Becoming Calder

She turned toward me more fully. "How do you get them in my room?" she asked, her eyes wide.

I laid back on the large rock and laced my fingers behind my head. I was soaking wet, but the sun was shining, and I'd be dry soon enough.

I squinted up at Eden above me, closing one eye against the sun. She had turned and was looking down at me, waiting for my answer.

"My sister delivers things. I send them with her when she has a delivery up at the main lodge."

Eden nodded her head vigorously. "Yes. The little girl who . . ." She paused and I tensed, waiting for her to make note of Maya's mental state.

"Sews so beautifully."

I relaxed and smiled, nodding. "Yes, that's her."

Eden smiled and tilted her head. "Well, now I'm going to have to deliver two butterscotch candies. I didn't know you had an employee." She smiled at me and I chuckled. God, she was so pretty. She dazzled me with her pale blonde hair and those big, dark blue eyes that seemed to have a whole world behind them—a world I suddenly wanted to know, to explore.

"How old are you, Eden?" I asked. "Hector never mentioned . . ."

"I'm sixteen."

I was surprised. She looked younger and I had always assumed she was. To me, her age was directly linked to the foretelling of those great floods. I nodded, doing the math and suddenly feeling more anxious than I had before. I moved that aside.

"Can I see it?" I finally asked.

"It?" she said, a look of confusion on her face.

"The mark."

"Oh, yes, the mark." She hesitated for a brief second, but then turned around and moved her hair away from her left shoulder and brought her blouse down to bare it.

I moved closer and squinted my eyes to see what looked like a smallish birthmark near her shoulder blade that was supposed to be an eclipse.

"And the moon shall move in front of the sun, as the waters rise and cover the earth," I whispered, quoting from Hector's Holy Book.

I felt Eden shiver slightly as I traced the mark on her back. I guessed it did look like an eclipse, as much as any birthmark could.

Eden pulled her shirt back up and turned toward me again.

She suddenly looked shy and I wondered what she was thinking. I watched her, waiting to see if she'd tell me.

She smiled a small smile. "In the church I went to before I came here, I think there was a story about the first man and woman in a place I imagine to look like this one." She waved her arm around at the towering rocks and the spring right in front of us, glistening in the sunlight. Her smile widened. "There was even a snake!" She laughed and I couldn't help smiling, too.

"I remember it because my name was in it somehow . . ." She gazed off as if trying to remember.

I tilted my head, squinting again. "Tell me more."

Her smile disappeared. "Well, I wish I could remember more of the story. I don't think it ended too well for them." She looked up, considering. "Or maybe it was the rest of the people who didn't fare so well."

"No, I mean, tell me about the place you lived before this. Tell me about your house, and your car, and the city you lived in."

Sadness altered her expression. "I don't remember much, feelings mostly. The pictures in my mind are so blurry. And it's like, when I try to remember them, my head starts hurting." She rubbed her palm over her forehead as if it was hurting now, looking off in the distance behind me.

I studied her for a minute, wanting to ask her more questions, but also wanting that far-off look of sadness to disappear from her eyes.

Suddenly she looked back at me. "Will you tell me what you're building down by the river in your free time?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Have you been watching me, Morning Glory?" I grinned, but her eyes widened and she looked down, as if she'd just been caught. I laughed. "Eden, I'm kidding. Is it okay if I call you Eden?"

She looked up at me and laughed a small laugh, too, but then went serious. "Yes, of course." She looked down and then back up at me. "And I do watch you sometimes," she whispered and then looked away. "I'm sorry. It's very rude . . . how much I . . . watch you."

My heart did something strange in my chest and I just stared at her for a minute. This beautiful, quiet girl—the blessed one—had been watching me? I didn't know what to say to her, so I opted for simply explaining my project. I cleared my throat. "Uh, I'm building an irrigation system. All this carting water in jugs and containers seems really . . . time consuming when there could be an easier way." I sat up. "I actually read about it in a fiction book I can't remember the name of now. I mean, you know, before Hector banned fictional books. But it's not like it came with directions or anything, so it's a matter of figuring it out. I think I've got it though. And if it works, it could water all the crops in about half the time. I'm hoping it will mean a spot on the council for me."

