Chapter 1

Learn about Echo Spencer, her family, her friends, and why she has to leave it all behind.

Terra Sol

               Sitting on the cliffs of Mt. Solstice, Echo was reminded of how fervently she loved her home. This side of the mountain was mostly rock and ferns, but the view offered her miles of tree tops and hills for her eyes to savor. A vivid imagination allowed her to touch the top of each giant tree and soar with the falcons into the horizon. In her fantasies she could lay on the top of the jungle and rest her feet in Serenity Lake to the west. The tops of the trees swayed left and right, revealing greens on every aspect of the spectrum. The breeze caressed her face as she tried to picture how soft or rigid the top of the Polyp trees might be. She could close her eyes and be transported mentally to anywhere on Terra Sol, but this was by far her favorite spot.  As she sat, reveling in her hypothetical adventures, the stone underneath her made her bottom sore and legs fall asleep. As beautiful as the cliffs were, streaked with lavender and blue, they did not make the perfect place to let the imagination train run rampant. Standing and stretching the stiffness from her limbs, Echo realized how the time had gotten away from her. Her siblings would be picking the guania fruit and herbs from the garden for dinner on the other side of the mountain, cursing her name for every minute she was not there to help. Subconsciously shaking off their supposed criticisms, she inhaled one last deep breath of the sweet summer air before kicking up the dirt on the trot back home. Her village was a couple of miles away, but her long legs would carry her there in minutes.

               Long legs, bronzed skin and dark hair were trade-marks of her home planet, but the almond shaped eyes and cat-like grace came from her family alone. As she approached the outskirts of their yard, she saw her sisters had their own raven mops braided down their backs and baskets of the deep orange fruit balanced on their heads.  She was too far away to see the looks on their faces as she approached the edge of the field and glad for it. Cocking one side of her mouth and clucking her tongue, Echo shook her head at her younger and mischievous sisters. From the right, her elderly neighbor, Stanza, waived to her across the clearing as she bounded toward the row of houses.

               “Hullo Stanza! “

               “Hullo, Echo. My you’ve grown like a Grover weed! Closing in on 6 foot it looks like. “

               “6’3 now, actually. Mum says I should stop any day now. Or at least, she hopes so. I think she’s tired of making longer clothes.” She gestured town her beige pants that were already about an inch too short. Although Echo was getting tall for her age, Stanza still trumped her by about 5 inches. He was known around the village as Stan-tree for his height and sturdy build. A rumor among the younger children was that Stanza would go into the forest when he dies and turn into a giant oak tree.

               “At least those little sprouts will have something to grow into.” Stanza offered. Experience had taught him there was no reason not to be optimistic.

               “Ha! No ways…the twins are too petite. Twigs they are. They will hit 6 foot if they’re lucky, but I doubt they will have any meat on their bones until they make little twins of their own.” Stanza chuckled at Echo’s honesty.

               “Blunt as a cliff, just like your father when he was a boy.” He patted her head before nodding back toward her modest home.

You better get back and help your mum while she’s still got you around.”

“You’re right. I was just on my way to help with dinner when you waved. I’ll see you later?”

“Oh definitely!” he grinned and revealed crooked teeth and laugh lines that proved the years may not have been easy, but he always took it in stride.

“At the very least I will be with the rest of the village to see you off.”

Not knowing what to say, she waived and headed home. The nostalgia that surrounded her on the south side of the mountain crept back into her eyes as she told Stanza goodbye.

The kitchen was already filled with a savory sweetness although her mum had just brought the guania and meat to a boil. Echo stopped for a moment just over the threshold to take a big whiff and allow her stomach to let loose a growl. Her mouth immediately watered as she visualized dinner and remembered how long ago breakfast had been. Soon the table would be set with hearty stew, cheese, bread and colorful conversation of the day’s events. She looked forward to hearing about her father’s day at the building yard almost as much as she was anticipating dipping her bread in the stew and sinking her teeth into the thick crust in order to reveal the luxuriously soft center. Later, the family would eat frozen sweet cream on the porch to counter the humidity of a Terra Sol night even though they would all undoubtedly be full. At the moment, however, everyone was going through the routine of washing hands, faces and even feet before dinner. Automatically, she took to the sink and started to scrub under her nails. Deep in thought, she almost didn’t notice the twins coming into the kitchen behind her an unloading their pickings for the day.

