"Aronna, have a good day at school!"

"Oh, I will! We are going to the Spaceport today!" I wanted to tell my family more, but Adia walked too fast. The walk was fast with her and Maia, and Mutti and Vatti. But Adia in her purple dress already walked far towards the big Aud. All our white buildings of Eicken looked alike if not for the square parks with plants.

Maia hugged our parents first, and people stared at her red hair. So happy mine is blond like Mutti's, but I would not like to have silver streaks. Her green eyes are pretty, and her light green dress sets them off, Mutti says. But I am happy to have blue eyes like them.

I hugged Mutti. "Will you make more animals today?"

She smiled. "I am always making new ones, but no one can see them. They are a secret. See you this afternoon! Guten Tag!

Vatti picked me up. "Oh, you are heavy! Soon you will be 8 and I cannot lift you then!"

I giggled but they frowned. We must not laugh much.

Vatti offered Mutti the arm. Why is his hair all silver? I try to ask and they frown, so I cannot. Vatti is tall and Mutti, short. Already the server tells me I am taller than my sisters were at 7. Will I be tall like Vatti when I am grown? But I must not ask the server many questions. I may think of one tonight.

Maia walked to the last park square and it was empty. "Where is the giraffe?" Such a funny word for an animal.

"Oh, Aronna, he was old. Off to school, now!" She hugged me.

"Why can't you walk all the way to Eicken School?"

She shook her head. "One must have a reason to walk further into Eicken Complex and I work from home. Go, or you will be late!" With a smile, she went back towards the Residence Rows. Maybe I will ask the server tonight why we walk past so many empty buildings!

This part of my walk has no flowers tempting me to swing on them. Our playground has them, though. Since I am 7 now, Vatti does not let me swing. So much I do not understand. Last year I could ask many questions. I don't like being older, if I can only ask them in school!

Blue sky will not last. Already clouds gather to hide Sun1. Sun2 is still bright, though. I want to run, but I am 7 and must show restraint, like an Eicken lady. I want to run like a Kleideu lady, though! Vatti says we cannot visit Aunt Sia for the festival. I am so disappointed. Last year we went and danced and had such fun!

At least it is warm and I don't wave the jacket. This is the east end of the Spaceport. The plains past Lilmerica into the Barrens before finally becoming Kleideu in the distance were brown and barren. Greens, blues, and bright petals of the large flowers beside walkways and houses pleased me better. I like our flowers with their bluestems that tower over us. Holograms of old Ohio showed tiny flowers and streets of mud. Maybe I will ask to see one for tonight's question. Why can't we see them as often as we like? Vatti says storage is a problem.

I looked back towards the whitish, boxy homes. They all looked the same, rooftops slightly convex. Maia walked and Ossy walked away from him. He's mean. Why does she even talk to him? She says I must be polite. If he was nice, I would be!

But, as I walked, Roch came. "Hallo, Aronna!" He gave a bow.

"Hallo, Roch!" I curtsied. Then, he offered an arm to me and I put my hand on it. We passed another empty park.

"I wish we had animals to look at. Maybe Mutti will make one for the empty parks."

"I wish she would! My bruder Mike says when he was our ages, half of them had animals!"

"Half! Did he take a holo?"

"No one can take a holo! He says storage is small now. Mama and Papa say soon we cannot take a holo on our birthday every year."

That made me sad, but here came Davon. "Hallo!" Rock bowed.

Davon shoved him. "You act like an adult! We are children—"

But our simulant rolled to us. "Davon, act politely. It is time for class now."

Davon bowed, but when she led us up the walk, he frowned at her.

"That will not do," she said without looking. Why do they make simulants that don't look like a person? Her body was round and only had arms when she wanted to pick up something. And her head was just shiny silver with no eyes or mouth, yet she talked. Last year I did not think about it. This year it bothers me.

We did not go into our school. The doors were open and other children entered with their teachers. "Today we see the Spaceport first. Class 6, come."

I loved when we went in Eicken Project, but we only walked down one hall and Security asked us to leave after only a few decimins. I hoped to see Mutti's office, or Adia's, or Vatti's. We saw empty laboratories with long tables and chairs. No one worked there. Why? Teacher said no questions. We looked, and we left.

But the Spaceport! I hoped to see ships!

Teacher led us down a walkway to the east of school. Soon there was a fence. I had never seen a fence. Davon touched it, so I did.

"Davon! Hands down. Do not touch the fence. Aronna! Do not touch the fence!"

"Yes, Teacher." I put my hands at my sides. The feel of cold metal that made squares left my fingers cold. And it is blue, like some ships. I am glad I got to touch it, once. I will not let my parents see that I disobeyed, but Davon has more fun. I like fun!

We followed, but on the other side of that fence was not grass, but it looked like glass in the sun. Different colors in round shapes.

"Once we had ships that burned the ground, and it made glass. Now our ships have better propulsion. See, there is an Otherworlder's ship."

