by Elin Peer
“The Nboys’ answer is six meters, which isn’t correct,” Cindy announced.
“We didn’t have enough time,” Storm complained.
“The Motlander children’s answer is seven meters and twenty centimeters, which isn’t correct either.”
“It’s okay,” Nicki said diplomatically. “It was a fun game, and it’s about participating, not about winning.”
“Yeah, you keep telling yourself that, and you’ll be a loser for life.” Solomon grunted at her.
Marco stepped forward. “How about the assistant teachers take over this challenge? I’m sure I can have the answer within a few minutes, and I can’t imagine that Miss Brainy would be afraid of a challenge.” He squared his shoulders and looked straight at Shelly.
Shelly glanced at all the onlookers but with a tensed-up expression, she gave a small nod in acceptance of his challenge.
The Nboys started cheering for Marco as if he was their hero, while the Motlander children placed sympathetic hands on Shelly’s shoulders.
After a bit of whispering between Finn and Cindy, they announced: “Marco’s suggestion has been accepted. You will each have three minutes to find the answer, starting now!”
Marco snatched the pencil from Solomon and sprinted to the flagpole, where he quickly measured his own height and made a mark with the pencil.
Using his superior strength, he pulled himself up until his feet were with in line with the mark, and he continued with this strategy until he was at the very top of the flagpole.
I kept my eyes focused on him, and enjoyed the sight of his impressive technique when he used his shoes and arms to slide down the flagpole as if it was a fireman’s pole.
Clearly the audience was in awe of him too, and I was proud of him when he came running back to stand in front of Cindy and Finn, sweaty and out of breath.
“The pole is thirty feet high,” he said with a smug smile of satisfaction. “I used my own six point three feet to measure against.”
Shelly stood calmly and relaxed beside him.
“What happened, did you give up?” he asked her with a chuckle.
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” she said softly. “But I don’t have your muscle strength, so pulling myself up like you did would’ve been impossible for me.”
“I know.” Marco flexed his muscles and looked proud of himself. “I’ve told you, Brainy, sometimes muscles are more important than brains.”
“Yes,” Shelly breathed. “I wish I was as strong as you, but since I’m not, I had to use simple math to find the answer. I went over a number of geometric theorems, but since the sun is out today it seemed much quicker to multiply my own height by the ratio between my shadow and the flagpole’s shadow.”
Marco’s eyes flew to the shadow of the flagpole. “Yeah, I would have done that too,” he said defensively. “But that’s a little elementary, don’t you think?”
Shelley smiled at him. “Your performance was really impressive, and I certainly can’t match you in showmanship and all.” Shelly tilted her head. “But I think I should get a plus for the fact that I had the same answer as you in less than forty seconds and I didn’t break a sweat.”
CHAPTER 22
Awakening
Kya
Marco, Archer, and the Nboys had spent all yesterday fuming about the result of the competition.
“You still won overall,” Nieall kept reminding them. “It was just a stupid competition.”
“We should have had all three points,” the boys replied grumpily.
Today, however, their moods had lifted significantly, as something spectacular had happened. News channels had been running the story about their visit to the Motherlands on a loop, showing clips of them. The interview with Archer, the boys doing math and spelling, and lastly Marco swinging around on the flagpole like a modern-day Tarzan.
They had become overnight celebrities and Motlanders were starting to arrive out of curiosity.
After our first week with people crossing the street in fright at the mere sight of them, we now faced a different challenge: keeping people away from them.
Varna and Cindy had to call in reinforcements, and I was shocked to see the behavior of my fellow countrymen or rather countrywomen. I had no idea there were so many naturephiles in the Motherlands, but it was pretty obvious that the women attaching themselves to Marco, Finn, and Archer wanted much more than just an autograph. Even Solomon had become a target and he was only fourteen. It was very disturbing and confusing to me, but the men were glowing with excitement and proudly made sure their video diaries were sent back to the Northlands showing their newfound fame.
I almost rolled my eyes, when I saw Archer record a video with Finn and Marco surrounded by giggling women.
“What are you so mad about?” Archer asked me when I finally managed to get him alone in my room. “This is a great thing, we finally feel welcomed here.”
“Yeah, I can see how you would feel welcomed with the way those women throw themselves at you as if you were freaking movie stars or something.”
Archer softened his expression. “Wait a minute, Kya, are you jealous?”
“Of course I’m not jealous. I told you we’re not a couple, but I just want to remind you that if you sleep with one of them, our little arrangement is over.”
“You are jealous!” he exclaimed and smiled.
I shook my head fervently. “Don’t flatter yourself. I’m just annoyed that all your new fans are taking away attention from what really matters and why we came here in the first place. We were supposed to bring the children together and make them feel like one big family but now, with the competition and all…” I took in a deep breath and spoke in one exhalation. “It’s all messed up.”
“Hey.” Archer moved over and pulled me into a hug, my head resting on his shoulder. “I know you don’t like it when things don’t go according to plan, but this is really an amazing thing that is happening; you know that, don’t you?”
“I guess.”
Lifting my face, Archer planted a kiss on my lips. “Don’t worry, babe, I’m not going to sleep with any of those women.”
