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the formidable, sculpted
face and shoulders of Cullen Vail. In my dreams, his figure was
intimidating and frightening as we headed away from everything I'd
ever known. But because of that unknown musician those dreams were
interspersed with the memory of beautiful music. I clung to those
remembered notes because somehow I knew they'd keep me sane in this
new, totally insane life.
     
    Chapter Four
    I receive phony papers.
     
    I hung around the apple orchard Saturday and
Sunday, exploring and getting to know the trees, bushes and other
growing things. Monday, after a breakfast of cherries and apples I
set off for New Rochelle to see what a day in the life of a
colonist was like so as to better know how to imitate that life.
What I found was an almost empty square. Only one person was in
sight. The little girl with the kittens, in the same place as
before, holding her very pregnant cat and trying to find homes for
the unborn kittens. She saw me and waved. "Can you take a kitten
yet?"
    I dropped to the curb beside her. It felt
right to do so. In fact it felt more like the small town I'd grown
up in than a gigantic space ship. The designers were genuises. In a
few days I'd forget that I wasn't really in a peaceful farming
community. "Not yet."
    "I saw you at the party." She looked me up
and down. "My name's Alicia."
    I held out my hand. "Elle."
    "I know. I heard you tell my
grandfather."
    "Wilkes Zander is your grandfather?'
    "He's also the Mayor of New Rochelle." She
cuddled her cat. "He's important." She stroked the cat and it
purred loudly. "But not important enough to save the extra kittens
if I can't find homes for all of them."
    "I'm sure you'll find homes for every one of
them."
    "If you take one I'll bring food every
day."
    I sighed, stroking the cat's plush fur. "I
wish I could. I had a cat when I was a kid. But I can't right
now."
    "She was pregnant when we moved here. I
sneaked her on board. She'll be fixed after the kittens come so she
won't be a problem after that." To Alicia, boarding the Destiny was
as simple as a move to a new town. "I didn't see you yesterday. Do
you live in an apartment? We live in a big one."
    I stopped petting the cat and rose slowly so
the movement would seem casual but I wanted to get away before she
asked a question I couldn't answer. This little girl who talked
nonstop asked a lot of questions. "Yes. That's where I live." What
excuse would get me away? "I should go now and get to work."
    "Everyone else went to work hours ago." She
looked at me suspiciously.
    "Not that kind of work. I meant that I need
to unpack. Boxes all over the place." She understood that and
nodded, bending her head over her cat. I started away. Then I
stopped and changed my mind about leaving. Perhaps I could ask
questions of this child that would arouse suspicion if asked of an
adult. "What do your parents do? What kind of work? Maybe I work
with them."
    "They're farmers. Almost everyone in New
Rochelle is a farmer. Aren't you a farmer?"
    "Uh… yes." How to defuse the suspicion
beginning in her eyes? "A special kind of farmer. I'm a
botanist."
    "What kind of farmer is that?"
    "It means I went to school to learn
farming."
    "My family didn't have to go to school. They
just know how."
    "Good for them."
    "Were you harvesting apples in the
orchard?"
    My heart began thudding in my chest. This
small child knew where I was from. My safety was already
compromised. Worse, if all of the residents of New Rochelle were
farmers, how long would it be before they harvested the apples and
uncovered my hiding spot? "I wasn't harvesting them, not yet. I was
checking on them. They are coming nicely. Almost ripe."
    Alicia looked at me as if I was an idiot and
it hit me. Of course! The trees had blossoms and green fruit and
ripe apples all at the same time so fruit could be harvested
continuously. Genetic manipulation at work. "I mean there are a lot
ready right now. Enough that it'll be worth harvesting them any day
now. I enjoy