The World in Flower

27. Futures

"Got everything?" Adam asked, circling the RV for the dozenth time. The tires were still fine, and no mystery puddles of fluids or fallen vehicle parts had suddenly manifested since his last orbit.

"We're good," Sami replied. "We'll check in every couple hours, okay?"

"Right. Don't rush. These aren't highways."

"Yes. You've said. About twenty times now."

"Sorry. I just... Everything's gotten so much worse since we went to get Kendra."

"No it hasn't. You've befriended the Roaming Ones and the Treaty of Silence and Rohunah and Mahs and the Children of Orokuna and, you know, even Vine and Miral and Dickie Guy. People know they can trust you. That's what this is about."

Adam nodded. "Just be... really, really careful."

"We will, I promise."

Adam glanced up at the sky as they boarded the RV. Ragged cirrus clouds were being pulled apart across the sky. It felt like oncoming rain. He waved as the RV pulled away, then stood mulling everything over.

"Come on, hon. I need to get ready to go to the school," Tim said.

"What for?"

"They're starting a unit on algebra. I told you this."

"No, you didn't!"

"I so did! What did you think I was doing while you were Gates geeking?"

Adam shrugged. "I have no idea."

Tim blew out a frustrated breath, then turned and headed inside.

"Wait, does that mean I'm stuck at home alone with Harper?"

"Hon, it's one lesson a day for a few weeks. I'm a five-minute walk away. I think you'll manage."

***

I, Adam Henry Rupp, take you, Timothy Regan Foust, to have and to hold, in sick

The sentence ended there. Underneath was written:
Adam Foust
Tim Rupp
Adam Foust-Rupp
Adam Rupp-Foust
Every variant was crossed out.

Under that were a whole collection of doodles of dice, mostly 6-siders because he found the cubes particularly easy to draw.

Under that was a drawing of a horizontal vine with leaves like a page divider, then a sword, then a wizard's staff.

Adam sighed and turned to a different section of the notebook and stared at the charts he'd written there with labels like body, mind?, destr, constr, ???, xfer, percep. He shook his head and flipped to a different section where a different chart had labels down one side: Rosh Hashanah, Shuki-Korei-Sai, Shen of Winds, Yom Kippur, Birth of Prophet Mohammed (Sunni/Shia?), Birth of Confucius, Sukkot, Shukaku Matsuri, Navratri, Simchat Torah, Diwali, Samhain, Halloween, Vet/Remembrance day, T-Giving (Amer), Suijin-Matsuri, Hanukkah, Wang-Mu, Tohji-Taisai, Christmas, Kwanza, and so on. There were arrows here and there indicating some of them should be switched or inserted. The next column indicated the Earth date for the observance, many of which were lunar or solar or based on a different calendar. Another column, only partially filled out, contained estimates for the date on the Verlest calendar -- both a literal date-for-date and one based on Verlest's solar and lunar cycle. He'd been meaning to redraw it at some point.

Maybe he should make it a spreadsheet on his phone...

There was a yowl and then Harper started crying.

Adam rolled off the bed and dashed down the hall to Harper's room. Ooda was hiding under an old school desk Harper had as a bedside table, fur puffed out to its fullest. Harper was sitting up in bed holding her arm.