****
Jeremy grumbled as the morning alarm went off. While he was used to rising early, he had not slept well. Despite everything, he was in a foreign bed in a mansion. It was not who he was. His small sterile barracks room at ICE HQ had been his home for over a year and before that, his room at the ICE Academy. The sun was up and he needed to rise as well. He climbed out of bed and found his duffle. Normally he would have unpacked before retiring but he was hoping to get as much sleep as possible. He shrugged realizing neither had happened. It was throwing off his routine.
Jeremy found his PT clothes and headed for the comfort room. Five minutes later he lay on the floor of his room and started his sit-ups. By the time he had finished both his sit-ups and push-ups, he was starving. After cleaning and changing into a fresh pair of PT pants and a t-shirt, he headed out to find the kitchen.
As soon as he opened the bedroom door, he could smell coffee, eggs and what he believed was bacon. But it smelt different. It was not just the smell of food but of smoke and heat. It was his first time smelling real food being cooked.
Jeremy followed the aroma and soon found the kitchen. Iramy was standing with her back to the entrance to the kitchen. But as soon as he entered, she instinctively turned towards him. "I believe you like Tarian coffee?" she asked. “With double sugar and goat's milk?"
Jeremy's eyes narrowed and his nose crinkled. "How did you know that?"
"I downloaded your synthesizer file. You are quite a creature of habit. You eat the same breakfast every day."
"It works for me," Jeremy shrugged. "If ain't broke, don't fix it."
"Well today, the majority of your breakfast will not be synthesized. I can't get everything fresh, but you will find some fresh ingredients will totally change the way you look at food. I have real eggs for your omelet and real bacon and tomatoes. I'll have to get more potatoes for your hash browns. Mango juice will be a bit tougher and sorry, but I don't bake fresh bread or make my own jams. I do have a contact or two who makes jams and preserves but not loganberry."
"Where do you get the fresh ingredients?" Jeremy asked looking around the kitchen. He recognized the food synthesizer but not the stove, oven or refrigerator. Even the double sink under the window surprised him but then he remembered the General had access to real water.
"Some we grow ourselves. We have a vegetable garden. The rest we trade or barter with other families who also maintain the old ways of cooking. It's a dying art. Fresh food is slipping away from us."
"You like cooking?" Jeremy asked Iramy.
"I do. And I like the way the food tastes. I mean synthesized food is edible. It tastes okay, but here, smell this," Iramy requested as she held out a fresh tomato.
Jeremy took the tomato from Iramy. "Tomato?" he asked to confirm. Iramy nodded. Jeremy brought it up to his nose. The smell was different than the synthesized tomatoes he had eaten. "It smells different."
"It's the smell of the plant, the vine. Now taste it," Iramy told Jeremy. Jeremy looked around as if looking for a knife or something to slice it or dice it with. "Just take a bite out of it like you would an apple."
Jeremy stared at Iramy as if she was crazy; as if she was pulling a practical joke. "Just take a bite. I have more out in the garden."
Jeremy brought the tomato to his mouth and took a bite. The feeling of the skin breaking and the warm tomato juice squirting into his mouth took him by surprise. The juice dripping down his chin amazed him as well. Wiping his chin with the back of his hand, he smiled. "This tastes nothing like a fake tomato."
"But do you like it?" Iramy laughed.
Jeremy's eyes lit up as he smiled again. "This is so much better. You grew this?"
"We grow a lot of things. We have a good sized garden out back. Tomatoes, several types of peppers, sweet and hot, green beans, squash, zucchini, lettuce, potatoes, lots of herbs and few other things. The potatoes won't be ready until later this year, but I have a friend who saves some for me. He will trade me for some extra seeds I have."
"You have seeds?" Jeremy asked still surprised and amazed.
"Of course we do," Avon announced as she strolled into the room. "Every year we make sure to save seeds for the next year. We trade some for things we want and the rest we germinate in early spring out in the greenhouse. It takes all of us to keep the garden flourishing. You'll be expected to help while you're here. Captain Hanson, you are going to learn how garden and get some dirt under those perfectly manicured nails of yours."
