Vari's Choices

by Laura Jo Phillips

  “After I send a message to the Lobos, I’ll do some research,” Kai said. “There must be information on her origins somewhere.”

  Jay pulled one of Vari’s earrings from his pocket and looked at it closely. “I’m going to examine these psionic jammers.”

  “I believe some research on telepathic classifications is in order,” Declan said. “Class 6 Omni telepaths in particular. Perhaps I’ll find something that explains her ability to accept power from us.”

  “That’s a very good idea,” Jay said, nodding thoughtfully. “Maybe sharing power with her is what’s causing your physical reaction since you’re the one funneling it directly to her.”

  “Even if that’s true, I still had an unusual reaction to her from the moment I laid eyes on her,” Kai pointed out. “As did both of you.”

  “One thing at a time, Kai,” Declan said. He checked his watch, mildly surprised to find it was almost noon. It had been such a busy morning he’d completely lost track of time. “It’s nearly lunch time but I’m not remotely hungry.”

  “I’m surprised it’s not later,” Jay said. “But I’m not hungry either.”

  “Let’s meet in the cafeteria in a few hours for a late lunch,” Declan suggested. Kai and Jay agreed, and they went their separate ways.

  Sixteen years earlier…

  Since Vari had stopped talking to the shadow people before Pandora showed up, it only took a few weeks to convince them she could no longer see or hear them. Once she began to notice some of them leaving, she worked even harder at not seeing or hearing them.

  Her parents had given her a new hand terminal and headphones of her own that first day, and had never asked another question about them. Vari was glad of that. She knew that if the shadow people found out she was pretending they’d return.

  On the morning she woke up to find that she was alone in her bedroom, she smiled for the first time in months. She pushed the blanket back, climbed out of bed, and checked her entire bedroom, even looking under the bed and in the closet.

  “Vari, what are you doing?”

  “I’m looking for shadow people,” Vari replied, opening her bedroom door. “I think they’re all gone.”

  “Oh, that is good news,” Pandora said.

  Vari walked through the whole house. She looked under the furniture and into all of the closets and cabinets. Then she went outside and walked all around the little house, looking behind the wild lavender rose bushes and up in the trees. When she was satisfied that there were no shadow people outside, she went back into the house and knocked on the master bedroom door.

  “Come in, Vari,” Faron called. She opened the door and saw her Ata making the bed, so she got down on the floor and looked beneath it. Then she checked the closet and the bathroom before returning to stand in front of him. “They’re all gone?”

  “Yes, Ata,” she said, her voice wavering. “I looked everywhere in the house and outside too.”

  Faron opened his arms and Vari ran into them, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck as he held her close. “I’m so happy, baby.”

  “Me too, Ata,” Vari said, trying very hard not to cry.

  “Can you tell us now what you couldn’t tell us before?”

  “Yes, but can I have breakfast first? I’m hungry.”

  “Of course you can,” Faron said, setting her on her feet and releasing her. “Go get dressed while I call Dede, Popi and Mom. They’ll want to hear too.”

  “Okay,” Vari agreed. Faron watched as she turned and walked out of the room, her head turning left to right as she continued to watch for shadow people.

  A mix of happiness, and sadness filled his heart. He was relieved beyond words that the shadow people were gone because Vari’s mind could not have taken much more. Even the Tigrens had been surprised that she’d withstood it for as long as she had. But he was sad too, because there was caution and wariness in her now that shouldn’t exist in a five year old.

  Half an hour later Vari sat at the table eating her cereal while her parents sipped coffee. “You had to pretend you couldn’t see them or hear them anymore to make them go away, didn’t you?” Saige asked once Vari confirmed there were no shadow people around.

  “Yes, Pandora told me it was the only way.”

  “Pandora?” Vari had just put cereal in her mouth so she nodded.

  “Who, or what, is Pandora?” Saige asked, struggling to keep suspicion out of her tone.

  Vari frowned, her eyes growing worried. “You can’t see her?”

