Lost Girl Ch. 13

"Drugs, prostitution, and crime," Lucas said. "Those are the only opportunities most Indians find in the city."

"The path one chooses to follow is entirely up to them," Tristan replied. "I'd rather take my chances and venture out, then let fear hold me back from achieving something greater."

"And once you achieve that something *greater*, will you remain in the city, or move back to the reservation and help your own people?"

"I haven't thought that far ahead, but if I find a job near the rez after college, I wouldn't mind coming back."

"Right." The smirk on Lucas's lips was promptly concealed as he took a sip from his coffee cup.

"I'm not a liar," Tristan said in a firm voice.

"Must be guilt talking, because I didn't say anything about you being a liar."

"You didn't have to say it." The set of Tristan's jaw perfectly conveyed what he was feeling. "The eyes speak what the lips don't."

As Lucas's eyes went hard so did Tristan's, but it was the sound of Claudia's voice that cut through the tenseness of the moment.

"Looks like people are lining up for the campus tour." With purposeful quickness, she gathered her purse before rising from her seat. "We should probably join them before they leave us behind."

Encouraged by Claudia's brisk movements, Kimi also rose to her feet, followed by Lucas and Tristan. On reaching the crowd that had lined up at the door, they were all ushered outside, and with a student ambassador named Shauna leading the way, the crowd of high school teenagers embarked on the tour.

With its curved pathways and huge, sprawling oaks, the college campus had a gorgeous parklike setting. Along with pointing out the academic buildings, Shauna also allowed them to peek inside several state-of-the art classrooms.

The dining complex, which housed nine restaurants and two coffee shops, periodically hosted farmers markets that were supplied by the campus's on-site community garden. In addition to a massage studio, the university also boasted a rock climbing center, and offered both backpacking and kayaking trips throughout the year.

They were an hour into the tour before they finally reached the residence halls, and after guiding them inside, Shauna launched into her tour script. Less concerned with being told and far more interested in actually seeing the individual dorms, Claudia tuned out most of Shauna's talking, and instead allowed her eyes to take in her current surroundings.

Known as North Hedges Hall, the eleven-story dormitory was designed to house the males on the lower two levels, and the females on the upper ones. Judging by the heavily populated lounge area, women far outweighed the men in Craig Hall, but that didn't stop a number of male undergraduates from checking both Kimi and Claudia out.

Unsurprisingly, Kimi reveled in the attention, but Claudia found herself flustered by the brazen stares, most of which were openly lustful. As if hoping to punctuate that Claudia was his, Lucas held tighter to her hand while simultaneously throwing dirty looks in the direction of the offenders. Amused by his jealousy, Claudia lightly smirked, but as the tour guide led them past the individual sleeping quarters, she inquisitively eyed the neatly furnished rooms.

It was a quarter to noon before they finally broke for lunch, and on reaching Corbin Hall, the large group of teenagers made a beeline for the buffet tables. After stacking their plates high with lasagna and garlic bread, the foursome sat at a table to enjoy their food.

It wasn't long, however, before a teenager – who was less of a boy and more of a man - sauntered over to where they were sitting.

Tall, square jawed, and clearly Native American, the teen boy was wearing a hemp choker that perfectly complemented the tie-dye T-shirt and faded jeans he had on. As he came to a stop in front of their table, Kimi and Claudia offered friendly smiles, but Lucas and Tristan only stared straight-faced at him.

"Hello." A soft smile curved the teen's lips as he greeted the foursome.

"Hi." The smile on Kimi's face widened as she took in the newcomer's handsome face and shoulder length hair, which was left loose to flow around his shoulders. "I'm Kimi."

"Ethan." He gave her a smile of his own, then turned his attention to Claudia before acknowledging her with a nod.

"I'm Claudia," she said. "And this is my boyfriend Lucas, and my friend Tristan."

"Nice to meet you all," he said before gesturing to the empty seat beside Kimi. "Mind if I sit down?"

"Not at all." Kimi's eyes dipped just briefly to take in the faint patch of hair below his bottom lip. "So, what did you think of the campus tour?"

"It was cool." He took a sip of his Coke before adding, "Nice looking university, but I was disappointed that they didn't allow us to tour the engineering department."

"Is that what you're majoring in?"

He nodded. "At first I was thinking about civil engineering, but I think I could make a far greater impact by going into environmental."

"Have you heard about the Blackfoot tribal council leasing reservation land for oil and gas exploration?" Tristan asked.