               “ This is what I will miss the most” Echo thought.

               “ Does everyone have rituals and routines? Will I know what to expect out there? Or will I always be caught off guard? What if the food is bad? What if…” A million negative possibilities flashed through her mind.

               “Echo!” she was taken out of her reprieve by a bump from the younger twin, Celia.

               “Stop daydreaming and help us set the table, Yah?” Echo gave her a bump back as she reached for the plates in the cupboard but stayed silent.

               “You’re not gone, yet, you know.” Claire, the older half, said with a sigh from the other side of the kitchen.

               “You still have responsibilities, just like the rest of us. I should put my wash in with yours for skipping the gardening today.”

               “You two made it out o.k. by the looks of it.” Echo replied while eyeing the heaping baskets of fruit waiting on the counter.

               “We could have been done in half the time and you know it.” Celia said with a scowl.

               “Don’t be such a whiner, Celia, or I’ll give you some of that cheese to chew on.”

               “You know she’s right, Echo. Are you going to abandon your chores on Delphime too?” Claire knowingly struck a nerve but didn’t back down from the fight.

               “We won’t have chores Claire. We have jobs. Like adults.” Echo replied as she bumped the older twin out of the way finish setting the table.

               “Brute!” Claire slammed the basket she was holding down on the floor, ready for the brawl.

               “Imp!” Echo’s eyes flashed, accepting the challenge.

               “You’re in for it now.” Celia warned no one in particular.

               “Girls!” Their mother called from outside.

               “ Separate yourselves immediately.”  The twins took to the sink while Echo backed up to her earlier post of setting up the table.

               “Claire. Celia. Come help me take the wash off the line until dinner is done. Echo, make sure the stew doesn’t stick.” With minimal protest all three girls moved around the kitchen, careful not to make contact. The twins would rather be outside anyway, even if it meant helping their mother with the wash. The evening was clear, unlike the humidity of the kitchen. Echo stirred the pot per her mother’s instructions, getting lost in her own mind again. Claire’s comment about Delphime (pronounced Del-feem) aggravated her more than she would ever admit. It was true she had skipped out on her fair share of chores before, but who didn’t? That didn’t make her irresponsible…right? No, she would complete all of her duties on the water planet. She straightened her back and strengthened her resolve to be the  best representative of Terra Sol she could be. Just as she was running through all of the worst possible scenarios that could arise while away from home for the third time that day, her father came banging his work shoes on the door. The dirt flew off in large chunks and pelted their door mat. She didn’t know why her father insisted on wearing such clunky things when most people went without shoes altogether. They fit his personality, though, as much as his sturdy build and short crop of hair did as well.

               “You ARE going to miss them, you know.” He began, bringing her mind away from Delphime and back to the argument between her sisters.

               “And they ARE going to miss you back.” He added, as if he could read her mind.

               “Yeah, well they sure don’t act like it.”  She strained herself not to roll her eyes.

               “Everyone expresses pain differently, Echo. What happens when you smash your fingers? What do you do?”  Abrahm eased into his “lecture” voice. Echo could feel that a life lesson was waiting in their midst to be captured and absorbed.

                “I yell. I probably kick whatever darned thing smashed them.” She said with a little smug pride. She learned young not to show pain or vulnerability when she was really hurt.                                                           

               “And what does Micha do when he smashes his?” Abram continued, plopping a berry into his mouth from the fruit bowl on the counter. He nonchalantly looked over his shoulder to make sure his wife wasn’t picking in to see him spoil his dinner.

               “Cries. Because he’s 10.” She said with strong redundancy. Where was he going with this?

               “And what does your mother do when she’s hurt?” She had to think for a moment. When was the last time she had seen her mum hurt? Quin was the toughest woman she knew, and the best mum because of it.

               “I don’t know.” She finally answered.“Nothing I guess. Mum is too strong to kick or cry or scream.”

               “Your mother is strong, that’s true. But she does feel pain.” And after a moment, “She sings when she’s hurt, Echo. She spouts joy and emotion to cover the pain.” Some distant memory danced behind her father’s eyes for a second, and then was gone.

