Colliding Skies

by Debbie Zaken

  At the skeptical look on my face, he grinned. “Okay. Maybe normalcy is a stretch, but it is as normal as things can get between us.”

  “But what if—”

  He pressed his thumb to my lips. “No ifs. It is time, Skye. Sooner or later, we will be seen in public. Why not enjoy your special night with you?”

  His mouth found mine, and my common sense melted away.

  “Okay, but on two conditions.”

  A curious smile crossed his lips. “What conditions?”

  “First, as soon as you’re finished with the Magistrate, you come straight here and tell me everything. No sugar-coating, no keeping things from me. Only the cold, hard facts.”

  He hesitated, and then looked me square in the eye. “Agreed. What is the second one?”

  “You have to promise that if things…” I swallowed the lump in my throat that made it hard to speak. “If things don’t go well, you won’t just disappear on me. I need to know what you’re planning. I know you don’t want me to go with you. But if you’re leaving, I need to know before it happens.”

  The light in his eyes dimmed. The faint smile that crossed his lips did nothing to recharge them. “I give you my word; I will not leave without giving you advanced notice.”

  I took a deep breath. “All right, then. I’ll go to prom with you.”

  Enveloping me in his embrace, he placed a small kiss on my lips. “It will be a perfect night, Skye. You will see.”

  I grinned despite the surge of panic sweeping over me. One perfect night. Was that all we had left?

  ***

  ETHAN AND I sat in the family room on Friday afternoon watching the press conference held by Abigail and President Soto. The Intergalactic International Accord had been signed. The Celeian diplomatic delegation would expand to fifteen countries in Europe and Asia. Eight more alien ships would be arriving within the next six months.

  “A great new dawn is upon us. My Earthling brothers, let us not be afraid of tomorrow, for we have seen yesterday and are building the vast possibilities of our future today.” Abigail gave the camera a resplendent smile, like she’d been born to be a star.

  The picture on the screen changed to show multitudes of people on the streets of London, Vienna, Moscow and Tokyo celebrating, waving the silver Celeian flag in the air along with their own.. The image changed again and angry faces of protestors shouting the words invasion and global war in different languages jumped at me. Ethan would be facing the Magistrate in mere hours. I had to wonder how all this would affect their decision. To which side did they think our relationship would tip the scale of the public opinion.

  Mom kept passing by the foyer, pretending to do a hundred different things, but I knew she was keeping an eye on me. Although Ethan came over every day, she still didn’t feel comfortable around him.

  “Stop fidgeting, Skye” Ethan mumbled, covering my hands with his to stop them from twitching on my lap. “Your mother is already looking at me like I am about to strap you into the electric chair and pull the switch.”

  I rolled my fists into balls and stuffed them inside the pockets of my hoodie.

  “Yes, that is much better.” His lips curled in a sarcastic grin.

  “Sorry. I’m just really nervous. What if I never see you again?”

  “That won’t happen. Now that this treaty is signed, we could be here for a very long time.” He let out a deep breath. “I should probably get going. I want to talk to Naomi and Abigail before the hearing. I will come back tonight once it is over. But get some rest.” His fingers caressed the dark circles under my eyes that I’d tried to cover up. I hadn’t slept much all week. “Now listen, Skye—”

  “No.” I recognized that tone, the way his silky voice wrapped around my name like a caress.

  That’s how it works—the hypnotizing. By calling my name in such a way that makes it impossible to look away.

  “Skye, you cannot wait up. You need to sleep.”

  “No. I’m not going to let you do that. You promised never to do it again.”

  “Look at me, Skye,” he insisted.

  “I’m not listening.” I closed my eyes and plugged my ears with my fingers.

  “You are actually sticking your fingers in your ears? What are you going to do next? Stick your tongue out at me?”

  And that’s just what I did.

  “What are you two whispering about over there?” Chase looked up from his iPad.

  I unplugged my ears. “Nothing. Go back to your game.”

