To the Ends of the Earth

Chapter 10

*

Gabriel

I stared up at the ceiling of my little hut with a huge grin. I couldn't help it. Time with Lilly, however fleeting, was always a soul enriching experience.

My good mood soured fast when I heard a throat clear at the doorway, however. I turned my head to see my least favorite person on at least two worlds.

"Gabriel." Jude said by way of greeting, scrutinizing my face with disturbing intensity.

I scrambled for ambivalence. "Jude."

"Looks like you had a restful night."

"I did, thanks. I hope you did as well." I sat up on my cot and straightened my shirt. There was nothing more confusing to your enemy than politeness.

He harrumphed. "Well hurry up boy, get some breakfast in you. You've got another apprenticeship today."

"Oh. Well actually I wanted to talk to you about that. You see I think I'd like to work closer with Danny-"

Jude slashed his hand through the air. "I'm afraid that won't be possible for now. Maybe in a few weeks, but for right now Danny is working on some village business. He won't have time to train you. Besides, don't you think you should try out a few more jobs before you settle into one?" He asked solicitously enough, though I could see suspicion tightening the corners of his eyes.

I knew what was keeping Danny busy better than Jude did, but I didn't have a safe argument so I merely smiled. "Of course. I'm sure you're right. So what did you have in mind for today then?"

Jude smiled his crinkly smile. Had I ever thought him kind and sincere? His falseness seemed so obvious now. "Sunshine could use some help with a field rotation today. You can help her out and get a feel for the job."

"Sounds fun." I lied. Probably unconvincingly because Jude frowned at me.

He was, however, a politician to his core because he quickly wrapped himself back up in his counterfeit charm. "Wonderful. When you finish breakfast head out to the fields I showed you, where the crops are. Sunshine will find you."

"Ok."

He eyeballed me one more time before slipping out the doorway and releasing the flap. I scowled after him but got up regardless.

You will behave because you have to. This is a means to an end. This does not have to be your life. Lilly is counting on you. Just a few weeks and you will be gone... I gave myself a pep talk on the walk from my hut to the wash houses, from the wash houses to the mess hall, and all through the breakfast line. It was the only way I could calm down and focus. Despite my adult appearance, there were significant parts of me that were distinctly childlike, such as my lack of patience and my struggle with self-control. I didn't have the luxury of indulging the parts of me that simply wanted to throw a tantrum though. Channel it, I told myself, do something productive with it or you could screw up everything.

"No longer a fan of toast? Or did that piece in particular offend you?"

Maggie sat down across from me and motioned to my plate. In my frustration I had apparently massacred an innocent piece of crispy bread. Buttery crumbs still stuck to my fingers as I dropped the surviving bits.

When I failed to answer, Maggie continued. "Seriously though, what crawled up your butt?"

That conjured up all kinds of horrible imagery. "What?"