When Worlds Collide: Solarian Chronicles I

by Mallory Anderson

  Angel’s eyes narrowed. “I was in a hurry,” she said, “but it’s a problem I have every intention of rectifying.” She looked at him. “Why did Sathe and I have a seal around our memories? And why break it now?”

  Two Lives, One Girl

  The answer came from behind her. “I wanted to give you a chance at living a normal life. Lives that were without death, fighting and heartache. Since none of the Stone clan seemed to remember, I didn’t want to bring back the past without reason.” Angel spun around, and she saw her mother leaning against the open barn door. Tears sprang to her eyes, and she ran to and flung her arms around Selene, who chuckled. “I just saw you this morning, dear.” Her grip on her daughter, however, was just as tight.

  “That’s true, but everything’s different now,” Angel said.

  “I wanted to thank you,” she said, her voice soft.

  She looked up at her mother. “For what?”

  “Your quick thinking saved us all, and we’re alive now because of you. Plus, we might even have a chance at going home.”

  “What?”

  Selene laughed at her stunned daughter, and she wrapped an arm around her waist as they walked back to Damien. “Once we were reborn here, Solaris and Elagon began slowly rebuilding, piece by piece. And once the Stone clan’s taken care of, both planets will be complete.”

  Angel looked at Selene. “If you wanted me to remember, then obviously something’s changed.”

  Selene sighed. “Kane and Malik have remembered. Malik was the first one, and we left it alone because he wasn’t causing problems. Kane, however, is a different story. We could handle him alone for a while, but he’s stepping his game up at little. He’s breeding the Wabaku.”

  Angel felt her skin crawl, and she shivered. “What about Sathe and his seal?”

  “You might have to break it before too much longer. We’re just going to play it by ear for now,” she replied.

  There was a velvet touch on her arm, and a soft nicker in her ear. What about me? a male voice asked in her mind playfully. You’re not going to greet me?

  Angel laughed, throwing her arms around the colt’s golden neck. Oh, Seph! The colt dropped his head over her shoulder, and she felt his mental embrace as he blew out a heavy sigh of content. She took a step back, her hand on the Delling’s neck, tears in her eyes. She jumped onto his massive back effortlessly, and Damien and Selene stepped back with a laugh as he neighed, shaking his delicate head as he reared, then shot out of the stall at a gallop. The legendary Delling speed took her breath away as they raced up their favorite trails, his silver mane whipping across her face.

  They rode for two hours, and the sun was setting as they turned for home. When they made it back to the barn, she groomed him until his mane and tail shone like new silver, and his coat was like molten gold. Her cell phone rang as she turned him out to pasture. When she looked at the caller ID, her heart jumped up into her throat. “Sathe,” she whispered.

  Sepherino nosed her arm gently, tossing his head. Don’t be silly, Angel. Answer it.

  She finally made herself swipe the answer icon, and she did her best to sound normal. Her voice shook anyway, and she almost called him Sathe. They talked for a few minutes, and he asked if her invitation was still open. “You’re finished unpacking already?”

  He laughed, and she had to close her eyes against the tears that threatened. “I think I set a new record,” he replied.

  “I’ll ask, but I’m almost positive she won’t mind.” She ran up from the field to inside the house and asked Selene.

  “Of course, he can come. And have him ask his dad if he wants to come, too. They can have dinner with us, and you can meet his father.”

  Angel relayed the message, and Garin said his dad would be more than happy to. “He said we’ll be there in about an hour.”

  * * *

  They hung up, and Angel bolted up the stairs to take a shower and change her clothes before blow-drying and straightening her waist length hair. She had changed into a pale blue shirt that was tight around her waist, loose around her chest, and had large, floating sleeves, a pair of dark blue jeans she tucked into black boots with fur around the tops. She looked out the window and saw a black car pull up. Then Sathe, Garin, she reminded herself, get out and stare up at the massive house in amazement. A man she instantly recognized as his father got out of the driver’s side, Michael, the former King of Elagon, and the man who would’ve been her father-in-law. She jumped down the stairs as she heard the doorbell ring.

