Chapter 4: Chapter Four. Breakfast Morning.

The soft chime of her alarm clock woke Cami from her dreamless slumber. Rolling over, she eyed the bunk beds across the short distance of the plain and minimally decorated girl’s room to see if her two sisters were awake yet. Koral, aged twelve occupied the lower bunk and was still softly snoring. Kinna, aged ten had the top bunk and was sitting up, rubbing her eyes.

“Koral, up you get, sleepy head.” Cami called, not too loudly, she didn’t want to disturb her parents. “It’s the seventh period.” Koral grumbled and rolled over. “If you want some hot water after Kinna has been in the shower, you better hurry.” Swinging her feet up out of her bed, Cami gathered up the clean clothes that she had laid out the night before, left the bedroom and headed off across the worn carpet to the single bathroom that had to serve eight people. Besides her two sisters and her parents, Cami had three brothers. So bathroom space was precious.

Still grumbling, Koral followed her older sister to wash, tailed by Kinna. Taking turns at the sink and in the shower they performed their ablutions. As there was just a single sink along with the shower and toilet, each person had to share space. For reasons of personal privacy, the shower and the toilet were screened of from the rest of the bathroom. Sharing was difficult at the best of times and the source of much friction but the three coped although not without much grumbling. Leaving the bathroom dressed for the day in dark blue smocks, the three girls turned and entered the kitchen, passing their three brothers who were wearing plain housecoats, on the way.

“Good day Dar, Tremma, Damma.” The girls chanted in unison. The replies from their brothers was both individual and less than enthusiastic. Dar grunted, Tremma nodded and Damma yawned. The girls refrained from any further efforts at greeting although Kinna did pause briefly in the door and stretch dramatically, earning herself a glowering look from Dar. Tremma being rather more relaxed refrained from any more reaction than a raised eyebrow while Damma ignored her completely.

The kitchen was small, both counter and cupboard space in this cramped apartment was precious. There was a stove, a refrigerator and a sink for washing dishes. The kitchen was part of the combined living room, dining room. On one side of the living space was the bath room and the boys sleeping room. On the other side were separate sleeping quarters for the parents and the girls. This was a standard layout for families of lesser status. One unusual item was the flooring in the kitchen area, it was stone that had been installed by a previous tenant.

In the kitchen, Cami got to work. “Koral, get the makings for tea ready. Kinna, the breakfast cereals and milk of a cressa. I will set the table.” Each girl got to work with practised precision and the chores would rotate with each them taking turns in setting the meal up. The boys would, in their turn clear the table and clean up the kitchen after all had eaten.

For some reason Cami’s mind wandered back to the strange events of the day before. It was out of character that anyone on this planet would make such a request so the episode still bothered Cami a bit. But who could she discuss it with? Her mother? That was a possibility but even at her young age, she had an idea of the burdens her parents carried and she would only bother her mother at the last if there was no other choice. Her sisters, not a chance! The same applied to her father and the oldest and youngest brothers. Tremma was her favorite and the family member that she was closest to. But Cami decided that she couldn’t talk to him either.

Even her friends Leda and Ava had to be treated with some caution. Friendships were hard won and easily lost on Ti Lepus. Cami decided that she would not speak to either of her friends at this time, maybe later perhaps. With an internal sigh she decided not to describe what happened to her brother either, this was just too personal a problem and her brother would say that she was imagining things and not to worry about strange actions of others.

In any case, her action in helping her mother could be considered selfless and the carrying of water to her mothers’ employee, so that her mother could finish her lunch, an act of consideration by Madam Brackage. A further sigh almost passed her lips, she would have to figure this out herself if she could. Otherwise she could just put it out of her mind. Bringing her attention back to the present, Cami scanned the table; very dish, piece of cutlery and cup and saucer was in its proper place.

