When Worlds Collide: Solarian Chronicles I

by Mallory Anderson

  They were halfway down the stairs when they heard Adea’s voice calling their name over the music. They paused on the stairs, waiting for her to join them, and she threw her arms around Angel’s neck. “I heard you made it, but I hadn’t seen you yet. Oh, my freaking God, you look hot as hell!” she said, kissing her cheek, then hugged Garin. “You look hot, too. Don’t get jealous.”

  Angel laughed. “You’re tipsy, aren’t you?”

  Adea burst into a fit of giggles. “You could say that. Come on! Let’s go dance!” She dragged Angel out to where Stacey and Lacey were still dancing, and Garin laughed, watching as they all went to town. Several songs came on, and while Garin had no idea what they were, the girls seemed to know the hell out of them, doing all kinds of dances. He was watching Angel, and she was twerking to ‘Sally Walker’ from Iggy Azalea when his eyes met hers squarely. After the song was over, she grabbed him and pulled him out with her as Stacey and Lacey grabbed Ace and TJ’s hands, and Adea grabbed Jessie’s hand. The entire group was dancing, and Garin had to remind himself he was in a room full of people as ‘Rack City’ from Tyga came on, and she was twerking right up on him.

  Stacey and Lacey threw their hands up, laughing as she got down. “That’s it, girl! Shake that ass!”

  She laughed, feeling’s Garin’s hands on her hips, holding her tight against him as she kept dancing, and then they began playing ‘The Percolator Dance’. “Oh, you guys are going to kill me,” she said, laughing. “You know how hard it is to do this in heels?”

  “Don’t give me that,” Lacey said, grinning. “Come on now.”

  They all began doing the dance, and Garin understood what she meant, seeing how her feet and ankles were constantly moving around, and he winced, feeling for her. After the song went off, she came up to him, laughing. “Okay, I haven’t done that in ages.”

  He grinned, kissing her. “But you looked good as hell doing it. Personally, I keep hoping for a wardrobe malfunction.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Sorry to disappoint, but they make two-sided tape for a reason.” He swore, and she laughed, kissing him. Heading back upstairs, he got them some more drinks, and she accepted hers gratefully. He couldn’t believe how much fun she was having, and how much fun he was having because of it. She’d laughed and smiled more than she had since he’d known her. ‘Pour it Up’ from Rihanna came on, and she got downright nasty with him, wrapping a leg around his waist and grinding against him. His fingers dug into the skin of her thigh, inching up toward the hem of her dress, his mouth on her neck and throat.

  “Shit, you’d better get that ass!” Ace suddenly yelled, and they all burst out laughing as the song went off. A rare slow song came on, and he took her in his arms, and she laid her head on his chest, his head on top of hers. She sighed, then looked over to where Adea was looking at her as she danced with Jessie, and her friend smiled. I know it’s not the same as it was on Solaris, but it’ll work until he gets his memories back, right?

  Angel gave a mental nod. It’ll work, and in some ways, it’s even better. It’s like this is who he was meant to be. I didn’t think it was possible, but I think I love him more now than I did before.

  Good. I’m glad everything’s working out, Angel. I really am.

  * * *

  The party continued long into the night, and after four shots of vodka and two more wine coolers, Angel was just about where she wanted to be. Stacey and Lacey had long ago left the dance floor, having worn themselves out, and Garin and Angel went out onto one of the massive decks to get some air. She was giggling over everything, and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her against his chest. “I think you might be a little drunk,” he said with a soft chuckle.

  She giggled even more. “You might be a little right,” she said, laying her head on his chest, her eyes closing with a sigh. “I’m so glad you’re here, Garin. I can’t tell you how happy I’ve been these past couple of weeks.”

  He smiled, kissing the top of her head. “I’m glad you’re happy, Angel. God knows I don’t know what I would’ve done if we’d gone anywhere else and I didn’t have you here.” She raised her face up to his, and he kissed her. His eyes closed, and for a long second, they were somewhere else. His eyes opened, and Angel was in a white dress to her thigh with long sleeves that ended in a point over her hand. A silver and sapphire circlet rested on her hair, and she had a strange star shaped marking on her forehead that seemed to glow from within. He was in red and black armor, and he had a heavy sword around his waist. They were standing in front of an enormous palace he recognized from Angel’s drawing in art class.

