Page 42 of Forbidden Letters


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“Yeah, do that!” Wilma nodded to me. “You’ll look like an idiot, but that’s okay.”

“No, don’t walk like that. I got into fights all the time. Nobody likes a cocky kid. It’s like wearing a stamp on your forehead asking to be taken down a notch.”

“Then how should I walk?”

“Well, how do you normally walk?” Tyton took a seat at the table that was now bursting with food. “Show us.”

I had never thought about how I walked and now everything I did seemed weird.

“Is that how you walk?” Joan frowned.

“I think so. No, maybe more like this.” I took another turn back and forth on the kitchen floor.

“Hmm… no, that won’t work. You swing your arms too much.”

I stopped at Wilma’s chair. “What about at your school; how do the boys walk around there?”

They all looked at me like I’d asked her if she’d seen aliens.

“I don’t go to school. My mom teaches me at home.”

“Oh.” I jerked back. “Is it just you or is that the case for all girls?”

“There aren’t that many of us, but yes, we all do home schooling.”

“It’s safer that way,” William explained.

Taking a big bite of a bun with cheese, Tyton got up from his chair. He chewed fast and swallowed. “How about you walk like this?” Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he let his shoulders and head fall a bit and walked like he wanted to avoid being seen. “You could be shy and socially awkward. That way most people would leave you alone.”

“Yeah that’s a good idea, and make sure you keep the hoodie up the whole time,” William instructed. “Even pretty boys can get the wrong kind of interest and we don’t want to fight off drunken men who want to seduce you.”

“Is homosexuality a big thing here?”

“What do you think?” Tyton sat down again and nodded to my chair for me to do the same. I got the feeling he didn’t want to talk about it.

“It’s considered a taboo,” Joan whispered to me.

“Why? There’s nothing wrong with homosexuality.”

“What would you know about it? Didn’t you say Motlanders are all asexual?” Tyton’s words sounded like an accusation.

“Asexual – does that mean you don’t like sex at all?” Joan looked at me with pity.

I gave a curt nod and an awkward silence filled the room. All I could do was focus on eating my breakfast. The strawberries, and the piece of oatbread with orange jam that I ate tasted amazing. I didn’t ask if there was milk or eggs in the bread. I needed something to eat and with everything else on the table being animal-based products, I chose to pretend the bread was vegan.

In the meanwhile, Wilma and her parents discussed the champions and how they all hoped that a man called Emmerson would make it to be one of the five champions for her to pick from.

William chugged down a large glass of milk. “It’s a shame that Cameron got knocked out.”

“Mmm.” Tyton made a sound of agreement. “I hated that fight.”

“I know, son. It’s always hard to see a good friend get beaten unconscious and not be able to help.”

Tyton nodded. “He survived and that’s what matters.”

“I wouldn’t have minded Cameron as a son-in-law. He’s a good fighter,” his mom chimed in. “But now he and you can train together for Tamara’s tournament next year.”

Tyton didn’t respond to that and Joan turned her attention back on Wilma. “By this time tomorrow, you’ll be a married woman.”