Zoe Thanatos

by Cierlak, Crystal

  “Welcome to the Boathouse!” she greeted.

  “Hi. Two for inside please,” Zoe replied.

  “Sure! Follow me.” She walked them by a fully-stocked bar just inside the entrance and placed their menus on a table against the floor-to-ceiling glass wall. Zoe sat on the blue couch while Evan sat across from her and the uninterrupted view of the beach and ocean.

  “More islands?” he asked as he looked out over her shoulder to the view.

  Zoe glanced back and nodded. “Same islands.” They didn’t need to talk about that. When she looked up again Evan was looking right at her and a small wave of uneasiness rippled in her chest. She wasn’t used to such direct attention from anyone, let alone a perfectly handsome man who had taken her around the world.

  “So,” she started, hoping to stomp down the uneasiness. “You have a sister.”

  His eyes rolled and he nodded in confirmation. “Sorry if she made you feel uncomfortable. She has a habit of being very forthcoming.”

  Zoe shrugged. “She seemed nice enough. It’s a shame she was unable to join us.”

  “I wasn’t expecting her to show up in my hotel room this morning, Or at all for that matter. I guess I’ve lost track of how long I’ve been here.”

  A young waiter approached and welcomed them to the restaurant before pointing out the special of the day on the menu. He left and returned a short while later with a pitcher of water, pouring them each a glass as he asked for their order.

  “Can I get a cross between the California Benedict and the Smoked Salmon Benedict, but substitute the salmon for crab cakes?”

  “You got it And for you, Sir?”

  “I’ll have the Dungeness Omelet,” Evan ordered.

  “Very good. I’ll be back shortly.”

  “That’s really delicious, by the way,” Zoe exclaimed. “Anything they make with crab cakes is delicious.” Oh dear, please don’t babble, she chided herself.

  “You sure have an enthusiasm for food,” he mused, a wide smile brightening his face.

  “Do I? I think I just find things that I like and then never order anything else. I like consistency.”

  “So you go out to eat a lot?” he asked before taking a sip of water.

  “Not every day but probably more than most people. I can’t cook so sometimes it’s a choice between nibbling on whatever is in my fridge or going out. Anyway, we were talking about your sister,” she reminded, hoping to steer the conversation away from her babbling. “How long has it been since you last saw her?”

  Evan leaned back in his seat and expelled a breath of air. “I’m not exactly sure. Maybe a few weeks by your time. Time is measured differently where I’m from.”

  It was difficult for her to fathom time moving any other way than what was natural to her. “Different how?” she asked.

  “Here time is broken down into minutes, hours, decades, and so on and so forth. Back home it is generational. Our measurements are more abstract. A single lifetime in Terra can be hundreds of years here on Earth.”

  She shook her head incomprehensibly. “If that’s so then how old does that make you? If you don’t mind me asking?” she added the last part as an afterthought.

  His smile never once faltered. Maybe he found humor in explaining the differences between the two worlds to her?

  “How old do you think I am?”

  Zoe arched an eyebrow and sat back against the cool blue cushion of the couch. “You don’t look more than thirty.”

  Evan nodded appreciatively at her assessment. “I suppose if I were from here that’s about how old I would be, give or take a year. There really isn’t an equation in which to convert Terra into Earth.”

  “Terra? That’s what your home is called? Interesting.”

  “How so?” he asked, his interest piqued.

  “Well, ‘terra’ is Latin, meaning Earth. Our two words share a commonality.”

  His lips parted in a wide smile that was practically a laugh. “You’d be surprised how much we have in common with you. We look the same, don’t we?” he offered, holding his hand out to compare to her and those around them.

  “Sure,” she shrugged. “Except we can’t teleport, or travel to other universes.”

  “True enough. You will one day,” he winked.

  The waiter appeared again and placed a plate in front of each of them. After excusing himself, Zoe and Evan dug in, eating in silence as restaurant patrons quietly conversed around them.

  “So what else do we have in common? Does Terra look like Earth?”

  He looked thoughtful at the question. “Not exactly. Terra probably looks more like what Earth will look like in the future. We use technologies that are still being developed here but on a larger scale.”

  “Such as?” she prompted.

  “You all have these touch screen devices you call smart phones, right? We use the same touch screen glass technology but we’ve built our residences out of it. It monitors and records our biorhythm to maintain our health, and whatever it can’t do, a Reproduction Unit does.”

  “Reproduction unit?”

  “For procreation and regeneration,” he clarified.

  “You’re able to regenerate?” She had seen plenty of science fiction movies and shows where people were able to grow or regenerate internal body parts, but it always remained in the realm of science fiction.

  “It’s how we live for so long,” he answered nonchalantly. Of course he would have been used to such technological advances.

  “Okay, and procreation? Is everyone a test tube baby?”

  The colloquialism didn’t seem to register. “Test tube baby?”

  She felt dumb for even having suggested it. It sounded much worse out loud than in her head. “Um, it’s a term, a pejorative really, for when an egg is fertilized outside of the body, such as in a laboratory.”

  “Oh, I see. We don’t have such a crude name for it but yes. It’s how we control the population.”