  Ethan chuckled. “Your big sister is acting like a baby. A stubborn, temperamental child…”

  “Preach, bro,” he replied and went back to his Tablet.

  “Skye, be reasonable.” Ethan tried one more time to put me under his sleep-inducing trance.

  “I said no, Ethan.”

  “You…”

  I didn’t know what happened. Suddenly Ethan’s lips were moving, but there was no sound. It was like I’d turned down the volume on the television.

  He stopped and stared at me with undisguised surprise. His eyes narrowed and a look of deep concentration appeared on his face. His lips moved again. I closed my eyes and fought harder, not sure what I was doing, but his voice kept fading in and out—the volume going up and down. When I opened my eyes again, I was met with a proud smile and his words rang crystal clear.

  “You are a very quick learner. Do you promise to get some sleep?”

  I nodded, mouth agape, not sure if I had done what I thought I’d done. Then I grasped on his words and a smirk broadened my lips. “I fought off the hypnotizing, didn’t I?”

  His smile widened. “Yes. I am very impressed. You must have picked it up when you were finding your way back from Abigail.”

  “You know what this means, right? It means you can’t be my Ambien anymore unless I agree to it.” I jutted my chin and crossed my arms, basking in my smugness.

  His lips twisted in amusement. “Apparently it does. That is good. You just gained a useful tool to have, if we ever need it.”

  “I don’t really know how I did it, but I knew I was doing it. How can that be?”

  “The human mind is just like any other muscle. Actually, better. You can strengthen it and train it to unlimited boundaries.” He kissed the top of my head. “Get some sleep, Skye. I will come over later tonight.”

  ***

  LYING IN BED that night, I tossed and turned for hours. Images of Ethan being dragged into a silver space ship and blasted off to another galaxy whirled in my head. I was almost regretting not letting him hypnotize me to sleep when finally, exhaustion won.

  “Hmmm…” Soft currents of electricity tickled my skin and I stirred. I opened my eyes and found Ethan sitting on the edge of my bed. A lazy smile played upon his lips while his fingers nuzzled my hair.

  “Hello there.”

  “What time is it?” I rubbed my eyes.

  “Almost three in the morning.”

  I bolted upright. “The Magistrate! Ethan, what happened?”

  “Shhh…” He pressed a finger to my lips, and traced them. “Let us not wake your parents.”

  Without warning, he grabbed the nape of my neck and kissed me with surprising intensity. His lips crushed mine sending sparks flying. Raw electricity rolled on my tongue. His arms tightened around me, and his kisses grew more intense. Somewhere in the back of my head, I noticed an edge that accompanied them— a desperation that alarmed me.

  Ethan’s lips moved across my jaw, grazing my ear, down to my throat and back to my mouth. The electric heat coursing through my veins made it hard to concentrate, but I tried to get my brain to function long enough to formulate the words.

  “Ethan…What. Happened. With. The Magistrate,” I was able to get out the words in between kisses.

  But talking was not on his mind just then. His eyes burned into mine, a devilish smile curving his lips. He kissed me again, his mouth pressing hard and demanding on mine. My thoughts became a blur. My pulse spiked through the
roof. And just when I thought my heart couldn’t beat any faster, he did something completely unexpected—and completely un-Ethan. In one swift move, he eased me back down on the bed, his body pressing against mine. My breath hitched.

  Ethan had always been too cautious to let things go this far before. Even when we kissed, he always kept some distance between us. But there was nothing cautious about the way he kissed me now. A milli-inch of space did not exist between us. The curves and corners of his sculpted body fit perfectly with mine, like they were made to be together. The electric fire coursing through my skin was sweltering.

  His mouth brushed along my throat while his hand traced the side of my body, moving along my hip and down my leg until it came to rest on the back of my knee. He paused there for a second. Then, in another unexpected move, he pulled my leg up, hitching it around his waist. I stopped breathing.

  No way. This has got to be one of those dreams I used to pull him into. A really, really good one…

  He’d been so adamant against sex, so hesitant to even talk about it.

