Page 7 of Homebound
Uncle Drexel nodded emphatically in agreement. “It’s the migrants. Western Plains should never have agreed to the shared governance with the Perali. A stupid move, if you ask me. Ever since the aliens assumed control, the Plains have been in a state of constant conflict. It’s a war zone out there. They’re driving people out.”
“That’s not good.” Herise shook her head.
“No, it isn't. The migrants are arriving in droves,” Drexel warned in a sepulchral tone.
Aunt Herise looked alarmed. “Why would they be coming here? The City’s got no jobs to offer.”
“Where else would they go? Nothing else’s left on this continent.”
“Spongers!” Ravi spat out.
Uncle Drexel chuckled.
Gemma dropped her gaze down to her plate, painfully aware of her own migrant status.
“This was delicious. Thank you, dear.” Drexel wiped the remaining sauce off his plate with a piece of bread, his big callused hands with grease around the nail beds handling the crust with deftness. Aunt Herise pursed her lips in lieu of a smile at her husband’s gratitude.
“What about prison? Have you seen a lot of migrant criminals?” Uncle Drexel asked Gemma.
“Nothing outside the norm. We had some new gang members brought in the other day, but that’s hardly unusual. By the way, I was transferred to a different ward. With aliens.”
Gemma’s statement stunned her relatives. For a short uncomfortable moment, they gaped at her in profound shock.
Aunt Herise was the first to recover. “Aliens! Gemma, why? Is it a punishment?”
“No, Aunt Herise, nothing like that! They change staff up now and then to where they need more people. I don’t get to choose what floor to clean.”
“Is it dangerous?” Uncle Drexel asked.
Gemma thought about it before answering. “No more so than on the human wards. The prisoners are locked up in cells. Guards are around. And I carry a taser when working.” She smiled a little. “It’s safer on the inside than walking home at night.”
Leena, who was busily stuffing her face with fresh bread, sniffed with disdain. “What nonsense! No one who’s born in the City is afraid to walk home at night. I ain’t.”
Drexel patted Leena on the arm. “Now, now, sweetheart. Everyone needs to keep their eyes open, especially now, what with the migrants. We live in dangerous times.”
Aunt Herise sighed deeply, and Gemma knew she was once again going to lament her niece’s lack of a decent profession.
“Goodness, Gemma, if only you had the sense to select a better occupation when you had the opportunity. Dancer! Who needs them? You could've been a nurse, and worked at the hospital instead of cleaning toilets at the prison.”
“I know, Aunt Herise,” Gemma patiently replied. “But my life in The Islands was very different. I got by with being a dancer back then.” She didn’t just get by; she had worked hard to be noticed as one of the best performers. A young rising star, she was beginning to make a name for herself.
Herise went on, “I simply can’t understand why any woman would want to go into dancing knowing she’d be out of work at the first sign of wrinkles. And with no other skills? Nurse’s training would have served you better even on The Islands. Why, with your daddy’s money you could've gone on to be a doctor, like your old flame Zeke. He, at least, had some sense.”
At hearing his name, Gemma’s heart gave a painful squeeze.
“You’re right, of course. But we can’t turn back time. I hope Zeke is making progress on Meeus. The training he received on The Islands is very marketable.”
Her aunt and uncle shared a look between them. Drexel cleared his throat. “You aren’t still waiting to hear from him, are you?”
“Of course I am. He will be sending for me once he is settled on Meeus and employed. We need money for my passage, you know that. Things take time.”
Herise chuckled without humor. “Gemma, you’re naive if you think that. Mark my words, he forgot all about you by now and is living away his new cushy life.”
“No, he didn’t forget. I know Zeke. I trust him. He’s very responsible.” Gemma had to stop and take a deep breath to calm down.
They had had this argument before. Aside from being responsible and caring, Zeke and she loved each other deeply and were forever linked together through the shared tragedy of losing their homes and families and having to start all over. But she wasn’t going there with Herise and Drexel, both cynical in the extreme, only to have her feelings ridiculed.
Ravi saved her from another rebuttal by asking, “Do aliens carry diseases?”
