Evaluations of the Tribe Page 4

  The other three added their shared concurrence.

  “Yet you may still come, Catty,” Requai said. “Let Aly walk herself home.”

  “You lot are being unfair,” Catty whined. The mastra looked at Aly and then the other five. “Fine.”

  The Little One took Aly by the hand and walked through the group.

  “Come along, Alytchai. They shall not be able to play in my parent’s fields then.”

  “Uh, very well,” Aly said as Catty tugged. “Even so, I still did not mean to push you, Glani.”

  Glani and the others were too surprised to say anything as they watched the duo race each other back to the village.

  * * *

  The mastras talked up a storm once they made it to the village. They only stopped chatting when they heard commotion coming from Shanvi’s hut. The two decided to cancel their evening games and make a detour to Aly’s home to see what was going on.

  “I mean...wow!” Catty said as she looked at the front of Shanvi’s hut.

  Aly couldn’t say anything. Seeing the evening lights on inside the hut-made-store was breathtaking. The yellow lanterns made the porch glow while the inside looked as bright as day.

  Catty grabbed Aly by the wrist and pulled her to the door. “Let us see how the inside appears.”

  When the two busted through the doors, five grown-ups were sitting and laughing with one another at a table in the corner. Shanvi was wiping his hands with a cloth near the back until Aly’s mesmerized gaze locked eyes with his.

  “Now, there she be.” He turned around and extended his hands. Aly ran and leapt into her pappai’s arms, and Shanvi laughed as he swung her around. “You have forgotten something.”

  “Oh. Right!” She grabbed Shanvi’s much larger face by the cheeks and kissed him on the right temple.

  “So, how do you perceive the store?” Shanvi asked, still holding Aly in his arms.

  “Truly, it is beyond grand, Pappai. It is done, yes?”

  “Nay, not quite.” Shanvi set the mastra down on the newly-made counter. He spun around and grabbed two bowls out of a cabinet. “The workers must smooth out a few more of the corners and I have yet to include stools and booths. In the meantime, your seat can reside here. Now, did I not see Catty?”

  “Over here!” Catty called out in the midst of the other Goolians. She stood on top of the table they were standing around. “Hello!”

  “The little mistress was in the midst of telling us how her being-control was coming, Teacher,” one of the male Goolians said.

  Shanvi rubbed his head. “It is simply ‘Shanvi’ now, lad.”

  “Perhaps. Perhaps not. Even so, we have heard great dealings about you while you spar at the grounds, Little Mastra.”

  Catty posed on top of the table with her hands on her hips. Shanvi chuckled and went to the lively mastra, as his Little One’s ears flopped.

  “Truly, it be no trouble, once one has learned it.” Catty held out her palms. “Why, all that one needs to do is––”

  “Why not offer us a display of your wondrous antics outside this board?” Shanvi said as he tucked Catty underneath one of his arms. “Truly, it would be a shame if the new store was to burn down prior to it even making an official opening.”

  The grown-ups laughed as Catty shrugged. Shanvi set her down beside Aly and placed a bowl in each of their laps. Since they were both so tiny, the mastras could’ve worn the bowls like hats. Catty was about to try that logic, but Shanvi gently set her accessory back down as Aly giggled.

  “Now, I suppose I shall grant your gracing us with your presence so late in the evening this once, Little Mistress,” Shanvi said as he placed a finger on Catty’s nose. He had his other hand behind his back. “Truly, I am sure your pappai shall not fancy you making it a habit of coming over to a store filled with sweets on a regular basis, very good?”

  “Very good, Master Shanvi.” Catty eyed the floor, as if she was getting scolded.

  Shanvi smiled and lifted the Little One’s chin up. “Even so, I would consider this a special occasion.” He pulled his other arm from behind his back and dropped leaves and nuts into Catty’s bowl.

  The Little One’s eyes grew as Shanvi poured a sweet syrup over the dish. “This one deserves some reward for performing so well at the sparring grounds.”

  “My thanks!” Catty stuffed her mouth with some of the leaves.

