Page 17 of Kimiko and the Accidental Proposal
The young bear spoke again. “Our voices will be heard, our concerns will be his. Hanoo-fel Nightspangle watches over this den.”
Suuzu made a graceful flourish which the others mimicked. “We are agreed. We will be your support.”
Ms. Reeves said, “Although this classroom isn’t a proper den, a wolf always thinks in terms of pack. Thank you, Hanoo. Now, do we have a volunteer from among the human students? My only request is that the representative be someone from a different triad than Hanoo.”
During the intervening moments of silence, Eloquence tried to read the mood of the prospects. He half-expected the energetic Akira to rush into responsibility, but the phoenix seemed to be holding him back. Then a hand slashed upward.
“Sosuke Fujimoto,” said the weedy boy who’d spoken up earlier. “I’m more than willing. If everyone’s okay with it, I’ll speak for those of us who are ordinary.”
Softly, too softly for human ears, someone murmured, “We are each ordinary in our own way.”
Hanoo turned in his seat, as did Ploom. The filly signaled approval, and then Quen found the speaker. The reaver sitting with Suuzu and Akira.
Ms. Reeves said, “Thank you Fujimoto-kun. That just leaves our reaver representative. And as is our custom, we’ll defer to Hanoo-fel, since he’ll be working closely with them.”
Eloquence wasn’t sure what reasoning might guide the wolf’s choice. By sheer magnitude, Isla was superior, but she was also a child. Pack instinct was to protect their young, not follow them. But none of the others stood out.
Yet Hanoo didn’t hesitate in his choice. He presented his palms to the phoenix’s reaver. “Your name again?”
“Kimiko Miyabe.” More quietly, she asked, “Are you sure?”
“Sure of foot, true of heart, and glad of your support, little sister.”
The girl made deft use of several signals not normally taught to reavers, which piqued Quen’s interest. Was she enclave-bred? And then the audacity of her messages hit home. Was sheactuallyaccusing Hanoo of coddling her in his sister’s place? The teasing glint in her eye, the tilt of her head—reavers of her rank were usually much more … awed.
Eloquence was obliged to take a longer look.
She was lean and long in the leg, and her shorn hair offered an unimpeded view of her neck, which had a pleasing line. To his amazement, he caught a few whispers from classmates who seemed at a loss to her gender. Had they missed her introduction? While some given names were neutral,Kimikowas obviously feminine. Perhaps her nose was too wide, her figure too spare, but that didn’t confuse his nose. He was more puzzled by Hanoo’s swiftness in singling her out.
Why her?
It wasn’t caliber. The young woman’s presence was felt more in that teasing smile than in the pale light she carried. He could barely catch a whisper of her soul with so many other reavers in the room. Even warded, Isla glinted more tantalizingly off the periphery of his awareness.
Eloquence had seen Kimiko’s type a thousand times over, for reavers with low ratings filled many unassuming roles in the In-between—file clerks, receptionists, couriers, and the service staff for dozens of reaver facilities and Amaranthine enclaves. One reaver in a hundred gained the prestige Isla was born to. The rest were their support.
And it was as if Uncle Laud’s voice was in Quen’s ear, deep and disdainful.And who are you to criticize, pup?
Wasn’t he here because he still passed for a whelp? He fared poorly in any comparison with his father and brothers. And he wouldalwayshold a supporting role within the Starmark pack. Baby-minder. Dog-brusher. Perimeter-prowler.
Uncle Laud insisted on the nobility of every effort made on the pack’s behalf. Even the humblest tasks should be accomplished with pride. Maybe his classmates were destined to empty trash bins, mine crystals, till fields, and file paperwork, but they belonged to the In-between, and every part was needed.
But still, why her?
As he watched the Nightspangle pack’s pleased posturing, he could only surmise that Kimiko had distinguished herself by calling out the fallacy in the Fujimoto boy’s remark. He’d heard Dad say it often enough to know that the Five were challenging humanity to redefine personhood, and not just on the legislative level.Ordinaryno longer existed in this world, not if there was to be anything resembling equality.
Perhaps that was Kimiko’s charm. Hanoo hadn’t wanted fear or formalities. A girl who teased instead of tucking her proverbial tail had already dismissed the very distinctions they were here to study.
A satisfactory explanation. One that didn’t much concern him. And so Quen’s thoughts strayed to more important things, like his den and its denizens. For his heart yearned for home.
TEN
Birds and Brooding
After their first day’s dismissal, Akira snooped around the school for more than an hour, course schedule and campus map in hand. “I think I’m going to like Integrated History of the Unknown World.”
“Hmm.”
“Not because of the topic, of course.” Akira turned into a long, empty hallway. “I mean, even if you add in the Amaranthine parts, history is still just going to be history. Long lectures. Hand cramps from note taking. Memorizing facts. But I really liked Sedge-sensei.”
