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Authors: Allison M. Dickson
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her nose. “Your accent’s a little strange. Where are you from?”
“I’m from … all over.”
“I guess I can believe that. Y ou couldn’t look or sound like more of an alien if you tried.”
Aster looked down at the array of bright and tight clothing brimming from her drawers and thought of her mother’s tireless work making them in some other universe. She fought back more tears. “Tell me about it.”
“Hey, yo u know what? That was meant to be a compliment . Fuck normal .” Ruby shut the window and grabbed a perfume bottle from her bedside table. Soon the room smelled like warm cinnamon. “Now let’s g o grub it up before Ivy sends a search party.”
Ivy’s face lit up when the two girls took their seats at the table. “All settled in?”
Aster nodded. “The room’s really nice. Thank you.”
“You’re so lucky. Everyone wants that room,” said Tonya, struggling to saw apart what looked to be a very dark and flat pancake.
Ruby rolled her eyes. “Whatever. It gets about a thousand degrees up there in the summer.”
Tonya laughed. “You just don’t like it because it makes it harder for you to sneak out at night.”
“That’s enough out of you two,” Ivy said. “Aster, you just say the word and I can bunk you with one of the other girls if you don’t like the arrangement.”
Aster looked at Ruby, who sat gazing stone-faced at her plate. It was almost as if the other girl expected rejection. “No, Miss Ivy. I like it just fine.”
Ruby gave her a grateful glance and everyone else prattled on about gardening, fitting Aster into the chore schedule, and how Cynthia’s pancakes could be sharpened into deadl y throwing discs to assassinate an evil world leader.
Aster learned the names of the rest of the Oasis residents. No one went into too much detail about wh at brought them there, but she cou ld see the sadness, worry, and in some cases cuts and bruises in almost all of their fac es . Tonya and Ruby had been at Oasis the longest, and they seemed to have the easiest relationship with Ivy. They spoke a bit about the other girls who had come and gone over the years, most of them moving on after their 18 th birthdays.
Some had gone on to better lives, others didn’t fare quite as well. They’d either fallen into abusive relationships or into drugs. “I do what I can for ‘em when they’re here. But some folks just don’t wanna be helped. Some folks can only understand the world when they’re hurting others or being hurt.”
Some of the girls nodded at this while others looked at their laps or played with their food, saying nothing. Aster thought of Oleander and understood.
When Larkspur wandered into the kitchen as they were cleaning up, apparently seeking out some food of his own, everyone came over to pet and coo over him. The spoiled feline flopped onto his side and took in all of the attention with obvious relish while Ruby cut up some chicken to put on a plate for him.
After a quick tour of the rest of the house, Aster retired to her room to change for bed. Thankfully the night time clothes weren’t much different from the heavy cotton gowns she wore back in Ellemire. She wished she could wear them all day. After she was dressed, a knock sounded at the door. “Come in,” she said.
Ruby stepped in and Aster started to leave. “You don’t have to go. Just look over there while I change if you want. I’m not shy.”
Aster pulled back the covers and got into bed. After such a long day, the cool sheets felt like a blessing. “I don’t think I’ll ever get up again.”
“Don’t get too comfortable. You and I have weeds to hoe and veggies to pick in the morning. The summer’s been hell on our tomatoes.”
Aster smiled. What Ruby considered work, Aster considered part of everyday life. This had been the first day in recent memory that she hadn’t at least carried water from the well or harvested some vegetables for supper. She craved some time among the plants.
“I’m from … all over.”
“I guess I can believe that. Y ou couldn’t look or sound like more of an alien if you tried.”
Aster looked down at the array of bright and tight clothing brimming from her drawers and thought of her mother’s tireless work making them in some other universe. She fought back more tears. “Tell me about it.”
“Hey, yo u know what? That was meant to be a compliment . Fuck normal .” Ruby shut the window and grabbed a perfume bottle from her bedside table. Soon the room smelled like warm cinnamon. “Now let’s g o grub it up before Ivy sends a search party.”
Ivy’s face lit up when the two girls took their seats at the table. “All settled in?”
Aster nodded. “The room’s really nice. Thank you.”
“You’re so lucky. Everyone wants that room,” said Tonya, struggling to saw apart what looked to be a very dark and flat pancake.
Ruby rolled her eyes. “Whatever. It gets about a thousand degrees up there in the summer.”
Tonya laughed. “You just don’t like it because it makes it harder for you to sneak out at night.”
“That’s enough out of you two,” Ivy said. “Aster, you just say the word and I can bunk you with one of the other girls if you don’t like the arrangement.”
Aster looked at Ruby, who sat gazing stone-faced at her plate. It was almost as if the other girl expected rejection. “No, Miss Ivy. I like it just fine.”
Ruby gave her a grateful glance and everyone else prattled on about gardening, fitting Aster into the chore schedule, and how Cynthia’s pancakes could be sharpened into deadl y throwing discs to assassinate an evil world leader.
Aster learned the names of the rest of the Oasis residents. No one went into too much detail about wh at brought them there, but she cou ld see the sadness, worry, and in some cases cuts and bruises in almost all of their fac es . Tonya and Ruby had been at Oasis the longest, and they seemed to have the easiest relationship with Ivy. They spoke a bit about the other girls who had come and gone over the years, most of them moving on after their 18 th birthdays.
Some had gone on to better lives, others didn’t fare quite as well. They’d either fallen into abusive relationships or into drugs. “I do what I can for ‘em when they’re here. But some folks just don’t wanna be helped. Some folks can only understand the world when they’re hurting others or being hurt.”
Some of the girls nodded at this while others looked at their laps or played with their food, saying nothing. Aster thought of Oleander and understood.
When Larkspur wandered into the kitchen as they were cleaning up, apparently seeking out some food of his own, everyone came over to pet and coo over him. The spoiled feline flopped onto his side and took in all of the attention with obvious relish while Ruby cut up some chicken to put on a plate for him.
After a quick tour of the rest of the house, Aster retired to her room to change for bed. Thankfully the night time clothes weren’t much different from the heavy cotton gowns she wore back in Ellemire. She wished she could wear them all day. After she was dressed, a knock sounded at the door. “Come in,” she said.
Ruby stepped in and Aster started to leave. “You don’t have to go. Just look over there while I change if you want. I’m not shy.”
Aster pulled back the covers and got into bed. After such a long day, the cool sheets felt like a blessing. “I don’t think I’ll ever get up again.”
“Don’t get too comfortable. You and I have weeds to hoe and veggies to pick in the morning. The summer’s been hell on our tomatoes.”
Aster smiled. What Ruby considered work, Aster considered part of everyday life. This had been the first day in recent memory that she hadn’t at least carried water from the well or harvested some vegetables for supper. She craved some time among the plants.
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