Earthseed

that there were fellow passengers on Ship was sinking in.
    She came out of the bathroom. Her old room was as it had been. Kagami’s sculptures were on her shelf, a reader of Lillka’s lay on her bed. Dmitri was stretched out on another bed, hands folded under his head.
    She sat on the bed near him. “Dmitri?”
    “A brother. I ca’t believe it.”
    “He does look like you.”
    He raised himself on his elbows. “Ship lied.” Dmitri shook his head. “I wonder what’ll happen now. Maybe they’ll start telling us what to do, because they’re older.”
    “You’re wrong,” she said, wondering if he might be right. She yawned, suddenly tired. “I’ll worry about that tomorrow.”

    Aleksandr and another man were in the dining room when Zoheret and Dmitri arrived. Aleksandr greeted them while the other man stood at a wall slot, his back to them. Zoheret tugged at her clean shirt nervously, then sat down at the far end of the young man’s table with Dmitri.
    “Did you sleep well?” Aleksandr asked.
    Dmitri grunted; Zoheret stared at the tabletop. Heels clicked against the floor; hands put a tray with a pot of coffee and cups on the table in front of them. “May I get you two some breakfast?” a deep voice said.
    Zoheret looked up. A pair of dark eyes gazed at her; lips framed by a drooping mustache smiled. A familiar image had come to life. “You’re Zoheret,” the deep voice continued. “I am—”
    “I know who you are,” she cried. The young man had the face of Hussein Taraki; she knew it even though he wore no beard. She leaned forward and rested her elbows on the table as she covered her eyes.
    “My name is Yusef,” the man said. “I’m your brother.”
    She looked up, not knowing what to say.
    “I understand,” Yusef went on as he sat down. “It’s a shock. You’re not used to us yet.”
    She nodded, as if agreeing with him. He poured coffee for them; Zoheret accepted a cup even though she did not like the bitter beverage. She held it to her lips, pretending to sip so that she would not have to speak.
    Kieu entered the room with another young woman. Zoheret peered over her cup rim at the two, trying to guess which brother or sister the other woman had in the Hollow. Kieu fetched food while the other woman seated herself; she had thick brown hair, pale translucent skin, and hazel eyes.
    “My friend’s name is Maire,” Kieu said as she put down a tray of fruit and pastries. “She has a brother named Brendan.”
    “I wouldn’t have guessed it,” Zoheret replied.
    “Siblings don’t always look alike.”
    “You seem to know all about us,” Dmitri said. His eyes were pale and cold as he looked from Maire to his brother’s warm brown eyes. “And we know nothing about you.”
    “We don’t know that much about you,” Kieu murmured. “Ship showed us your images, and told us a little, but it didn’t want to tell us more until we met.”
    “But we met by accident,” Dmitri said. “What would have happened if we hadn’t come here?”
    Kieu averted her eyes. “I suppose we would have met just before leaving Ship.”
    “I see. When we were all ready to settle on our world, we would have found out that it wasn’t really ours at all, but yours.”
    “Not at all,” Aleksandr said. “It will belong to all of us. Our claim is no greater than yours. We can work together—and with more people, our chances for survival are greater. This may turn out for the best.”
    “Ship should have told us you were here,” Zoheret burst out.
    Aleksandr folded his hands. “Are you so sure? You’re learning things for yourselves. If you had known about us, you might have depended on our advice.”
    Kagami and Gervais had entered the room. They lingered by the door, then came to the table and sat down while Kieu introduced them to Maire and Yusef.
    “How are you doing in the Hollow?” Kieu asked. “Ship’s sensors are shut off there, so we have no way of knowing.”
    Zoheret was wary. “Things are fine.” Kagami nodded; Gervais wore a bland expression. “We built a settlement and planted crops. We’ve learned some things—how to hunt, how to raise chickens. It’s a lot of work.”
    “Any disagreements?” Aleksandr said.
    “A few. We settle them.” She was suddenly afraid that if these people knew of their problems, they would enter the Hollow and tell them what to do. “What about you? How did things go for you when you were living there?”
    Aleksandr sighed. “Not as we