Outside the dome, the sky was vivid blue against the red-orange soil, two stripes of color that mixed on contact, where the dust was blown up into the sky. Alice stared up into the endless, brilliant blue, mesmerized. The wind ripped her laughter from her lips. She opened her arms to it, letting it pelt her with the dust.
“Alice!”
The faraway voice just barely penetrated the sound of rushing wind that filled her ears.
“Alice Feesam!”
She closed her eyes against the bright sky, took a deep gulp of the air, and turned around. Her father, standing as close to the dome as possible, glared at her through his breath mask.
Alice took her sweet time walking back to him. With the wind now at her back, her dress ballooned out in front of her. She pushed it down, laughing. Finally, she was close enough for him to lunge forward and grab her arm.
“Inside! Now!” he barked, and fled into the dome.
The door hissed as it sealed behind them. Alice’s father, still holding her arm, shoved her against the wall. She didn’t meet his eyes.
“What were you thinking? If I have told you once, I’ve told you a million times, you do not leave the dome without your mask!”
“It’s only oxygen, Daddy,” she told him.
“It’s only a whole lot of oxygen! I mean, look at you, giggling like an idiot. You’ll be useless for half an hour. Thanks to you, we aren’t going to open on time tonight. What the hell were you doing out there, anyway?”
Alice giggled, and showed him her hands, bright orange with dust.
“I was getting a tan,” she said.
He looked at her skin and clothes, all coated, and let go of her arm in disgust. He checked his own hand, horrified to see that it, too, was stained.
“You are a complete disaster!” Careful not to get his hands any dirtier, he pulled her off he wall, and shoved her in the general direction of their house. “Clean up, sober up, and get to work in the next fifteen minutes. Just go. I’ll deal with you later.”
Twenty minutes later, clean, calm, and in a fresh dress, Alice let herself in the back door of Sam’s Restaurant, her parents’ business.
The kitchen was in chaos. Dirty dishes and pans were piled everywhere. A short woman in a stained uniform snapped instructions at two young girls. One was failing miserably on the cutting board, ruining ingredients and nicking her fingers. The other had set a soup on fire.
Alice slipped into the kitchen and extinguished the soup.
“Should I get rid of this, Mama?” she asked.
“Finally, she arrives!” the woman declared. “Just skim the top off and leave the rest. Then get yourself on that cutting board.” Her mother turned to the two girls. “It’s under control now, no thanks to you. Go back to your dishes. I’ll get the pastries started.”
Alice carried the huge soup pot to the sink, skimmed the top down the drain as she was told, and sampled what was left. It was awful. She lingered. The two girls paused in their dishwashing to watch her. Alice held a finger to her lips, and they nodded, returning to work twice as loudly as before. Alice poured the entire pot down the drain.
“How many do we have today?” Alice asked as a distraction, as she refilled the pot as quickly as she could.
“All the usuals,” the short woman replied, working away. “Plus about six of the occasionals. And a new girl. She made a reservation.”
“That’s odd. Is she from the oxy industry?”
“No, something else.”
Alice replaced the pot on the stove, and dashed to the cutting board. For a minute, the room was filled with nothing but the sounds of knives and water and her mother’s heavy rolling pin.
“I’ve got the veggies for you, Mama,” Alice said, sliding them into a bowl. “How do you know she’s not oxy?”
“Get the cheese, too, Alice. She’s not dressed right for oxy. Too pretty. And she’s alone.”
Inside the restaurant, Elliott Serona had made herself comfortable in a corner booth, amusing herself with her handheld computer.
“Here you are, mum!” the waitress, Michelle, chirped from right next to Elliott’s shoulder, startling her. She set a little vegetable pie in front of the woman, refilled her glass, and went on her way.
Elliott put away her handheld and dug in.
“She was looking at charts,” Michelle informed Alice, picking up the next plates.
“Hold on, those aren’t quite done yet.” Alice fiddled with the garnishes to stall her. “What sort of chart? What was on it?”
“I think prices. And places and times.”
“Were we on there? With the places?”
“Yeah, at least half of them.”
“Alice, quit fooling around and deal with these desserts!” her mother bellowed.
“All right, go,” said Alice, and Michelle did. “Maybe she’s looking at courier jobs,” Alice suggested, to no one in particular.
Michelle cleared away Elliott’s empty plates, replacing them with the main course.
“Excellent, thank you,” said Elliott. The waitress turned to go. “I beg your pardon,” Elliott continued, “but I wonder if you have any saffron? I know it’s a long shot, but I thought it couldn’t hurt to ask.”
“I’ll check with the kitchen.”
“Hey! We got any saffron?” Michelle shouted at the kitchen in general, already loading her arms with the next dishes to go out.
“Why?” called Alice’s mother, slamming down more dough onto the counter.
“The fancy girl wants some.”
