GERI LEAVES CAMP

Geraldine Minst was sitting on her bed, enjoying the book in her hands. It was on the mechanics of a cars, though there were hardly seen around the gnome camp that she and her family were a part of. In fact, there were very few machines. It was odd for gnomes to even be interested in mechanics and engineering, but Geri was definitely not normal. She hated it, but she mostly hated the fact that her interest wasn't normal for gnomes. She should have been normal; it was the others that were weird.

She was really getting into a section about the different types of motors, focusing on gas-powered, electrical, and magical engines, when there was a knock on the door. "Honey, can I talk to you?"

Crap! she silently cursed. She hid her book under her pillow and grabbed one about magical traditions, opening to a random page. "Uh, yes. Come in, Mother."

Caroline Minst opened the door to her daughter's room in their trailer and sat at the edge of the bed. "It's about the Solidarity Festival. Are you excited about it?"

"Um, yeah." The teenage Geri was not. She didn't really like any of the gnomes in her camp. Not that she knew everybody there. Being so close to Talon City, their camp, theoretically ready to move at a moment's notice, was one of the largest gnome camps in the world. The houses were trailers, but by now, there was no practical way to move. It had become more of a small town on the outskirts of the city, and with the number of people, the normal closeness of gnome camps was somewhat deteriorated.

Still, the people she did know, she didn't particularly find interesting. In fact, gnome life and tradition were boring to her. For her, machines could do more for people than old, out-of-date rituals.

"You know," her mother continued, "there will be a lot of boys there. I think you're old enough now to consider your future with one."

Geri resisted rolling her eyes. It wasn't that she didn't like boys, she did, but no one really wanted to be pushed into a relationship by their parents. Besides, she wasn't sure she only liked boys, but the conservative camp wasn't the best place to explore that more sapphic side of her, in her point of view. "Umm..." It was the only response she could think of.

Caroline patted her daughter's legs. "I know. It's weird talking about this with your mother, but I think it's time for you to find a conjat." In gnome society, a conjat was a future spouse. This was usually done while the two are teenagers. "In fact, I have been talking to Mrs. Karat. We both think that Victor would be a good choice. I think he would be a great husband for you."

Victor Karat was a quiet gnome that mostly kept to himself. If anything, Geri was more interested in his sister, Michelle. She was pretty and energetic, and Geri kept trying to steal glances at her, but never got the nerve to talk to her. It was why she was unsure about her sexuality.

Apparently, she got lost a little thinking about Michelle. "Geraldine?" Her mom tried to get her attention.

Geri snapped back to reality. "Sorry, Mom."

Assuming her daughter was thinking about Victor, Caroline smiled. "Just promise me you'll at least talk to him at the Solitary Festival."

"Okay." Geri smiled at her mother, mostly just wanting the conversation to end.

"Good." Caroline patted Geri on her thigh. "How's your book?"

"It's interesting."

"Well, I'm glad you're showing interest in our tradition." Caroline got up to leave her daughter's room. "I'm proud of you."

Geri blushed. "Thanks, Mom." She grimaced after her mother left, not looking forward to the festival even more than before.

#

On the night of the Solidarity Festival, a gnome celebration of their continued separation from the other races despite the growing modern world, Geri wore a simple gingham dress she'd had since she was a child. She stood with her mother waiting for Victor and his mom.

They didn't wait long. When they walked up, Victor looked just as uncomfortable as Geri, and Mrs. Karat looked just as satisfied at the arrangement as Mrs. Minst. The older women chatted a bit while their children stood silently by. Finally, the two older women left the teenagers to themselves to take part in the festivities.

It was a few minutes before Geri said the first word. "So, how are you?"

"Good, I guess."

"Yeah. Me too." It seemed a lifetime before either one said anything again.

"Sorry for not saying much. I was kinda...forced into this. No offense," Victor said.

"None taken. I was too," Geri sheepishly admitted. "Moms, right?"

"Yeah." Victor smiled at her joke. Geri thought maybe he wouldn't be so bad to get to know. "They can be a bit pushy."

"Ha!" The two talked for a little bit, and despite her reservations, she wasn't hating him.

Then she made a mistake. "This isn't great. I'm always uncomfortable in these social situations," Victor confessed.

"Oh, I know. I've never really fit in with these dumb traditions." She realized immediately that probably wasn't the best thing to say.