  “No, baby, we can’t.”

  Vari turned her head so she could see her shoulder, then appeared to be listening intently. She nodded a couple of times, then turned back toward her parents. “Pandora had to hide from the shadow people but I can see her now that they’re all gone. You can’t see her cause she’s not strong enough yet but she will be in a few more days.”

  Saige glanced worriedly at her husbands. “What is Pandora?”

  “She’s a Sylph.”

  “A Sylph?” Dav asked. “What does she look like?”

  “She’s a little tiny lady with wings,” Vari said. “The Aternal Pack sent her to help me.” Vari dropped her eyes. “And to be my friend,” she finished in a hesitant voice that made Saige’s eyes burn.

  “The Eternal Pack sent Pandora to help you,” Faron repeated. Vari nodded.

  “And she told you to pretend not to see or hear the shadow people so they’d give up and leave,” Ban added. Vari nodded again.

  “Now that the shadow people are gone, will she go too?” Dav asked, then cursed himself when the color drained from Vari’s face. They all watched as she turned to look at her shoulder with scared eyes.

  “Are you gonna leave now, Pandora?” she asked, her voice trembling. Saige, Faron, Dav and Ban waited tensely, their eyes on Vari. When her shoulders began to relax, so did theirs. “Promise?” Vari asked. Whatever answer she got made her frown with obvious confusion. Then she looked back to her parents.

  “She said she’s not going away.”

  “What else did she say?” Faron asked, then added, “If she doesn’t want you to tell us that’s okay.”

  Vari listened again for a moment. “Pandora says it’s okay but not to anvertize it.”

  Saige smiled. “Advertise?”

  “Yes, that word,” Vari said. “The Aternal Pack said I have a densinty and she’s supposed to stay and help with ostacles.” Vari paused, looked at her shoulder, then said, “Ob-sta-cles.”

  “Does Pandora have magical powers?” Ban asked, almost desperate to get away from the subject of destinies. Their little girl did not need something new to worry about.

  Once again Vari looked at her shoulder. “She says not like you, Popi. She’s an elmen…elmel…,” Vari stopped, frustrated.

  “Elemental?” Saige suggested.

  “Yes. She’s an Air elme…that word. We’re bondsded now.”

  “Bonded?”

  “Yep. The Aternal Pack did it because she couldn’t stay with me if they didn’t.”

  Saige had more questions, but they could all see that Vari was starting to get worried, so she decided to set them aside. “Pandora, even though we can’t see you, we are very grateful to you for helping Vari. If there’s ever anything we can do for you, you need only ask.”

  “She says okay and welcome,” Vari said a few moments later. They watched as Vari finished her cereal. When she was finished she turned to her shoulder again, obviously listening.

  “Is something the matter honey?” Saige asked gently when Vari frowned.

  “Pandora says I have to learn…enderi. I think that’s the word.” She looked at her shoulder again. “En Dairii,” she pronounced very slowly.

  “What’s that?” Faron asked.

  “It’s a martial art,” Saige replied. “I’ve heard of it, but don’t know anything about it. Vari, can Pandora tell you why you have to learn En Dairii?”

  Vari listened for a moment, then looked at her mother. “She s
ays she doesn’t know. The Aternal Pack said so.”

  “Does she know of anyone in particular who can teach you, or should we just look for someone?”

  “She says to find Trinity. She has something in her head what makes telethy not work.”

  “We’ll start looking for her right away.

  Chapter 4

  After her bath Vari laid down and took a long, much needed nap. When she awoke she was relieved to find that her headache was completely gone. She sat up and looked around, spotting Pandora almost immediately. She was hovering in front of the vid player screen with the sound turned down low.

  “Good vid?”

  “It’s all right,” Pandora said, turning to face her. “How’s your headache?”

  “Completely gone. I’m hungry though.”

  “Since you haven’t eaten all day that’s no surprise.” She tilted her head. “You’re going to the cafeteria, aren’t you?”