  Selene opened the door, and the two men came in. Garin wore a dark red button-up shirt with a black dragon on the front and back, and black jeans. He introduced Angel to Michael, and she shook his hand, her eyes down. “It’s an honor, sir,” she said.

  The man glanced at Selene, an eyebrow raised, and she nodded. He squeezed her hand gently, and she looked up. His green eyes, so much like his son’s, were gentle. “The honor is all mine, Angelina.” He then introduced Garin to Selene, then grinned. “He’s been talking about Angel all afternoon.”

  Garin rolled his eyes, and Angel hid a smile. “Come on, I’ll show you the horses,” she said.

  They went out the back door, and as they walked down to the bar, he took her hand without even thinking, and she smiled to herself. Sepherino cantered up to the fence, tossing his head, and Garin’s mouth fell open. “He’s huge,” he whispered. “I know they said on TV he was big, but he’s beautiful.”

  The colt pranced, giving little half rears, his silver tail swishing. Angel rolled her eyes. “Believe me, he’s well aware of his good looks. I think his ego is bigger than most men’s.” Garin just laughed as she led him into the barn, and as they went in, Donay stuck his head out of his stall, neighing loudly. Angel laughed, rubbing the Delling’s neck. “Jealous much, Donay? You shouldn’t have produced such a good-looking colt.”

  Sepherino walked straight into his stall, and Garin laughed as he shoved his velvety nose into his chest. “He loves to play, huh?”

  Angel nodded. “You have no idea.”

  A loud neigh to her left caught her off guard, and she jumped slightly. The stall was usually empty, but somehow, it didn’t surprise her to see a large black head pop from over the open half-door. Wise blue eyes showed their amusement at having caught her slipping. Freya? she asked, grinning, and the solid black mare nodded her head.

  Garin turned and looked, and she heard his breath catch as he laid eyes on the mare. “And who’s this?” he asked, almost being pulled down the row.

  The mare reached her head over the partition, and her eyes closed as Garin laid a hand on her head, scratching under her forelock. “This is Freya,” she said, smiling. “I think you’ll get along just fine.”

  He laughed, rubbing the sleek neck, and he tossed his hair out of his eyes. “This past weekend has been so insane. I’m not even going to lie, I resented the hell out of Dad for dragging me here, especially since Ari got to stay until the end of the year. I had determined to be miserable and just mope around, but then, I met you today.” His eyes grew thoughtful. “Suddenly, it seemed as if this was the place where I was meant to be.”

  * * *

  Angel was at a loss for words. At least, for words that would make any sense to him, and she lowered her eyes with a lump in her throat. She felt his warm, strong fingers curl around hers, and when she looked up, he was looking at her intently, and all her thoughts went out the window as he started leaning down. Just before he kissed her, though, the intercom went off with a crackle. Selene’s voice came through, letting them know dinner was almost ready.

  “We’re on our way, thanks,” she replied, trying to keep the steel out of her voice, but she knew she failed. Selene heard it, and she laughed. Angel threw an evil glance at Donay, whose nicker sounded an awful lot like his own laugh before his head disappeared back into his stall.

  They went back up to the house, and they could smell bread baking, the pasta already finished. Garin eyed Michael’s glass of
wine, and his father shrugged. “You have to admit, son, it’s been a hell of a weekend.”

  “No kidding,” he admitted, and they all helped to set the table before sitting down.

  Time flew as they ate, and Angel had tears in her eyes from laughing at Michael’s stories. Selene watched with a faint smile. On Solaris, Angel’s father had died fighting dark mages while she was still young, and Michael had become almost like a second father to her. It seemed as if the same would hold true here.

  After dinner, Angel looked out the window with a sigh. “I was going to ask if you wanted to go riding, but it’s way too dark now. How about tomorrow after school? If that’s okay, Mr. Sands?” she added, looking up at Garin’s father.

  He chuckled. “I don’t see why not? So long as he gets his homework done, of course. And I’ll be over here in the morning to meet everyone else as well.” Garin agreed, unable to take his eyes off her as they made their way through dessert.

