2022 day one. sad totale of 2010

She took a breath and tried to look happy, for all she wasn’t. She still didn’t see why she had to put the itchy still dress on. There was no reason that she couldn’t wear one that was comfortable. They didn’t look that different, and others had ones that were even closer. This who thing was nuts. Then so was being here at all. He could have left her in Graham, that was close enough. There was no reason to force her to live here is this disgusted paved land. Not like she could do anything until they were on the trail. Little use for a guide here and that was why he said he wanted her to come. Just because they wanted him to teach a bunch of tec heads how to live outland so they could make their maps and surveys. Some silly notion about cataloging the wild life again. As if they had any idea. Half there animals weren’t at all what they thought. Least dad did bring samples and pictures, as well as correct descriptions. Not that they will accept it, even with him being trained here it wasn’t done by one of them. After all he has sent reports back for years. She gave the awful dress a last tug and left her room, knowing her sister would be yelling soon. Sure enough there was Violet, beaming, clearly delighted. Then she had been asking to come East for years. Wanting to see it, to go to one of their schools, which was fine. Nothing wrong with it. They did have good things to offer. Just not for everyone, just like the west wasn’t for everyone. “There you are Alice! That dress is Perfect! Just the thing for the faculty welcome. The relatives, some of them, should be there as well, they were coming in today. It will be so good to see them. Why you haven’t met but three, and that was years ago. And that wasn’t Uncle Philip, that is on the expedition. Just think you will meet them all at last. For all you never would come with us.” Alice shrugged. “They could have come here if they wanted to meet me before. I said I would come this far, for all it would have hurt any of them to go as far as Graham. That would be half way, and it is developed ‘tween here and there. Nothing that would attack them has been in the area for forty years. There was no reason for me to make an effort if they didn’t.” Her sister shook her head, not understanding it all. Then most of her siblings looked at her like that. Only the tree that were born in the West truly got it, and even them thought she went to far at times. For all they to felt it strange here. It was just strange here, for all it shouldn’t be. Yet something changed once you crossed the River. Violet said. “Come on, I told the rest I would wait for you and see you showed, so they went on. We need to get there before they are done with the speeches, so they don’t notice we skipped them.” “If you hadn’t insisted I change into this scratch thing we would be there. I don’t see why it was needed.”Alice tugged again on her sleeve. Just what was wrong with honest fabrics? Why did folks out here have to use made up things? Was there anything they didn’t use their tec in? “I wasn’t even in one of my leather dress. It was brighter than this junk.” She started to the door, not expecting an answer that made sense. It was just one more thing she couldn’t understand about this land. Violet said. “It is important to use renewable metatarsals, so that we are not depleting the natural government by over use. It isn’t right to pry on it for items we can make safely ourself. There is cotton in the dress, just mixed with other grown fibers to make it durable. There is nothing wrong with looking civilized now and then., You want them to respect what you say. That will only happen if they don’t see a wild person when they look at you.” Alice just followed her out and over to the campus where they were holding a welcome part for the members of the expiation that had just gotten in, combined with a welcome for the new professors, some of whom were just there for the expedition, but had been talking into teaching another class or two, like her father. She had to frown a bit, still wondering how she had agreed to come, and just how that had included taking classes. She had completed her school, yet here she was taking more. And useless at that. What use did she have for Fliton History? I am not going to live here, and the River formed a very border as there tec mostly died in the middle of it. There was no danger of them attacking. So why do I care how they fought their wars and how the six founding fathers formed the bases of their laws. I know the laws I have to obey when here, and likely know more about the founding than they do. Given I have studied the years before it most of my life. After all that is what I do normally. Mine and map the ruins left from before, looking for what caused such a drastic change to one world. Then from what I can tell their schools do not teach that that was a time before the River. Do not admit that there was a civilization that didn’t know the divided. They can forget that there was a time we had combustion engines on our side, a time when man traveled the