smiled reassuringly at me.
I kissed Mother and the three of us ran home through the dark.
We told Creen that Kalta knew she wouldn’t be home for the meal. ‘Well, I’ll just go and tell him I’ll probably be away all night. See you soon.’ She ran off.
Vima chuckled. ‘True love – ah, how sweet.’
I wanted to ask her if she was in love, but somehow I couldn’t. Vima kept her emotions to herself.
Creen came in just as we were setting the food on the table. Her eyes held a dreamy, faraway look.
‘Marriage is okay, then?’ Vima asked, sitting down at the head of the table.
‘Wonderful,’ Creen sighed. ‘Just wonderful. You should try it, Vima.’
Vima cut the pie and served a large slice to each of us. ‘No thanks. My apprenticeship takes all my heart right now.’
Creen shot her a look full of questions which she didn’t ask. Instead, she turned to me. ‘What apprenticeship will you choose, Juno?’
I didn’t answer for a moment. I waved a hand, pretending I had a mouthful. She laughed and answered for me. ‘You’ll choose dancing – of course you will. You made my wedding day so special with your dancing.’
I stared at my plate. ‘No. I won’t dance.’
Vima reached out a hand and took mine. ‘But why not? You’re so good. You love it, I can tell.’
Creen stared at me, her face concerned.
‘I have to do it the same. All the time.’ I took a deep breath. I needed to stop talking, right now – but I couldn’t. ‘There are all these dances inside me and if I do them, people withdraw. So I’m not going to dance.’
‘But you have to!’ Creen pressed her hands together. ‘We need a dancer. We need beauty in our lives.’
I struggled to organise my thoughts.
‘Tell us,’ Vima urged, smiling at me.
‘Dance and music. They have to be the same as we’ve always had. They’re the same as when our ancestors first settled Taris.’
‘But that’s good,’ Creen argued. ‘The dances and the music – they keep us together. They’re the things that bond us.’
She didn’t understand. ‘How would you feel if Trebe made you learn medicine that was the same as then?’
She laughed. ‘But we do. In a way. We use all that knowledge.’
Vima said, ‘Yes, you do. And we do the same with the technology. But Juno’s right, Creen.’ She prodded her. ‘Think about it – what would have happened if she’d done a tasty little pirouette all of her own discovery when she danced at your wedding?’
Creen shook her head and smiled at me. ‘But you wouldn’t have. You wouldn’t have spoiled the dance and spoiled our wedding. I know that.’
But she didn’t know how much I’d wanted to – how hard I’d had to work at keeping to the accepted forms. She just didn’t get it. Vima’s eyes were bright and thoughtful, but she changed the subject. ‘What will your sister be named?’
I didn’t know. ‘Mother and Dad couldn’t make up their minds.’
‘What about you? What do you want to call her?’ Vima asked, that intent look still in her eyes.
I leaned my elbows on the table. I was relieved she’d changed the subject, but I was in a contrary mood. ‘I would like her to have a name from history. Somebody there’s an exciting story about. But we don’t repeat names.’ I kept my eyes on the table in front of me. ‘And anyway, we have no stories. We don’t have our own dances, we don’t have our own music, and we don’t have any stories.’
‘Yes we do,’ Vima said. ‘Think about Irian’s memorial day – Fisa told the story of Ibis. Remember? His ancestor? The one who sacrificed herself to save the island? And other people told stories about him.’
‘But think! How many other people do we know stories about?’ I stared at her, willing her to understand.
Both of them were silent, their brains busy. ‘Akton. Wib. Tulan.’ Creen counted off the names on her fingers. ‘See? Stories.’
I slapped my hand on the table. ‘That’s five people
I kissed Mother and the three of us ran home through the dark.
We told Creen that Kalta knew she wouldn’t be home for the meal. ‘Well, I’ll just go and tell him I’ll probably be away all night. See you soon.’ She ran off.
Vima chuckled. ‘True love – ah, how sweet.’
I wanted to ask her if she was in love, but somehow I couldn’t. Vima kept her emotions to herself.
Creen came in just as we were setting the food on the table. Her eyes held a dreamy, faraway look.
‘Marriage is okay, then?’ Vima asked, sitting down at the head of the table.
‘Wonderful,’ Creen sighed. ‘Just wonderful. You should try it, Vima.’
Vima cut the pie and served a large slice to each of us. ‘No thanks. My apprenticeship takes all my heart right now.’
Creen shot her a look full of questions which she didn’t ask. Instead, she turned to me. ‘What apprenticeship will you choose, Juno?’
I didn’t answer for a moment. I waved a hand, pretending I had a mouthful. She laughed and answered for me. ‘You’ll choose dancing – of course you will. You made my wedding day so special with your dancing.’
I stared at my plate. ‘No. I won’t dance.’
Vima reached out a hand and took mine. ‘But why not? You’re so good. You love it, I can tell.’
Creen stared at me, her face concerned.
‘I have to do it the same. All the time.’ I took a deep breath. I needed to stop talking, right now – but I couldn’t. ‘There are all these dances inside me and if I do them, people withdraw. So I’m not going to dance.’
‘But you have to!’ Creen pressed her hands together. ‘We need a dancer. We need beauty in our lives.’
I struggled to organise my thoughts.
‘Tell us,’ Vima urged, smiling at me.
‘Dance and music. They have to be the same as we’ve always had. They’re the same as when our ancestors first settled Taris.’
‘But that’s good,’ Creen argued. ‘The dances and the music – they keep us together. They’re the things that bond us.’
She didn’t understand. ‘How would you feel if Trebe made you learn medicine that was the same as then?’
She laughed. ‘But we do. In a way. We use all that knowledge.’
Vima said, ‘Yes, you do. And we do the same with the technology. But Juno’s right, Creen.’ She prodded her. ‘Think about it – what would have happened if she’d done a tasty little pirouette all of her own discovery when she danced at your wedding?’
Creen shook her head and smiled at me. ‘But you wouldn’t have. You wouldn’t have spoiled the dance and spoiled our wedding. I know that.’
But she didn’t know how much I’d wanted to – how hard I’d had to work at keeping to the accepted forms. She just didn’t get it. Vima’s eyes were bright and thoughtful, but she changed the subject. ‘What will your sister be named?’
I didn’t know. ‘Mother and Dad couldn’t make up their minds.’
‘What about you? What do you want to call her?’ Vima asked, that intent look still in her eyes.
I leaned my elbows on the table. I was relieved she’d changed the subject, but I was in a contrary mood. ‘I would like her to have a name from history. Somebody there’s an exciting story about. But we don’t repeat names.’ I kept my eyes on the table in front of me. ‘And anyway, we have no stories. We don’t have our own dances, we don’t have our own music, and we don’t have any stories.’
‘Yes we do,’ Vima said. ‘Think about Irian’s memorial day – Fisa told the story of Ibis. Remember? His ancestor? The one who sacrificed herself to save the island? And other people told stories about him.’
‘But think! How many other people do we know stories about?’ I stared at her, willing her to understand.
Both of them were silent, their brains busy. ‘Akton. Wib. Tulan.’ Creen counted off the names on her fingers. ‘See? Stories.’
I slapped my hand on the table. ‘That’s five people
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