  Finally, Garin and Michael stood to go, and Angel and Selene walked them to the door. “Thanks again for coming, guys,” Selene said.

  “Thank you for the invitation. Otherwise it would have been fast food for dinner, and I’m not exactly sure if Garin’s ready for that yet,” Michael said, laughing.

  “Are you kidding? I’ve lived here my entire life, and I’m still not ready for it,” Angel said. She shook Michael’s hand again, but Garin hugged her, then kissed her cheek. “So, I’ll see you at school in the morning?”

  He nodded. “Most definitely.” He looked up at Selene. “Ms. Storm, thanks again. It was amazing.”

  She waved him away. “Please, Garin. That was just a spur of the moment. Just wait until I actually have time to plan.”

  Michael and Garin left, and Angel sighed, closing the door behind them. She rested her head on the wood, her eyes closed, and she felt Selene’s hand on her shoulder. “Okay, so I understand why you did it,” she whispered. “Me knowing what we once were to each other, and he doesn’t…this hurts like hell. I want so badly to tell him, but I know he’ll just think I’m crazy.” She sighed, finally raising her head. “I can do this, though. I have no choice, and it’ll give me a chance to know Sathe in this world as well.”

  Selene smiled at her daughter’s determination. “I think that would be a wise idea, dear. And as soon as the time comes to release his memory, and I have a feeling it’ll be soon, I’ll let you know. Of course, there’s the possibility just being around you will be enough for it to weaken on its own.”

  * * *

  Angel nodded, and a few minutes later, she did her usual routine of getting her homework together, then went out into the barn. She greeted Donay and Freya, kissing the mare’s forehead, then got herself comfortable in Seph’s huge stall for a couple of hours while she worked her way through the Trig and Spanish homework. The gold colt watched as she worked, then decided it was time to play by knocking the book out of her hand. She laughed, rubbing his side, then yawned and stretched. Go to sleep, heart-sister, he said, pushing his head into her chest, and she hugged him close. It’s been a bit of a long day for you.

  I think I will, she said with a sigh. I’ll see you in the morning.

  Angel left his stall, then said goodnight to Donay and Freya before heading back up to the house. She changed into her nightclothes before turning up the gas fireplace on the other side of the room, then got her cellphone off the nightstand. After looking up April’s number, it only took a couple of rings for her friend to answer the video chat, and she was in her bed, too. “Hey, girl. What’s up?”

  “Don’t ‘what’s up’ me,” she said, laughing. “Damien already told me.”

  April, or Adea, as she’d been on Solaris, had been her best friend in both lives, and Angel grinned. “Yeah, I bet he did.”

  “And why didn’t you tell me you’d remembered?” Adea asked.

  “I was going to, but Sathe, Garin, just left with Michael,” she said, knowing her friend would instantly forgive her.

  “What? Does he remember, too?” Adea asked, sitting up in her bed.

  Angel shook her head. “No, not yet. Mom said it isn’t necessary yet, and it’ll give me a chance to figure out what he’s like in this life.”

  “Oh, that’s smart, and I’m glad it’s not so serious yet. Are you going to be okay?”

  “Yeah, I think so. It won’t be easy, but I’ll make it work. Just knowing he’s alive, and at least in the same country helps,” she said with a sigh.

  “Good. Maybe you’ll finally have your chance at a ‘happily ever after’. I mean, isn’t that what princesses and princes get in the movies?” Adea asked, grinning.

  Angel laughed. “Yeah, I suppose so. Well, I just wanted to talk to you, cause I had a feeling you’d remember. Love you, girl, and I’ll see you in the morning, okay?”

  They hung up, and Angel finally laid down. It was a long time before she could go to sleep, and when she did, she kept having dreams about Sathe and herself on Solaris. When she woke up in the morning, her pillow was damp from tears.

  Past and Present Desires

  The next morning, she and Adea greeted each other with an enormous hug, and Adea couldn’t help but laugh at the huge smile that lit her friend’s face up as soon as Garin pulled onto the campus in a new Chevy Camaro. The two girls were next to Adea’s Audi R8 Coupe, and she laughed at the slightly nervous look on his face. “Are you alright, Garin?” Angel asked, catching herself a split second before she said ‘Sathe’.