The more Jeremy learned about Avon, the more confused he became. The prim and proper spoiled brat knew how to grow her own food. "You garden?" he asked. Just a nanosecond ago he thought he knew everything there was to know about Avon.
"I love gardening. The smell of the soil is amazing. It's calming. It's naturally therapeutic," Avon laughed. "You have a lot to learn about me."
Jeremy shrugged. "I guess so."
"Well breakfast is almost done," Iramy announced. "Get your juice and toast ready. The omelet will be ready in just minutes."
Jeremy walked to the food synthesizer and ordered up his juice and toast. As he stepped aside, he watched Iramy at the stove. "The stove works on electricity?" he asked.
"Yes," Iramy replied. "All the appliances do. We have our own generator."
"Amazing," Jeremy mumbled as he shook his head in disbelief. "Totally amazing."
"After breakfast, I plan on showing you the grounds," Avon announced. "Then I suppose you will want to nail down the training schedule?"
"Yes and a meal plan," Jeremy nodded. "We need to up your caloric intake if you plan on not fainting on me."
Avon grimaced. "I'm not used to eating as much as you."
"You don't need to eat as much as me, but you need to eat more than a cup of berries and a half slice of toast," he stated looking at her breakfast. "Maybe you could try to incorporate some protein. It will help burn calories and build muscle tone."
"I don't want muscles."
"You're going to need to build some if you expect to pass your evals. Your stamina sucks, princess and you're going to be hurting," Jeremy smirked. He watched the look on Avon's face as he called her 'princess' again.
"I'll add protein to my profile," Avon offered as a way to increase her protein intake.
"Not good enough," Jeremy growled. "You need food."
Iramy looked on while Jeremy and Avon quibbled. She quickly realized the disdain the two had for one another. Not because of who they were but what they were. She was the daughter of an ICE General and he was a determined ICE officer from the slums. They were from two different worlds and now their worlds were colliding. Their careers depended on one another. Despite their personal feelings, they would have to work together as a team. Iramy knew it would be difficult for both of them. It was evident both were used to being independent, loners.
Iramy turned to Avon. "How about we try to increase the amount of food a little at a time? I have an extra egg. Go make a piece of toast, Jewish rye with butter. I'll make you an egg the way you used to eat it when you were little. You used to like an egg on your toast."
Avon immediately felt as if Iramy had abandoned her and joined the enemy. Yes, Jeremy was the enemy and Iramy had defected to his side. Her jaw clenched; her lips tight. Avon stood and picked up the uneaten half piece of toast on her plate. Walking towards the food synthesizer, she threw it away. "I'm only eating one piece of toast," she scowled.
Jeremy was happy Avon had agreed to eat a little more. Still he was concerned. He knew she would not survive the training if she didn't eat. Even agreeing to eat an egg and full piece of toast, he knew it would not be enough. However, until she realized the truth, there was nothing he could do outside of force feeding her. He looked again at Avon. Even in long pants and a long-sleeved top, he could see just how thin she was. He knew the look of emaciation. He had seen his own body that way when he first join
ed ICE, when he had only eaten one meal a day. However, he had a reason for being thin. Avon came from money. She didn't need to starve. She could afford to eat. He had heard of women, girls who did not eat trying to stay as thin as they could. But why? Why was she so abhorred of eating?
Jeremy took another bite of his omelet. "This really is so much better with real eggs and tomatoes," he sighed. "Thank you Iramy." Iramy smiled and nodded. Jeremy continued to watch Avon as he ate. Sure he ate a lot. He liked eating. At times, he wondered if he was trying to make up for all the meals he missed growing up. Sure, if he ate less, maybe he wouldn't have to work out as much. Maybe that's it, Jeremy pondered. Maybe it's not about eating but about physical activity. Maybe she didn't like to workout, to sweat, or to push herself to her physical limits. Had she nearly failed her evals because she didn't have the strength needed work out and to meet the minimum standards, or did she just not like working out? He was sure he was about to find out.
After breakfast, Jeremy stayed behind in the kitchen to talk to Iramy. "I need your help," he told her. "We have to get Avon to eat more. She won't survive if she doesn't."
"Her eating or lack thereof, started about the time she hit puberty. When her body started changing, she stopped eating. It was a way for her to stay thin and not have a feminine body. Thinking her father wanted a son instead of a daughter has always conflicted her."
