Jumper

Chapter 2: Reminiscing

 Jumper  School; a crowded place full of different ages, and only one teacher for each subject.

          We learn significant subjects in Jumper School, such as Cooking, Hunting, Physical Endurance, Mental Mind States, and History. Throughout our years in education, we are taught how to survive in tough situations. We learn how to fight and how to have a selfless mind, so when it comes to our lives on the line, we are willing sacrificing.

The problem is, I don't think I'll ever be okay with sacrificing myself. Once I graduate and become a Palibar myself, I'll have to be ready to die every day I wake up. Palibar means to protect, and that’s our job, to protect the humans. Although they tell us that our lives are second to the humans, I have trouble believing so. My life is just as important as theirs, and I don't want mine to waste away for them. Apparently by sacrificing myself, I can save them. The way we live is practically volunteered suicide. I care too much for my life to give it up for people I don't care for.

          The few classes I have pass quickly and the stress of my graduation weighs on me. I remember  this was my last day at school, and I'm not looking forward to tomorrow.

         Because of my worry, my body craves the sight and sounds of the waterhole, a place I go to for comfort, and I find myself walking to it.

I hear a small child's voice call my name. I stop in my tracks, and turn to see Habel, a small little orphan girl whose name means Happy. I’m not a large fan of children, but for some reason they adore me. My storytelling to them is a big thing, what  they don't know that I only repeat what I have heard my mother and father tell me.

"Habel! What are you doing out of school?" I ask.

"School's boring. I wanted to hear a story. Especially the one about how we began."

"Aren't you learning that in History?"

"Yes, but you're much more interesting to listen to."

I laugh; I can’t believe what I’m hearing. I've never thought of myself as someone interesting. I think of myself to have a cold heart. I'm not really the most loving person.

"Please!" Habel whines, her blue eyes sparkling.

It's hard to say no to a child.

"After school, come with your friends to the water hole and I'll tell you the story.” I say, then add jokingly, “Then you can ace the test.”

She nods and gives me an unneeded hug. I accept it anyways, and hold her in my arms. "I love you, Robyn." She says.

It’s hard for me to spit the words back. "I love you, too, Habel. Now go to school." She skips off, and I make sure to leave the area quickly. I walk along the rocky path down to the waterhole, when my least favorite person comes up to me, since he's graduated already. "Treydanse." I say with a monotone voice. "What are you doing here?"

"I’ve been looking all over for you since school ended…"

"Why were you looking for me?" I ask with irritation.

"I thought we could train together, keep your mind off graduation” In his sky blue eyes I see a hint of mischief. His smile curls in a way that I know he’s trifling with me, eager to spend as much time with me as possible. My heart crashes into another wave of stress with the words, graduating tomorrow. Thinking about graduation is the reason I came to the waterhole, and I'd rather forget all about it.

I shrug, hiding my anger and stress as best as I'm capable of. I don’t want to hurt his feelings, but I don't want to see him at all. He leans in for a kiss on my lips, but I force a kiss on the cheek.

"I really want to be alone right now." I say. He looks at me with a depressed face and nods. "Ok. See you, Ribenar."

He kisses me again and runs off.

I let out a large groan and walk to the water hole.

Memories stir in my head back to years ago, a moment when I was truly happy.

My dark brown hair was perfectly braided, gentle hands weaving the strands down my back. My mother's blue eyes appeared in front of me to look at mine, and I giggled.

"I love you, Robyn." She said to me with that soothing voice. I curled up in her arms and we stared at the water hole together, listening to the bugs in the plains and the water slowly rippling.

"How much mommy, how much?" I always asked that question because I loved hearing the answer. "I will love you forever and ever, more and more, every moon that goes by." I giggled again and kissed her on the cheek.

"I love you lots mommy," I said. "I love daddy lots, too” I add.

"I love daddy a lot too, Robyn." She said. "But being chief of our tribe, he can't spend as much time with you as I wish."

"Tell me the story of how you and daddy met, mommy!" I said.

She smiled, looking up into space, remembering precious moments, and reciting words I had heard many times before. "One day there was this handsome boy named Warabey Midel. His name meant Wise. One day, when he was 20, he would be chief of our tribe, The Seventh Plains Tribe. Warabey could choose any woman in the Plains to be his wife, but he had his eye on one peasant girl named Irissa, which was the name of a flower, Iris. But before Warabey could be with Iris, his father called him to go on a mission. This mission was important, because he had to fight some bad people, the Idalys, and protect the humans.

Irissa was in love with Warabey and couldn't wait until he came home. The day he came back, Warabey announced his love and married Iris. They were very happy together that they had a child. His name was Thander, which meant Thunder-"

"Brother!" I squealed.

My mom smiled then tickled me. "A few years later, they had a precious baby girl named Ribenar; she was named after the robin that chirped when Iris gave birth. Ribenar liked to be called Robyn."

"Me!" I screamed.

"Yes you!" My mom laughed and we tickled each other for what seemed like eternity. I didn't want it to end. But everything has an end.

Someone screamed in the distance. My mom's face stretches out with fear and she  looked at me with worry. "Robyn," she said with an alert and tense voice. "go home and hide with your brother. And remember, I-"

"Robyn!" a girl greets behind me. The voice is Habel's, and she walks over to me with her group of friends to look me in the eyes. I don't look at hers, and stare instead at the water hole. "Why are you crying?" She asks.

"Huh?" I ask, wiping the tear away, my sadness with it. I pull on a smile. "I wasn't crying. Now to that story?" I ask her, silently pleading to change the subject.

She looks confused at first, but her eyes light up and she sits down. "Yes!" Habel makes herself comfy, and it is a smart move; this is a long story.