[Ben - Twenty Paradise years later]

"Oh, crap. It's Andrea. What was she doing at my parents' house?" I muttered to myself as I ambled up the walkway.

She shuffled down the walk with head downcast, wiping her eyes. I think she was crying. Women can be so emotional. We did just break up but I thought she agreed with it. Well, didn't actually say so, or anything at all for that matter. She just stood there with her lower lip quivering. But she didn't say no.

I smiled and waved to her as we passed. That didn't appease her. All got in return was an icy glare. I walked up to the front door, glad that looks really don't kill. It looked like Mom enlarged the flower beds that lined the front of the house and Dad built a new wooden swing under the porch overhang. He must have found some time in between all the infrastructure projects for the alien initiative, of whatever they called it. As if aliens would want to come here.

The houses built long ago by the terraform project team and provided to the settlers when they first arrived were plain and without style.  They looked like ancient dome roofed mud huts, and in a way they were. Each was robotically printed using a mixture of local aggregate and clay fused with a binding agent. Dad added on to the house with each new member of the family and Mom made it feel like a home. I have my own place by the university now, but it felt good to come home now and then, except perhaps after an emotional ex-girlfriend just dropped in.

Eve greeted me at the door with that stupid taunting smile of hers. She put a fake dreamy look on her face, shook her long dark hair back, put her palms to her cheeks, and said in a sarcastic melodramatic tone, "Oh, Ben. Don't leave me. I am so in love with you..." No longer able to maintain the act, she broke out in laughter. My next younger sister, Luna, laughed too. Sisters can be so irritating.

Not all my sisters. The youngest one by many years, Nova, bounded over and jumped up on my back. I reached to pull her around and slung her over my shoulder. She squealed all the way. "Hey, squirt. At least I have one nice sister." Well, maybe at least until the estrogen surge hits.

Luna came up in my face with her own version of a smirk. "Mom wants to see you. You are in so much trouble."

Dad, sitting on the couch, waved at me as I came into the living room. Mom hugged me. Then she narrowed her eyes and furled her brow: the 'mom glare'. I am an adult living on my own but it still makes me want to cower in a corner. I don't know why it gets to me that way - must have been psychologically imprinted at a young age. Dad was easier going.

My sisters peered in around the corner. Mom pointed at them and said, "Give us some privacy, girls."

They disappeared but I am sure not far.

Mom sighed. "Andrea was just here. She was quite upset."

"She was? Well, we just broke up."

"Ben, you've got to quit leading these women on. It's not fair to them."

I lifted my hands up. "Honest, Mom. I was straight with her. We started going out just to have fun. But after a while she got clingy and was, like, naming our future children."

"Are you sure she understood and agreed with your conditions? Did you actually discuss this?"

"Umm, well, not exactly in words. But I'm sure she knew."

Mom rolled her eyes. "Ben, you need to have these conversations upfront like a responsible adult. Andrea was the third one of my students who has come crying to me."

Dad spoke up with a grin. "This has always been the curse of Finn men. Women keep throwing themselves at us."

Dad got the 'mom glare'. This rarely happens, but it affects him as well.

I suppressed a grin as he gulped. "Your mom is right, Ben. Good communication is important."

Mom rolled her eyes again as she shook her head, but a small smile came to her. Without turning, she said, "Girls, I know you were listening in. You can come in now."

They trudged into the living room with slightly widened eyes. Nova seemed concerned, giving us those big eyes that sometimes looked so innocent. "Mom, is Ben in trouble?"

The second oldest sister mumbled to her. "Nova, Ben is trouble."

Mom lowered her eyebrows. "That's enough, Luna." She knelt down before Nova. "This is an example of why talking things over is so important."

Eve lifted an eyebrow and put a hand to her chin as if to make a thoughtful point. "You know, Ben, if you would bring your girlfriends around to us we could tell them what a butt-head you are and then they would want to break up with you."

That's actually not a bad idea...

Eve clamped her mouth shut as Mom stood up and gave her the 'mom glare'.

