Of Gaea (18 page)

“
Oh,
come, don’t be so put off. I’ll make it up to you.” He got up and
replaced his healing equipment with a plate of cookies and brownies
and a tall glass of milk. “Ask me anything. I’ll answer it. I
rather I did than Sasha try.”

Ari
pulled her notebook out of her bag. She brushed her hand over the
cover then pulled out the envelope tied with the blue ribbon. She
slid it across the table to him. “I want to know who they
are.”

He
looked at the envelope curiously. His big hands carefully untied
the ribbon. Because Ari watched his face she saw the surprise, the
pain and the sorrow cross its surface seconds apart from each other
as he flipped through the photos.

He
couldn’t prevent his reaction.
Of all the things he had guessed Ari would ask for this
hadn’t been it. He should have expected it.

He had
seen the pictures before of course, some of them he had taken
himself.
He just hadn’t
seen them in forever. Why invite pain? Looking at them now, he
couldn’t deny that he missed the family more than anything. He
missed his cousins and his mother in law. He missed decent food and
deserts. Ari had just sucker punched him, and didn’t even know
it.

“
These
are your parents.
Your
grandparents. This is your family.” His voice was thick with
emotion. He didn’t try hiding it. “I haven’t seen these in a long
time. I haven’t spoken to them in even longer. I left them for
love, and I’ve never regretted it, except when I look at you and
know you should be playing and practicing with cousins. Or I look
at Sasha and know he should be training in classes with Achilles
and Hektor. Sasha could be so much more than he is with the proper
guidance.”

“
He
would want no other teacher but you.” Ari picked up a cookie and
nibbled on it. “Tell me about them. I want to know them. I feel
like I should.”

His eyes
scanned her. What he looked for Ari didn’t know but she knew when
he smiled she had whatever it was. He picked up his own cookie.
“Sure. I’ll tell you about your family. Ghita and I, and Lyris and
Eryx had our weddings hours apart.”

Ari could only
stare stupidly.

He
laughed.
“Yes, I’m
married to Ghita. Though it doesn’t do me much good. She’s so
hardheaded.”

“
You’re
my uncle.” Ari whispered. She couldn’t say if she was scared of
saying it. Somehow saying it out loud could make it more real or
could turn it into an illusion. Ari swallowed nervously. “You’re
not messing with me?”

“
Family
protects family. She left in the middle of the night. It took me
years to find her, and by that time Sasha was already fostered with
me. I brought him with.” He shook his head. “It was foolish to
leave Sparta but I know why she did it. You are more here than I
think you would have been there. Though I think she had hoped you’d
have been less.”

“
You’re
confusing me.”
Ari
frowned into her milk glass.

“
Let’s
start here.” He held up one of the wedding pictures. “This is
obviously from your mother’s wedding. Let me tell you who they
are.”

“P
ull!”

The
discus flew out of the shooter and Ari waited seconds for it to be
at the angle she wanted before she loosed the arrow.
It flew truly and smashed
through the center of the aluminum disc before thunking solidly
into the target that hung on the tree several meters
off.

Ari
sighed as she studied its resting place.
Kleisthenes had set up the FITA targets rather
than the standard red and white targets which made gauging how well
or bad the shot was easier. The five of them stood soldier straight
mounted to the trees in a precise, evenly measured “x”.

The
arrow quivered inside the blue ring of the target to the top
left.
Ari had some
slight satisfaction that she was at least hitting closer to the
center after two hours of shooting. It hadn’t been so pretty in the
beginning.

Apparently her father had been a grand master
archer.
It’s a skill
they shared, much to her pleasure. When Kleisthenes had proposed
teaching her something her father could do she jumped at
it.

Her
mother, Lyris, was more of a hand to hand player. Her specialty was
something called Eskrima. He said it originated in the Philippines
and was all about hand to hand combat and hand to hand weapons that
ranged from palm size to boa staves.

It was
something else Ari was good at but only limited to bare handed
mano-a-mano style or with yantok.
Ari wasn’t good at improvisation or the longer
weapons. She was decent with bladed weapons but there was something
about a blunt instrument she preferred more.

“Pull!”

The next
discus shot through the air and the arrow met it at the top of its
arch. The arrow hit the inner red ring of the target. Much better
than last time.

Ari
smelled the familiar perfume as she lined up the next arrow.
Why Ari could always pull her
scent out of a million others she had no idea. Ghita stopped a few
feet away. Ari saw her skirt flutter in the air out of the corner
of her eye.

“
Pull.”
Even
though Ari was no longer completely absorbed in her task she still
felt she should appear that way. When the arrow struck the bull’s
eye in the center of the target and quivered there for a moment
Ghita moved into her direct line of sight.

Ghita
smiled, though it wasn’t a friendly smile.
It was more of a polite, tolerable smile.
It was slightly strained at the corners but why Ari couldn’t
say.

