The Foundling

Chapter 19: Nothing To See Here

He-ne shut the door and turned around with Ta-lei in her arms and Ta-lei rubbed his eyes sleepily.

"Awww," said Hi-bei, "does he need a nap?"

He-ne shrugged helplessly. Both of them tried to ignore Ba-nei arguing with Meki in the kitchen.

"Can I hold him?" asked Hibei hopefully. He-ne relinquished the little xeno and sank down at the table wearily. She massaged her temples and hoped that the crying episode last night was just a fluke. Hibei settled beside her with the suspiciously quiet Ta-lei cradled in her lap. She pulled out her holobook and began skimming absent-mindedly through her notes. He-ne began mentally compiling her shopping list: buttons, spices, canning jars, mak-syrup, thread, a basket, a new pot, nails, replacement glow orbs and a backup battery for the sump pump. Mavrek had scrawled the exact make and model on a scrap of paper in clumsy penmanship.

"For gods sakes, I'm not going!" snapped Ba-nei, voice rising suddenly. The outburst startled Hibei and she seemed to shrink in her seat. He-ne stopped making her shopping list and looked up.

"Ba-nei," said Meki firmly. She was struggling to keep an even tone. "You are going and you will apologize to your career supervisor Mr. Lak-re for missing every selection meeting he's set for you. The school also informed me that you haven't attended classes in more than a week! Mr. Lak-re even suggested holding you back an extra trimester."

Ba-nei merely set her jaw and flattened her ears belligerently.

"Don't give me that look," countered Meki crossly, "You're nearly grown, you need to take responsibility and start acting like it. You should have picked your field of study last trimester. Hi-bei's nearly a cycle younger than you and she's already chosen hers."

At this Hi-bei seemed to shrink even more and Ba-nei bristled.

"I'm going back to bed," she said stonily but Meki stopped her and tossed her a dishrag.

"Oh no you're not, it's late and the breakfast dishes need doing."

Ba-nei muttered something under her breath but set to work. Ta-lei was curled in Hi-bei's lap already fast asleep.

"This drinking habit of yours has gone too far," continued Meki gently, "at this rate you're going to ruin your life! It's those no good friends of yours, isn't it? Stars, Bavmen was right about them. That good for nothing, Licionara, is she the one who buys you all that booze?"

Ba-nei glared at her mother irritably. "So what if she does?" she demanded, "You just don't like her 'cause she's Crantian!" The dishes clanked loudly in the sink, punctuating Ba-nei's words.

"She's a bad influence!" countered Meki with exasperation, "Your father and I only want what's best for you and that girl isn't. Hi-bei's friends aren't like this. I don't want you seeing her anymore."

Ba-nei slammed the pot she'd been washing down on the counter and sudsy water splashed everywhere. "You don't know that! You don't know anything." Still glaring, she stormed over to the door, flinging the wet dishrag at Ta-lei and Hibei as she passed.

"You know what, fine! I'll go to that damned counsellor meeting with that nerf-herding pen pusher," she ripped the door open, stepped out and slammed it before anyone could say anything.

Meki gave an apologetic smile to He-ne. "Honestly, I don't know what's gotten into her," she said sadly, "Here Hi-bei give me that rag."

"I should probably get a move on eh?" said He-ne rising with a sigh.

"Where are you going?" asked Hi-bei curiously.

"I need to pick up some things before Mavrek gets back." She explained reaching for Ta-lei who was miraculously still asleep despite the commotion.