globe in just over a day, not the four years it would take now. Assuming it could even been done. There are large spaces that apparently kill everything. There are places we have no idea of, and some we wish we didn’t, but this is not one we need be on guard against. Yet that fell on deaf ears. As did the fact that I have been making usable maps for five years and have a degree in cartography. Yet I am still forced to take the class on taking measurements from the expedition mapping crew. At least she had gotten her way on the plant and animals class, for all they had her taking one on geography. Bet they will like it when I start point out the errors. Still to be locked in one of those buildings for that long. Good we made it just at the right time, as they are come out to dinner, which is where I would be missed. Well in that there would be an empty chair. Seamlessly they blinding with the rest, Alice taking her place just behind Jordan, no one know she hadn’t been there all along. Jordan looked at her and shook his head. “I see Violet got you as well.” Alice nodded. “It is just one night it won’t hurt. She just wants Aunt Dot to believe we can be civilized. She is the one that is just sure you don’t know how to behave as you never go east. It will be over soon, and after tonight you should be able to wear clothes most days.” Alice laughed, as he had intended. “What? It’s true.” He took his place at the table as she shook her head and took hers. “Now most of this is real, not the fake meat. It is for the expedition after all and all members are to be eating mostly real food to get them used to it. So you should be able to eat just fine. Now if we get dragged to one of the other house we will need to come up with a reason to leave before food comes out. They won’t believe that anyone can be made ill by their fake meats. Insist it is all safe, and imposable to be allergic to. Even after I showed them. They said it was all in my head.” Alice nodded. “I am aware of that. However, you need not worry, unlike you I do carry the needed herbs to take of any exposer to there chemical foods. Further more getting out will be as simple as having Jade or Feather show up, as either will be happy to to do. They were both just sure they were needed tonight.” He shook his head. “Now that isn’t fair. I was trying to prove to them that it did make people sick if they ate it. I didn’t forget.” She looked at him. “They were in my bag. Just my bag was.” Alice said. “You bag was not on you. Which is where you were told to keep them. You know they are fond of their made up stuff, and that some of the additives do not play right with those born on the other side of the River. After all that is why most of were not born there, and why so many many the edge cross to have their children. Those from here want to lesson the changes their children have. That is all first grade, and yet you go and ignore it. Luckily your reactions are mild.” The boy across the table coughed. “That was mild? That was. I don’t want to be around it again I was just going to tell him to wait to try anything until I had, as I can tell the difference. So there is something that will prevent it?” Alice nodded. “He just stopped breathing for a few minutes and vomited for a bit after. My heart would stop in ten minutes and I would not wake for a week, assuming I received the correct medicine in first hour. However if I take the antidote in those ten minutes I will just be groggy for the next few days. If I get it in five, not many will ever know there was a problem. He has a thirty minute window in which to take it with no one telling, then another thirty in which it will stop the symptoms just leave him tired. That lets him think it safe not to see he has it on him. Never mind he should know that isn’t the case. Don’t worry, I have the ones he need to take as well, sir.” The boy looked at her oddly and Jordan laughed. “Alice, that is your cousin, not some suite. Ben, this is Alice, the ghost sister.” Alice looked at him. “Heard about but never seen, that is all. I wasn’t saying you were a part of some ghost society. I didn’t think how it sounded.” Alice shook her head. “No the fault was mine. After all we are on the wrong side of the River for there to be titles given. I have no right to take offense that it was the wrong one.” Ben shook his head. “I can see being upset at being called a ghost, but why would it be thought a title?” Fred said. “The natives in the Fogtem have different groups, saying one is a sister or brother of them is saying the person has free passages in the lands they claim. Like getting a passports letting you travel across Eurpora. I did not know there any that went by Ghosts, though.” Alice said. “There are not, ghost there are the same here. Spirits of the departed, to say one is related is to say they are seeking death. Which some would say is correct, but few are foolishly enough to say it in front of me.” He smiled a bit. “I knew she wasn’t meaning an insult but wasn’t to clear just what it was. I do not normally use this language, so I forget the subtleties.”