Page 31 of The Red Woman on Mars

“Shi’s teaching me a few moves.” Felicia tucked one hand against her chin and made a fist.

“No, no, keep your thumb outside your fist.” Shiloh moved Felicia’s fingers.

Vivian and Luz exchanged a glance. “Could you show us too?” Luz asked.

“Sure, babes. Stand right here.”

Vivian felt a little silly learning the right way to punch in an emerald silk dress, but it was fun to see what her body could do. Sometime between the nutritious liquid diet of the nine-month voyage and two weeks of solid food on Mars, her ribs had disappeared from view under her skin. Her arms were still thin, but she no longer felt like she was about to break in two.

Now, standing on the lawn learning how to stabilize her legs to give her punch power, she wondered if her body was capableof building muscle. She wanted to be strong. From the number of women who’d come out to join them, diligently following Shiloh’s confident instructions, her friends seemed to want the same thing.

“Look, the mail’s here,” one woman said after they’d been practicing for a while. The now-common sight of the spindly artificial mail carriers trundled into view.

“Four at once?” Another remarked. “That might be a new record.”

“Can we do this again another time, Shi?” Camille asked. “I want you to teach me how to flip someone holding me from behind, like in the movies.”

“We’ll work up to that,” Shiloh promised with a grin.

The women adjusted their hair and skirts as they walked back inside the house, energetically discussing punching techniques. In the dining room, mail and packages were piled on the table in a large heap.

Delilah picked up a silver box with her name on top and opened it. “Oooh. Look at this!” The box contained a row of charcoal pencils and a spiral sketchbook. “I told Caspian when we walked through the gallery that I wanted to learn to draw. He’s so thoughtful.”

Vivian thought of Ivey’s words in her bedroom. Should she try persuading Delilah to choose Caspian? But her sister was already sifting through her other letters and gifts, exclaiming over each one. Ivey was right—Delilah wasn’t taking Caspian’s interest seriously.

She’s only eighteen.Why shouldn’t she be enjoying all the attention? At least for a little while longer.

“Vivian, this one’s for you.” Camille thrust a brown paper package in her hands. On the top,Miss Vivian Bowenwas written in an elegant hand. Several of the women gathered curiously around Vivian as she opened it to find a sleek gray reader. Anenclosed handwritten note fluttered to the ground. Vivian bent to retrieve the small square of heavy cream paper.

Expect more. —X

“A reader?” Delilah exclaimed. “Someone must be getting to know you well, Viv.”

Vivian frowned at the gift. Why would Xavier send her a reader? She swiped it open to find a book preloaded:An Introduction to Martian Lawby Dr. Ayesha Wilson, with foreword by Counselor Xavier Dorsey.

The arrogance of the man, to assume she would want to read his writing!

Luz leaned over her shoulder. “Do you think you’ll be able to understand that?” she asked gently.

Did Xavier give her the gift in mockery after she’d evaded his questions on books the night before? Did he seek to draw attention to her poor education in order to remind her that she was unworthy of entering into Martian society?

She would prove him wrong.

Vivian lifted her chin in stubborn determination and opened the book of law to the first chapter, skipping the introduction. “I will learn.”

The textwasdifficult. It assumed a basic knowledge of Martian history that Vivian didn’t possess. The complex vocabulary and syntax were beyond the measly education she’d pieced together from the limited Sumter public readers and donated paper textbooks. As she read, she needed to pause every few sentences to use the reader to look up a word or concept on the nexus.

But the book was a revelation.

In the small courtyard adjacent to the dormitory, Vivian learned about the first permanent Martian settlers, before the creation of the Intelligence. They’d been scientists and explorers, comfortable with considerable risk and hardship for themselves. At the same time, they were self-aware enough to understandwhat was needed to develop a sustainable, multigenerational system on an inhospitable planet. They decided early in the settlement’s history to establish the Martian entitlement to a basic standard of living, with meticulous optimal requirements for water, air, temperature, and food. They called these requirements the Martian Fundamental Rights.

Vivian traced the detailed chart the first Martians had published on nutrition standards and swallowed a lump in her throat.

Calorie minimums based on sex, height, origin planet, and occupation.

An optimal mix of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates.

Appropriate levels of vitamins and minerals.