The Second Coming by John Dalmas

“I understand you just arrived here a month ago. How do you like school on the Ranch?”

“A lot,” Becca answered. “I like my teachers a lot, and the other kids, and my classes. I’ve always liked school, but I like this one best.”

“What do you especially like about it?”

“You really learn things here. Where we came from, I was in a class for gifted kids”—Lee noticed she didn’t name her old school, and Meryl Thomas didn’t ask—”and the ordinary classes here are at least as . . . tough’s not the word, or demanding. Maybe requiring. I’d just started trigonometry there, but here, lots of kids take it in fifth grade, some in the fourth. I’m in the sixth. I don’t think anyone here gets through the sixth without it.”

Thomas turned to Raquel. “What do you like about it here, Raquel? Or dislike?”

“I don’t dislike anything about it. It’s fun! One of the things I’m taking is human geography, that they didn’t even have in grade school, back—where we came from. And the teachers know how to help by asking questions that make you realize stuff.

“And I really really like book discussion class. We’ve just started on the Life of Socrates. He’s really interesting! And after school, the older kids can get Life Healing. Becca’s old enough now, and we’re working on Mom for permission. In January, when I’m ten, I’ll be old enough, too, and if Becca gets to, then I will. And . . .” She paused. “I better stop and let other people talk. I forget to sometimes. I’m an old sage in passion mode, with a goal of growth. We tend to talk too much.”

Thomas laughed. “I think you’re neat, Raquel, and you really helped me feel what it’s like.”

After that, Meryl Thomas talked mainly with Lee and Ben, until 8:30, when the hour was up. Before she left, she told Lee she’d like to talk with her privately, off camera. “I have questions not appropriate for this interview, second thoughts that developed after our talk this afternoon. There’s a small coffee shop in the visitors’ lodge. We can have a degree of privacy there. Our conversation will be off the record.” She grinned. “You can ask me questions, if you’d like.”

Lee usually had good presence, even when she was disturbed, and she knew it. Also, she almost always handled herself well one-on-one, though the realization never seemed to protect her much from advance nervousness. But this invitation felt somehow dangerous—and it was with surprise tinged with dismay that she found herself agreeing again.

She rode in the production van with Thomas. It dropped them off at the visitors’ lodge, and before they went in, Thomas paused, looking upward. “The sky here is unbelievable,” she said quietly. “I’ve never seen so many stars. It’s the lack of city lights, I guess, and the elevation. The thin air.”

They went inside. Lee had never been in the visitors’ lodge before. A single employee was tending the softly-lit coffee shop. “Our team is most of the visitors they have in this building just now,” Thomas said.

She led Lee to a window table. A minute later the waitress came over and took their orders. Thomas asked for low-fat lemon cheesecake and an herb tea, Lee a dinner salad and decaf. For a moment they disagreed over who would pay, but Thomas prevailed. “You’re here as a courtesy to me,” she said, “and I’m on an expense account.”

She paused. “You’re wondering why I asked you. After our interview this afternoon, I talked with Lor Lu about my interviews, and told him you were different than the others. I couldn’t put my finger on what it was though, so I asked him. Do you know what he said?”

Lee smiled slightly. “He probably told you to ask me.”

Thomas laughed. “Exactly.” Her face became suddenly intent. “What is the difference? Between you and the others.”

“I suppose it’s that they’re true believers, most of them at least. They believe in Mr. Aran, in what he says, and they probably believe he’s . . . whatever it is he’s supposed to be. I’ve never heard it said here.”

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