  Aly watched the mastra chow down without missing a beat. She wondered if she’d ever get such recognition from the other grown-ups the way Catty did. Even her pappai was distracted by her. Shanvi then filled Aly’s bowl with the same mixture as Catty’s, but poured a little more syrup into hers.

  “If I may, what good deed did I do to deserve this, Pappai?”

  “Why, you were born as mine, of course.” Shanvi kissed Aly on the forehead and went back to attending the new customers.

  Aly picked up a leaf and swept it along the edges of the bowl so she could get more syrup. She placed the leaf into the corner of her jaw, knowing the leaf was designed to absorb all of the extra flavors. Absolutely fantastic.

  “Why the delay?” Catty said, still chewing with her mouthful.

  “I prefer to get all the flavors. Nothing more.”

  The two were too entranced by their food to talk to each other as they ate. When she finished, Aly watched Catty make laps around her bowl with her long purple tongue. Aly sighed and rested her head in a palm. The dessert must’ve tasted better when the reward was actually earned. Getting a pity dish didn’t bring out the flavors, even with an extra serving of syrup. Catty nudged her in the side.

  “Is the dessert bad?” she asked. “Why does this one have the sad face?”

  “Nay, it be of no reason. Perhaps I ate too slowly. Would this one like to finish mine?”

  “Ooh! Very well.” Catty picked up Aly’s bowl and finished it off with one final swoop of the tongue.

  Shanvi placed his hands on both their backs. “Very good now, Mastras. Enough time has passed. Come. We shall walk Catty home.”

  “Aw, Pappai...”

  “No fuss, Alytchai. The morrow brings forth another school day. As I said, this day marked a special occasion, very good?”

  The Little One nodded as she and Catty hopped off the counter. Catty leaned over to her ear and placed her hand up so Shanvi couldn’t hear.

  “Perhaps if I continue to come enough without saying a thing, your pappai shall not mind,” Catty whispered.

  Shanvi slid the portal door open. “I heard that, Cattalice. And you best note that such a stunt may not likely work in your favor.”

  Catty barely took a break from talking to Shanvi on the way back to her home. The Mature Aged gave suggestions and pointers to the Little One as Aly kept quiet, not knowing what to say. It wasn’t like she understood what the two were talking about anyways.

  Truly, who would have ever thought that not being able to control my being would be so grand a deal? Aly was just another Little One a few days ago. She had no idea being just that – another Little One – was one of the best qualities about her until she lost the title. Now she was, “That child; the one that has yet to control her inner being.” She hated standing out in the world.

  As the three walked across the fields leading up to Catty’s two-story house – the largest in the tribe – Aly contemplated her future. She still wanted to be a baker, especially after having such a fancy-looking treat, but maybe having a little decency in combat wouldn’t be that bad after all. Maybe she was being over confident and Truth’s Grace was giving her a lesson in humility. Shanvi said the Great Philosophy had a way of doing that to people. She’d have to ask Shanvi if they could make a quick stop at the temple on the way back so she could apologize for being so selfish.

  The Little One examined her hands and realized what Teacher meant when he said inner being was an extension of the inner self. Her priorities were messed up. Yes, they had to be.

  There be nothing beyond the tribe, she reminded he
rself. She could worry about learning how to bake later. Right now, she needed to learn how to control her being and ensure her worth to the people around her. No, she wasn’t going to be part Goolian, like Requai implied. She would learn. She would work, and yes, she would even fight if she had to. The Evaluations were years from now, but in that instant, Aly was going to work as if they were happening tomorrow.

  “Why do you smile, Aly?” Catty asked, glancing over at her quiet friend.

  “No reason. I simply look forward to the rest of the school week. That be all.”

  * * *

  Chapter 3

  “Come now, Aly,” Teacher said. “No more thoughts. Merely perform, yes? Class, let us cheer her on.”

  “You can do it, Aly!” Catty shouted from the sideline.

  The rest of the class, also watching, followed in. Aly was a nervous wreck. So much pressure, so many eyes looking at her. She couldn’t do it. Two full months had gone by and she still couldn’t do it. Everyone else in the class could control their being now, but something was wrong with her. She was realizing it, but still too afraid to accept it. Maybe the joke her pappai made a while back wasn’t a joke at all. Maybe she was actually sick and this was the symptom.

