Building Harlequin’s Moon by Larry Niven, Brenda Cooper

looked directly at Ursula. “I promised Dad you’d be safely tucked into one tent or the other. Eric can watch you.”
    Rachel grinned. “Ursula can stay with me. My dad always comes home early, anyway.”
    Brian sighed again. “Then
you
can watch
Eric
.”
    “Eric
can watch
Paulie
,” Ursula asserted. “We want this to be a girls’ night.”
    “Whatever.” Brian sighed. “Just don’t be here, and don’t make me watch you.”
    Drumbeats started. A sign for the youngest children to head home. They watched as couples took their babes in arms and faded back into the tents, heading home, until the Commons was full of older children, and adults with no babies. Only a few hundred people now, even including the Earth Born. The sound of the drums quickened, and Rachel and Ursula stood and left Eric and Brian arguing softly. “Brian will win,” Ursula said.
    “Only because Council would catch Eric if he stayed.”
    Ursula shrugged.
    Rachel led them by the chocolate plates once more, and they giggled as they each palmed an extra piece. “We don’t want to stay anyway,” Ursula whispered. “The men kiss the women, and Mom said the wine tastes terrible. She didn’t even want to go this year, but Dad said she had to.”
    Rachel thought about Harry, about kissing him, and she smiled. They’d kissed again just this morning, meeting and turning off the path, standing under the First Trees. He’d tasted like salt and tomatoes from his breakfast. But Ursula didn’t want to know that, so Rachel just said, “Dad won’t go. He hasn’t gone since Mom left.”
    As the girls started threading through tents toward Rachel’s, Harry popped up in front of them. “And happy Mid-Winter to you too.”
    Rachel blushed. Ursula groaned out load.
    Harry held out a hand in front of him, palm up. Two chocolate stars sat in his hand.
    “No, thanks,” Ursula said. “We got our own.”
    Rachel held her hand out and Harry dropped the treats from his palm to hers. He smiled. “Go on, you won’t see any more until next year.”
    Rachel held one out to Ursula, who grimaced and closed her palm.
    Rachel raised an eyebrow at her friend, then said, “Well, Dad will want one.” She looked around to thank Harry, but he had already melted into the shadows between the tents.
    Ursula tugged at Rachel’s arm. “Come on, let’s see if your dad’s home yet. I saw him eating, but that was a while ago.”
    And sure enough, he was waiting for them.
    A W EEK LATER , Gabriel posted the list of who would go out to plant for the next season. Ursula would stay behind, tending the student plots, and Gregory and Gloria would join Harry, Rachel, Alexandra, and Nick, doubling the number of Moon Born on planting crews.
    The night before they left, Ursula and Rachel watched Harlequin’s swirling patterns from just outside Aldrin, sitting close together on packed regolith. The hard ground dug into Rachel’s backside.
    “I don’t want to be left behind,” Ursula said.
    “They never ask, do they?” Rachel swallowed. “It’ll be okay. It’s an honor to watch the grove. Someone has to be here who cares.”
    Ursula’s face was turned up into Harlequin’s soft light, and her eyes were wet. Rachel pulled her friend into her arms, and held Ursula while she cried. She stroked Ursula’s soft hair. “I’ll call. We won’t lose touch.”

C HAPTER 11
T RANSITION
    R ACHEL AND H ARRY led teams separated along gender lines. Ali oversaw Rachel and her team, Gabriel the boys. The two Council members pushed them hard.
    Ursula called every morning. She asked for advice about the grove, and Rachel struggled to help her. She told Ursulaabout the teams, the hard work, and how fast Gloria was learning. Ever since the rescue, Gloria dogged after Rachel like a small bright shadow.
    Rachel and Harry spent early evenings far from the group. They walked for hours, holding hands, talking about terraforming and about plants. They wondered about Council, and about
John