Far from us was a green saucer. Such a pretty green, like my sister Maia's eyes. Adia and Maia look exactly alike, but Maia's are green and Adia's are very bright blue. Their red hair even curls in the same places.

Davon got too close to the fence and Teacher made him move with us. I wish I was brave like him! But Vatti would not like that. He talks about society and that we must conform so all of us can live, and he talks about things forever that I don't understand.

Another ship landed with a bang! This one was gray and had a dent. If he lands like that, maybe there are more dents on it! A hatch clanged. Out came a man in blue robes. Oh, a trader.

"What are you looking at? Let a man work, pah!" He waved, and silver boxes moved onto the ground from inside. I couldn't see in.

Another man went to him. "Trader Asha, here is your trade." That man wore a blue uniform like Vatti's.

The man wasn't happy. "You said 500trade! I wish to see a TS Inspector!"

Another man came in a black robe. "What is the problem?"

"Gerhard said 500trade for my spices and I have 450!"

"You should be happy for 450. This is an honest trade."

"I have children to feed!"

"Then, leave, before I call Otherworlder Authorities!"

"I will complain on Elshar Mashai to TS!"

Another man came and waved. "Now you have 500 and may go. Gerhard, you must give an agreed price. Sigfried, you must call me to handle disputes."

"I cannot bother you with every Elshar who comes—"

"Are you a TS Inspector, sent from Elshar Mashai? Habis ha, stay in your place! You may only see Areonian traders."

"But many Elshars have Areonian—"

"Do you know how to read? See his Alliance record!" He waved and a holo of the man rotated slowly.

"I cannot do that or an energy inspector will audit my office!"

"Pah, call me and I will talk to the energy inspector. I have the ear of Mirado and Leader Ter!" They all got quiet. I never saw adults argue, ever!

Teacher led us back near the parks around our school. "You may play here, but do not leave this park." A snaky hand pointed to one park. Only one? Usually, she lets us go five to each of five! Class 6 is bigger than the other classes. But, we all went in it. Not enough room to run.

Mari organized us into five groups to play a game. I was with Davon and Roch, and the Koch twins. They pushed us over the curb! "Aronna Play-line! Aronna Play-line!" I hated when they started that!

Davon pulled me to another park. Roch followed because they chanted "Rock-head! Rock-head, stupid as a rock!" Teacher let them say whatever they wanted. If we argued, Teacher would take us to empty rooms.

He stood with his back to them. "I have a secret. Want to see?"

Roch pulled me closer. "Ja, I want to see! I wish we could go away from Kochs! It is so unfair!"

Davon pulled his blond hair on both sides and his eyes crossed.

Roch laughed! "What do you do?" Suddenly, we stood in a large building. An empty building with one blue saucer.

A furry ball walked to us. It was red with huge green eyes!

Davon laughed. "I didn't know if that would work! This must be a hangar, like Vatti showed us!"

Roch grabbed his arm. "You should not say a shortword! Teacher might hear."

"Telepathy doesn't work in a hangar! Vatti says a lot of shortwords here when he works to repair ships! He showed me memories. There are no EDs in here! Look around!"

I looked, and the big machines were not floating. Some sat along one wall. Other ships had hatches open, but no workers. There was dust on the floor, and we left footprints! I never saw that! And the EDs were smaller than us. Not the big ones taller than us and fatter. Some leaked smelly green stuff.

The furry ball laughed! Davon ran and he chased him, then Davon chased him back to us. Others came out. They were different colors. We played and got very breathless, and no simulant came to fuss!

"I like your secret, Davon! But Teacher will be unhappy." I hugged the red one and he purred. "This one likes me. People used to have pets, in old Ohio! I wish I could take him home. But Vatti would not hear of it! In the Market, I saw Elshar traders like Uncle Asha, and they always have a slopfah and maybe a gelsai following them."

"Oh, slopfahi smell bad! That green fur is soft. I'd rather pet a gelsai. They trill like these animals. But these are softer!" Davon hugged a spotted one and he trilled like a gelsai. "Oh, he heard my memories!"

Roch hugged one that was a ticked pattern in brown and white, and he trilled a song! "Bahie Rish used to have a gelsai, but he died. That's his song!" He sighed. "But, we will have trouble when we go back to school. Davon, we should go." He stopped hugging his and came to the spot where we were first.

Davon did the same.

I patted mine's head. "Thank you. I had fun! How long is it since we could run like that?" I walked to Davon and Roch.

He followed me. "I have to go. You have to stay here so they will not see you. How did you get us here, Davon?"

"I saw one of them in a park as I walked home yesterday. When I followed him, I was here. But I thought of home, and I was there. He taught me to think hard.

Then I felt it. We all thought of the school and wanting not to get caught.

We appeared in that park with the Kochs jeering. Teacher led us into the school. She's not going to fuss?