Chapter Two

I hug High Father, then High Mother. While Dakota says his goodbyes, I double-check everything in my pack. Change of clothes' bread, cheese, and dried fruit; a compass, a map, my secret envelope, and my weird ivory pendant thing from High Priest Mingan Atohi. I've yet to figure out what it does, except give me a headache. I found that one side has "Blessing" on one side and on the other is " Mingan Atohi." The words are in the ancient language we had to learn. So, maybe it is a blessing from the High Priest, for some odd reason. 

I close and shoulder my pack as Dakota finishes his pack check. A little girl, Samantha, comes up to me, shoves something into my hand, and runs away. I open my fist and a wooden bead bracelet lays there, the words of protection carved into them in the ancient language. I smile and slip it on. I bow and say "Thank you for taking care and teaching me in the ways I need. To be a Fate Chosen, you have helped me be." We depart waving into the forest, going east on the travel trail, which will branch onto the main travel road, that runs North and South, after five miles. Then it is another ten miles to Chainlen, where the shop is.

I use the walking stick, that the High Father gave me, as we walk to help us along, even though I don't need it. It's mahogany wood, one side dipped in iron, and the hand part is a hawk painted gold. I stick it into a loop in my pack and say "Let's pick up the pace. I want to get to the main travel road before noon." We break into a light jog. Dakota scowls at me.

"Are you...scared?" Dakota asks as we pass the second-mile marker. I take a deep breath before I answer. I really just did it to give myself more time to think about the answer.

"Are you? Cause I'm terrified. I've never been to a village or a city out of the woods and forest that I can remember clearly. Master Solbek hasn't taken on an apprentice for nearly ten years. What if he just rejects us? Will we be stranded in the middle of nowhere?" I rant, stopping before I say my biggest fear and to catch my breath. The third-mile marker is in sight, about five hundred yards ahead of us. The dense trees of the forest start to loosen up around that marker, to the point of not having to walk on a path trying to avoid trees.

"I know for a fact that we will figure out something if things stray far from the plan. They will most likely stray just a little bit, but there is some wiggle room. Nothing ever goes anybody's way perfectly. It stays on one straight path, and you're lucky if you are in the way of the path as it passes." He, having finished his speech, plops on his rear and pulls out a sack of dried peach slices. We stopped at the marker.

I eat a few slices from my own ration standing up. I start jogging in place while Dakota finishes eating his snack. He shoulders his pack, rolls his eyes, and settles into the light jog pace I set. We run in silence for about an hour before I break the long silence period. I hate the silence.

"You're wrong, you know. The path curves and branches if you're determined enough." We glance at the fourth-mile marker with little interest. It's just a pile of stone with a 4 painted crudely on it. Dakota is silent for a while, presumably thinking about what I said.

"Maybe, but that rarely ever happens, and you choose to take that new path or curve, no matter what. Always remember that Genevieve, we all have a choice in everything. Some people just don't realize that the curve or break is there until it's too late." He says, glancing over at me briefly before looking ahead again. I smile and shake my head, clearing the crude comment that popped in there.

We run in silence, but my thoughts churn over what he said. 'We all have a choice in everything.' Then I could choose not to walk the path of the rebels later, even if it was written in The Book of Fate thousands of years ago by the Prophets? I'm not the material the rebels need, I'm too soft and too kind. Then how can I be going on the path that trains me to kill them? How can I learn to kill without turning hard-hearted and cruel? How can I kill without the guilt killing me afterward?

We see the road and people. We speed up to get there faster, as though it will disappear any moment. We stop at the edge, none of my silent questions answered, and more gathering with every moment my heart beats. The road is bustling with activity. Wagons holding goods and pulled by horses or oxen. I've heard of these people. They're called the Puritans because they stick to the old ways and refuse to accept the new ones. I know that in the big cities there are automobiles, because everyone flocks there, leaving the Puritans and Ruralists, more people who want to stick to the old ways, with dirt roads and country.