  “I should probably have something brought up, but I need to get out among people for a while.” She picked up her hand terminal from the bedside table and checked the time. “It’s too late for lunch and too early for dinner so there probably won’t be very many people there.”

  She crossed to the closet and paused, thinking. Her first impulse was to dress for comfort in loose cotton pants and sneakers. But, this was a new and unexpected environment, she knew nothing about anyone onboard save the Dracon-Bats, and she didn’t really know all that much about them. Even though the Bihotza was a Jasani ship commanded by a high ranking Clan Jasani male-set, caution was called for.

  On the other hand, she didn’t want to appear as though she was prepared for battle. She quickly chose an outfit with a deceptively simple appearance and got dressed. Opening her toiletries case, she applied her makeup with the ease of long practice and ran a brush through her hair.

  She left the bathroom, then paused to check the guest map on the wall beside the door that Jay had pointed out earlier. She located the cafeteria, memorized the route, then turned to Pandora. “You coming?”

  “I think I’ll wait until after you’ve done a little exploring.”

  “Shall I bring you something?” Vari asked, unsurprised by Pandora’s response. She always had a difficult time adjusting to new people and environments.

  “No thanks. I already checked the menu and they have a nice veggie tray. I’ll call in an order for delivery if I get hungry.”

  Vari left the room and, a couple of minutes later, stopped at the cafeteria’s entrance and looked through the round window in the door. There were only about three dozen crew members scattered among the cafeteria’s many tables, just as she’d hoped. She took a slow breath, pushed the door open and stepped inside, not at all surprised when the low murmur of voices fell silent.

  She didn’t understand why this always happened, but she disliked it intensely. She suspected it had something to do with her unusual hair color, her height, or a combination of both. Whatever the reason, she’d learned that the best response was to give no outward sign that she noticed, and to avoid direct eye contact with everyone.

  She lowered her shield just enough to scan the room quickly for danger, a practice so ingrained in her that she barely thought about it other than to appreciate how easy it was to accomplish. She raised it again just as she spotted a small, unoccupied table near the wall and started toward it.

  Before she’d taken more than a couple of steps, a newly familiar voice called her name. She swore silently as she turned to see Declan, Jay, and Kai at a table in the back corner, their eyes fixed on her.

  The moment she saw them a flutter of excitement ran through her, hardening her nipples and clit so suddenly that her eyes widened in shock. She reminded herself of the consequences of allowing her body to rule her actions, which instantly cooled her arousal. Wishing she’d called down an order to be delivered after all, she reluctantly changed direction and walked toward them.

  ***

  “Demii,” Kai breathed softly just as the general murmur of voices in the cafeteria fell silent. Declan and Jay followed Kai’s gaze, then went perfectly still. Even though they’d all seen Vari up close earlier, they almost felt as though they were now seeing a completely different woman altogether.

  She was dressed simply in a pair of soft, faded jeans and a white long sleeved tee with a line of blue piping running from shoulder to wrist on each sleeve. Her straight, dark blue hair was loose, just brushing her shoulders, and her eyes were outlined in a shade of dark blue kohl that matched her hair, making her green eyes appear to glow as though they were lit from within.

  The moment Declan spotted her he got even harder than he had earlier, though he hadn’t thought that was possible. He immediately stood and called her name in a low voice. She paused, her shoulders stiffening, then turned to look at them for a long moment before changing direction. As she made her way toward them he tried to figure out what it was that drew the eyes of every occupant of the cafeteria, male and female alike.

  There was certainly no denying that she was beautiful, and her tall, statuesque figure was breathtaking. But they had several attractive female crew members, so that wasn’t it. At least, not all of it.

  She moves like a predator, he thought. Silent, smooth, relaxed, and confident, with an underlying watchfulness that warned of a readiness to strike out with deadly force in an instant.

  He frowned, wondering if he was being fanciful. Considering who her parents were it was not only possible, but probable, that she had skill in one or more of the defensive arts, and that she knew how to handle a variety of weapons. But she carried no weapons that he could discern, and she was not yet shifter, so how deadly could she possibly be?