Victor's face became stern. "What do you mean? Do you not agree with gnome tradition?"

"Um," she hesitated, not sure what to say. She decided that he was nice enough. Even if they didn't get along afterward, he wouldn't be too mean about it. "I just don't get it. Why do we have to be separate from the rest of the world? They thrive while we stay in this time bubble. What's wrong with technology? After the elves, we are the best magicians. And really, since they can’t use their magic, by law, we ARE the best magicians. We are smart; we are hardworking. When we want to get something done, we get it done. We could push magical tech farther than anyone could even imagine in just a few years.

"But no, we stay away and keep the world from moving forward. And for what? To keep our traditions? What have those actually done for us? It's useless. All from hundreds of years ago. We can change, and we should."

Victor just looked at Geri. She began to wonder if she made the right call. "What is wrong with you?" There was more anger in his voice than she thought there would be. "Our traditions are there to keep us safe. The rest of the world will rot with their machines, and their wars and greed and hate. The outside world is not some fantasy world with happy people using helpful technology. It is a dark place. We would be destroyed if we went out there. Here, we are safe."

Geri was wracking her brain for a response. How could he know what the outside was like if he'd never been? If the world was in danger, shouldn’t gnomes help instead of letting it burn? A slew of other questions and retorts were flowing through her head when Victor continued. "You really need to find a man to remind you to stay in your place."

Everything that was going through her head vanished at the complete turnaround from his niceness. Her mouth opened, but nothing came out. It was then that it really hit her. If she stayed in the camp, she could never be herself. She could never be happy. She practically ran to her room in her family's trailer, crying the entire way. When she calmed down, she realized that it would be some time before anybody would come check on her with the festival going on. She packed her bags, making sure to grab her mechanics books. She took off during the fireworks.

#

The next morning Geri reached North Jasper, a nearby town. She had all night to figure how she was going to make this work. Where to get food or money, where to sleep, where her life was going now that she was no longer with her family. By the time she walked into a diner, hoping to convince someone for breakfast and a job, she had nothing. The diner didn't have a job available, and the waitress wasn't sure about handing out food, but she relented a muffin and a glass of water.

As she waited for her small breakfast, a human man came up to her. "Why aren't you with your camp?"

Geri didn't know what to do. She wasn't sure why this guy was asking her about that. Briefly, she feared he was going to take her back.

The man saw the fear on her face, and he smiled softly and reassuringly. "I'm sorry, it's just a curiosity thing. I guess I just want to know if you were running from trouble, but you don't need to tell me if you don't want to."

"Oh."

"Of course, I would need to know that much if you're going to work for me." Geri looked up at him, surprised. "I own a garage here in town. I could use a secretary."

"Oh? Oh! Oh, gods, yes! That would be great! Thank you so much!" She was really excited that things were going so well for her on the first day.

"How about I get you breakfast, and you tell me what you're doing here in North Jasper? I'm Paul, by the way." When the waitress came back, Geri ordered a big breakfast. While she ate, she told of her struggles trying to fit in at her camp, her interest in mechanics, her wish to learn magical engineering, and her dream of changing the world for the better. She even let it slip about the possibility of being bisexual. She shied away from that for a second, but Paul kept smiling and assured her that wasn't a problem.

Paul explained that he could help her out some, but they didn't have too many cars with magical parts in town. He could, however, teach her all about the cars they do have. He even offered to set up a room above the garage for her, until she was able to afford her own place. He also gave her a small advance to help with groceries and essential supplies.

The two talked for a couple of hours, then went and set everything up. Geri's new life was starting.

#

A few years later, Geri was better at fixing cars than Paul. She quickly picked up everything he taught her, and she became a favorite around North Jasper. Part of her felt like a novelty to them. A gnome who is a gifted mechanic? It was practically unheard of. She felt that people were coming to the shop just to see the marvel. But it did bring business to Paul's garage, and if she was being honest with herself, she enjoyed the attention. She even went on a few dates, with boys and girls, confirming who she was in that respect.

And the extra business they were receiving meant that she could work on cars, which she enjoyed more and more every day. All the parts working together to push these large carriages just fascinated her, but she did feel like she was missing out on not being able to work on a bunch of magical engines. The few she was able to work on impressed on her a desire like no other. She read every book she could find on magic machines. Her passion grew every day.