I watch as the wagons and people stop. They watch us step onto the road together. I pull my staff free of its loop. I hear the whispers all over the road like a wave. "There are two more Fate Chosen…" "I wonder what their Fates are…" "Look at what they are wearing…" At that, I glance down at my white linen clothes, plain, exact matchings to Dakota's black ones. Then I look at their clothes; Colorful dresses, trousers, and shirts in all sorts of styles. I clear my head and tug on Dakota's sleeve. "Let's hurry, I don't want to be on this road long." He nods in agreement and I look up at the sun. It is slowly drifting east. I look north and say "We need to go that way ten miles to get to Chainlen." We turn left on the road and head due North.

The people on the road stop and stare as we pass. Some ignore us, which is fine by me. We speed walk until we pass the second-mile marker for us. The ones on the Main road are nicer, wooden signs. We sit down and have a meal of hard travel bread and crumbly cheese, watching traffic pass and people's wary glances. I glance up to see the position of the sun and nudge Dakota to get moving again. We pack up our food and go at a faster pace, a jog, to make up for the time spent on the ground.

"Hey, Genevieve, should we give that guy a hand? He looks like he could use it." Dakota says, pointing to a wagon on the side of the road. An older man is staring at his broken wheel. We passed the fifth-mile marker a bit ago. I nod and we jog over to him.

"Need a hand?" I ask him when he looks at us. Some people passing give us a dirty look.

"Yah, just a bruken whell. I'm Matthew Cunningham, I was goin' to Creekville tuh trade sume pruduce." He explains with a heavy southern drawl.

"I'm Dakota, and this is Genevieve. We're new Fate Chosen and going to search for a Master to take us on. I can help with patching the wagon wheel and get it on. Genevieve, go get some dirt off the road." Dakota commands. I do as he says, adding some dry grass and leaves to it as well. He takes the broken wheel and matches it up with the pieces that broke off, while I make mud in a bowl that Dakota had thought to bring.

I hand it to him and he uses it as glue to fix it. "Now we wait for it to dry, it should last until Creekville, but do this if it cracks or breaks," Dakota explains as he cleans his bowl with a piece of cloth.

"Thank yah, where are yah two goin'? I could give yah a ride if ya'll are willin' to wait and on muh way." He offers, sitting on the ground to wait.

"We're going to Chainlen, we'll see if we can find our Master there." I say, joining him on the ground. I pull out my rations and offer him a snack of dried fruit slices. He takes a few and I eat two slices of apple. He seems to be in deep thinking.

"I thunk that Chainlen is a stop I make before Creekville. I can give y'all a ride if y'all want tuh," He adds.

I glance at Dakota and he agrees with me in one look, and in that look, we agree on "Yes, we will accept your offer for a ride to Cairncall. Thank you." I say, giving him a light smile.

"Uh-huh, I was a failed Fate Chosen. I couldn't make it up that hill," Matthew says as Dakota checks the wheel. "I was at the Omakogalee Orphanage."

"We were there too! The one on the west side of the mountain?" I ask, to double-check he's telling the truth.

"Yah, High Mother, and High Father are ah feisty couple. They talked about seperatin' the boys and girls, only lettin' 'em know each other while trainin'." He shakes his head in disbelief.

"Oh, they did do that. I didn't really meet Dakota until a year ago, but we became friends fast. Now we just need to find Master Solbek, who hasn't taken on an apprentice in years, and convince him to take us on…" I stop my rant, realizing what I said. I had meant all of it. It's all true, but I shouldn't have said all that to a complete stranger.

"Master Solbek? Well, why didn't yah say so? He's a good friend of mine. I can put in a good word for yah." His English is getting better, but his accent is still strong. Dakota gets Matthew to slide the wheel on while he lifts the wagon. That's no easy feat. The wagon probably has at least 150-200 pounds of produce. Dakota screws the bolts on and declares it good to go. We find a place between sacks of corn. Matthew concentrates on driving and we sit in silence. It's a short ride, only about forty-five minutes, and we reach the edge of Chainlen. We decided to get off there, and we thanked him for the ride.

"We want to walk into the town square not squashed between corn and beans. It might put a bad impression on us from the people we will need to get along with,"I explain to Matthew.