  Nevertheless, his dracon insisted there was much more to her than met the eye. To his consternation, his interest and curiosity about Varia Lobo increased, as did the throbbing hardness of his cock, and his dracon’s desire to claim her.

  Then she was standing before them, her eyes going from him, to Jay, and then to Kai. He followed her eyes carefully this time and noted that she didn’t so much as glance at their identity beads. That was as interesting as it was puzzling.

  “We’d be honored if you would join us,” he said. “We’ve only just arrived ourselves, and haven’t ordered yet.”

  “It would be my pleasure.” She pulled out the fourth chair at the square table and sat down.

  Before sitting back down Declan swept an icy gaze around the cafeteria, effectively stopping the silent stares. As soon as the low murmur of voices started up again an air of strain vanished from Vari’s eyes. Strain that, until it was gone, he hadn’t noticed was there. Now that he had noticed it, he could see that a measure of it still remained, though he had no idea why.

  “You appear to be feeling much better,” he said. “We expected you to eat in your room, otherwise we would have invited you to join us.”

  “I’d planned to,” Vari said. “Thanks to you my shield is strong, my headache is gone, and I woke from a nap feeling hungry. Since I spent the entire morning stuck in a tiny stateroom, I felt the need to get out.”

  There was something in the way she said that last bit that captured his attention. Before he had a chance to think about it she asked a question. “Did you contact my fathers?”

  “We did,” Kai replied. “They expressed their relief that you arrived safely aboard the Bihotza, and are looking forward to speaking with you tomorrow.”

  “Thank you, Kai,” she said, increasing Declan’s suspicion that she could identify them without looking at their beads. She turned to Jay. “Did you have a chance to examine the jammers?”

  “Yes. Unfortunately, they’re both completely fried.”

  “Fried?”

  “Each one contains a rasjic crystal that’s been shattered.”

  Her eyes widened in surprise. “It’s not easy to damage a rasjic crystal, let alone shatter one.”

  “No, it’s not,” Jay agreed. “Unfortunately, we don’t have any r
asjic crystals on board to replace them with.”

  “It was kind of you to try, Jay, and I appreciate it.”

  “I see Pandora didn’t come with you,” Kai said. “Or she did, and she’s invisible again.”

  “No, she didn’t come. It usually takes her a day or two to venture out into new environments. She doesn’t care much for being stared at.”

  “We can hardly blame her for that. I spent some time on the vid terminal trying to identify her origin, but found nothing. I couldn’t even identify what sort of being she is.”

  Vari hesitated. She didn’t mind telling them a little about Pandora, but she had to be careful. There was much about her tiny friend that she couldn’t reveal.

  “Pandora is a Sylph, an Air Elemental.” The Dracon-Bats exchanged unreadable looks.

  “We’ve never heard of Sylphs, or Elementals,” Kai said. “Where does she come from?”

  “I’m afraid I can’t answer that without violating a sworn oath.”

  “Can you tell us if she’s magical?”

  “She is, but her magic is limited. She can make herself invisible, and she can change her physical appearance at will, but she can’t do much more than that.”

  “She’s a shifter?” Jay asked.

  “No, she’s not a shifter. She’s more like a chameleon.” They looked at her blankly. “You saw her today with long blonde hair and blue eyes. The next time you see her she may have short purple hair and purple eyes, or whatever she chooses. Sometimes she takes the form of a bird, or a cat.”

  “Interesting talent,” Kai said. Vari nodded in agreement. She’d often wished she could change her outward appearance the way Pandora did.

  “What’s her true form?” Jay asked.

  “I’m sorry, Jay, but if you would know more about Pandora, you’ll have to ask her directly.”

  “We didn’t mean to pry, Vari,” Kai said apologetically. “And we certainly don’t want you to break your word or betray your friend. There aren’t many things that engage our curiosity any more. When something does, we tend to focus on it a bit more than we should.”

  “I understand, Kai, and I’m not offended.”