Page 11 of No Man Left Behind

Elina grinned and pulled a notebook and pen out of her bag. Marcus remembered her playing games in the dirt with kids. They’d used sticks to draw things. Now he realized he’d been watching her teach through fun. No wonder the kids and the adults had adored her.

Nina’s eyes widened when Elina switched to speak in Pashto. He hadn’t had much reason to practice Pashto in the years he’d been back in the States, but hearing her speak proved he hadn’t lost his ability to understand.

Elina smiled at the teen. “If you want to experience what it’s like, it’s better for me to speak a language you don’t understand. It can be overwhelming until you start picking out words. Let’s start with a wolf. One of the Pashto words for wolf islewa.”

Marcus leaned over her shoulder to watch. Her wolf sketch took only seconds, but it was perfect. A cartoon wolf with a grin on his face.

Elina repeated the wordlewaand pointed at the wolf until Nina repeated it with a grin.

They continued the lesson until Nina could say the words for sheep, squirrel, and rabbit. The sketches were amazing. He hadn’t realized she was such an artist. A multi-talented woman with a huge heart.

Nina tapped the paper. “Can you teach me the word for fox?”

Elina nodded and complied. When she was done and Nina had learned the wordloombar, the teen grinned. “You’re Paxi, aren’t you?”

Marcus didn’t have a clue what that meant, but Elina did. Her eyes widened, and her mouth dropped open, but no sounds came out.

Nina grinned. “I’m right. You’re Paxi. You’re so talented, and I love your comics.”

Comics? Marcus couldn’t wait to hear more.

No one had ever connected Elina to Paxi. She’d never told anyone, but that was mostly because she’d had no one to tell.

She’d always loved comics and cartoons. Her parents had encouraged her love of the art and had been thrilled when she’d found a way to use her drawings to help enhance communication when there were language barriers in their work.

It had been a natural thing to use those drawings in teaching. When she’d returned to the States, it had been natural to continue to draw to cope with her feelings and situation.

She’d first published her comics on open sites where comic lovers gathered. That had led to some sponsorships and then a syndicated strip that appeared on online news sites around the world.

Her strips were quiet and gentle but poked fun at human foibles, greed, and prejudices. They were popular enough for her to live off the royalties. She’d never expected anyone to recognize her, but now Nina had.

When Elina didn’t react, the girl grimaced. “I’m sorry. Was it a secret? I didn’t mean to out you if you wanted it to be private. I’m sorry.”

Elina smiled to ease Nina’s guilt and managed to find her words. “It’s okay, Nina. I’ve never had anyone connect me to Paxi before. It’s not really been a secret. I’ve just never told anyone.”

Nina sighed. “Sounds like a secret to me. I’m really sorry. Everyone here is good at keeping secrets, though. No one else has to know.”

Elina thought about it and decided it really didn’t matter. “It’s fine. I promise. It’s not like Paxi is a secret agent or that people knowing I draw comic strips is going to bring danger my way.”

Relief swept over Nina’s face. “I’m glad. And I think it’s really cool. Paxi is one of my favorite strips. I love the way you make humans think about being kinder to each other and the planet. You’re really talented.”

Piper leaned forward with a huge smile. “I agree. I can’t believe I get to meet you. Paxi is one of my favorites as well.”

Troy laughed. “And at the gleam in Piper’s eye, I bet she’s going to ask you for some input at some point.”

Piper laughed. “You’re right. We’ve been trying to come up with a mascot for Phail. But I’m not going to pressure you, especially on your first day in town.”

That made Elina laugh, even as her cheeks flushed. Having two people who knew Paxi was weird and exhilarating. “That sounds like fun. I don’t have any plans for my time in town yet, so let me know when is good for you, and we’ll see what we can come up with.”

Piper squealed and clapped her hands. “Yes. Thank you. Whee. Fan girl moment. Okay, I’ll stop now.”

Everyone laughed, and Elina was glad to have the attention off of her when the conversation turned to some of Piper’s other ideas for the town.

Marcus leaned in to ask her softly. “Any special meaning to Paxi? Is it based on the French word forpeace,by any chance?”

The word forpeacein French wasPaix,spelled p-a-i-x. She’d switched around the last two letters to create her comic strip name. She nodded at him. “You got it in one.”

Marcus grinned. “I just looked you up while Piper was talking. You’re very talented. I only saw a few, but I love the tone of your work. Hopeful.”

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