Eden looked surprised. "You want to be on the council?"

"Yeah. I want to go out into the community and work."

Eden nodded. "What kind of work?"

"I don't know. From what I hear, the council members work in businesses all over—I'm sure Hector or one of them could find a place for me, you know, if I prove myself."

"So you'd live up at the main lodge?"

I nodded. "That's the plan."

Eden's eyes widened and she glanced down at my mouth as if she was thinking about kissing me. I looked away. Even I had more sense than that.

I stood up and Eden jolted slightly. "I better go. I'm expected back with some holy water."

"Oh, okay," she said, standing up, too. "I'm here every day from noon to two." She shrugged, looking embarrassed. "You know, if you ever want to have lunch here instead of with your friends . . . or, I mean, not that you would, but . . . if you did, or . . ." She shook her head, laughing softly. "Why would you?"

That strange feeling came into my chest again. "I'd be honored to have lunch with Hector's princess."

Her face seemed to fall slightly, but she caught herself and smiled. "Okay," she whispered.

I studied her for a second again. "Speaking of Hector, this probably wouldn't be okay with him, you know," I said.

"I know," she replied, and I couldn't read the expression on her face now.

I paused, knowing I should tell her I wasn't going to be back, but somehow, not being able to. Being in her presence after all this time felt so good, and it seemed the idea of spending time with me brought her happiness, too. "Goodbye for now, then." I smiled and turned and made my way back to the spring where I gathered the water needed at the birthing tent.

I was too late. When I got back, Helen Whitney was holding a healthy baby boy.

CHAPTER FIVE

Eden

The next day, I settled in at the spring, my heart beating triple time, filled with hope that Calder would join me. He never did and as I hiked back to the main lodge, my mood was melancholy, lonely, and disappointed.

I had loved him for so long it seemed. But talking to him, getting to know him just a little bit made that love seem silly and juvenile—made up. He still made my heart beat out of my own chest and his beauty mesmerized me, but now the desire to know who he really was filled my thoughts.

I wanted to talk to him all day long, to hear that deep, throaty laughter that washed over my skin and made me shiver. His voice sounded like warm spring rain falling on a gravel road.

He didn't show the next day either, and so the third day when I sat down on my rock, sans snake, thank the gods, I didn't expect him to show. And so when he suddenly appeared at the rock entrance to the spring, I gasped out loud.

Calder smiled, and another boy with black hair appeared behind him, pushing him through so he stumbled and laughed.

The boy behind him bent over and put his hands on his knees and stood there for a minute obviously trying to catch his breath.

Calder nudged him and said, "Wimp," as he waded through the water and pulled himself easily up onto the large rock. I scooted over to make room for them.

"What's for lunch?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Lunch?" I put my hand over my mouth and then took it away. "Oh no! I told you to meet me for lunch and I didn't bring anything." I groaned and my cheeks heated. "I'm so sorry. How rude."

Calder laughed. "I'm teasing you, Morning Glory. We already ate." He nodded his head toward the black-haired boy now wading through the water toward us. He wasn't as tall as Calder, but the water still didn't come close to his shoulders like it did to my own.

The boy made it to the rock and pulled himself up on it with effort. Calder and I both moved over as he lay back, catching his breath again and massaging his side as if he had a stitch.

Calder chuckled. "Eden, this here sorry, out-of-shape person is Xander Garen."

"Out of shape? Who's out of shape? I walk miles every single day. I just don't jog straight downhill with heavy water containers on my shoulders. Ridiculous." Xander turned to me. "Lovely to make your personal acquaintance, Eden. I played Kick the Can with you once years ago. You probably remember me. I was the star of the game. Not that I particularly remember that game itself, but I was always the star, so it can safely be deduced I was that day as well."