“Pearl and Khan are arriving tomorrow,” I said to change the subject, because the mere thought of Archer with any of those women brought pain to my chest.
“They met with a group of the council members yesterday,” I said. “There hasn’t been a formal meeting between the Northlands and the Motherlands like that in years.”
“And they’re coming here?”
“Yes tomorrow.” I sank to the bed, and leaned forward, placing my elbows on my knees.
“What’s wrong?” Archer asked and sat down beside me.
“Nothing, it’s just that I keep thinking about yesterday when Shelly and Rochelle saw their mom, and Willow, Tommy, and Sky had visitors from their family units.” Lifting my head and meeting his eyes, I spoke softly. “You probably think I’m being too emotional, but my heart just broke for the kids who don’t have any family, that’s all.”
“I know what you mean. It even made me wish that I had a family of my own.” Archer rubbed his forehead. “I can only imagine what it must’ve been like for the kids.”
“There’s something I haven’t told you,” I admitted.
“What?”
Opening my palms and looking up at him, I spoke slowly. “Raven’s mother has offered me the chance to adopt Raven.”
“She did?” Archer’s eyes almost popped out and he spoke with eagerness. “Congratulations, that’s fucking amazing.”
“I haven’t accepted yet; I’m still thinking about it.”
“Are you crazy? What is there to think about?” His hands swung with agitation in the air. “If I had the chance to adopt a child and become a father–” He blew out a breath. “Geez, I would jump on that right away with no hesitation.”
“You would?” It was a rhetorical question because I already knew that Archer dreamed of a family. I did too, but our perceptions of what that
meant were vastly different.
A small spark of hope fired up inside of me. Maybe, with this awakening of women who were eager to get to know the Nmen better, laws would change and Archer and I could have a future together here in the Motherlands. Even as I thought it, I knew I was fooling myself.
“Do we have time for some fun?” Archer asked and kneeled down in front of me, spreading my legs.
I wanted to say yes, but that would be irresponsible since with Finn and Marco distracted by all the women, it really was only Shelly looking after the children.
“I wish,” I said quietly and kissed him. “But we need to put the children first.
His face fell with disappointment. “You’re so fucking responsible all the time.”
“Someone has to be,” I replied.
“Come on, Kya, I’m horny, and I’m sure Shelly can handle the kids; that girl is fifteen going on fifty, and much more responsible than the rest of us together.”
“Still, some of the boys challenge her authority.”
“Who?” Archer furrowed his brow. “Tell her to punish them. I’ll back her up.”
Placing my hands on his shoulders I pushed up from the bed and brushed back my hair. “I’m not gonna tell you to punish the boys, and I don’t want to have an argument about it.”
We found the kids on the beach and sure enough, Shelly was happy to see us.
“Finn is over there, flirting with that group of women.” Her index finger swung from Finn to the water. “And Marco has been playing with that blonde for the past thirty minutes. Two minutes ago, she was straddling him and I swear it looked like they were kissing.”
“Good for him,” Archer chuckled and waved back at a group of women who, despite the expansiveness of the beach, had placed themselves and their things very close to our group.
“What about Varna and Cindy?” I asked and scanned the area for them.
“They had to follow a group of teenage girls off the beach because they wouldn’t stop bothering the older boys.” Shelly looked mildly stressed out. “I told the boys to stay with our group, but the girls kept luring them away like a nasty bunch of sirens or something.
“But did Varna and Cindy really have to banish them from the beach? It seems excessive to me,” I said.
“They gave them three warnings and told the girls that they would contact their parents, but they wouldn’t stop.”
“I see; thank you, Shelly.” Turning around I addressed Archer. “Will you please go and fetch Finn and Marco?”
“Not a chance,” he said and crossed his arms. “For all I know, Marco is about to get his first shag with that blonde, and it looks like Finn has a full buffet of women to pick from. You’re asking me to risk my life here. Getting between men and sex is not only stupid, it’s cruel too.”
“Fine, then I’ll do it.” I ignored the warning that Archer shouted after me when I trotted over to Finn and his women.
“May peace surround you all,” I greeted them and focused in on Finn. “May I have a word with you?”
“Sure, darling, what’s up?”
“In private,” I said with a polite smile plastered on my face that did nothing to hide the annoyance in my voice.
Finn leisurely got up and excused himself before we walked to the side.
“I need you to say goodbye to your new friends, and remember that you’re here to do a job.”
Finn’s eyes crinkled with a smile. “I’m doing my job, all right – Pearl said that we were supposed to behave ourselves and make the women like us.” He gave a small nod back to the women. “They’re freaking loving me and I think I have a pretty good shot at taking all three of them to bed.”
“That’s not the job I was referring to,” I said. “We have twenty children that need us to be good role models. Did you know that two of them almost drowned before?”
“What?” Finn pivoted around to look at the water. “You’re kidding, right?”
“Yeah, although I don’t see the fun in leaving one teenager to look out for twenty kids on a beach. One of them could’ve drowned and you wouldn’t even have noticed.”
