspian shook his head.
“Thanks so much.” Caleb said, managing sarcasm despite his rather dazed state. “I feel like dirt now.”
Caspian persisted. “Think mud. And she’s a flower.”
“Mud is good for a flower.” Caleb pointed out, always the stickler for points. Especially Biology ones.
“Too much could smother it.” Caspian hurried to say. “I think…I think Caleb…we should break the glass.” He motioned to the red box hanging on the wall next to him.
Caleb’s eyes returned to proper focus. “What, no way, man!”
“These feelings…they can be dangerous.” Caspian said slowly. “We’re supposed to…it’s the law.”
“But, I don’t want to lose this…” Caleb pleaded, risking another glance at the girl.
Caspian shook his head. “It’s not natural.”
“I’m afraid you might be wrong on that score…” Caleb said slowly.
Caspian just shook his head. “You have to do it.”
Caleb shook his head right back at him. “Not doing it. I’m sorry, man.”
Caspian reached up, and smashed his fist through the glass. “No, I’m sorry, man.”
An alarm went off throughout the school. Caleb stood there, rooted to the ground. Caspian walked up to him, and handed him the rose from inside the alarm. “It had to be done.”
“No.” Caleb breathed, watching as the girl slipped out the doors, and out of the building.
“You’ll get over it.”
“I didn’t want to!” Caleb protested, turning the rose over and over in his hands.
“I’m sorry, man. See you in a couple weeks.” Caspian walked off. “You’ll be better by then.”
“Oh, I don’t think so.” Caleb muttered, watching his friend walk away. Sticking out of his back pocket was the rose.
Maria #2 aka Fili: “I’m telling you, these things will be preventing tragedies left and right!” Tea insisted, dogging at Jed’s heels.
“I’m not interested-” Jed exchanged a glance with Kory on his left.
“And the student council isn’t interested,” Kory said apologetically. “Nifty idea though.”
Tea ground her teeth in frustration. “Come ON. You two are MEN. When are you going to let me actually talk to a lady on the student council? This needs to be implemented as soon as possible.”
Kory’s eyes shifted from Tea to the ground, sky and uncertantly back to Jed. “I’m not sure everyone sees it as something the school needs,” he started hesitantly.
“Kory.” Tea looked like a dark cloud with a mission. “Get me an actual woman to talk to and we’ll discuss the specifics later. How can you deprive all the poor girls here of the opportunity to meet their true love?”
Jed stopped and Tea ran into his back; Kory stopped a few steps ahead. “Tea. Leave him alone for five minutes and stop exaggerating your fantasy. It’s a stinking cheesy idea and you know it.”
Tea’s hands and folder bursting with paper fell to her sides and she stared blankly at Jed for a minute. “True love,” she said slowly. “Is not something you can drop for five minutes and stop exaggerating. It is a fantasy and that’s why we need this!” Her voice rose as she finished and smacked Jed with her flimsy folder.
Maria #1 aka Pippin: Salome and Zorah scuttled down the street, past dozens of shouting market vendors. They giggled at the antics of a child and a stray dog, but dared not look up or speak until they had passed out of the main road and away from the noise of the market.
“That was fun,” Zorah said, unwinding her headscarf. “But I’m not sure it was worth the work.”
“Please,” Salome said. “You like drama even more than I do. One day we should protest our non-admittance instead of sneaking in. But really, it’s so easy to do in a dark theatre.”
Zorah shrugged. “Easy for you, anyway.”
They walked on down the deserted alley, looking up at the vandalized buildings. At the end of the alley was a perpendicular street which bustled with the decaying energy of the nearby market.
“Hey, look.” Salome pointed toward an outside staircase, above which was a red box containing a single rose. It bore words which read, “in case of love at first sight break glass”.
She scoffed. “Cute idea, I guess, but whoever stocks this thing must spend a lot of money on roses. How often would someone use it?”
Zorah gripped her arm. “I don’t know, but we might need it right now.” She gestured ahead of them, where a dashingly handsome foreigner was helping an old woman across the street. “He’s so…”
“Zorah, you’re ridiculous,” Salome said, and dragged her friend around the corner.