  Zoe was gobsmacked. “So what about... You don’t...” she trailed off. Her cheeks warmed as they filled with a rush of blood. “Do you have sex?”

  She immediately regretted the question. She could practically see her skin turning red in her peripheral vision as a rush of blood invaded her face. It wasn’t as if she was as forthcoming with every person she spoke to.

  Evan cleared his throat and took a sip of water. Zoe could just barely make out what appeared to be a smile partially concealed and distorted behind the glass.

  “Sorry,” she rushed. “Of course you shouldn’t answer. I’m so sorry; I don’t know why I asked that.” Oh god, I wish I was dead. Her face was flushed and a bead of sweat was forming at her hairline. Oh how she wished she had said anything else or could at least disappear into thin air. If only she was the one who could teleport.

  She didn’t dare make eye contact with him. Instead, she pretended to be suddenly fascinated with her purse as though she were looking for something absolutely imperative to her survival. A new face might have done the trick. Her hands moved absentmindedly over her belongings hoping one of them would provide a distraction from the moment. How would she recover from such an embarrassment?

  His hand was on hers before her mind could even register what was happening. It was tan and very soft, but strong. A few veins made soft hills under the skin, and a smattering of lightly colored hair grew down the side of his hand and over his knuckles. His fingernails were short and clean, a pleasing fact that made an impression somewhere in the back of her mind. She had not even noticed him get up from his seat across the table and sit next to her on the couch.

  “Don’t be embarrassed. It was just a question.” His voice was quiet and deep, his words meant for her and no one else. She dared to look up finally and found his green eyes were kind but not lacking the intensity she witnessed so many times before. He always looked at her as though he were trying to see past the visible and the conscious.

  He was as physically close to her as he had been tha
t morning when she thought he was going to kiss her. There may have been a restaurant full of people surrounding them, but they fell into the dark distance, their voices receding with them into the black.

  “When I first came here I had so many questions and had no one to ask. So I can understand and even appreciate your curiosity. Everything I know of Earth I learned by observation and reading. The truth is I never had anyone to compare homes with, so to speak.”

  His thumb distractedly smoothed over the skin of her hand as it had on her collarbone. Between that and his physical proximity she found it difficult to keep her attention focused.

  “As for your question...” he began. The words had Zoe focusing on his face again, waiting for what he would say next. “Each of us is created in a Reproduction Unit and carried to term via government surrogate. We’re genetically altered to not conceive naturally, or what you would consider to be natural. So yes, we do have sex and as far as I know it’s the same for us as it is for you.”

  She could barely breathe for fear of making too much noise. “As far as you know?” she asked quietly. Her heart was beating rapidly in her chest. His eyebrows came together in amused embarrassment.

  The charged air between them seemed to spark, and Zoe realized she was staring as intently at him as he was at her. It was impossible not to think of him as being capable of sex given the nature of the conversation. Her thoughts went immediately to every physical encounter they’d had since meeting, a touch of his hand or the weight of his arms around her chest. The previous 24 hours seemed longer given everything that occurred. Evan didn’t feel like a man she only just met. He felt like a man who possibly wanted to kiss her; whom she would want to kiss back.

  Somewhere close by she heard the sound of a man clearing his throat. Zoe looked up, broken from the closeness of Evan, and saw their waiter who looked like he desperately wished he hadn’t interrupted.

  “May I get you anything else?” he asked. He sounded almost apologetic and his eyes looked everywhere but at their faces. Zoe took a proper breath and smiled shyly at him before excusing herself.

  “I’ll be right back,” she mumbled at Evan before getting up and walking towards the restroom. Without so much as a glance behind her Zoe locked herself behind the wide door of the women’s restroom and gripped the sink basin with her hands. She looked in the mirror expecting to find her appearance disheveled and unkempt or her face red from their interaction, but what she saw instead surprised her. The flush was a fresh bouquet of pink to her cheeks, the rest of her face aglow with excitement. The gold adornments in her cardigan were casting a sparkle of light randomly across her face and hair, the whole effect making her look she were lit from within. It was in her mouth where she found the smallest measure of a smile, the corners of her mouth tipped upward ever so slightly.

  Another smile, she reminded herself.

  She left the mirror and sat down to relieve herself, her eyes fixating on the iridescent tiles that lined the floor. Her skin still prickled from the close contact with him. She wanted to feel it again, secretly thrilled at the prospect of what might happen if he kept moving closer. It had been too long since she felt anything, especially excitement. It was like satisfying a craving she had long gone without and she wanted to splurge.

  She finished and washed her hands before taking another glance at her reflection. She enjoyed the sight of relaxation on her face. She preferred it to the perpetual sadness that followed her like a dark cloud. She exited and made her way back to their table. Evan was leaning back in his chair with his gaze fixed out at the distance toward the Pacific. Two brown boxes sat where their plates had before and the table had been cleared. She sat down and reached for her wallet.

  “I took care of the bill,” he informed. His charming smile had returned and she could barely contain the fresh flush that bloomed across her cheeks.