After finishing up with a client, Paul approached Geri. He had a concerned look on his face. "There's something I need to tell you."

Geri looked at him, confused. Their relationship was close, him somewhat replacing her father. He was always looking out for her, and anyone could tell, he truly cared for her. The look he gave her was different. "What is it?"

"I don't think you should work here anymore." Geri was not expecting that. She choked up. How could this man, who has taken care of her for the last several years, just let her go like that? Of course, thinking about the past few years, she realized this was probably just one of his jokes. However, even those jokes had a hint of truth.

Watching her face go from fear to confusion to anticipation, Paul smiled. He loved that even after all this time she still had a mix of intelligence, naivete, and gullibility. "Yes. It's obvious you should work in Talon City where you can work on the machines that you want. And you should go to a trade school to learn to be the best magical engineer you can be."

Geri still looked confused, trying to figure out what Paul was trying to say. "What?"

"I've got a friend that can set you up with an apartment near Pesip Community College, and I've already begun the application process for you to attend there in their Mechanics program. All you have to do is finish up, and I'll take care of the tuition."

Now Geri was silent because of shock. She couldn't believe what was happening. "How-how can you afford it?"

"Well," Paul answered, "I asked around, and this gift is coming from several members of our little community here."

Geri was near tears. She couldn't imagine any of the gnomes getting together and helping someone to move on with their life. Part of her wanted to stay with these nice people, but she knew it was the right choice to move to the city. She hugged Paul tight.

Over the next few months, she began saying her goodbyes, getting ready to move to Talon City. Two nights before the move, North Jasper held a party for their favorite gnome. She ended that night crying at the joy of the community. And days later, she left.

#

The apartment wasn't in the greatest part of town. There were a lot of orcs and elves living in her apartment building. Geri didn't mind, most didn't really interact with her other than the occasional hello. The ones she did talk to were nice enough. She was happy to learn so much of the world outside her camp, never really missing that secluded world.

But she only had the apartment paid for for the first semester only. She needed a way to pay for it after that. She also needed money for food and bills. She looked at the garages nearby. The ones who had magical engineers weren't hiring. She was hoping to be able to work with someone who could teach her the skills she needed on the job while she learned at the school.

Even still, most that didn't have a magical engineer didn't want one or didn't think a gnome would make a good mechanic. Thankfully, there was one garage, run by three dwarf brothers. They had no problem with a gnome working at their place. They hired her on the spot when she helped Bart, the main mechanic of the three. He was thoroughly impressed.

Despite the reputation of dwarves in the camp, the Understone brothers were really friendly. It wasn't long before they treated her like a sister. All the brothers could handle the others' jobs, but each had their speciality. The oldest was Bart. The middle brother was Hank; he was usually in charge of the business end of the garage, though he, along with Mike, the youngest, had some skill as a mechanic. Bart was just the best at it. Mike was, despite being a dwarf, very charismatic; he had dreams of being a stand-up comedian with his own late-night talk show.

A few months after Geri began working at the garage, they hired an orc. She was a secretary, the same job Geri had when she started working for Paul. Orcs typically had skin the color of bruises, with facial bone ridges that gave them rough looks, like they were roughly made from flesh and clay, which their ancestors kind of were by the evil mage Danard. Since then they have tried to fit in as best that they could, but have struggled. However, Tanya Breakridge's skin was more a deep purple and her ridges were just in the right spot to give her a strong but pleasant looking face. She was pretty for an orc, or for anyone for that matter. Add the fact that Tanya was a lesbian, and Geri was practically in love.

An elf often came by the garage. He was Mike's best friend. He was also the cutest elf Geri had ever seen. Jason Neverin was tall with light brown skin and dark hair and eyes. And his confidence was magnetic. One day, Geri was struggling with a magic device that she was working on for class. When Jason noticed she was struggling with the magic aspect of the device, he decided to help her. Despite elves not being allowed to use magic, Jason was amazing at it. He could be a magic champion if he wouldn't have been arrested for competing. Suffice it to say, Geri had another crush.

After her first year at the school, she wrote a letter to her parents. She let them know that she was safe, but happy without them. She told them all that had happened since running away, her new sexuality, and schooling. She was happy like they never knew she could be, happier than she thought she could be if she had stayed with them at the camp. She wished them luck and happiness, but as for her, she had a new life and a new family. They did not need to worry about her. She was truly happy.