  He shut the door after getting out. “I think so. This,” he gestured at the car, “driving on the other side, is very, unnerving…” Angel and Adea both giggled, and he just shrugged. “I guess it’s one of those things that’ll get better with time.”

  They headed inside the building, and Angel couldn’t help but notice how all the girls were staring after him, longing plain in their eyes. He looked at her as they sat down in their first class. “Can I still come over after school?”

  “Absolutely.” She looked over at Adea. “You in?”

  “Not this time,” she laughed. “You two go have fun.”

  The rest of the day went by, and she could see the immense progress he was making on his picture. Somehow, it didn’t surprise her to see it was a dragon’s nest, deep in the heart of a dark cave. Dragons were like the Dellings for Elagon, and the dragons’ histories deeply intertwined with those of the Elagonians.

  Sathe waited for her to finish her basketball practice, then he followed her to her house. He greeted Selene warmly, then they headed out to the barns, and he waved to Michael, who was working out some other horses, then they went into the big barn. It didn’t take long to saddle Sepherino, and Garin asked if he could ride Freya out. “Of course,” she said, hiding a smile. He quickly saddled her, and they took off through the trees, Angel taking him down some of her favorite trails.

  * * *

  They talked about just about everything as they rode, and she realized he still had his deep love for Ari that they shared back on Elagon and Solaris. He’d shown flashes of humor before, but with the heavy weight of responsibilities on their shoulders, there hadn’t been much time for frivolity. Now, however, he was full of laughter and jokes, and she smiled to herself as they were heading back to the barn. He’s able to be more of himself here. But how long can it last?

  “Are you okay?” he asked suddenly.

  “Huh? Oh, yeah, I’m fine,” she said, shaking her head. “Just got lost thinking, I guess.”

  “Are you sure? You looked almost like you were ready to cry,” he said, and she heard the concern in his voice.

  “Yeah, I’m good. I promise. No tears today,” she said with a laugh. They went inside, and they were talking and laughing as they brushed down the Dellings before putting them back in the stalls. They went inside the house, and she asked if he wanted to watch a movie. He agreed, and they started flipping through channels. They finally settled on something, then Selene asked if they wanted some popcorn before she went to b
ed. She had a long day tomorrow, having to go out of town for some charity work. It only took a couple of minutes, and they camped out in front of the TV. They were talking every once in a while, then they started trying to toss popcorn in each other’s mouth, laughing harder when they failed than they did when they made it.

  The fireplace had been on, and he couldn’t seem to keep his eyes off of her, watching the flickering light dancing on her skin. He opened his mouth, then closed it, and she took his hand. “What is it, Garin?” she asked.

  “It’s just, and I’m really not trying to be too forward, but I can’t get over how beautiful you are,” he said with a shrug. “I mean, the other girls at school, they’re pretty and all, but there’s just something different about you. I can’t put my finger on it. It’s like, you’re more mature than they are, even though you’re the same age. It doesn’t make sense, but ever since I laid eyes on you yesterday, I can’t get you out of my mind.” He shook his head. “God, that sounds crazy, and I’m sorry. I swear, I’m not a stalker.”

  She laughed, pulling her legs up under her. “Don’t worry about it, and no, you’re not being too forward. You’re being honest, and compared to the morons that usually inhabit that school, it’s a delightful change. They’re so interested in playing games or hard to get, I just gave up trying with them my sophomore year.”

  He took her hand, his thumb stroking the back of it. “Well, if that wasn’t too forward, then I wonder if this would be.” He kissed her suddenly, and while it surprised her, it was only for a second. What surprised her the most was the way her body reacted. It was as if she’d been expecting this, and her arms wrapped around his neck, holding him to her, her eyes closing. His lips were exactly as she remembered, and hers molded to his perfectly. His arms went around her waist, and she realized how much she’d been craving his touch ever since she’d regained her memories, and she wasn’t about to waste her chance.