  “Thank you for brunch, Evan.” His smile flickered ever so slightly at the sound of his name, and again she was reminded of how handsome he was. The square shape of his jaw brought a character to his face that made him stand apart from the other men in the room. She wondered if everyone from Terra was as good looking.

  “You’re welcome. So, what’s next?” “How do you feel about getting a little dirty?” she deadpanned.

  “I beg your pardon?” The smile dropped but his mouth remained open, the anticipation still in his eyes as he looked at her for meaning. Zoe felt the slightest bit of triumph for having temporarily unnerved him.

  “Why don’t you come home with me and find out?” She sounded more forward and suggestive than she intended but opted not to correct herself. She was enjoying the excitement his presence created and didn’t want it to end. With a nod they stood and left, heading back to the same place where they had started the day.

  Chapter 8: A Missed Opportunity

  “Thank you!” Zoe waved at the departing delivery truck as it slowly reversed out the driveway and made its way along the street. She found Evan in the backyard eyeing the contents of the delivery suspiciously.

  “So you meant literally dirty,” he joked.

  Indeed, the project would require a fair amount of labor and effort. There were dozens of potted plants and flowers waiting to be dug into the ground, patio furniture, a large grill-slash-island, a dining table set, chairs with cushions, umbrellas, a chandelier, a coffee table, and a range of gardening accessories and tools.

  “You managed to coordinate and buy all of this stuff this morning?” he asked in amazement he scanned over everything.

  “I had some help. It does seem a bit impetuous, doesn’t it?”

  “No! Not at all!” he laughed, clearly at her expense. “What do you want to start with first?”

  Zoe considered her options. “I have no idea,” she admitted. Truthfully, she was a bit overwhelmed.

  “Okay well let’s start with the big stuff and then work our way to plants and pillows and whatnot. Sound good?”

  She put her hands up in the air. “You’re the boss. I’m going to change. Can I get you anything to drink?”

  “Just some water, please.” He circled around the grill-slash-island and crossed his arms over his chest, his face pensive.

  “Okay. Be right back.” She made her way through a set of cherry wood French doors leading into her bedroom just off the garden area. The air conditioned room was cool compared to the heat of direct sunlight outside, and she thought another dip in the pool would be a great end to an otherwise terrific day.

  She quickly changed out of the golden cardigan and silk tank and slipped on white cotton tank top. After a second thought, she took off the tank and shorts, replaced her undergarments with the only bikini she owned - a bright yellow piece that had never been worn - and put the tank and shorts on top. She traded the blue suede wedges for a pair of lightly worn tennis shoes and laced them loosely against her feet before walking towards the main living area.

  A flick of a switch and the entertainment system filled the room with contemporary pop music as she headed into the kitchen, the least used room in the house. She produced a chilled pitcher of filtered water from the refrigerator and filled two tall glasses. An acrylic tray holding loose envelopes and other assorted mail caught her eye as she put the pitcher away, and dumped everything out on the counter to place the two glasses.

  Once outside again she set the platter down on the plastic sealed outdoor dining table and took a good look around at all of the other plastic-wrapped purchases. It was like the famous shopping trip all over again, only this time she vowed to herself to not let them sit untouched in the backyard like she had with the clothes in her closet.

  “Evan, are you sure you don’t mind helping?” she asked tentatively. He looked up from his crouched position next to the grill and nodded reassuringly.

  “It’s fine! Come over here. Where did you want this thing?”

  She made her way to his side and scanned the backyard, her eyes settling on the pergola where the previous patio fur
niture sat. “How about there? Then we can put the dining set in front of it so there is a nice view of the pool.”

  “Great. Let’s get started. Want to get on that end there?” he pointed. She did as asked, moving to the opposite end of the grill. “It has locking wheels so just flip the red tab and we’ll slide it over.”

  The large piece moved smoothly over the wood so she didn’t have to exert so much effort. He was doing most of the pulling anyway. “So tell me more about Terra.”

  “What would you like to know?” he asked as he guided the grill backwards towards the pergola.

  “Your sister said that you were someone of importance. What did she mean by that?”

  “It’s not as fascinating as it sounds. I’m basically a glorified advisor, which means I don’t really do anything at all except listen and make suggestions to certain people. It’s not anything really important or worthy of mention. I spend more time away from home than in it.”

  “Who do you advise?” The grill moved into place in the pergola, a view of the pool on the opposite side.

  “Owyn Straton. Although very few people call him that. He’s our King.”

  Zoe nearly tripped over her own feet. “Did you say King?”

  “Yep,” he rolled his eyes at the word.

  “Terra is ruled by a monarchy?” she asked, the word sounding pungent as it rolled off her tongue.

  “For as long as anyone can remember. Owyn and I grew up together and when he became King he took me on as his advisor. Not that I really do much. Terra basically runs itself so what could I possibly contribute?” He looked terse, even constrained by the thoughts he wasn’t verbalizing but that Zoe could see clearly bothered him.

  “So he’s the reason you have to return?”

  “He is part of it,” he replied, still stuck on an unspoken thought. Together they unwrapped the dining set with box cutters, shredding off pieces of thick industrial plastic as music from the radio streamed out of speakers mounted to the exterior walls of the house.