Looking at the table the thought crossed her mind that her family, the student and teachers at school and all the people of Ti Lepus were like the table; everyone had to be in their proper place with nothing out of place. An urge came over her to grab the table and throw it over, smashing the dishes and scattering the cutlery. Giving herself a shake, she turned to see how her sisters had fared.

Koral had laid out the makings of tea and put a pot of water onto boil while Kinna had set out the various boxes of grains and cereals neatly on another part of the counter.

“We are ready?” Cami asked her sisters.

“Looks like it.” Koral grunted. Kinna grinned. “Are the boys ready?” She asked.

“I’ll tell ma and da.” Cami replied. “The boys can take care of themselves.”

“Don’t let Dar hear you say that.” Koral warned.

“Dar won’t bite like a basticka, all he can do is buzz!” Cami retorted.

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“Better be careful, little sister.” Dar muttered in his characteristic half angry voice. Nineteen years old he was tall and rangy like his father and had just emerged from the bathroom, followed by Tremma, sixteen and Damma, seven, the latter looking uninterested in what was being said. Tremma hid his smile at Camis comment, he knew that his brother would be provoked and expected some reaction.

“A little girl like you had better be careful, you never know who maybe listening.” Dar continued as he sank into his usual chair.

Up went Camis chin as she retorted. “And a man of Ti Lepus would know the proper time to take his seat at the table.” It was the custom that when the family ate together, no one sat down at the table until the senior member of the household, whether male or female, gave leave to do so, either verbally or by taking their seat. At the implied rebuke, Dar stood up, his face flaming.

As Cami turned away to arouse her parents and tell them that morning tide was ready, Dar rounded on her, fists clenched and anger plain on his face. “Why you stuck up little …”

“Dar.” Tremma interrupted in a warning tone. Glancing around, Dar saw that his two younger sisters were watching, both clearly very interested. Cami had also turned back, hands on her hips in the universal pose of displeasure. Again Tremma stepped in as a peacemaker.

“Don’t you both think that’s enough?” he said. “Cami, ma and da are probably awake and ready for you.” The look that past between the two antagonists clearly showed that this was going to be a temporary truce and Tremma knew that the two would soon be at each other’s throats again! He gave an inward sigh.

Cami and Dar almost six years apart in age while Tremma was sixteen and in the middle between them. That meant that he was usually the peace maker between the two, a job that he didn’t want but looked like he was going to have to keep. Fortunately, Dar was now working as a contract cleaner so his home time was reduced. This helped to keep the two of them apart and made for peace in the family.

Tremma was still attending school, in his case the Libus Re Trade School for Boys which was located across the city. This meant that Tremma had to catch three different conveyances. He had just started his second to last general school year and was training as a chef. Happy in both his assessment and his choice of occupation, he was working towards a recommendation for specialised training and was hoping to be told soon that he was successful.

As Cami knocked on her parents’ door, she wondered again about all these rules she had to live by. Who sat where and when; why it was the daughters’ job to call the parents? What if they don’t have a daughter? Cami wondered. Do they never go to breakfast? The thought amused her.

“Da, Ma!” Cami knocked three times on the door. “Morning tide is ready!”

As she waited at the parental bedroom door and listened to her parents rising, Cami looked at Dar out of the corner of her eye. Seeing his obvious annoyance also amused her. He really is easy to get a rise out of, she thought. He should work on that or he will get into trouble. That did not make her happy, it would reflect back on her and the whole family. With an inward sigh, she thought that she would talk to Tremma about that.

By this time, her two sisters had joined her and were standing beside her in approved Ti Lepus fashion, head and eyes lowered and hands behind back. Her brothers were standing in a similar fashion behind their chairs at the table although Dar was still looking angry and had his eyes on his oldest sister. The parents’ door opening had him pulling his gaze back to the table.

One of several species of a bovine type animal that provided milk for consumption.

A small biting insect that causes irritation to the skin that only slowly go’s away.

The local name for breakfast, it is of unknown origin.

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