Page 18

A sneeze reaches us right before she walks up behind him.

Her eyes and nose are red, and you can tell she’s simply miserable.

Grabbing an old-fashioned handkerchief that I would bet money was James ’ at one time, she sneezes into it again.

“ Thank you for switching with me, Lacie . I’m not sure how much longer I would’ve made it out here.

I’ve always been highly allergic to certain things, but I was hoping that would no longer be the case on this new world. ”

“ You’re more than welcome, Dawn . You should’ve asked sooner. It didn’t take me long to figure out that I’m not much help in the kitchen, so hopefully, you will be better suited there than I was.”

The Commander motions for Dawn to come with him, “ James , I leave Lacie in your care while I escort Dawn back to the Pavilion .”

“ Come on, youngin, let me catch you up on what we’re trying to accomplish.

I’m going to start you off where Dawn left off.

There were seeds found in one of the pods, and we were able to kick-start some of them in ANDI’s conservatory.

They seem to be thriving so far, but we’ll need to keep a close eye on them.

That small cart over there has everything you’ll need.

If you look around, you’ll see that they’re spaced out every couple of feet.

When you get the ones on your cart in the ground, we’ll come back and water each one individually.

Have you ever done anything like this before? ”

“ Well , I’ve watched my Papaw plant tomatoes and other things but never participated much.”

“ I’ll show you how to do the first couple and as long as you have a gentle hand and a strong back, you should do fine.

I know it doesn’t feel very hot out here right now, but it will get warmer as the day goes on.

If you need a break, take it. We are in no race out here, but we do need to get these in the ground.

This crop will tell us what lies before us as a civilization. ”

“ No pressure at all, huh?”

He pats me on the back playfully. “ Maybe just a little.”

“ Ok , let’s see what I can screw up today.”

“ Lacie , if you don’t know something, yell.

I’m just gonna be a few rows over. Tarence will be out soon with another set of carts and then he’ll start watering what you’ve already planted.

That part seems to take forever. You need to understand there’s no fixing this if it’s messed up.

We only have one set of seeds to work with, and it’s not like we can just run to the local hardware store and get more. ”

He must have seen the horrified look on my face because he throws an arm around my shoulders, laughing.

James and I begin with the area that Dawn just vacated.

After planting several seedlings to his liking, he moves on to tend to another row of different crops.

While crawling over the uneven ground, I ensure there are no rocks or debris in the holes where I’m carefully placing the tiny plants.

The day flies by quickly only interrupted by lunch, which I hadn’t noticed Carla had brought out to us in the fields until I heard her calling my name.

Even though I’m filthy, my knees are sore and more than likely bruised, I look back over the neatly sown rows of plants and feel good for a change.

A sharp whistle has the few of us working out here looking toward the woods where James is motioning for us to come with him.

Laying my small shovel down, I hesitate to go, as I still have several more to plant before I’m done.

“ The plants will keep until morning, Lacie . The Commander is requesting all of us to gather together before we leave for the evening. Just move them to the shaded rack on the bottom of your cart.”

I quickly put everything away, and I try my best to dust off my pant legs.

For the most part, I look like I’ve been rolling around in the dirt like a puppy.

Walking behind James along what is becoming a well-worn path, I still trip over a root, and before I can pitch forward, a large hand grabs my elbow, steadying my footing.

Not looking up, I utter, “ Thanks James , that was a close one, and I really would like to make it through an entire day without another screw-up.” Only then a growl reaches my ears, and I realize it wasn’t James who just caught me, it was MeK .

“ Ugh , sorry about that. I didn’t have a clue you were in the area.”

“ You were gazing up at the sky instead of watching your steps, so of course you would not see me. And you are filthy as well.”

“ Well , excuse the hell out of me. I’ve been working in the dirt all day, and that naturally happens.”

“ I was informed you were in the sustenance area.”

“ Plans change, and I was transferred out here to help James and Terance with the planting.”

“ I will speak to Father . This is unacceptable work for a female.”

Stopping , I yank my arm out of his grasp.

“ What has your panties in a twist? There is absolutely nothing wrong with what I’m doing, not that it’s any of your business.

And I didn’t see you out here escorting Dawn to a better location when she was sick, if things are so unacceptable for us females.

Heaven forbid you take a moment out of all your growling and snarling to actually learn our names, as we are just objects placed here to aggravate you. ”

The irritating man doesn’t say another word, he simply stomps off in front of me, and I swear I would scream if I thought it would help.

I rub my elbow where he had grasped my arm, as my skin is still tingling.

I can’t decide whether I want to stab him or kiss him at this point, but one thing is for sure, he knows how to push all my buttons.