“I have a little,” said Alice. She glanced over the four pans on the stove, determined that none of them would be in danger if she left for a few seconds, and hopped on a step stool to pull a little jar out of a top cupboard.
Her mother snatched it from her, and tossed it at Michelle; Alice cried out, but miraculously, Michelle caught it. She left, and Alice’s mother turned on her.
“Got your own stash of spices, do you?” she asked. Alice couldn’t help staring at the gigantic rolling pin that her mother still held.
“Just a few,” Alice squeaked. “Just in case.”
The other waitress burst in with new orders, and Alice gave a sigh of relief as her mother turned back to work.
“Your father can deal with you later,” her mother said. Alice was less relieved.
Michelle presented the saffron to Elliott with a grin.
“Brilliant! Thank you so much. I’m amazed you had it. But then, this has been an amazing meal.” Elliott added it to her dish as Michelle basked in her praise. “I say, might I chat a bit with your chef afterwards? My own cook could use a few tips.”
Michelle frowned.
“I’ll check, ma’am.”
Alice had been banished back to the cutting board, the most boring and least rewarding part of cooking, where she muttered to herself about saffron.
“Where does it grow? I know I was reading about it just the other day…wherever it’s from, that has to be where she’s from…”
“Oi!” Michelle burst back into the kitchen. “The lady wants to talk with ‘the chef’ after dinner!”
“Why?” asked Alice’s mother.
“I think she wants the recipes,” she answered, taking the plates and heading out again.
“Ask if she’s from Jetra!” Alice called after her.
“Hmph,” said Alice’s mother, turning back to her work. All of the recipes were originally Alice’s. “Hmph!” she said again.
“You’re much too busy, Mama—” Alice began.
“I certainly am!” her mother interrupted. “Who does she think she is, anyway? Just marching right in, making demands…”
“Mama, since you’re too busy, why don’t you send me? Surely she doesn’t need you, I can manage.”
“You certainly can, girl. Yes, you sort this woman out when we’re all done, and then go straight to your father. We can handle clean-up tonight.”
“You can talk to Alice when we’re closing,” Michelle declared, refilling Elliott’s glass. “Which reminds me, Alice wanted me to ask if you were from Jetra, ma’am.”
“I am, in fact, and I wonder how she knew.”
“Oh, she always does that. Her mama’s the head cook, but Alice is the only one with any brains,” she confided, “but you didn’t hear it from me!”
“Thank you, I have no idea where I got such an idea,” said Elliott, giving the girl a wink. “I would be glad to talk to Alice. May I wait here until you close? I promise to tip you very well.”
“It’s no problem, ma’am. I’ll let Alice know.”
Elliott did indeed stay all the way through to closing time, ordering little snacks and caffeinated drinks, poking away at her handheld to pass the time. Alice’s mother became increasingly furious the longer she stayed, until Alice half-feared she wouldn’t wait until they were home before the beatings began.
Finally, it was time for clean-up, and Alice was released.
Alice, bearing two glasses of juice, approached Elliott’s table.
“Hello, my dear!” said Elliott, rising to extend a hand. “You must be Alice.”
Alice shook her hand gently.
“Hello. Yes, I am. And you are—?”
“Elliott Serona.”
“I am pleased to make your acquaintance.” Alice gave Elliott one of the glasses, and they both sat. Alice sipped her drink.
“Likewise. Now, I understand you are the only speck of talent on this planet?”
“I beg your pardon?” Alice’s glass made a loud thud as she put it back on the table.
“Sorry, sorry, that wasn’t kind,” said Elliott, waving her hand as if she could wave away the last few seconds. “I understand you came up with all the delicious things I’ve eaten today?”
“I didn’t prepare them all, ma’am, but they are my recipes,” Alice answered, then began her own interrogation. Politely, of course. “Are you a chef?”
“No, no, just interested in hiring one. Any chance you’re interested in being hired?”
Inwardly, Alice sighed; she could never leave this little moon. It was really too bad. Still, this woman looked interesting. Alice reclaimed control of the conversation.
“What sort of work do you do?” she asked.
“I own a ship, do my best to make money with it.”
“Oxy?”
“What?”
“Do you buy and sell oxygen?”
“No, no, we’re sort of freelance merchants. Oxygen takes special containers, it’s corrosive, and you’re best dealing in bulk. Why…? Oh, yes, that’s your major export here. I’ve never been here before, you see.”
Alice smiled to herself; Elliott was telling her a lot more than she was telling Elliott. She was enjoying the conversation—getting people to talk was one of her favorite pastimes.
“So what sorts of things do you deal in?” she asked.
“Whatever’s a good deal. Vera does a lot of medicines, I mostly like produce—”
“Are you an expert in fruits?” Alice cut in. If so, then this conversation could be more than just a bit of fun.
“A bit, I suppose. Why?”
“I want to show you something,” she said, and stood.
Review item
Add to faves
Ratings & Rankings