  “Why does this one wait?” Teacher insisted. “Perform, yes?”

  Aly felt as stiff as the green oak wood trees in the forest. If she tried and failed again, that would only push her deeper into isolation from everyone else. Glani and Requai already made fun of her. What if the entire class did the same? She thought about acting like she had a tummy ache, so she could get excused. Nay, that would not fool Teacher.

  Joquin and Catty stood beside each other, both of them holding their hands together like they were praying for a miracle. The two eventually stopped cheering and watched silently, making Aly even more nervous. What if she let down the only ones in class who still believed in her?

  “We shall count down,” Teacher instructed. “Three.”

  Aly’s ears shot up. Nay! More pressure! Not enough time! Why were they pushing her? Shanvi said it’d have to happen eventually, so why was so much pressure starting to be put on her? Maybe there was an actual time limit of expectancy that no one ever bothered telling her about, and she was past due.

  “Two,” Teacher and the class said in unison.

  Stupid hands. Stupid, stupid hands! What is wrong with me? Aly felt a lump in her throat. Indeed, what was wrong with her? This wasn’t fair. She did everything right. She practiced harder than anyone else in class and even stayed longer during the after class sessions. Sometimes Teacher had to walk Aly home because she didn’t want to let up when the first stars came out. Then there were times when Shanvi actually had to leave the hut, come to the sparring ground, and drag her home. Aly tried. She tried so hard.

  She was always exhausted by the time she got back to the hut. Her children’s garden teacher, Master Slew, actually stopped by two weeks ago when he noticed that Aly’s performance in school was dropping. She came into the learning board more tired than usual, as well. That made the mastra wonder if she got her pappai into trouble, so she tried even harder. Still, there was no hope. Every stance, every breath, and every push proved to be another waste of effort.

  “One.”

  Aly’s frantic breathing suddenly got out of sync, and Teacher’s telling her to control her pacing only made her more anxious. What would happen when she didn’t perform? Not if, but when? Aly lowered her arms a little at the very thought of it. She knew this wasn’t going anywhere. She’d probably be better off going home with the rest of the Little Ones when regular sessions let out.

  Nay, I will not! Aly smacked the weak thoughts out of her head. No more. She wouldn’t let this being-control manage her when she was supposed to manage it. Teacher wasn’t yelling at her because he was frustrated with her. He was yelling because he believed in her. Why, everybody did! Everyone was chanting her name, after all. How couldn’t they believe her? Maybe they knew something she didn’t.

  “Push!”

  That’s right. Aly would push, and the inner being within her would reveal itself. She’d make the biggest sphere of energy that anyone would ever see. She wished her pappai could be here for this grand moment, the day she’d become a true member of the tribe. This would be her first steps to being a true Goolian. She’d be like everyone else again. Yes, today was the day.

  “I said push, Alytchai!”

  Aly’s eyes lit up when she thought she felt the sensation of her hands grow numb and cold. There it was! She finally had it. Aly smiled from ear to ear. The sensation was still there, and growing. There was only one thing left to do, and that was to express her inner being, that tiny visual form of raw energy that every Goolian could control in order to share his or herself with the tribe. The sharing of servitude, the sharing of the better good, the sharing of pride. Aly stretched out her fingers, chambered her arms back, and fired.

  Catty’s mouth gaped open. Joquin’s eyes were wide. Teacher uncrossed his arms and everyone in the class got quiet. Aly fell down on her hands and knees, on the verge of tears. She had it. She knew she did. Or maybe she just told herself that, for the sake of having one final speck of hope.

  “Our thanks for the buildup, Aly,” someone from the crowd shouted.

  Aly looked over to her friends. Catty was nudging Joquin in the shoulder as he covered his smile. So much for friends.

  “Settle down, the lot of you,” Teacher demanded. “There be no humor in this.”

