Page 45 of Summer

GENELLE

Ihead to Mother’s sitting room after tea, surprised to see my father sitting on her chaise lounge. He looks out of place on the delicate furniture, his bulk strange amongst my mother’s dainty decorations.

“Sit,” she says by way of greeting, motioning me to an armchair across from her. She perches on the edge of the chaise, careful to avoid touching Father.

“You’ve had no male callers,” she remarks. “No one has written on your dance card, no one has shown interest.”

“No,” I agree. I’d hoped she’d moved on from this, instead focusing on Aaoric’s impending wedding. I couldn’t wait to see her face when the carriage blew up, and all her hopes and aspirations with it.

“Then we must take drastic measures,” she says, shooting a gaze to Father. I suck in a breath. This is what I’ve been waiting for, what I’ve been dreading. They’ll choose a male suitor for me, and we’ll be wed, possibly sight unseen. My head spins at the thought of it – will I be whisked away from my childhood home? Put up in some manor on the outer edges of Hothin? Or worse – another planet?

The thought of leaving this place, of never seeing the swaying purple grass again opens a chasm in my chest. My vision blurs as Father rummages about his pockets, likely to show me a photo of the male I’m to be chained to. Bile rises in my throat at the thought of being touched by a male, being courted, being made to have babies.

Please be old and die soon, I beg.

Father finds what he’s looking for – a pamphlet. He flattens it on his thigh before extending it to me. It takes all my resolve not to fall over as I reach for it, my hands shaking.

The Frindun Boarding School for Young Females.

I blink – surely this is a mistake. I am no young female, I’m old enough to be a spinster. I should have two children by now. Why are they showing me this pamphlet? I turn it over in my hands, expecting something to fall out of it. The somber faces of young females look back at me, their gazes downturned. I’ve seen this pamphlet before, on my father’s desk when I was searching for Summer’s file.

A reform school.

“Frindun is a wonderful reform school on the outer part of the galaxy. It’s known for turning around difficult females and making them more acceptable members of society,” Mother says, and her tone is…proud? Have they donated to the school? Did they fund it? So many questions swirl about my head, but I’ve no idea where to begin.

“What does this have to do with me?” I ask. One moment we were talking about my lack of prospects, the next…a school? Nearly the length of the galaxy away?

“They’re in need of teachers,” Father says. “Since you’re too old to charm even the lowest of class males, we’ve had to look elsewhere. We can’t have you sitting about this estate, doing nothing.”

Doing nothing? How dare he!

My fist closes over the pamphlet, crinkling it. My instincts scream at me to calm myself, not to show my anger. Surely I can be sensible with my parents; surely they can see reason.

“I don’t understand,” I grind out. It pains me to act so calm, even as my fingernails dig into the pamphlet. Mother’s gaze darts from my hand to my face, her eyes narrowed. “I have duties here. Surely that is a contribution worth keeping me around.”

“Summer can learn those,” Father says, waving his hand dismissively.

My grip loosens on the pamphlet. Summer. Summer will be dead as far as my family knows. They’ll have me spend the next two weeks training her to cover what I know – which will take far more than two weeks – and then she’ll be dead. My spot is secured.

“Very well,” I say. Every bound muscle in my body relaxes at the knowledge that this will never come to pass. They’ll pack my bags and ready me to leave, and then the carriage will explode, Aaoric will go into mourning for as long as he can, and I’ll remain here – doing what I love.

I bite back a smile. They think they’ve cowed me, but for once I have the upper hand.

“Splendid,” Father says and claps his hands. Two attendants step forward and bow low to me. “These two will escort you to the ship. There’s no need to pack your things, they have a strict dress code.”

“The ship? But – what about training Summer?” The fear I just barely leashed rears again, my vision splitting into two. There are suddenly four attendants before me, my father’s massive bulk is spread across two chaise lounges, and my mother dances along the edges of my vision.

“I’ll train her, it’s not as though it’s a difficult job,” Father scoffs. He stands and nods to the two attendants, who wait patiently for me to stand. “The school is most eager to have you. It’s hard to find learned ladies that wish to help their cause.”

“Now?” My voice…I don’t recognize it. It’s tiny, meek, pained. Mother’s nose wrinkles at the sound of it. She shakes her head, muttering under her breath. I catch snippets of it – weak, ridiculous, spinster.

“Well yes – now. When else would you go?” Father presses.

“What about…Aaoric’s wedding?” I manage.

“What about it?” Father asks.

“It’s a momentous occasion, he’s finally to be married. All your hard work will have paid off,” I lick my lips, my mind whirring for a reason to stay. Work him up, compliment him, exalt him. That’s how you win with Father. “I do not want to miss it. Mother has planned such a beautiful…”