by Darby Cupid
As they pull apart, Jaik leans back on the sofa, his arm draped across a beaming Linda. My fingernails dig into my palms and my teeth grind together as I glare at the side of his face. I know he can sense me staring but he ignores me.
What in Jetzia’s name are you doing?
For a moment I think he’s going to ignore my message too, but then the petulant reply comes.
Well, if no one cares about getting me home, I might as well make the most of my time on Earth.
I gasp and Dylan turns to look at me, his eyebrows raised, but I can’t bring myself to look at him. When Eddie and Sera return, they both freeze, staring at Jaik and Linda as though a wild creature has wandered into the house and joined us. Eddie looks as furious as Sera does thrilled, but neither of them say anything as they hand out drinks and take their places. I resume my glaring.
You’d better not hurt her. You’ll break her heart.
This time, Jaik turns and meets my stare, his green eyes dark and defiant as he slides his gaze down to Dylan’s arms wrapped around me.
He narrows his eyes and shakes his head. You mean, like you’re going to do to Dylan?
I look away.
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
Dylan
“Do you know what’s going on with Jaik and Linda?”
Crystal pulls away in surprise at my question. Everyone has long since gone and the sun has dipped below the horizon, leaving Crystal and I saying our goodbyes in the hallway. Although, these are the first words either of us has spoken.
“I think he’s trying to prove a point,” she says, trying to resume our kiss.
I lift my chin, putting my mouth out of reach. “What do you mean?”
She sighs, her eyes looking everywhere but in mine. “Jaik’s convinced I don’t want to go home.”
“What? Why?” I lean back so I can see her face. “Because you didn’t jump at the chance of using his mum’s amulet?”
My shoulders stiffen and I try to breathe out the tension. I get that Jaik’s been through a lot, but man he can be so dramatic. Crystal’s eyes look sad and distant now and I inwardly curse myself for causing it. I shouldn’t have said anything.
Tucking a curl behind her ear, I lift her chin and press my lips to hers. I swear I’m addicted. Every time I’m near her, my blood turns to fire, my heart aching with an insatiable need to touch her, to be close to her. It’s never enough.
Today has been brilliant. I’ll admit I enjoyed every second of watching the childlike wonder on Crystal’s face as she took in even the most common sights. Now I’ve seen what Starlatten is like, I’m beginning to see Earth through her eyes. It’s definitely making me see things I take for granted in a new light, but it’s also cemented the gut-wrenching realisation I had last night. She can’t stay. We have to get her home, where she belongs. Keeping her here on Earth would be like capturing a rare and beautiful bird and keeping it in a cage.
Also, there are the practicalities. We don’t even speak the same language. What would happen if her amulet broke, or stopped working? I mean, how long do people from her planet live? How old is she? She looks my age, but we haven’t had time to do the maths to work it out properly. I have to ask Jordan about it tomorrow.
Crystal’s fingertips find their way under my t-shirt and I push the thoughts of her leaving back into the furthest corner of my mind, where they’ve set up camp, and try to pretend they aren’t there.
I’m too late, however, as Crystal breaks the kiss, staring up at me in concern. “What’s wrong? What are you thinking?”
I smile and try to resume the kiss, but she leans back, her hand on my chest.
“Don’t try and distract me with a kiss, or tell me how beautiful I am,” she frowns. “I want a proper answer.”
I study her face, trying out several answers in my mind before the simple truth finds its way to my lips. “I’m just thinking how unfair it is.”
She stares at me, waiting for more of an explanation.
With a reluctant groan, I let go of her and turn to lean against the wall beside her. I push my hair back from my face in an attempt to buy more time to cope with the words I don’t want to make real by admitting them. “It just seems like everything I want at the moment means hurting people. I want to travel instead of taking on the bakery, which will hurt my mum. And well,” I pause, my heart aching as Crystal looks up at me, her big, brown eyes wide and innocent. “I want you, but I can’t keep you.”
“Oh, Dylan,” she says, her voice breaking as her eyes sparkle with tears.