“Sorry.” At least he looked a little apologetic. “But nothing happened and now you and Archer are here, so leave me alone for a few hours, will ya?”
“No.” I shook my head. “We have two more days left of this trip and I need all five of us adults to work together and clean up the mess that stupid competition made. We need the children to become one group again.” I pointed my thumb over my shoulder. “Either you go say goodbye to those women, or I will say it for you.”
“Take it easy, mama bear, you look like you drank a whole glass of lemon juice.” Finn crossed his arms. “You really need to learn how to chill and enjoy life a little.”
Turning on my heels, I put on a sugar-sweet smile and walked back to the women with a sway in my hips. “I just want to offer my profound gratitude. It was so nice of you to entertain my fiancé. He’s been so down lately, and you really boosted his ego by talking to him.”
“He’s your fiancé?” one of the women asked me.
“Yes, but I’m a little embarrassed about it so don’t tell anyone, please.”
Finn cleared his throat behind me, but before he got a chance to speak up, I snaked my hand around his waist and leaned against him. “I’ve told Finn that women in the Motherlands don’t marry, but the Nmen are so old-fashioned in that sense.”
Finn gave me a wicked smile. “That’s right,” he said and slid his hand down to squeeze my behind, which made me jump. “We are terribly old-fashioned in some ways, and yet very open-minded in other areas.”
“When are you getting married?” the three women wanted to know.
“Oh, we’ll see.” I smiled up at Finn and batted my eyelashes. “First we have to find a doctor who can help Finn get rid of any sexually transmitted diseases that he might be carrying around.”
A gasp sounded from the women, and I felt Finn’s fingers pinch me hard.
“Darling, I should’ve never told you about my bladder infection,” Finn said with his eyes narrowed. “You keep confusing it with a sexually transmitted disease but it’s not, and it was five years ago.”
“That’s nice, honey.” I patted his chest and gave the women a last smile. “It was so nice meeting you all, and again thank you for being so welcoming to my soon-to-be-husband. I really appreciate it.”
I didn’t let go of Finn when I steered him back to our group, but I should’ve known my strategy came with a price. With a smug smile, his hand started going up until it reached my bikini top. “Since we’re apparently a couple now, I hope you don’t mind.” He chuckled.
“Get your fucking hands off her.” The deep male rumble had us both look up to see Archer with fury in his eyes.
“Relax,” Finn said with a disarming smile. “Kya just decided to do a little role-playing to get me back to the group. In fact, she just agreed to marry me.”
Archer should’ve known that Finn was joking, but he was fueled by possessive jealousy and didn’t ask questions before he attacked.
With a loud “Umph,” all the air was knocked out of Finn when he landed on his back with Archer on top of him.
“Fight, fight, fight,” the boys chanted and quickly circled around the growling and grunting men.
“Stop it!” I shouted in desperation. But when I tried to launch myself forward to pull them apart, Solomon grabbed me around my waist and dragged me back. He might only be a teenager, but he was taller than me and much stronger.
Archer and Finn were no longer rolling around on the ground, but fighting each other with kicks and punches, attracting an even bigger crowd than before. Even through my tears I could tell that the Motlanders were shocked at the aggressive behavior. Hands were covering their mouths, and they were bunching together like scared children.
And then Marco came running to the scene, throwing himself in the middle to split Archer and Finn apart. It was brave of him but he only managed to g
et punched in the nose himself. Blood was dripping on the white sand, making everything look even more dramatic.
“Move aside.” Varna and Cindy came storming in.
“Stop your aggression right this moment,” Cindy shouted, but right then Archer jumped up and gave a circle kick that sent Finn to the ground again.
Cindy held up her weapon and fired straight at Archer. He didn’t have a chance when the net covered him and tightened around him. Completely unable to move, he started throwing curses at Finn instead. “You fucking bastard, she’s my woman. If you touch her again, I’ll fucking kill you.”
My mouth went dry and I swallowed excessively when all eyes fell on me. So much for keeping our relationship a secret.
CHAPTER 23
Restrained
Archer
I had screwed up.
Pearl had warned us not to lose our temper. I was the mentor and I was supposed to be a good role model; plus, being in the Motherlands, I was representing not only myself but all my countrymen. Their chance to experience this, and have a future with the women, depended on me, Finn, and Marco.
Four hours ago we had been superstars, and now…
My chest heaved in a big sigh of shame and humiliation over what had happened on the beach. At least, I was no longer trapped in the net but in my own room, where I was trying to wrap my head around what happened.
“Are you feeling better now?” Cindy asked from her chair in the corner.
“Yeah, I guess so.” I rubbed my face and looked over at her. “Thank you for not shooting me for real.”
“No problem, we haven’t used lethal weapons for centuries.”
“Lucky for me.” I slid down to sit on the floor, my spine resting against the bed and my legs pulled up in front of me. “Do you usually stay and talk to the aggressor, like you did with me?”
“Yes, the procedure is to pacify the aggressor, and then help them find the way back to their calm self. Typically, if someone reaches an aggression level like yours, we would take them to a place of reflection where they would have time to center themselves again through meditation and rest.”