  “My sweet Skye.” His minty breath tickled my ear. “I never imagined I could feel this way about anyone.”

  My mouth pressed to his throat, and I didn’t care how nervous I felt. I didn’t care that I was panting like crazy. I wanted him to know how much I wanted this too. “I’m so glad you changed your mind.”

  “Changed my mind about what?” he asked, lazily nibbling my ear.

  “Us, being together.”

  He propped himself on one arm, his eyes wide. “You think we are about to…that this is leading to…”

  “Well, yeah. I mean…” I took a sharp breath. “Isn’t it?”

  He rolled to his side and looked at me in reproach. “Skye, you know we can’t. It is too dangerous.”

  “Seriously? It didn’t feel like you were so concerned a second ago. And clearly it’s not as dangerous as you think it is. Ethan, I think you just proved you can control yourself.”

  Sure, there had been moments when I felt I was going to internally combust from the heat, but it wasn’t painful. It was the familiar scintillating currents, just amplified.

  He sat up, the look of disapproval hardening his face. “No. It is too much of a risk.”

  “Oh come on, Ethan! Even between two Earthlings, there’re all kinds of risks involved. There’s pregnancy and all sort of diseases…” We both sat on the bed cross-legged, confronting each other.

  “Not the kind of risk I am talking about. Skye, I could kill you.”

  “You won’t. I know you won’t.” I leaned forward and began kissing his neck, but he edged backward.

  “No. And we are not having this conversation.”

  “Now, wait a second. There’s no need to be so bossy. I think we need to discuss it further. I should have a say in this, too.”

  “A say? You want a say in whether I risk electrocuting you to death or not?” He stared at me.

  “It’s my life, Ethan. And if I’m willing to take the risk—”

  “No. Absolutely not! Set in stone not. And that is the end of it.”

  The lightning bolts in his eyes reverberated and I glared at him right back.

  “For such a rational being, you’re being completely unreasonable…and contradictory. You say one thing and then you turn around and do the complete opposite. You can’t expect me not to talk about it, not to think about it when you come at me like that. It’s not fair. I am, after all, a mere, silly little emotient.”

  He raked his fingers through his hair in frustration. “Do not use that word. And you are not being silly. You are right. But this is not easy for me either. At least you have some understanding of your feelings. I spend half my time trying to figure mine out. Not even Naomi, who has the greatest understanding of human nature, can help me understand them. Believe me Skye, I want to be with you that way, but how can I risk losing you? Do you think I could live with myself if I accidentally ended your life? I apologize if I gave you the wrong impression. Sometimes, I get carried away too.”

  “Yeah, I wish…” Then I remembered what he’d tried to make me forget. “Ethan, what happened with the Magistrate? Something’s wrong. I can feel it. Tell me.”

  He let out a heavy sigh. “Nothing is wrong. I spoke, they questioned me, I answered. They have not made a decision yet.”

  “What about Abigail? Did she back you up?”

  “Abigail did her best to convince them. So did Naomi.”

  “But…” I could see in the way his forehead wrinkled something was wrong.

  “But nothing. They are still deliberating.”

  “And that’s not good.” I winced at the sick ache in my stomach. “You think they’re going to send you back, don’t you? Remember. You promised to tell it to me like it is. No sugar-coating. No secrets.”

  He paused and I could tell he was choosing his words carefully. “I think the probabilities are about forty eight point twenty-three percent.”

  I opened my mouth and tried to speak, but I choked on the words. Pressure built from my stomach to my lungs.

  “But it does not mean our chances cannot improve, Skye. Abigail sits on the Magistrate. She can sway their decision. Maybe it is better they are taking longer. It gives her more time to convince them.”

  “I don’t want to lose you, Ethan.” My voice cracked.

  He pulled me into his arms and kissed the top of my head. “You won’t. I will do whatever I must to prevent that. We should both rest now.”

  “Don’t go just yet.” I squeezed his hand and pulled him toward me.