Guilt floods through me, my heart hanging like a bag of wet sand in my chest. “See? This is why I didn’t want to say anything. I didn’t want to ruin this perfect day with my pathetic pity parade.”
Standing on her tiptoes, she pulls my face to hers, softly kissing my cheeks, my nose and finally my lips. “Don’t think about the end. We might have many more days like this. And while I’m here, you have me. All of me.”
Raw emotion rips through me like a tidal wave, overpowering my senses and muting everything other than my feelings for Crystal and my need to be with her, to touch her. My hands gripping her waist, I press her against the wall and kiss her like it’s the only thing keeping me alive. Her heart thuds in time with mine against my chest as my hands move up to her face, tangling in her curls. Crystal’s fingers find their way under my shirt, her thumbs sliding up my stomach.
It takes more willpower than I thought I was capable of, but I pull away, my breath ragged. “I should go.”
Disappointment flits across Crystal’s face and I smile, despite my frustration, at how beautiful she looks.
“You don’t have to go,” she whispers.
“Trust me, I really don’t want to,” I say, straightening my shirt and hair, “but I do have to.”
Every pulse of my heart screams at me to stay, but instead, I take her hands and lift them to my lips.
As I close the door behind me, the cold night air smacks me across the face, a stark contrast to the heat of the last hour. Lightheaded at the memory of her touch, my fingers trace my swollen lips.
With every step towards the bus stop, the real reason I left echoes along the empty street, taunting me. I’ve fallen, hard. When the time comes to let Crystal go, it’s going to obliterate my heart into a tiny million pieces and I’m not sure I’ll survive.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
Crystal
With a glance at the light switch by the door, the room clicks into darkness. I pull the covers around me, sighing happily as I run highlights from the day through my mind. Holding Dylan’s hoodie tightly to my chest, I inhale his scent and close my eyes. My body tingles at the memory of our last moments, my breath catching in my throat as I replay our last kiss. A delicious end to a perfect day. My body buzzes with excitement as I wonder what wonderful Earth experiences might be suggested for tomorrow.
As I lie in my bed contemplating travelling to Africa with Dylan to see giraffes in the wild, sleep drapes its tendrils around me, and I slip into the comfortable darkness.
I’m woken by a swirling silver mist. It brushes against me, wrapping itself around my limbs, nudging me and whispering my name until I sit up.
“Hello?” I call out, but there’s no reply.
I look around, peering through the grey mist, the mattress beneath me shifting as I turn. Is this a dream or is this really happening? My senses are disorientated but this sensation is familiar.
Suddenly, I’m wide awake. I swing my legs over the side of the bed, preparing for the amber eyes I’m certain are going to appear.
“Princess Akinara? Can you hear me?”
I gasp, spinning in a slow circle, searching for the source of the voice. It’s not the deep, arrogant tones of Cadicus. My fear merges into confusion as I squint into the mist. The voice sounded muffled, as though coming from another room. I decide to reply.
“Who are you?”
After a few agonising seconds, a voice replies.
“
We have received your signal and located you, Your Majesty. We will come to you at nightfall at the top of the large landmass near your location. I’m afraid we don’t have names for the geological locations on this planet.”
I freeze. “Tomorrow? Who are you?”
“The Royal Guard, Your Majesty. May the stars bless you.”
Before I can respond, the silver mist thins as though being sucked from the room, until I’m left alone in the dark.
I open my eyes and sit up, searching the room for signs of mist as my heart slams painfully against my ribcage. Sinking back down onto my pillow, I exhale. It was just a dream.
What if it wasn’t? How can I possibly tell? I wonder whether they’ve contacted Jaik. Before I can decide whether it’s a good idea or not, I reach out to him.
Jaik? Are you awake? Jaik?
I am now. His voice is filled with sleepy concern. What’s wrong?
Has anyone contacted you? I ask.
What do you mean ‘anyone’?
I sigh with frustration. Anyone from home.