  He broke the kiss, and the vision, and she saw the confusion on his face. “Garin, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”

  He nodded. “Yeah, I think so. It’s just, I’ve been having such strange dreams after moving here, and sometimes, I feel like I’m going mad. Sometimes, they’ll even creep into my waking hours.”

  “Strange dreams?” Angel asked, leaning against the banister, looking out over the calm waters. “Like what?”

  “I don’t know how to explain it, but it’s like I’m me, but I’m not me. I’m someone else. And you kind of look like you, but you don’t look like you. You’ve got this strange mark on your forehead, and these massive wings. I don’t know where we’re at, but I know how I feel about you, her, I don’t know.” He shook his head, laughing. “Crazy, huh?”

  She smiled. “An active imagination, huh?”

  “I guess so,” he said, and they laughed.

  Angel sighed to herself. She’d felt his shield around his memories weakening over the past few weeks, but she hadn’t expected it to weaken this much, this fast. She knew she’d have to talk to Selene to find out what her next move should be. He took her hand, and she looked up with a smile. It won’t be too much longer, Sathe, and we’ll be together for real, then.

  They left a little while later, Stacey and Lacey both on the verge of passing out, and the crowd was rapidly thinning. They thanked the twins, then Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins, before heading back to the car. He opened her door, and they began the drive back to Selene’s. Angel looked at Garin out of the corner of her eye, and a faint smirk formed. She unbuckled her seatbelt, then moved, throwing her leg over his lap, her lips locked on his. She heard him swear, and he took his foot off the gas, very carefully pulling the car onto the side of the road. As soon as they stopped and he put the car in park, his response was instant. His arms went around her, crushing her to his chest. “Jesus, Angel. Are you trying to get us killed?” he asked in a soft murmur.

  She just laughed, feeling his hands on her breasts, pulling away the double-sided tape, and his mouth latched onto her nipple. Her head went back as he grabbed her hips, pulling her against him. Her fingers unbuttoned his shirt before trailing across his chest and stomach. She swore as she felt his hands go under her, then down her legs before coming back up. She gasped as he pulled the skirt of her dress up to her waist, and it only took a few moments for him to unzip his pants. He gave a low groan as she slid down on him, his mouth on hers again. She sighed, holding his hands to her chest as she continued to move against him, moving her hips from side to side before going back and forth. He thought he was going to lose his mind as she moved them around in a complete circle on him.

  The conclusion was forgone, and she fell against his shoulder, his arms around her, their heavy pants fogging up the windows. “Where in the hell did that come from?” he asked with a faint laugh.

  “I don’t know,” she said with a weak giggle. “But it was fun.”

  “Sure, after I made sure you didn’t kill us,” he laughed, then kissed her. “Um, Angel? Not that I’m not in love with our current sitting arrangements, but I need to see to get us home in one piece.”

  She laughed, then moved herself so she was still sitting in his lap, her back up against the driver’s side door, her legs across his and resting in the passenger seat. “Will this do?”

  “We might be in two pieces,” he said, t
hen kissed her before starting the car up again, the defroster making quick work of the steamed-up windows.

  * * *

  The drive home was something he never wanted to forget, relishing the feel of her in his arms, her light breath in his ear, her intoxicating smell invading his brain. It was everything he could do not to take her again when they pulled up in front of Selene and Angel’s house. His arms tightened around her momentarily, then he sighed. “Well, I guess I’ll have let you go, but God knows I don’t want to,” he said with a sigh.

  “I know. I don’t want you to let me go, either,” she said, her voice a husky whisper in his ear, but a few minutes later, she sighed. He helped her back into her seat, then got out and went to open her door. “Thank you, Garin. I had so much fun tonight.”

  “Good, and I did, too.” She kissed him again, and he took her hand, kissing the back of it. “Will you come by tomorrow?”

  “I don’t know, maybe,” he said, laughing. “Haven’t you seen enough of me yet?”

