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My eyes slide to Kayleigh’s There’s an intense sort of focus to her gaze, and no wonder While the giant clayof the entryway, its countries aren’t labeled We are taught that the world was divided into nations, but not the names of these divisions

The very fact that the old world was broken up into different countries proves why life aboard the ship is better There’s no point in learning the history of Sol-Earth’s nations, except as a warning of bad civilizations we cannot let Godspeed emulate

"The Greeks, they kne to appreciate art," Orion continues "They believed in art for art’s sake, that a sculpture or a painting doesn’t have a higher purpose--it just is "

A sinking sadness fills my chest The ones in the Hospital ere better at math and science have been apprenticed because they have soh and Victria and Bartie and Harley and Luthor--we’re just artists We have nothing to contribute

" Or, " Orion says, talking to the map in a conteher purpose in and of itself That’s what the Greeks understood--that’s so even Eldest understands Art is important There is value in art that can’t be tallied like the right or wrong answers on a test Even here, even on this frexing ship, art is important "

Victria shifts uncomfortably beside me No one speaks ill of Godspeed or its leaders, but Orion’s dancing around conteh She’s hanging on every word Orion says, her eyes glistening

"Your assignment is to research the Greeks They ods’ Find a Greek that ine it for aI’ve never been able to think ofmore than a worthless, throay skill

Harley clears his throat "I don’t understand "

"Your parents are weavers, right?" Orion asks

Harley nods His usual carefree attitude is immediately hidden behind an emotionless mask: He doesn’t like to talk about his parents None of us do Moving to the Hospitalbehind your parents But if Harley’s parents were like mine, it’s not like they cared when he left

Or even noticed

"In Greece," Orion continues as if nothing’s different, "the best weaver in their history was a woods were jealous, and they turned her into a spider so she could only weave webs " My eyes drift down Orion’s neck, to the spiderweb scar behind his left ear He noticeshi his hand

"And what?" Bartie asks "You want us to write a report on her, or whatever god erly "I want you to create If, for example, you chose Arachne, then I want you to weave her story into a tapestry "

I can see thewashes over each of our faces--he wants us to rin spreads over Harley’s face Luthorup with ideas of what he’d like to do already Even Victria looks ecstatic

Godspeed isn’t Greece: No matter what Orion says, it doesn’t feel as if art is very much valued here Doc has had us research art, sure, but never really experiment with it He was much more focused on what our art could do for the ship, hoe could turn it into so useful

I catch Bartie’s eye Doc has never been able to give us assignments that use our talents He could have Luthor , or Harley can draw architectural plans instead of painting, but there wasn’t much he could do with Bartie’s skill with instrunment," Orion repeats, "is to research artand then e

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"This is brilly," Harley says as we sit in a circle on the floor in the entryway of the Recorder Hall We each have our own personal floppies, each flashing with ies from ancient Greece Orion ventured further into the Recorder Hall with proh says She’s so excited she’s forgotten that she wants to be aloof in front of Harley "I can’t believe he’s encouraging us to do art! "

Harley lights up at the joy in Kayleigh’s voice "What are you going to research?" he asks, leaning closer to Kayleigh while she lets him "I think you could be Poseidon " He holds his floppy out to her

Kayleigh scans the inforod " It seems ridiculous that the Greeks actually worshipped these people, thinking they had any kind of real power Silly Sol-Earth fairytales and religions

"Ew," Kayleigh tosses the floppy back to Harley "This hs "Yeah, but he’s the god of the ocean, and you love to swih says in a sticky-sweet voice, "and dress up in some seashells "

"I ’m not a flirt," Harley says so seriously that the entire rooh blushes furiously and gets up to sit on the other side of Victria, putting me beside Harley instead

Harley doesn’t seem to mind Maybe he’s confident;to have any other feelings than those he holds for Kayleigh He turns to ’s happened "What about you? You could be a Siren "

I tap the word intothat looks like a cross between a girl and a fish "This looks h would like," I say She is the one who spends everyin the pond behind the Hospital

" No, read," Harley insists

I start reading, the sounds of everyone else’s gentle argu as I focus on the story I see nohy Harley thought this particular ers trail along a portrait of a Siren perched on a rock, a stringed instru in the water below her