No. A pause. Have they contacted you?
I’m not sure. I admit. It might have been a dream. That’s why I thought I’d see if you’d been contacted too, so I can be sure.
What did they say?
I think back to the silver mist and try to recall the details. They said they were the Royal Guard and they have my location. They want to pick me up tomorrow night at the top of a large land mass.
A large land mass? What? Like a hill?
I roll my eyes, glad he can’t see me. How am I supposed to know? They didn’t say.
We’ll have to go tomorrow night and see then! This is brilliant news!
I can’t help but smile at his enthusiasm, but I don’t share it. In fact, I’m a little numb.
See you bright and early! he says.
As Jaik’s final message gives way to silence, I wander over to the window. It’s still dark outside and from the lack of noise, I can tell it’s still the middle of the night. Pulling the curtains apart, I stare up at the silent sky. A handful of stars blink back at me. Rescue. I should be thrilled.
If this is real, I’ll get answers. How long ago was the Galastasia attacked? What’s happened to Starlatten? Do they know Cadicus is dead? Are my grandparents still alive? My heart warms at the thought of seeing them again. Every question, however, spawns a thousand more. What if everything I know is gone?
I stare up at the sky until my eyes are sore and my toes are numb. Closing the curtains, I shuffle back to the bed and curl into a ball, clutching Dylan’s sweatshirt to my chest. I close my eyes and will my mind back to giraffes, deserts and rainforests.
“Wake up, sleepy head!”
I try to open my eyes at the sound of Sera’s voice but fail. I had an awful night’s sleep and my body is heavy with exhaustion.
“Is everything okay?” I mumble. “Did I miss anything?”
Sera chuckles and the bed sinks as she perches at the end of it. “No. It’s still morning. Jaik and Jordan are downstairs already though and Jaik really wants to talk to you.”
I prise my eyes open to see Sera watching me, her eyebrows raised. Last night’s dream message comes flooding back and I pull the covers over my head with a groan.
“You can’t avoid him forever,” Sera laughs. “Plus, Dylan’s on his way over too. Jaik told Jordan to text everyone. If you thought he was excited the other day, well…”
I push the covers back with a sigh and sit up. There’s no hiding from this. Better to get it over and done with. Besides, perhaps it really had been a dream after all.
“Finally!”
I walk into the kitchen to find Jaik pacing restlessly, as everyone else perches on the stools around the breakfast bar wearing similar expressions of curiosity and confusion. Bypassing Jaik’s stare, I cross the room to where Dylan’s waiting to pull me into his arms. I inhale deeply and the scent of soap, bread and something spicy makes me deliciously lightheaded.
“Are you going to tell them?”
I turn around to find Jaik gesturing wildly at the group.
“Tell them about the message!” he says.
Dylan’s arms tense around me and I swallow. “So, last night, I dreamt I received a message from the Royal Guard. They said they were coming to collect me from a large landmass nearby.”
A tense silence follows, punctuated by the shuffling of Jaik’s feet as he shifts from one to the other. Jordan is the first to speak.
“So, was it a dream or not?”
I shake my head. “I honestly don’t know for sure.”
“When did they say they would come?” Dylan asks.
As I turn to face him, the tightness in his voice is nothing in comparison to the fear in his eyes. “Tonight.”
Dylan stares into my eyes and it’s pure agony. My eyes blur and I blink, refusing to let the tears form. If I cry, I don’t think I’ll be able to stop.
“Well,” Dylan says, his eyes still fixed on mine, “we’re going to have to find out where they mean and be there just in case.”
“Yes!” Jaik claps his hands together in agreement. “Exactly! Let’s talk large land masses.”
“Edgemont Hill?” Eddie offers.
Jordan shakes his head. “It’s barely a hill. This needs to be something that can be seen from space, I guess.”
“If they meant mountain, they’d have said mountain,” Jaik dismisses with a wave. “We have mountains on Starlatten.”
“Oh! What about Huntingdon Pike?” Linda exclaims. “It’s less than an hour from here and it’s much taller than a hill.”