Maria #1 aka Pippin: It is my firm opinion that I didn’t deserve to be shunned by the rest of the group. I mean, how could I have known those berries were poisonous? They should be glad I ate them first. My stomach bubbled and I swallowed. The past twelve hours hadn’t been the most enjoyable.
Now I was walking at the back of the caravan, several paces behind Lam’s mule, grumbling to myself.
And, of course, Sal was in the lead, riding beside the Elder.
“Hey, Fletcher,” she called over her shoulder.
I didn’t respond.
“Come on, slowpoke. The Elder needs to talk to you.”
I could have sworn the trees trembled at the volume of her yelling. I heard the Elder mumble, “I could have done that.”
I quickened my pace until I stood next to the Elder and Sal. “Yes, sir?”
“Did you learn about navigation by the stars in your training?” he asked.
I nodded. “Sure did.”
Sal rolled her eyes behind the Elder’s back.
“Then tonight you must tell us which direction we have been heading. Rhynd lost his compass and I think we’ve been wandering off our course.”
“Certainly, sir,” I said.
“Certainly, sir,” Sal mimicked.
I would have smacked her or at least glared at her, but I felt another vomit coming on. I ran to the bushes off the trail. Darn those berries.
Lam handed me a handkerchief. “Sorry about your stomach, kid. It could happen to the best of us.”
I wiped my mouth. Maybe it could happen to the best of us, but it had happened to me. And my sister was never going to let me live it down.
As if she had known the berries were poisonous.
Con aka Samwise: The craft spiraled through the meteoroids, trying to avoid getting more smashed up than it was already. It had dents. It had cracks. It had air leaks. Altogether, Crink wouldn’t trust it further than he could throw it.
And he was in it.
He glanced at the dashboard, all the while wildly steering with one hand. He was trusting to the echolocation screen; the windshield was covered in cracks.
Another big rock coming up…around it. Under the next. To the right, and straight on into that last one. Oops.
The echolocation screen flickered off.
“Siri...what’s left of the navigation equipment?” Crink asked desperately, flying blind.
“Well…” Siri was stalling. That was a really bad sign. “Data shows we have a…”
“A what?” Crink yelled.
“Compass.”
At that exact moment, the ship crunched in-between two rocks, and pieces flew wildly off both sides. The windshield finished shattering, and Crink was left with a lapful of glass.
“Siri?” Crink said through gritted teeth. “Get me that compass. And it better be good.”
The air was thin up here. He was feeling light-headed. He always was flighty, so this just made things worse.
The compass appeared on his left-hand screen. It was simple. It pointed out the basic directions. Nothing more.
They were so dead. Him and his best friend. Siri. “Siri, I want you to know…it’s been a pleasure gallivanting with you.”
“You’ve been an awful pilot, sir.” He could’ve sworn there was a hitch in the computer’s voice.
“And, despite your subtle sarcasm and complete failures under duress, you’ve been loyal.”
“And you’ve been a rascal, sir.”
“So, let’s go down together.”
“I’d rather not, sir.”
“Well, this is your fault, really.” Crink watched another rock coming head-on, and had to duck his head to avoid it getting lopped off.
“Was my compass not good enough?”
“It was…a compass.” Crink slowly lowered the ship down through the meteoroids, trying to find a way out the bottom since the belt never seemed to end going horizontally. “And, uh…the North Pole was six galaxies back.”
Maria #2 aka Fili: You’d think after years and years of never staying one place longer than a couple of days you’d get sick of it. But I loved it. I loved hopping ships and planets, and my favorite time of the day to take a nap was when I was settled in a nice cold cell on an equally hot and dry planet. I visited all forty seven planets in our constellation, and by the time I was thirty I was ready to try another one. I intrigued many people, and they always seemed to ask me the same question; what was I looking for? If I was searching every planet so thoroughly, seeing all there was to be seen, I must have been looking for something, right? The only things I ever needed to look for were places to eat and places to sleep. I lived to see; I lived to see all the wonders of the worlds. As a child I was facinated by everything. Everything was exciting, snakes and fossils and bread. I remember the first time I ever laid eyes on a swingset. I didn’t understand what on earth it was, so I just sat there wondering how I was supposed to have fun until some other kids came and started swinging. I wasn’t born or raised with ideas of how the world worked. I went and I saw and I marveled at how it all was. Once I saw what there was to see it was boring to stay in the same place. I already knew what each place held; there was no point in staying if nothing ever changed.