  “Hardly,” she said, and there was a lump in her throat she had to swallow down, and it stunned her to feel tears stinging her eyes. He was quick to notice the unusual shine in her eyes, and he asked if she was okay. She nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine. The cold just makes my eyes water sometimes.”

  He looked as if he didn’t quite believe her, but he let it go. He turned her chin up and kissed her, again being pulled back down into that vision or memory, whatever it was. Every time he had it, it grew stronger and more vivid. Not for the first time, it reminded him of his first day at the school when he’d laid eyes on that picture of Angel’s. The sounds and even smells he’d experienced had been the strangest thing he’d ever gone through. At least until he started having these dreams and visions. Angel was still Angel, but she didn’t call him Garin, but Sathe. Every time he thought about that name, he felt short of breath, and his head ended up hurting.

  He broke the kiss with an internal sigh, and he watched as she ran up to the house, unable to believe how she could move so fast in those heels. She turned before going inside and waved, and he couldn’t help but laugh at the bright smile on her face. He didn’t know what was going on in his head, but he knew exactly what he felt in his heart, and that was he loved that girl right there. He felt his phone go off in his pocket, and he smiled to see it was from Angel, asking him to call her when he got home. Always, he sent back, then got in his car and headed home.

  Broken Dreams

  He got home, and Michael had just gotten up and was getting ready to go to Selene and Angel’s for the day. He looked up at the clock and back at Garin with a grin. “Have fun?”

  Garin laughed. “You can say that again. Thanks for letting me go.”

  “Are you kidding? You came halfway across the world and haven’t complained since you been here. The least I could do is let you go to some party with your girlfriend,” Michael said. “Are you heading off to bed?”

  “Yes, sir,” he said, yawning so hard, he thought he felt his jaw split.

  “All right,” he said, laughing. “Go on, and I’ll see you later, son.”

  As soon as the door closed behind Michael. Garin went to his room, and he Face-Timed Angel. Unsurprisingly, she was already in her bed. Their conversation was brief before they were both sound asleep.

  Almost instantly, those dreams pulled Garin back down into them, and this one was the most realistic of them all. In this one, he saw his father and brother, and he was in a strange environment that the previous ones. The girl at his side was one he knew well. He felt her slim hand worm its way inside his, and she moved to stand in front of him, those familiar blue eyes looking up at him, full of love, and a sadness he didn’t understand. “Sathe, I love you, and I always will. No matter what time we’re in, or what planet we’re on, we’ll always find each other. We’re two halves of one whole, whether your name’s Sathe or Garin.” As he slept, he began seeing flashes of a life he’d never known, but felt as familiar to him as his own reflection.

  * * *

  Angel had been sleeping unusually light, and she heard Garin groaning and muttering in his own sleep through the phone. She yawned and wiped her eyes, fumbling for the device. “Garin? Are you okay?” she mumbled.

  He didn’t hear her enough to wake up, and she watched as he began thrashing in his sleep, his muttering growing louder. Her eyes widened, and she sat up as she realized it wasn’t English he was swearing in. His back arched off the bed, and the phone fell over as his hand lashed out and hit his nightstand. “Garin!”

  She heard his words becoming stronger, flowing faster, and it was all in Elagonian. Keeping the video up, she called Michael’s phone, knowing he was probably down at the barn with her mother. “Angel?” he answered, sounding confused.

  “Michael, I’m so sorry to call when you’re working, but I just thought you and Mom should know, Sathe’s shield is falling. We fell asleep on Face-Time, but I wasn’t sleeping well, and I heard him having a nightmare. He was muttering something, but it was too low for me to hear it. He got louder, and it’s Elagonian,” she explained, her eyes glued to the video, but all she could see was the ceiling of his room.

  “I’m on my way home,” he said, hanging up.

  A few seconds later, silence fell on Garin’s end of the phone, and all she heard was his heavy breathing, followed by a low groan. “Garin?” she called softly, her eyes wide. Angel felt the heat in her forehead, and her star began blazing, filling her room with a bright blue light. She heard another low groan, then a fumbling sound as he reached over and began searching for his phone. He was swearing, but it still wasn’t in English, and she felt tears stinging her eyes. “Sathe?”