"Well, okay. I'll still put in a good word for y'all, an a warnin' that y'all are a comin'. I hope I see y'all again." He flicks the reins and the brown horses trot off, leaving us in a cloud of dust and dirt. We watch the wagons and people pass for about ten minutes, then we start walking with the flow on the right side of the road.

"What's the Solbek family like? Dakota asks, breaking our silent streak. I carefully think about this question before I answer it. 

"Well first, it's the Potter family; Solbek is the Master's first name. They have a kid our age, he seems nice. Master Solbek's family used to live in Camphill as potters, hence the last name, but they prefer to bake. Hal, the boy, used to have three more siblings. Two younger sisters, the second and fourth went to be Fate Chosen. There was another boy, who died as a baby. From a fever, I believe. Solbek's wife is Anna Potter. They used to have different names, but changed them for a fresh start, after giving up his second child." I stop and take a deep breath. I guess I didn't realize how much I knew until I started talking.

Dakota lets out a breath. "I didn't mean their entire history. I just meant it like, are they a nice family? I can safely bet that they are puritans, because they live out here," He waves his hands around in a General direction, "and not in a city."

"Yeah, they seem nice. Even if Master Solbek won't take us on, I will offer to help around the bakery for lodging and food. You can too, if you want to stick around, that is. I just want a back-up plan. I don't want to end up stranded. I like to have my options open." I snap, knowing that he'll understand. He always wants to stick to one plan, and only comes up with a plan after the first goes wrong. The one thing I disagree with him on.

We lapse into silence again. I glance over at him. His face is a mask, but his eyes reveal a different story. It holds the same emotions now, as they had a year ago, when I first mentioned it to him; Hurt, regret, anger. He knows that it's his major flaw, and he's mad at me for mentioning it. And I refuse to take it back, just yet.

The whole wagon/person procession seems to flow like water into the Town Square. The shops and buildings all have an "Old West" feel and style. The buildings are smashed into long strips of buildings on either side of the road, only stopping for intersecting roads. I look around for the bakery, completely lost. I must have looked lost too, because a teenage boy trots up to us.

"Y'all look a little lost. Need some help?" I nod and give him a smile. "I'm Jackson, and I just turned sixteen." He says, pumping out his chest proudly. "Where are you two heading?"

Dakota shoots me a warning look, but I ignore him, and the look. "We need to get to Master Solbek's bakery. I'm Genevieve, and this grumpy guy is Dakota." Dakota glares and scowls at me. I start feeling light headed.

Jackson retakes looks over our attire. "Oh no, y'all are Fate Chosen, ain't ya?" We nod, Dakota not looking happy. "Well, be prepared to be turned away." He glances at my face as I wipe the sudden sweat away to keep it from dripping down into my eyes. "Hey, you okay, Genevieve? You look really pale." Dakota Glances at me, and I start to fall.

I feel the pull of my soul, demanding to drift off. "Need a quiet place...Now!" I say through clenched teeth. Dakota and Jackson each take hold of an arm, trying to keep me up right. I barely even notice them. I'm more concentrated on keeping my soul inside of my body. Then, I just slump in the middle of the road, quickly crossing my legs, I let it go and we fly. My soul and I soar skywards.

I watch as I stop traffic. The people watch me, while Dakota explains that I'm soul drifting, and Jackson stands guard. I feel a pull at my soul and I let drag me to a few people hurrying down the road to see what is going on. It's the Solbek family. My soul and I watch them break through the crowd and try to get to me.

My soul tugs me and I let it drag me back into my body. Then I experience something I haven't felt before after a Soul Drifting. I'm exhausted and spent. "Jackson, help me stand," I rasp, since he was closer, and I finally realized something. He glances at Dakota, and they both help me up. I search the crowd with my eyes until I find Master Solbek and his family.

I shake off Dakota and Jackson once I'm balanced enough, and I stumble to Anna, Master Solbek's wife. She looks completely confused. I hug her and bury my face into her shoulder. "I'm home, Mother. I'm Genevieve Maluna Potter…" I don't finish the rest, because I sink into the darkness of inevitable sleep, my mothers expression of joy imprinted on my eyelids.