Now I was walking at the back of the caravan, several paces behind Lam’s mule, grumbling to myself.
And, of course, Sal was in the lead, riding beside the Elder.
“Hey, Fletcher,” she called over her shoulder.
I didn’t respond.
“Come on, slowpoke. The Elder needs to talk to you.”
I could have sworn the trees trembled at the volume of her yelling. I heard the Elder mumble, “I could have done that.”
I quickened my pace until I stood next to the Elder and Sal. “Yes, sir?”
“Did you learn about navigation by the stars in your training?” he asked.
I nodded. “Sure did.”
Sal rolled her eyes behind the Elder’s back.
“Then tonight you must tell us which direction we have been heading. Rhynd lost his compass and I think we’ve been wandering off our course.”
“Certainly, sir,” I said.
“Certainly, sir,” Sal mimicked.
I would have smacked her or at least glared at her, but I felt another vomit coming on. I ran to the bushes off the trail. Darn those berries.
Lam handed me a handkerchief. “Sorry about your stomach, kid. It could happen to the best of us.”
I wiped my mouth. Maybe it could happen to the best of us, but it had happened to me. And my sister was never going to let me live it down.
As if she had known the berries were poisonous.
Con aka Samwise: The craft spiraled through the meteoroids, trying to avoid getting more smashed up than it was already. It had dents. It had cracks. It had air leaks. Altogether, Crink wouldn’t trust it further than he could throw it.
And he was in it.
He glanced at the dashboard, all the while wildly steering with one hand. He was trusting to the echolocation screen; the windshield was covered in cracks.
Another big rock coming up…around it. Under the next. To the right, and straight on into that last one. Oops.
The echolocation screen flickered off.
“Siri...what’s left of the navigation equipment?” Crink asked desperately, flying blind.
“Well…” Siri was stalling. That was a really bad sign. “Data shows we have a…”
“A what?” Crink yelled.
“Compass.”
At that exact moment, the ship crunched in-between two rocks, and pieces flew wildly off both sides. The windshield finished shattering, and Crink was left with a lapful of glass.
“Siri?” Crink said through gritted teeth. “Get me that compass. And it better be good.”
The air was thin up here. He was feeling light-headed. He always was flighty, so this just made things worse.
The compass appeared on his left-hand screen. It was simple. It pointed out the basic directions. Nothing more.
They were so dead. Him and his best friend. Siri. “Siri, I want you to know…it’s been a pleasure gallivanting with you.”
“You’ve been an awful pilot, sir.” He could’ve sworn there was a hitch in the computer’s voice.
“And, despite your subtle sarcasm and complete failures under duress, you’ve been loyal.”
“And you’ve been a rascal, sir.”
“So, let’s go down together.”
“I’d rather not, sir.”
“Well, this is your fault, really.” Crink watched another rock coming head-on, and had to duck his head to avoid it getting lopped off.
“Was my compass not good enough?”
“It was…a compass.” Crink slowly lowered the ship down through the meteoroids, trying to find a way out the bottom since the belt never seemed to end going horizontally. “And, uh…the North Pole was six galaxies back.”
Maria #2 aka Fili: You’d think after years and years of never staying one place longer than a couple of days you’d get sick of it. But I loved it. I loved hopping ships and planets, and my favorite time of the day to take a nap was when I was settled in a nice cold cell on an equally hot and dry planet. I visited all forty seven planets in our constellation, and by the time I was thirty I was ready to try another one. I intrigued many people, and they always seemed to ask me the same question; what was I looking for? If I was searching every planet so thoroughly, seeing all there was to be seen, I must have been looking for something, right? The only things I ever needed to look for were places to eat and places to sleep. I lived to see; I lived to see all the wonders of the worlds. As a child I was facinated by everything. Everything was exciting, snakes and fossils and bread. I remember the first time I ever laid eyes on a swingset. I didn’t understand what on earth it was, so I just sat there wondering how I was supposed to have fun until some other kids came and started swinging. I wasn’t born or raised with ideas of how the world worked. I went and I saw and I marveled at how it all was. Once I saw what there was to see it was boring to stay in the same place. I already knew what each place held; there was no point in staying if nothing ever changed.