Jordan mulls this over before nodding his agreement. “I think you might be right.”
“So, a spaceship is going to descend on Huntingdon Pike and beam Crystal and Jaik up?” Eddie scoffs.
“This isn’t one of your stupid sci-fi shows,” Jaik sneers. “They’ll transmit a team down from the ship which will be just in Earth’s orbit. Then they’ll take us back up with them.”
“Teleportation?” Jordan gasps.
“Sort of, I guess,” Jaik admits. “It’s quite technical and to be honest, I don’t completely understand how it works.”
I watch the exchange in silence, pulling Dylan’s arms tighter around me and closing my eyes. Just a few more days. That’s all I wanted. Even as the thought takes form, I know it’s a lie. No amount of extra days would ever be enough.
CHAPTER FORTY
Jaik
My blood is electricity in my veins. As we discuss logistics, I fear I might explode with the anticipation of leaving this prison of a planet and going back where I belong. My eyes keep flitting to Crystal. She looks awful. I’m torn between pity and anger as I watch her try to block out what’s going on. I get that she doesn’t want to go but staying is not an option, so she needs to get over it and get on board. Even Dylan’s doing a decent job of pretending he’s okay with what’s happening.
I’m vaguely aware of Linda, loitering near me. With everything that’s going on, the memory of yesterday’s kiss has been long forgotten. A wave of guilt swells in my chest. I shouldn’t have done that. It wasn’t fair on her. I catch her eye and give her a smile, which she returns, looking up at me from behind her fringe. I’ll have to talk to her before tonight’s plans unravel.
“So, camping?” Eddie echoes.
“Sort of,” I say. “We might only be there a couple of hours, but it makes sense to prepare for the whole night, just in case.”
“We’ll take the supplies up during the day,” Jordan agrees. “We won’t be able to climb the pike in the dark, so getting there and waiting sounds like the best plan.”
I nod in agreement, trying to keep the excitement from my face. “How long will it take us to get to the top?”
“If we set off at midday, we could be at the top by three-ish?”
“Wait,” Linda interrupts, pulling a face at Sera. “Doesn’t the sun set at like eight at the moment?”
Jordan pulls out his
phone and checks an app. “Twenty minutes past eight tonight.”
“So, what exactly are we doing for five and a half hours at the top of Huntingdon Pike?”
Silence breezes around the group as Linda chuckles to herself in what appears to be disbelief. Sensing my irritation, she places a hand on my arm. “Look. I know you guys are super excited but getting there sooner isn’t going to make the sun set any earlier.”
I stare down at her, attempting to convey the importance of this expedition. “We need to be there early enough to survey the area and prepare.”
“Yes,” Linda nods. “And two hours will be plenty of time.”
Sera grins conspiratorially. “So, we set off from here at 3pm?”
I look between the two girls, wondering what I’ve missed. I’m about to ask as much when Linda spins her stool to face Crystal and Dylan, who haven’t moved a muscle for at least ten minutes.
“Hey, you two!” she calls out, waving her hands at them. “You’ve got five hours. Go make the most of it.”
Crystal gives her an uncertain smile before glancing up at Dylan.
“Go!” Linda shoos. “Get out of here!”
This seems to have the desired effect and Dylan slides off his stool, leading Crystal out of the room. I watch, trying to catch her eye but she doesn’t so much as glance in my direction. I’m wondering whether I should send a message to her when Linda claps her hands together loudly beside me, making me flinch.
“What about everyone else?” she asks.
“Well,” Sera smiles sheepishly. “With all the drama, Jordan and I realised last night that we haven’t even had a proper date yet. I was thinking perhaps we could go for a little lunch date?”
“Sounds good to me!” Jordan grins.
Linda turns to her brother. “What about you?”
“I have a date too,” he smiles, waggling his eyebrows.
“What? With who?”
“My PlayStation,” he laughs. “I’ve not been online in a week. I have friends who are going to think I’ve died.”