I laughed. "I do remember that game, Xander, because it's the only game I ever played, and yes, you played very well, and so did Calder." I blushed when I looked over at Calder because, well, he was so handsome and I wanted to stare at him, and the way he was looking at me made me feel like he could read my mind. Xander narrowed his eyes, looking between us and then looked away.

"Right. Well, thanks for allowing us to share your oasis today. I had no idea this was here. When Calder told me about the spring, I assumed it was just a little water hole with a few rocks around it. You've been holding out on me, Calder." He winked and I smiled, looking back at Calder to find him staring at me with a strange expression on his face. He seemed to come out of a trance and his face broke into a smile, too, as he nudged Xander.

"Nah, I'd never hold out on you. You just never seemed interested."

Xander huffed out a breath. "Well you know I have so much excitement as it is, what with walking around the perimeter of Acadia a thousand times a day."

"It's an important job, just like every job here," Calder said, but there wasn't any emotion in his voice. We sat there for a minute silently until Calder cleared his throat and went on, "Anyway, I know I sleep better at night knowing a big, strong manly man such as yourself is in charge of my safety." Calder grinned at Xander and Xander chuckled.

"Who doesn't, Pretty Boy?"

I giggled, taking delight in their banter. It had been so long since I laughed and felt the lightheartedness of friendship. I wondered if I'd ever experienced it . . . before.

"So, Eden, what is it that you do everyday?"

I blushed and looked down. "I'm not allowed to do much, really. I practice my music and I study the Holy Book." I shrugged. "That's the extent of it." I let out a small, uncomfortable laugh. "Makes walking around the perimeter of Acadia a thousand times a day sound better, huh? You must think I'm the most pathetic person on earth."

There was silence for a minute and when I looked up, both Xander and Calder had matching surprised looks on their faces.

"You can't be," Calder finally said. "Xander already holds that title."

"So funny," Xander said as I giggled again. He elbowed Calder. "We'd never think that about you, Eden. You're the blessed one."

I felt my face heat slightly at the reminder I was different than them, and I cleared my throat, not knowing what to say.

"Seriously, you don't go to school?" Xander asked after an awkward moment.

I shook my head. "No. Hector says as the blessed one, the only thing expected of me is to be well-versed in his Holy Book."

"Well, that's true I suppose," Xander said slowly, spacing his words as if several could have been inserted between them.

Calder looked down and began tracing something on the rock, almost as if he was unconsciously drawing.

"Oh, I've wanted to ask you this forever," I said. "That day you and Xander were talking about the butterscotch candy beneath my window, what was it you were drawing in the dirt? It was only half done. I looked down on it for days, trying to figure out if it was a girl, or a horse, or . . . I thought maybe it might be a river for a few days, but then I was sure it was a—"

I stopped talking when Calder burst out laughing.

"What?" I demanded, looking over at Xander who was smiling, too.

"Nothing. You," Calder said, smiling in a way that made me feel warm. "You gave that dirt drawing a lot of thought."

I let out a small laugh on a breath. "I told you, my days are pretty boring."

"Oh, no, Eden, I was just teasing you. Uh, let's see . . . I'm sorry, I can't remember what I might have been sketching."

"Calder's constantly sketching," Xander inserted. "It's the bane of our teacher's existence. Anytime he's allowed near a writing instrument, it's like the gods possess him to sketch."

I tilted my head. "And yet he's not allowed to?" I asked.

They both shook their heads. "Workers aren't allowed to partake in the arts. That's only for the council members and their families."

"Why?" I blurted out, thinking of all the instruments, paints, charcoal, and paper kept at the main lodge. Hector was big on the arts. He was constantly insisting we practice, practice, practice and that the arts pleased the gods. I wasn't aware of the many rules the workers lived by, as our lives had always been kept so separate. I had seen for myself the fact that they didn't have electricity like we did at the main lodge, but I thought, other than our living conditions and that they tended to the work in our community, we participated in pretty much the same things. Of course, not counting the Holy Book, I wasn't educated in anything other than the arts, but that was only me. The council members' children were schooled in the usual subjects, just like the workers. It suddenly all seemed so confusing.