Bree has recovered from surgery, but we’re still scheduling these ahead as we work on a secret project! Mwahahahaha! This serial was originally posted (mostly!) on Patreon, and has been edited and finished to be posted live on our blog over the next few weeks. But for those who just want it NOW, or who hate reading on a blog and would like an epub… Well here is the epub!
Return to the world after the Beyond Series and meet the residents of Sector Three…
When Ashwin asks Six & Bren to take in an emotionally fractured Makhai soldier, there are a thousand things that could go wrong. But they are hard at work building their school and rebuilding their sector, and Sebastian is a genius who can fix anything. Anything. In return for his help, all they have to do is give him a safe place to find out if his emotional wounds can be healed.
Just one traumatized supersoldier in the middle of a school filled with former feral street kids, war refugees from exclusive brothels, and a few dozen kids who barely know what a school is.
What could go wrong?
—
DISCLAIMERS: this is a serial meant for existing readers of the series. it contains full series spoilers for the Beyond Series and may not make sense if you haven’t read it.
It is also NOT erotic. This is the first part of a very very very slow burn romance between a broken Makhai soldier and an artist who escaped Sector Two after the bombings. There may also be a few other romances a brewing… consider this more like a TV show with multiple members of the cast up to hijinks, even if there are two main characters.
—
Blue’s favorite time was when she had the greenhouse to herself.
She liked the kids, of course. Little ones always loved playing in the dirt, and the older ones tended to treat her like a respected but cool older sister, which was a nice change of pace. Most of the time, people treated her like a nuisance.
It wasn’t that she was particularly annoying–at least, she hoped not. But she was young, and in Sector Three, that was sometimes worse.
It wasn’t even her chronological age that did it. People saw her as young because she was, admittedly, naive. Though an orphan like so many others, Blue had fallen in with a slightly older, harder crowd of kids who had both treasured and envied her innocence. They’d fought hard to shelter her, like nurturing a plant that had sprouted in barren soil. As long as she kept her optimism, it meant there was hope for them all.
Unfortunately, not many folks in Sector Three believed in optimism. It was no better than a fairy tale, a concept for children to outgrow. When they didn’t, it meant they weren’t smart enough to understand reality. And they treated those poor, silly, sunny souls accordingly–like children.
Which was why Blue liked to be alone in the greenhouse. There was no one around to pity her, plus she got to witness that miracle all over again, with the kids and the plants. This time, she got to nurture things until they grew.
“What about kale?”
Of course, the next best thing to being alone in the greenhouse was hanging out with people who didn’t think she was a) silly, or b) a child. Like Hawk and Jeni, who had the greenest thumbs imaginable, and would hop over from Four to help her sometimes.
Hawk had grown up in Sector Six, where huge farms dotted the landscape. They’d been largely destroyed during the war with Eden, but people were starting to flood back in and rebuild. Jeni, on the other hand, had grown up in the city, but she knew so many things that sometimes it made Blue’s head spin.
This time, however, she knew where Jeni was going. “Kale would be good for winter,” she agreed. “We don’t have to plant it in the greenhouse. We could put it in the boxes we’re building outside, and keep this space for more delicate crops.”
“We figured out a lot about conserving space from the roof gardens in Four,” Hawk said, his gaze still studying the unused space. “I know you want the basics, but what are your big dreams?”
He said the word without judgment, without scorn. Blue smiled. “To grow everything the school needs, plus some. There are so many things we could teach the kids then–cooking and preserving food, even how to sell things. We could start a market like the one you have in Four.”
Hawk exchanged a look with Jeni, then nodded. “Strawberries,” he said. “One of my brothers has been cultivating seedlings. They’ll grow in towers and make great jam. Concord grapes, too. Those could go on trellises outside, they’re hardy.”
“Jams and jellies,” Jeni agreed. “Can’t go wrong with small luxuries in a market. Have you thought about livestock?”
“We have some. Six hates it, but chickens only make sense. They don’t take up much room, they’ll eat anything, we can compost the shit for free fertilizer, and eggs.” Blue bit her lip. Six didn’t like farm animals, so she’d been hesitant to share her thoughts. “I’ve been thinking about converting one of the abandoned buildings to a barn. We could have more chickens, and maybe even some goats.”
“Goats,” Hawk agreed immediately. “The Reyes family has been trying to offload some of their animals to focus on horses and cattle. You could get them at a steal. But Six might dig her heels in.”
She probably would, but she’d eventually give in. Six’s bad memories of growing up on a farm wouldn’t stop her from doing what was best for the school. “I’ll mention it to her. Do you have diagrams for the towers and boxes?”
“I’ve got something better.” He pulled one of the new folding tablets out of his pocket and snapped it open, revealing a wide screen. “Mia in Sector Eight decided the rooftop gardens were too good an idea to waste. She and Noah did some computer wizardry and made this.”
As she watched, Hawk input the size of the greenhouse and then tapped his fingers over the screen. “It lets you plan out what sort of structures you want and then exports a list of required resources and building instructions.” He held the tablet out to her.
There was some text on the program, but the interface mainly consisted of images and symbols.
Blue swallowed hard. She could read…sort of. Her education had been as haphazard as everyone else’s in the sector. Her grandmother had raised her, and she’d spent most of her time teaching Blue about plants–what would grow and when, and under what conditions. How to look at them and tell what they needed to thrive. It was the only education she’d had to pass on, so she had.
After her death, Blue had relied on the other kids in her gang to teach her things. One girl had been smart–so smart, maybe even smarter than Six. She’d told Blue that she needed to be able to read, at least a little. Enough to tell safety from danger.
But this program managed to be understandable, even without words. Just knowing there was someone out there, in a whole other sector, thinking about how people might need something like this? It made her throat ache.
“Thanks,” she muttered. “I’ll go over it with River. She’ll be scavenging as many of the materials as she can.”
“Let us know if you come up short on anything.” Hawk’s sudden smile transformed his usually serious face. “Trust me, I know how cranky Sally gets when her supplies are subpar.”
“Thanks, Hawk.” She threw her arms around him for an impulsive hug, then turned and hugged Jeni, as well, mindful of the swell of her pregnant belly. “You guys are the best.”
“Let us know if you need any help with labor, too,” Jeni urged. “We’ll load up a bunch of strapping O’Kanes and drop them at your feet.”
Blue laughed. “Don’t, you’ll make me swoon.”
“Hey.” Jeni sobered. “There’s always a place for you in Four. Dallas said so himself.”
It was tempting, Blue had to admit that. Just like it was tempting to settle in One, or Five, or any of the other sectors that had subtly, respectfully offered to set her up. It would be a fresh start, a chance to be someone new.
But there was no outrunning the past. It would always be part of her, no matter where she went. Besides, Three was her home, and Six needed her. The kids needed her. “Thanks, but I’m staying put. We have a lot of work to do right here.”
“Understood. Remember what I said about the extra hands, though.”
“I will.”