Frontier by Janet Edwards

Author:Janet Edwards
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Dystopia, Coming of age, Colonization, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Teen, Young Adult, Novella, Space Opera
Publisher: Janet Edwards
Published: 2016-03-13T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

I turned round, panicking about whether a massed arrival of the Jains meant good or bad news, and saw the group of people standing in front of the portal. It was bigger than I’d expected, including all six of the Jain children and what must be their husbands and wives.

Rodrish was standing next to his parents. When he saw me looking at him, he waved and came running towards me. “Come and meet my parents, Amalie.”

It was good news then. As I looked at Rodrish’s smiling face, all my doubts suddenly seemed foolish. Rodrish was as committed to our betrothal as I was, and asking his parents’ approval had just been a polite gesture of respect.

I relaxed, smiled back at Rodrish, then realized that I was about to meet his whole family. Worse than that, half the population of Jain’s Ford County would be avidly watching and listening to every word we said.

I gulped and hesitated, but Rodrish caught my arm and towed me along with him to face his parents.

“Mother, Father, this is Amalie,” he said.

Rodrish’s mother, Inessa Jain, hugged me in a warm, perfumed embrace. “Welcome to the family, Amalie.”

She released me, and Rodrish’s father, Kellan Jain, gave me an approving nod. “Welcome indeed.”

An unnerving thought hit me. Rodrish’s parents would naturally call me Amalie, but what was I supposed to call them? Even after Rodrish and I were married, it would seem strange to use the words mother and father to refer to anyone but my own parents.

“I’m sure you know our boys, Bened, Caden and Patryk,” continued Kellan Jain. “Our girls, Mirrie and Sara, have been living near Great Lake Settlement since they got married, but they portalled over here to meet you.”

He was pointing rapidly at people as he named them. When he started introducing the husbands and wives as well, I gave up any hope of remembering names and faces. I ended up with just one image firmly fixed in my mind. Bened Jain, an older, taller, and bulkier version of Rodrish, looking at me with an expression of dismissive superiority.

“We didn’t want to overwhelm you too much, so we didn’t bring our grandchildren,” said Kellan Jain. “Now, where are your parents, Amalie? I’ve met your father at Jain’s Ford Settlement Council meetings, but I don’t think I’ve met your mother yet.”

I turned to look for my parents, and saw my family had gathered into a shocked huddle at the front of the crowd. I beckoned them over to join us.

“I’m delighted to meet my new daughter’s family.” Kellan Jain directed a confident, practised smile at my parents, and held out a hand in greeting.

My father shook his hand. My mother was holding the baby, so she hurriedly passed him to Lisbet so she could shake hands in turn. Kellan Jain seemed to be waiting for them to say something, but they were clearly too shocked to speak.

I was still struggling with what to call Rodrish’s parents. It seemed disrespectful to even think of Kellan and Inessa Jain by just their first names.

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