  He finally grabbed the phone, his face full of the pain of his shield falling, but his eyes were full of wonder. “How in the hells did you save us?” he asked, his Solarian effortless.

  “I don’t know,” she replied in Elagonian, her cheeks wet. “It’s really real? You remember?”

  He smiled, touching the screen of the phone. “Everything.”

  A few minutes later, they heard Michael running through his house, then come bursting in his room. “Garin? Are you okay?”

  Garin, now fully Prince Sathe, gave a low chuckle. “I have a headache from hell, but yes, Dad, I’m fine,” he said in Elagonian. He tossed the phone on the bed, and she heard the two men hugging, and her hand went to her chest, knowing how emotional he must be. He had always looked up to his father on Elagon, and his death had hit him particularly hard. She heard sniffling, and she hid her smile as Sathe picked up the phone. “I’m coming over.”

  “I’ll be waiting.”

  The phone went dead, and she grabbed the first clothes she came across and threw them on. Mom?

  Yes, dear?

  Sathe’s on his way.

  I thought as much, she said with a faint chuckle. “Michael told me before he left.”

  * * *

  Sathe was ringing her doorbell about twenty minutes later, and she flung the door opened and launched herself at him. He held her close, his eyes closed, his head on hers. Tears were falling down both of their faces, and he took her face in his hands and kissed her. He pulled back, his eyes shining like emeralds in the bright morning sun. “Angel, I love you, and not just because I finally remember who I am, what I am. I knew I loved you before then, but I couldn’t bring myself to say it. Now, I don’t care. I love you, more than I have the words to say, and as God as my witness, I’ll never let anything separate us again.”

  She laughed, her arms around her neck. “I love you, too, Sathe. I thought I loved you with my whole heart on Elagon and Solaris, but it’s nothing compared to how much I love you now.”

  There was a quiet laugh coming up beside them, and Angel and Sathe looked up to see Selene walking up to him, smiling. He hugged her, then bowed low. “Your Majesty,” he said formally in Solarian.

  She laughed, then dipped down into a curtsy. “Your Highness,” she replied in Elagonian, then laughed,
embracing the prince. “Welcome back, Prince Sathe.”

  “It’s good to be back, even if I am a little confused. I keep having my old memories and my new memories overlapping, and it’s very strange,” he said with a faint smile.

  Angel gave a rueful grin. “No kidding. It was almost a week before everything finally settled.”

  His eyes widened. “At school…Ciera?”

  Angel sighed. “Yeah, I wasn’t very careful those last few minutes. I was panicking, but she doesn’t remember yet. It’s only Kane and Malik so far, and Kane’s been the only one causing problems. Damian, Diamonique and Neo have been taking care of things. They didn’t really want him to know I’ve remembered yet, so I haven’t done any fighting. Yet,” she explained, her exasperation at being sidelined obvious. “He’s been creating small amounts of the Wabaku, but they’ve been handling it so far.”

  He still hadn’t let her go since she first opened the door, and when he released her, he still kept her hand, and he began leading her down to the barn. She knew he wanted to see Freya, and she went willingly. The mare was in the large stall next to Sepherino, and he finally let her go to throw his arms around the sleek neck. The mare hung her head over his shoulder, her blue eyes closed in content. Sepherino nudged her arm with his nose, and she laughed, scratching under his forelock. “Come on, Sathe. Let’s get you two reacquainted.”

  They climbed onto their bare backs and took off through the trails, cantering through the thin layer of snow that covered the ground. All four of them were talking, and she could tell by the easy, contented expression on his face how happy he was, at both having his memories and being back with them. They rode for a couple of hours before the Dellings headed back, eager for the warmth of the barn. They groomed them carefully, then headed into the house. Now that their adrenaline at Sathe regaining his memories was fading, they were beyond exhausted, still not having really gotten any rest from the night before. The two teenagers were sitting on the couch, Angel against his chest, his arms wrapped protectively around her. They had been looking at TV, but when Michael and Selene came in to check on them, they were sound asleep, Sathe’s raven head on hers. Michael and Selene laughed quietly, and she grabbed a large throw blanket from a linen closet, and she wrapped it around them before they headed back outside.