  As the Little Ones tried to keep their faces straight, Aly kept facing the dirt. She felt Teacher’s hand rub her shoulder, indicating he knew this humiliation was going to haunt her for the rest of her life; something far worse than the crushing blow he just gave the class’ social development.

  “Everyone, meet up at the danker trees,” he said. “A new lesson awaits.”

  The Little Ones darted off a little deeper into the forest. Aly didn’t budge, not even when Catty walked over to her.

  “Mastra, we best be on, yes?” Aly didn’t say anything, so the other Little One poked her on the shoulder. “Come, Aly. Truly, the others––”

  “Touch me not!” Aly swatted the mastra’s hand away. Catty leapt back and clutched her fingers to her side.

  “Aly, Catty,” Teacher called out as he returned to check on them. “Trail not behind, yes? Move along.”

  Catty didn’t say a word as she passed Teacher. Aly sat up on her knees and sighed.

  “That notion includes this one too, Little Mastra,” Teacher added. “Off with you now.”

  The Little One did as told and sauntered on with defeat still harassing her. Teacher’s face was straight and confident, as usual. Because of this, Aly couldn’t tell how concerned her sparring priest actually was.

  Something was actually wrong with her. Everyone in the class had their physical months before they started school, so everybody was cleared for inner being lessons, with the weakest Little One knowingly having a one-month delay. Goolians – especially the ones from Kutenbrya – had being-control down to a science. They never made a miscalculation when timing one’s control. Aly, on the other hand, should’ve been performing at most two weeks after the courses began.

  Teacher pulled a chart out of his back pocket and made sure none of the Little Ones were in sight. He read it, and then read it again, just like he had for the past two months. Aly was taking too long – plain and simple. Still, there were very rare cases of a Little One facing prolonged delays. The longest one that he recalled was from a tribe in the northern hemisphere, where it took a Little One five months. Then again, he always wondered if that story was just another one of the silly local rumors. Teacher shook his head, rebuking all of the negative thoughts, and hurried over to the rest of the class. He figured he’d have to scold them for poking fun at the Little One who still couldn’t control her being.

  Aly was still dragging herself over to the rest of the Little Ones by the time he reached her. Teacher picked her up
so they wouldn’t waste any more time. Aly’s body went limp like a doll and nearly slipped out of his grip. She didn’t make any fuss over it, though.

  “Pull your nerves, Little One,” Teacher grumbled as he tried to keep his hold on her. “Truly, the end of the world has yet to come.” He knew, as far as she was concerned, the end was already upon Aly, but Teacher still had a job to do.

  The elder tossed the Little One a few meters ahead, and Aly naturally landed on both feet. He watched the Little One stroll over to Catty since she more than likely thought that was the only friendly face around.

  “As skilled as one may be with being, you must hold ground, even within close range,” Teacher explained. “Thus, we commence with close-quarter combat, or at the most, we shall test our reflexes. Now, gather round and take heed. While one would think inner being is an advantage for range, there be no such thing when one’s opponent can perform the same deed.”

  “Unless you are to be Alytchai,” Requai, who stood close to Aly, called out.

  Teacher gave the girl a look, but everyone still laughed.

  Catty moved in front of Aly and sized up the other mastra. “Just leave her be.”

  “Enough,” Teacher countered. “There shall be no such quarrels amongst you, very good? Or perhaps I shall take this to your parents?”

  “Apologies, Teacher,” Catty said.

  Requai didn’t say anything else. Teacher figured the issue was settled and turned back around.

  Requai then leaned over to Catty’s ear.

  “Aw, how proper,” she whispered. “Truly, an expected act. The favored wealthy one to stand up for the odd one, just as her mammai and pappai told her to.”

  Catty was about to object, but paused when she heard her other female friends giggle.

  “Requai, you do not listen well,” Teacher said. “Thus I shall remind you that a Mature Aged can hear much better than you.”

  Requai folded her lips together and quickly nodded. No one was smiling anymore, and Aly felt bad for all of the pity and attention she was getting. Teacher was making her look pathetic since she couldn’t stand up for herself, and the teasing from the other children was only going to get worse because of it.