"Yes, I have," Ethan replied. "And I think it's a really terrible idea."

"Because of oil spills?" Kimi questioned.

"Not only that, but they've also started drilling around a grizzly bear recovery zone. And from what I hear, the exploratory wells they're creating are being developed through hydraulic fracturing."

"What's hydraulic fracturing?" Claudia asked.

"A well stimulation process." He sliced into his lasagna and ate a large portion before continuing on. "Basically what they do is, pump a ton of chemicals into the ground so that the rocks beneath it are broken up. Once pathways are created, oil and gas deposits are drawn to the surface."

"So that's how they get gas out of the ground," Kimi said.

"It's also how lakes and soil become contaminated." His lips drew into a straight line. "These oil companies don't give a damn about Indian people. They just want to exploit our natural resources and use it for their gain."

"So by drilling into the ground, they could be poisoning our water supply..."

"Exactly," Ethan said. "That's why these energy companies need to be stopped."

"But they won't be stopped," Tristan said. "Because the lure of money is too strong for the tribal council."

"It's not like we have a lot of other financial opportunities on the reservation," Lucas chimed in. "As long as they go about it in a respectful way, I really don't see the problem."

"But they're not being respectful," Ethan rebutted. "They're disrupting the ecosystem and endangering the grizzly bear's habitat."

"So what are you going to do about it?" Lucas asked.

Instead of immediately responding, Ethan blinked while giving Lucas a blank look. "What?"

"You're an environmental activist, right?"

"Well, I'm not sure I can rightfully call myself an activist, but I am deeply concerned about preserving the sacredness of our land."

"Then do something about it," Lucas said. "Don't just sit around bitching, get busy and make some changes."

"Why do you think I'm majoring in environmental engineering?" Ethan's nostrils slightly flared as he continued on. "I'm actively working on effecting a positive change on reservations. What are you doing to help?"

"As of right now, not a whole lot." Lucas's tone was unapologetic, face serious as he continued on. "But I'd like to think that the discrimination lawsuit I recently filed will have some positive effects. Maybe keep a few Indians from being racially profiled like I was."

With body posture that visibly perked up, Ethan leaned forward, focusing entirely on Lucas. "This discrimination lawsuit you filed...what was the situation that led up to it?"

"Cop pulled me over while I was driving through Whitefish. He searched my car for drugs and came up empty handed, but took my hunting rifle and hand drum away. It's been nearly five months and I still haven't been able to get my possessions back, so I contacted a pro bono lawyer."

"What's this lawyer's name?" Ethan asked.

"Daniel Growing Thunder."

"No way, Dan's my uncle."

"You're joking."

"Nope. Completely serious."

"Wow." Lucas's brows gently lifted. "It really *is* a small world.

"Well, we are Indians, after all." A broad smile graced Ethan's face. "If we're not distantly related, then we're somehow connected in one way or another."

"Guess you're right about that. I can't wait to tell Dan that I met you."

"I'm sure he'll get a kick out of it." Ethan downed the rest of his soda, then took a bite of his garlic bread.

"So I'm guessing you're from Fort Peck rez, just like Dan."

"Born and raised," Ethan replied.

"Assiniboine or Sioux?" Kimi questioned.

"Assiniboine."

"You ever been up to the Blackfoot rez?"

"Nope. Never had a reason to make my way up there, but I just might have to one of these days."

"You totally should," Kimi said. "The next free Saturday you get, come hang with us."

"Most definitely, I'd love to." Ethan retrieved his cell phone from the pocket of his jeans, then flipped up the cover to expose the display screen. "Give me your number so I can plug it into my phone."

"Is that what that thing is?" Gaping at his mobile, she proclaimed, "I haven't seen a flip phone in *years*."

"As long as it keeps working, I'll keep using it," Ethan said. "No point in upgrading when this one works perfectly fine."

"I guess it's better for the environment too, huh? Probably a lot less waste."

"Think green, that's what I always say." He smiled, then handed his phone to Kimi so she could plug in her number. "So, have the rest of you decided on your majors, or are you still trying to narrow it down?"

"I'm leaning towards entrepreneurship," Claudia said. "Maybe start my own clothing line one day, or open an online apparel shop."

"Starting your own business is definitely the way to go," Ethan said. "Entrepreneurship is a smart major."

"I'm planning on going for illustration," Tristan said. "Ultimately I'd like to work as a video game artist, or maybe even design storyboards for films."

"Nice," Ethan said before diverting his attention elsewhere. "And what about you, Lucas?"