               “The girls are hurting, so they hurt something else. It’s their own way of dealing with pain. And maybe if they hate you enough by the time you leave they won’t miss you once you’re gone.” He said with the wisdom of a man who had hurt and been hurt enough in his lifetime to know what pain was and how it operated in a person.

               “That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. Isn’t it better to love someone while you have them and miss them while their gone, than to hate them forever?” Echo was instantly angry and frustrated at how anyone could choose to be hateful on purpose. Abram smiled to himself.

               “That’s the real question, isn’t it?”  Echo opened her mouth to question him further, but the twins, little Micha and her mother all came into the kitchen at once, prepared to eat.

               Later, as the six of them ate frozen sweet cream on the porch under the gathering clouds, echo heard the cicadas begin to buzz and girls started up an old village serenade they all learned in school. With all of her favorite things in place and her departure looming in the distance, Echo wished desperately for something to kick.

 

               As soon as the eastern sky began to fade into dawn, Echo was racing across the village toward orange-leaf ridge. Of all the realms, those from Terra Sol (Solars) were the quickest. Echo was especially fast on long, muscular legs that were practiced on the rough terrain of the mountain. Millie was already on the ridge, one knee to the stone and one propped up on which to rest her hands, manipulating a few pebbles at her feet with her eyes closed. All of the Solars could manipulate the elements of their natural world, but none were encouraged to do so past their mentoring years. She doubted her parents even knew how to anymore. Once the planets decided to begin the age of peace, manipulating was strongly frowned upon. The Solar Soldiers had used their abilities to fight the other forces from Delphime and Airedessa. Now, manipulating was associated with the war and pain and death. If any of the elders knew that Millie and Echo practiced like this, they would have them put in work camps that same day. Pushing aside thoughts of the war and the elders, Echo mimicked Millie’s position, placing her left knee on the stone, bowing her head and finding her center. Within moments she too was reaching inwardly for the stones that Millie was manipulating in small circles. Millie had began to push herself further- out into the jungle where she could wave branches, blow up leaves and twirl sticks. Still, a small part of Millie kept moving the stones. That is, until Echo fought her to take over. Frustration marked Millie’s brow as she tried to regain control and the soil down the slope of the ridge began to shift. Millie cracked an eye to see a smug smile resting on Echo’s face. Millie knew she was losing the battle and had no choice but to break pose and push Echo over and down the slope. Any fight that Millie was going to lose was not a fight she intended to see the end of. Echo tumbled a short way and landed with a laugh and an oomph.

“You damned cheater!” She shouted up to Millie as she brushed off her knees and pulled leaves out of her hair.

“It wasn’t supposed to be a competition! You just always make it into one.” She crossed her arms over her chest, knowing she was in the right for pushing Echo off her high horse. Literally. In minutes Echo was back up the slope, confident smirk still in place. Her tan shorts were a little dirtier than before, but she didn’t really care.

“That’s because you never share.” She countered, while pulling the elastic band off of the end of Millie’s braid in a flash. In one motion she stretched the band and shot it off her thumb and into the jungle. Millie didn’t bother to watch it go, knowing it wasn’t coming back.

“I would tell you to go find it, but I know you won’t”

“Yeah, and I would tell you to stop pushing me down hills, but I know you won’t do that either.” With the girlish affection of childhood friends, Mille barely held back a smile and shook her head.

“Oh what ever will I do when you’re gone my dear, sweet Echo? I will have so much peace and quiet, I might become the most powerful Solar in the village.” Echo took a step and put a bronzed arm around her best friend’s shoulders.

“Calm, temperate Millie,” Echo began, mimicking Millie’s earlier sarcasm, making her giggle despite herself.

“The village isn’t ready for a practiced Manipulator such as you. Honestly, they are all lucky I have been here to hold you back all this time.”

Millie flinched a little on the inside. Echo had never held her back and they both knew it. Even though Millie had spent double the time studying, practicing, and training, Eco had always been a little….better. Maybe some small part of her subconscious was jealous, but she stifled it with every other inch of her will. Echo had not only been her biggest competition for the past 18 years, but also her greatest friend. She had never made her feel inferior or second best. On the contrary, Millie knew she was better in every way because Echo had pushed her to her best. Now that she knew what determination and hard work felt like when they were pushing through her veins, she could never settle for being a village house wife.