Mom turned to me. "Moving on, I found out who your partner will be for your bio survey project. It is Kie Loren. I had her in my Botany class. She is smart, although a little quiet."

Every young person in Paradise was expected to do some sort of useful service project, usually as part of school. I had put mine off hoping no one would notice, but they did. I drew a biological survey near the south glaciers. I supposed that was inevitable, given that I am the son of the Terraform Director.  But Kie as a partner? She would be no fun.

"That little ice queen? Most of my friends call her 'Mouse'. I don't think she even likes me."

Mom's smile seemed almost sinister. "Oh, then she is the perfect one for you. I invited her over for dinner." She pointed a finger at me. "You be nice to her."

I began to wonder if Mom had a hand in selecting her as my project partner.

Whatever. Challenge accepted...

*****

The knock on the front door was faint, we almost didn't notice it. Mom opened it. "Kie, welcome to our home. I am glad you could come this evening."

Kie looked up, then dropped her eyes again. Her voice was as faint as her knock. "Thanks for inviting me, Dr. Finn."

"Oh, please. Call me Mora. We prefer to be informal around here."

Kie was tiny, she couldn't have weighed much more than forty-five kilos or stood taller than hundred-sixty centimeters. Her grey tunic style top over leggings seemed to almost swallow her up. She had shoulder-length light brown hair and a nose a bit too big for her slim face. Large and enticing amber eyes were her best facial features, but they were usually downcast. She appeared to have a serious case of introvert-itis. 'Mousy', actually. Still, she was kinda cute and with a bit of makeup and if she would smile some more, she might even be beautiful.  

Mom introduced my dad and sisters to her in order of age, all very cordial. Seeing my youngest sister bouncing on my shoulders brought a small smile to Kie's face.

Nova blurted out, "She isn't a mouse!"

Kie blushed a bit. I had to break the awkward silence that followed the remark. "Kids say the darnedest things sometimes."

We led her to the kitchen and dining room. Kie's eyes widened as she pulled up short when Liz came up to her. "Umm, Governor Quay..."

I imagine it was a surprise seeing the most powerful person on Paradise in our kitchen. Liz had aged considerably in the last several years. Her grey streaked black hair went all silver and more wrinkles had appeared on her dark face, but the fire in her eyes never changed. When Liz is in Governor mode she can be intimidating as hell, but most of the time she is warm and fuzzy like a favorite grandmother.

Liz grasped her hand gently. "Please, just call me Liz. I work with your grandmother Brinne, although sometimes we have, shall we say, animated discussions? Anyway, she has told me much about you. I understand you are a talented singer?"

Kie dropped her eyes again and a bit of pink appeared on her cheeks. Yup, definitely an introvert. Before she could respond, Nova blurted out, "Could you sing for us?"

Mom came forward and pulled the girl off my shoulders. "Nova, no! We don't impose on our guests like that."

Kie's eyes stayed down as she spoke. "Actually, I don't mind. I like to sing."

We gathered in the living room. I pulled extra chairs from the kitchen so we would all have a seat.  Kie took a viewer out of her shoulder pack, attached some sort of device to the end of it and placed it on the floor in the middle of the room. Multiple bright green lines radiated out from it toward the ceiling. She plucked one of the light beams and a pleasant musical note sounded.

I said, "A laser-harp. Cool!"

https://youtu.be/DuyuIbbSvFs

She nodded and began to play. A gentle melodic tune came to us as she touched the beams. When she began to sing every eye widened and every ear came to full attention. I've never heard such a wonderful voice, at the same time ethereal and angelic. Her pitch was perfect. She sang an old song of water and redemption that seemed to come straight from her heart and into mine. The music brought out her passion, overshadowing her natural shyness.

I broke the silence after the song ended. "Kie, that was awesome! I never knew you could sing so well."

Liz echoed me. "Awesome indeed. Even your grandmother's praise falls short of your talent."

Kie dropped her eyes once again and blushed, regaining her social inhibitions. "Thank you."