"But she wears her hair long and wears make-up, nail polish," Jeremy stated as a question.
"It is a bit of a contradiction. It's as if a part of her is trying to please her father and part of her is fighting for independence. We're hoping she'll figure it out on her own. Pressuring her may have made things worse. However, if she wants to continue at the Academy, she has to make a decision; eat or fail the evals."
Jeremy knew Avon really didn't want to be a soldier. She was only doing it to please her father. She didn't know what she wanted to be, who she wanted to be. In a way, he felt pity for her. He had wanted to be a soldier all his life. It was all he had ever aspired to be. And as long as Avon's plans for her life included ICE, he would do whatever it took over the next three months to ensure she passed her physical evaluations.
"Let's add a little food at a time," Jeremy sighed. "She'll catch on fast enough that she won't make it if she doesn't. I won't force her to eat but I will push her to her physical limits and then some."
"I'm sorry you've been placed into this position Captain Hanson," Iramy stated sincerely. "But you are the best person for this job. I'm not saying it will be easy. It definitely won't be fun but if anyone can do it, you can."
Jeremy nodded while trying to find his resolve. "Go find Avon and take a tour of the grounds. I'll put together lunch and this afternoon we can put together a meal plan. Try to relax this morning."
Jeremy found Avon in the library. He was amazed by all the books the General owned. The room had to wall to wall antique cherry wood shelves. Each shelf filled with books. A large wooden desk sat to one side with a wood burning fireplace on the outer wall. The furniture was leather in dark colors but warm and welcoming. Just like the other rooms of the mansion, it was cozy, homey, just like a home should be.
"I'm ready for a tour," Jeremy announced to Avon. "Maybe you can show me the garden and the grounds?"
Silently Avon walked back to the kitchen and out the back door. Jeremy followed. The weather was perfect, sunny and not too warm. Jeremy looked out over the formal garden and could not speak. He had never seen anything like it. The lawn seemed to go on forever. Flower beds surrounded a fountain, colorful and full. He could smell a myriad of fragrances mostly lavender, lots of lavender. He swore he could smell the grass. "The garden and the greenhouse are on the other side of the trees," Avon explained. "I'll show you."
Avon walked towards the fountain and Jeremy continued to follow. Nearing the flower beds he was overwhelmed by the scent. "I've never smelled anything like this," he mumbled, almost embarrassed by how enjoyable he found it.
Avon turned left and continued down a stone path through the trees. Coming out on the other side, Jeremy just stared. He had never seen fresh vegetables growing before. For a moment, he thought he had landed on another planet. He looked from row to row, naming off the vegetables he saw and could recognize. "Where are the potatoes?" he asked.
"Below ground silly," Avon laughed. "They are a root vegetable. We will dig them up in the fall."
Jeremy was insulted by the way Avon spoke to him. He knew nothing about farming or gardening. The only thing he knew about dirt was the dirt which used to lie beneath his mat back in the slums. "You love making feel inferior don't you princess?" Jeremy sneered. "I didn't grow up like you did. We are different; totally different." Jeremy turned on his heel and started back towards the mansion.
"Captain Hanson, stop, please," Avon begged. "I'm sorry. Really I am. I guess I don't remember how different we are. We are the opposite sides of the spectrum in just about everything, how we were raised, where we were raised, gender, ambitions, everything. The only thing we have in common is ICE and the fact we will be inseparable for the next three months."
Jeremy had stopped walking, but kept his back to Avon. He refused to turn and face her.
"Captain Hanson," Avon started just barely above a whisper. "We can teach each other so many things. We can learn from each other. I can teach you about plants and gardening and you can help me learn to run without falling." She knew she had gone too far and she needed Jeremy even if she didn't want to admit it to herself. She hoped a little self-deprecation would lighten the mood.
In a way, Jeremy needed her also. Well, maybe not Avon herself, but he needed to complete this assignment successfully and earn his way to a battleship. Caught between a rock and a hard place, he turned and nodded. "PT in the morning and gardening in the afternoon. We start tomorrow." Jeremy turned on his heel again and walked away, leaving Avon amongst the vegetables.