  “I am not leaving. I will have to sneak out before the sun rises. Unless you want your father to actually try to kill me. But I could use some sleep, too. Would you mind if I stayed with you tonight?”

  “You want to sleep here? With me?”

  At the astonished look on my face, he smiled playfully. “Yes. But do not get any ideas into your head. When I say sleep, I actually mean it.” He tapped the tip of my nose with his finger.

  “Yes! Stay! I’ll be on my best behavior. I promise.” No need to tell him that those ideas were always in my head where he was concerned.

  I climbed into bed, swallowing nervously while I watched him cover me with my magenta comforter.

  He laughed. “For someone who is about to go to sleep, you do not look very relaxed.”

  He lay down next to me and there we were—under the covers and only inches from each other. I rolled to my side to face him, my heart racing out of my chest.

  “Is this going to be a problem?” He arched an eyebrow in amusement.

  “I can’t really control my heartbeat. But I’ll be good.”

  He planted a soft, chaste kiss on my lips. “Sleep well, Skye. Remember, tomorrow you and I are going to prom.”

  “Are you sure that’s a good idea under the circumstances? Maybe we should wait a little bit longer before we go public.”

  He pulled me close, the warmth he gave off mollifying. I rested my head on his chest, suddenly feeling very sleepy.

  “Everything will be fine. It will be a magical night. Sleep now.”

  “Every night with you is magical. Tonight in particular.” I yawned, and fell into a blissful sleep in Ethan’s arms for the first time.

  CONVINCING MY PARENTS to let me go to prom had been surprisingly easy, until they understood it was Ethan that I would be going with. After that, they looked at me like they were afraid I was losing my mind. Disbelief turned into anger and anger into panic, both afraid of the possible consequences. It was the worst fight I’d ever had with them. I even threatened to leave the house. After about two hours of crying and yelling, I marched into the kitchen and told them with quiet, yet unflinching confidence. “You said you trust me enough to make my own decisions, even if you don’t agree with them. I ask that you trust me now. Ethan won’t let anything happen to me. I’m going to prom.”

  Despite Mom’s tears, my parents reluctantly agreed. Yet, I was nowhere near as certain o
f my decision as I’d led them to believe. I’d texted Ethan and Emily all day, changing my mind by the minute. The very moment the doorbell rang, I considered telling Ethan to forget the whole thing. Then I walked down the stairs and saw him—classic black pinstriped suit, a crisp, white shirt and gray tie, the jagged layers of hair falling into his glowing sapphires eyes. Looking down at my gown, the silky plum-colored bodice with its thin spaghetti straps, I felt very plain, until I met his admiring gaze.

  “You are absolutely beautiful,” he whispered, taking my hand and slipping on a corsage.

  I looked down at the delicate pink and fuchsia orchids. “Wow. You really went into full prom mode, huh?”

  He chuckled. “Ready?”

  I nodded, still unable to believe that we were really going to do this.

  When Ethan pulled into the parking lot of the trendy hotel, prom was in full swing. I stared at the lights and the high school kids crowding the lobby. The nerves in my stomach glued me to my seat.

  Ethan tilted my face up and caressed my hair. Mom had curled it so the long, dark tresses, usually straight, now fell in big waves around my face and down my bare shoulders.

  “It will be all right.”

  “Ethan, there’s about six hundred students in my graduating class. And the moment we walk in every one of them is going to be looking at us.”

  He let out a soft sigh. “You know, I almost wore contact lenses tonight. For you. I thought it might make you feel better. Actually, I tried a few pairs that Naomi brought me, but the lenses kept melting in my eyes. Then I toyed with the idea of wearing sunglasses, but that would make me look like a…What is the word? Douchebag?”

  Despite the nerves wringing my stomach, I laughed. Ethan barely used contractions when he spoke, let alone slang.

  “You’ve been watching a lot of teen movies to prepare for this, haven’t you?”

  “Maybe.” A small, embarrassed grin appeared on his lips. “We can do this.”

  I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Okay.”