"Doctor, will she be okay?" The gentle voice draws me from my deep sleep. I feel a soft hand brush my hot face. 

"Yes, I've merely heard of Soul Drifting, but it is supposed to be exhausting, when it comes naturally. She is simply tired. Congratulations, for your daughter being a Fate Chosen, and for her coming home. I will check on her tomorrow." Hard and heavy footsteps go down a set of stairs, and a door shuts. Then a light pair of footsteps comes closer. What I assume is a blanket, gets rearranged on me.

I open my eyes and a pair of gray ones stare down at me. She backs up, Anna- no my Mother, watches me stretch. "How long have I been out?" I ask, satisfied that my voice is back to normal. I watch her face go through multiple emotions; sad, joyful, regret, and joyful again.

"Oh, just one night. How do you feel?" She asks, her voice layered with concern. She watches me look around the room. There is a dresser with a mirror, a closet, the bed I'm in, a desk-chair set, and a second bed with the name Maliya carved into the head board. I don't have to look up to know that my name is carved on the head board. They were waiting for me to come home.

I assess how my body feels about the natural Drift, and I'm surprised by what I find out. "Fine, amazing actually. I feel like I did Soul Drifting while I meditate. My body feels light and has unlimited energy. Where's Dakota? He must be worried, I have to see him." I swing my legs out of the bed and sit up. The floor is wood, clean and cold. The walls are lavender, painted with little daisies.

"He is taking a nap in Halstien's room. We got an extra bed set for him. I've heard that Soul Drifting is tiring, Gene." She says, using a nickname I have forgotten about. It sounds out like Jean.

"Yes, normally people have them years apart, but I had my last one the night before we left the orphanage. But I'm not really normal, having two jobs. I've been told I must train as an Explorer and Assassin, same as Dakota." I pick up my pack and pull out a change of clothes, a dress.

I stand and slip off my linen shirt and slide on the dress. I pull off the pants and put them with the shirt on my bed. Then I notice the look on my Mothers face. I smile shyly, "Sorry, I'm used to changing in a room with nineteen other girls, while i was being trained for my Fate Chosen journey." She nods as I pull out black flats and sit down to slip them on. "Can I meet everybody? I think I'm ready."

She smiles warmly. "Yes, let's join together as a family once and for all." She says, leading me out of the room.

I braid my hair as I follow her down stairs into the back room of the bakery. I snap on a hair band and call it good. The ovens are all on one wall, while the rest is counter space. "Nice set up." Is all I say through my nervousness.

I am led to a busy main room. There is a glass counter that stretches the length of the room, filled with baked goods. When I come into view, everyone stops and stares, which makes my Dad and Hal turn to look at what is attracting so much attention. I hear whispers across the room. "...Fate Chosen…" "...is she their second daughter?..." "...What is she wearing?..."

I look down at my dress. It's a blue calico, in a simple style. As I study the other women in the room, I realize that this is a very old fashioned dress. I focus my attention on Hal and dad. I need to get one thing out of the way.

I walk slowly towards Master Solbek, stop in front of him, and bow to a sixty-five degree angle. "I, Genevieve Maluna Potter, have been Fate Chosen by the HIgh Priests on Mountain Calino. My Fate jobs are Explorer and Assassin. Master Solbek, will you take me in and teach me as an apprentice? I will help in your shop as payment." I recite as I was taught, only changing it a bit for my double job. I hope our God will forgive me for that and still mark me.

I feel a hand on my head. "I accept you, Genevieve Maluna Potter, as my apprentice. I pledge to teach you in the ways of Explorers and Assassins. Serve me well." Master Solbek says in his deep, husky voice.

I rise, feeling the burning on my wrist. Two bands, both black, one blank, the other has Master Solbek on it in red. A gift from the one who watches above. I smile and shake my dad's, or Master Solbek's, hand. We have time to figure out what to call each other.

After he drops my hand, I give Hal a big hug. "I guess I'm your twin. I'm older though, by like a whole minute or so." He whispers to me. I laugh and let him go. The shop goes back to its normal going and I get led up the stairs to see Dakota. I don't notice the girl in the back, leaving now, with curly, red hair.