"Not going to college." As if to send the message that he wasn't interested in talking, Lucas spooned a huge forkful of lasagna into his mouth.

"Why not?" Ethan studied him with a steady gaze.

"Don't have the grades for it."

"You could always go to community college for a year, and then transfer to university."

"Maybe."

"Or you could go to technical school, where you can learn a trade."

"I guess..."

"You can't just give up and do nothing."

"Who says I'm giving up?"

Ethan silently gazed at him before responding. "The Montana university system offers tuition waivers for Native American students. Meaning you can go to school free of charge."

"I know about the tuition waivers," Lucas said.

"So why wouldn't you take advantage of that?" Ethan's brows pulled together just slightly. "Most people would kill for a free education."

"I'm not most people."

"Yeah, I can see that."

With a pinched expression, Lucas let loose some harsh words. "Get off my back, all right? What I choose to do, or not do with my life is my decision. So stop riding my ass."

Ethan's lips pressed into a thin white slash, and for a moment it seemed as if he was going to offer a rebuttal. Yet instead, he averted his gaze so that it rested on Kimi, who was giving Lucas an uneasy look.

"Thanks for giving me your number," Ethan said as he accepted the flip phone from Kimi. "I'll give you a call later tonight."

"Okay. Sounds good." She slipped her fingers through her hair, then gave him a smile that was soft and flirtatious.

For several moments, it seemed as if Ethan and Kimi were engaged in a never ending eyelock, but the appearance of a tall, slender girl dressed in a pair of jeans and a zip up hoodie caught the attention of everyone at the table.

"What the heck, Ethan?" Although clearly annoyed, the teenage girl gave him a look that displayed only mild discontent. "I've been looking all over for you."

"What do you mean?" Ethan asked. "You told me you were going to meet with that basketball coach."

"We finished up early," she said. "I sent you like six text messages, didn't you get any of them?"

"Nope. They must be coming through delayed again."

"Seriously?" The sigh she heaved out was accompanied by a shake of the head. "You *really* need to get a new phone."

"No I don't."

"It's a *dinosaur,* Ethan."

"So because it's not an iPhone, that means I should throw it away?"

She playfully rolled her eyes, then turned her attention to Kimi, who was watching on with a faint smirk. "Hey, I'm Sierra. Ethan's sister."

"Kimi." She stretched out her hand before adding, "Nice to meet you."

"Hello." Claudia offered a smile before introducing herself, to which she received a friendly smile.

"I'm Tristan." He acknowledged Sierra with a polite nod before gulping down the rest of his coke.

"And I'm Lucas." With his mouth full of garlic bread, he garbled out a few more words. "It's nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet all of you, as well," Sierra said before taking a seat next to her brother.

"So..." Claudia's eyes briefly dipped to take in the 'Wolf Point Girls Basketball' hoodie that Sierra had on. "What position do you play in basketball?"

"Shooting guard."

"Most people just call her the scorer," Ethan said. "She shoots and she scores, that's what she's known for."

"I do all right." A humble smile crossed Sierra's lips.

"She's being modest," Ethan stated. "Sierra got a recruitment letter from Montana State in her sophomore year, and she recently won a free spot on a five star basketball camp."

"Congratulations," Kimi said. "Sound like you've got a great athletic career ahead of you."

"I sure hope so," she replied. Can't think of anything else I'd rather do than play basketball."

"Well you've got the height and talent for it, so I'm sure that everything will work out just fine."

"Thanks. I appreciate that, Kimi."

"Well, it looks like lunch is almost over." Ethan finished the last bit of his cranberry juice before rising to his feet. "The faculty meet and greet session is starting in fifteen minutes, so we should probably start heading over to Langford Hall."

Following his suggestion, the other five teens stood up as well, and as a group, headed out into the pleasantly mild spring afternoon. They chatted and joked while walking, enjoying the lush, green surroundings of the university campus.

There was unmistakable enthusiasm in the air, but even more palpable was the undeniable feeling that change was on horizon. Somewhere, off in the not too distant future, it was looming; patiently waiting to weave its way through the lives of the five teens.

It was an exciting sort of feeling, knowing that good things were waiting ahead. And yet at the same time, Claudia felt a sense of sadness. Sneaking a glance at Lucas, she saw that a sullenness had come over his face, but on noticing that her eyes were on him, he gave her a soft smile.

Her lips tugged upward into a smile of her own, and simultaneously they clasped palms, holding hands tighter than they ever had before.