War was something Riley had never really thought about. She knew that there had been many wars between the Formas and humans. She also knew that the humans had never won. But the word war felt strange to her. She had no sense of what real war would look like. So, she wasn’t sure how to feel about it when Lisa sat her down to explain why she would be leaving soon. But Riley didn’t like the idea of her leaving one bit.
“Why? Why do you have to leave now? There isn’t a war going on! Aren’t we safe here?” Riley demanded. She tried to keep her voice firm and steady, but it was hard to do that when she was also fighting back tears.
“I’m sorry, Riley. But this is for your own good. You see what I mean about these attacks. It’s only a matter of time before the government takes action. When it does, things will get nasty. I need to know that these humans will be willing to take you in. Don’t you want to meet other humans? These humans are free, and they can protect you.”
“You can protect me and Sally! I just want to stay with you!”
“I will come back, dear. I just want to check this place out first.” This wasn’t fair. Riley had only just begun to trust Lisa; now she was leaving. Things were going great. Why did she have to turn around and ruin everything like this? Tears filled Riley’s eyes, and she turned away. Everyone either ended up leaving her or they were taken away. Just like her parents. Or like Sally who had been taken to another country when she was too small to remember.
“I want you to stay!” Riley demanded again. “I need you here!” She pulled back as Lisa tried to hug her.
“I’ll be back. I just need you to wait a little longer and take care of Sally while I’m gone.” Lisa’s tone was kind but firm. Riley knew that she had already made up her mind. Riley caught sight of Sally who was peering around the corner at them. Her large eyes were filled with confusion and concern. “Look at me, Riley, I-- “
“I don’t want to hear it!” Riley burst out. “I don’t want you to go! How can you do that to us? How can you let us down like this?” Riley regretted the words the moment they left her mouth. Hurt exploded across Lisa’s face. For a moment, Riley just sat there unsure of what to say. A simple apology wouldn’t do. Lisa got to her feet and turned to leave. Riley had never seen her look so upset before.
“I’ll be back for you. I-I won’t leave you,” Lisa whispered as she began to pack the few things she had. Sally rushed over to her side and buried her face in Lisa’s lap. There was a look of panic on the child’s face now. She was beginning to understand. No, Riley wouldn’t let Lisa leave on this awful note.
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“I-I didn’t mean that!” she said. “I’m sorry! I-I just got upset!”
“I don’t blame you, dear. I understand why you’re hurt. But I promise I will come back,” Lisa whispered. A tear slid down Lisa’s cheek. This was the first time Riley had ever seen her cry. She reached out and took Lisa’s hand.
“I’ll miss you so much!” she sobbed.
“I’ll miss you too.” Lisa paused. She set her bag down and gave each of the girls one last hug. “Be good for me, listen to Mr. Jorden and take care of each other,” Lisa whispered. Then she leaned over and whispered something to Sally in Spanish. Whatever it was made Sally’s eyes glow with delight. Riley pressed herself up close to Lisa. If only this moment could last forever. If only Riley could travel to the future to when Lisa would return. A knock on the door pulled Riley out of her despair. Lisa wiped her eyes and looked up as Mr. Jorden entered.
“Sorry, am I interrupting something?” he asked. Lisa shook her head.
“No. I’ve got all my stuff. Please take care of them for me,” she added.
“I will. I promise. Now, I learned of this place from a good friend. But I have not been there myself. I don’t know these people, so please be careful,” said Jorden. Riley frowned. How many human friends did he have? He seemed to know a lot.
“I love you!” Riley said, grabbing Lisa’s hand. The hurt on Lisa’s face vanished at the sound of those words. She beamed down at Riley.
“I love you too, Riley! I love both of you! I promise I’ll come back as soon as I can.” She gave Riley’s hand a gentle squeeze, then turned to leave. Just like that, Lisa was gone. Riley sighed. It felt like she spent so much of her time waiting for Lisa to come home. She felt Sally take her hand. At least she still had her little sister to comfort her. The two of them stood there, listening as Lisa’s footsteps faded away.
“Your lunch is ready,” Mr. Jorden said after a pause.
“Okay. We’ll eat outside. We found a new flower in the garden, but we don’t know what kind it is,” said Riley. “It’s pink and brown. It looks like a rose, but I’ve never seen colors like that on a rose.” Jorden smiled at her.
“It probably is a rose. That garden that you’re so fond of is something of an experiment for me. When I’m not working or writing I’m in the lab, experimenting with plants,” he said.
“Lab?” Riley asked. She hadn’t been told about this before.
“Yes. If you two want I could show you the lab after lunch.” Riley smiled at him. He was trying to cheer her up.
“Okay. That sounds nice.” Maybe it would distract her from Lisa. She also needed to practice more Spanish. She would impress Lisa with her skills. She would work hard and blow Lisa away when she came back. That gave Riley something to look forward to. The girls followed Jorden down the hall. A thought suddenly occurred to Riley. She glanced down at Sally. The sooner she learned to speak to her, the more she would understand. There were some many things Sally knew that she didn’t.
“Mr. Jorden, can I ask you something?”
“Of course. What is it?”
“Do you have any sand we could play with?”