“Oh yeahs, I’m sooo grateful for you protecting the village from me.” Millie kept up the dripping sarcasm that was present in many of their conversations. Her voice oozed intolerance, but her eyes shown with love.

“Smartass.” Echo pursed her lips and gave her a little shove on the shoulder. “I can’t stay long, I want to go see the little ones before orientation. I doubt I will have time to go back again before…” Echo didn’t have to finish her sentence for Millie to know how she was feeling or what she was thinking.”

“Before you start the greatest adventure of EITHER of our lives? Before you make your way to the capital to become the greatest socio-cultural analyst this system has ever seen? Either of those options will suffice for an ending to that sentence.” She was attempting to draw Echo’s mind away from the negative. A place Millie knew Echo had been visiting far too often lately.

“Yeah, something like that.” Her eyes and heart trailed over to the jungle, that thick trees and ferns she loved so much.

“How can you be so down all of a sudden? You’ve been working toward this internship since you were twelve.”

Echo ran a hand through the loose strands of hair that had escaped her braids and blew out an exasperated breath. Where to begin? Or could she even start to explain to Millie something she didn’t understand herself?

“It’s just the twins…and mom…and Stanza…” She stuttered and searched for words.

“So, it’s everyone?”

“Yes! I mean…Well, no, it’s not them… I mean…I’m not sure.”

Millie cocked a dark and amused eyebrow. Echo was never flustered. Finally, after a prolonged and heavy silence, she turned to face her head on and spew the conflicting emotions fighting inside of her.

“I just don’t want anything to change, you know? Grover Village and Terra sol are all I have known for…well forever. Yeah, I know we’ve studied the other realms in our mentoring, but it’s not the same. I just have this feeling that as soon as I leave nothing is going to be the same. That’s terrifying! Yet, I’m so incredibly excited. And then I’m guilty because I’m incredibly excited. But why am I feeling guilty? Everyone told me to go, and I know it’s the right thing to do. It’s the smart thing to do. But the twins have already started acting weird. I don’t think Micha really knows how long I will be gone, or he would be acting up too.” Echo had sat on the edge of the ridge before starting in on her monologue, and Millie joined her in an empathy stance.

“It’s just a year. It’ll be over before you know it.” Echo loved Millie’s positivity, but found it hard to convince her heart that year would pass unnoticed.

“And besides,” Millie continued, “You will probably be too busy to miss us once you’re gone. We’ve all memorized your schedule and there is only one break.” This time Echo knew she was at least partially right. She could recite the preliminary schedule from memory two days after receiving it in the mail upon acceptance into the internship. She ran through the coming year in her mind, even though she knew Millie was right about the number of scheduled home visits.               

Month 1- Intensive Orientation

Month 2- Preliiminary studies of rural areas.

Month 3- Intensive studies of rural areas. Ages 0-15

Month 4- Intensive studies of rural areas. Ages 15-30

Month 5- 3 weeks of intensive studies. Ages 30-50

[1 Week Home Visit]

Month 6- Preliminary studies of Urban Areas.

Month 7-Intensive studies of Urban Areas. Ages 0-15

Month 8- Intensive studies of Urban Areas. Ages 15-30

Month 9- Intensive Studies of Urban Areas. Ages 30-50

Month 10- Free Rang Studies-Area of Choice.

Month 11-Free Range Studies-Area of Choice.

Month 12- Exit Interviews, Assessments and Qualified Screening.

The last phrase always made her heart jump a little. Qualified Screening meant you successfully qualified to move into the second phase of the internship. Less than half of the interns accepted to study on Delphime were able to move on to Airedessa. And of those, only a handful was able to work for the capital.

“I’ve waited my whole life to travel outside Terra Sol. This isn’t a mistake, right?” She asked herself for the millionth time. Instinctively, she turned her head a little to see Delphime hovering in the distance. As the sun came up over the eastern horizon, Delphime was beginning to disappear to the south. The turquoise and silver of the watery planet glowed in the light of the fresh morning sun. Millie turned to look at the disappearing realm as well, sensing the beauty and majesty of their great star system. All at once Echo felt that something amazing and horrible was waiting out there for her, and she didn’t know if the feeling of awe or terror would consume her first.