“
You
have your father’s skill.” She murmured.

“
I’m
aware.
If you had
bothered paying attention you would have known that sooner.” Ari
lifted the bow and sighted the next arrow. “I showed my uncle the
photos I found on my dresser. He was kind enough to introduce me to
my family.”

Ghita didn’t
even flinch at the caustic tone in Ari’s voice.

Sasha
had been right and Ari was disappointed.
No matter how much she knew or didn’t know Ghita
wasn’t going to change. It hurt that Ghita still wouldn’t volunteer
knowledge.

“
I
see.
I need to speak to
you.”

“
Pull!”
The arrow met the discus without the slightest waiver from its
course. “So talk. It’s not like I can walk away from you, is
it?”

“I don’t want
you over here anymore.”

“
That’s
a pity.
I suppose it’s
lucky for me that you’re never home to enforce such a ridiculous
notion anyway. Tell me, where were you when my school called and
told you I was ill? If you had been where you were supposed to be
it would have been you and not Kleisthenes to pick me up from
school.” Ari gave her a withering smile before lining up another
arrow.

“We should
continue this in the house.”

“
Whether
he hears it now or I tell him later, Kleisthenes and Sasha are
bound to find out so you might as well spit it out now. Pull!” The
arrow didn’t miss. Ari didn’t miss. Even though everything else was
in upheaval her hands stayed rock steady.

“Stop that and
pay attention.”

“
How’s
it feel?” Ari spared her a glance. “Doesn’t feel so good when
you’re on the receiving end of it, does it?”

“
You’re
acting childish.” Ghita crossed her arms. “You can’t rely on
Kleisthenes or Sasha to solve all your problems for you. You’re
never sick. What happened in school today?”

“
If I
told you the truth would you believe me?” Ari set the bow across
her lap. “Damia attacked me and all but strangled me to
death.”

She
sighed.
“I doubt
that.”

Ari
lifted the bow again and pulled another arrow. “I know you do.
Let’s make this easy on both of us. I’m not going back to school
tomorrow. I’m seriously debating whether I should go back at all. I
could have finished last year and you insisted I stay in
class.”

“
You
need your schooling.” Ghita stepped right into her line of fire.
“You can’t quit.”

“
I’m
not.
I’m not a quitter.
I’m pretty sure with the right persuasion the principal will
provide whatever papers I need to complete to get the diploma I
should have received last year. Pull!”

Ghita flinched
in shock and didn’t have enough time to react as Ari released the
arrow.

Ari shot
around her and hit the discus and the bulls eye’s to the far
right.
“Oh, ye of little
faith.”

Ghita’s
face reddened. “How dare you.”

“
Ghita
just leave.
You’ve never
been here before there’s no reason for you to be here now. I have
Sasha and Kleisthenes.”

“
You
still live in my house.” She said firmly. “You’ll do as I
say.”

“
Kleisthenes!” Ari turned her head towards the discus
shooter. “Can I use your spare room?”

“
I see
no reason why not.” He answered.

Ari
looked back at Ghita.
“Problem solved. Do you want to argue this
further?”

“
I
expect you home for dinner.” She stormed away.

Ari just
shook her head.
The
whirl of the discus machine quieted and in moments there was
nothing but silence. Kleisthenes’s footsteps could be barely heard
crunching the grass.

Unable
to sit still Ari fired her remaining arrows in consecutive
motion.
Without the
discus to interfere her arrows never strayed from the inner most
center circle. She spliced several arrows before Kleisthenes
reached her side.

“
She
wouldn’t even argue about it.”

He
nodded. “I’ve known Ghi a long time. She expects to be obeyed
without challenge. You’re upsetting her balance.”

“
She
hasn’t changed anything. How do you know she’s upset?”

“
The
strain lines around her eyes and frown marks at her lips. It shows
when you know where to look.” He placed a hand on Ari’s shoulder.
“If you go over there tonight she may be more inclined to answer
some of your questions. After tomorrow night you know she’s not
going to answer any of them ever.”

Ari
sighed. “Sometimes, I hate life.”

He
squeezed her shoulder and took her bow and quiver. “Sasha will be
close by if you need him. Nasya too.”

Ari
rubbed her hands over her face. “Fine. I’ll do this your
way.”

G
hita lined all the
ingredients
up on the counter
like soldiers. Every motion was precise and sort of mechanical.
Like she’d done this hundreds of time before and granted she
probably had; though Ari hadn’t actually kept count of how many
times she’d made red sauce from scratch.

“How’s
Lyris?”

The steady
motion of the knife against the block faltered a moment before it
continued in its rhythm.

“
She
hasn’t woken up.”
Ghita’s voice could barely be heard over the knife. “The
doctors aren’t sure if she will or not.”