by Melody Adams
“Oh no, Jessie!”, he cried out, terrified. “Are you okay? Jessie?! Please say something!”
I wiped a few tears away and got up without looking at him.
“Jessie!”
“Let! Me!”, I snapped.
“I am ... I am sorry. I ... I didn’t mean to hurt you. Jessie ... please forgive me. I ... I didn’t know it was you. I would have never ...”
“RIGHT!”, I shouted. “You didn’t know it was me, because you were so busy beat the living shit out of your best friend!”
I met his shocked gaze. He ruffled his hair with a pained expression on his face. Behind him, Happy struggled to get up. His gaze landed on me.
“Are you alright, Jessie?”
He got up and pushed Rage out of the way. To my astonishment, Rage let him. All he did was sitting there, looking ant me with such despair, that my anger turned into sympathy. Happy put his big hand to my face, gingerly toughing me.
“Are you okay?”
I nodded.”
“Yes, only a little shaken”, I said.
“Never go in between two fighting Breeds, Jessie”, Happy said softly. “We are like to fighting dogs. I a situation like that we can’t tell friend from foe. There is nothing human left when we get into a fight. You are lucky, that Rage or I didn’t hurt you. Don’t! Ever! Do! That again! Better call one of us. A Breed will know how to act in a situation like that.”
“I ... I thought he would kill you”, I stammered agitated.
“When we fight it looks worse than it is. I am a bit beat up and my pride has taken a good beating but I am fine, Jessie.”
Rage
I starred at Jessie tearful face with horror and self-loathing. What had I done? Happy was right. I could have hurt her. I was a monster. I cursed the fact that I was third generation. If I would be a second generation like Happy I could be with Jessie. But I was to damn aggressive and unpredictable, not more than a wild animal. I should let Happy have her, allow him to make her happy, but I was too fucking selfish. I wanted her for myself, even if that made no sense, since I couldn’t have her. Just the thought that some male could touch her drove me mad. I saw Happy talking to her quietly, soothingly. He was so different from me. Tender. Kind. He treated her the way she deserved. And she seemed to like him, too. She had been worried about HIM – not me. I fought for her, and she was worried about HIM, instead of being impressed by my strength. With an Alien Breed female, things would have been different. They would have admired my superiority. But not Jessie. She wasn’t an Alien Breed. She was human. She and I were different, would always be. If any Alien Breed male was good for her, than it was Happy. I shook my head. No! I couldn’t do it! I couldn’t sit by and watch then two ... Fuck! I couldn’t even entertain that thought. I got up and stormed out of the room. I had to get away. Away from her and Happy. Before I really killed that sonofabitch. At this moment I couldn’t trust myself.
Jessie
I startled as Rage suddenly run out of the room. I wanted to run after him, but Happy stopped me.
“Let him be”, he said. “Right now he doesn’t want to talk – believe me.”
“He ... he is still not fully recovered. He shouldn’t ...”
Happy laughed.
“Look at me. I have enough bruises to proof that Rage is fine.”
Immediately I felt bad. Rage was the one who had beaten Happy pretty bad and I was worried about Rage.
“Let me put some ice on it”, I said. “It’s not so bad yet, but it will if we don’t cool it. Sit down here!”
I was really worried about Rage, but I also was mad at him. To tend to Happy’s bruises distracted me a little from my conflicting feelings. At least temporarily. Happy sat down on a chair and I fetched a cooling pad from the freezer. I wrapped a towel around it and pressed it to Happy’s face.
“You will have a black eye tomorrow”, I said, but Happy only grinned and shrugged.
“As long as it means that I get to get treated by you, I don’t mind.”
“Happy”, I started to say. “I ...”
“I know”, Happy interrupted. “It’s Rage you love. A blind man could see that. But he won’t make you happy, Doc.”
“I can’t change how I feel”, I said sadly.
“I wished you could fall in love with me, Doc. I would make you happy.”
“I’m sorry, Happy. I really like you and I would hate to loose you as a friend ...”
“Hey”, Happy interrupted me softly. “Don’t worry about me, okay? I will always be your friend. You can count on me.”
He got up and smiled at me.
“Thanks for the cooling, doc”, he said and left the room.
Sighing, I lay the cooling pad into the sink and looked out of the window. I only I knew what Rage was doing right now. Was he okay? I would ask Sturdy to check on him. I didn’t want Rage to know that I worried about him. That stubborn idiot didn’t deserve to know. But as I’d said to happy, I couldn’t change my feelings for Rage. I loved him.
Chapter 4
West Colony, Eden
January 6, 2033 / 12:35 p.m. local time
Jessie
I sat down at a table next to the window with my coffee and my sandwich. The cafeteria was almost empty, but it would soon get full. The soldiers usually arrived after one o’clock, but the Alien Breeds, who did not cook for themselves, would gradually show up here as well. Would Rage be one of them? He hadn’t shown up at the hospital, but Sturdy had told me he was at his home. I had not seen him for days. Sturdy, just like Happy, had warned me about Rage and told me to forget about him. I knew that everyone, including Rage, was just worried about me. They were afraid I would get hurt. It might have made more sense to forget about Rage and look for someone else, but my heart struggled with it. After all, I had no choice who I fell in love with! If I could choose, I would pick Happy, but as much as I liked him, I didn’t feel the slightest tingling sensation when I was near him. I would never even try, out of fear of hurting him. I didn’t want to give him any false hope at all.
The cafeteria slowly filled up. Diamond, Blue and Star came up to my table carrying their trays. Diamond and Blue ate with me frequently, but I only knew Star in passing.
“Hey!”, the three women greeted me and sat down.
“Hi”, I replied.
“How’s your hand doing?” I asked Diamond.
“Much better. I hope I’ll be out of that damn bandage soon.”
“Eww”, said Blue and pushed her steak away. “Who has kitchen duty today? This steak is almost done. I should have picked the fish.”
“I have no idea”, Star said. “Maybe you grabbed one from the wrong stack.”
“No”, I said and pushed my steak away as well. “Looks like the stacks were reversed. Mine is almost raw!”
“Wanna switch?”, Blue asked and I nodded.
We traded plates and I began to eat. As I looked up, my gaze fell on a familiar figure standing in line at the buffet. My heart started beating faster and I couldn’t take my eyes off him. An Alien Breed woman, whose name I didn’t know, walked up next to him and talked to him. He turned his head and a sexy smile appeared on his face. Jealousy overwhelmed me when I saw the two of them interacting with each other in a casual manner. The woman touched him again and again as if by chance, and the sensual way she moved and gestured tugged at my nerves. When Rage put a hand on her bottom, the blood rushed to my face.
Diamond seemed to have noticed my reaction and turned her head in the direction I was looking.
“Ah, just what I thought,” she said. “The son of a bitch. Just forget about him. It’s better that way.”
“Doesn’t look like he fell out of favor with all Alien Breed women,” I said disgruntled.
“Oh, well, that matter has slowly settled”, replied Blue, who also realized what it was about. “That’s Passion standing with him. Her and Rage have a long history. I heard that she was with him last night.”
“TMI, Blue, too much i
nformation”, Diamond said warningly.
Blue looked at Diamond first, then at me.
“Oh, sorry,” she said. “I didn’t know ... Well, I’m sure that ...”
“Shut up, Blue”, Star intervened and put her arm around me. “Don’t worry about it. He’s an ass! Forget about him. Besides, he’s too ... violent for you anyway. I would recommend Trouble or Happy. They are softer. Or Forrest. I haven’t slept with him yet, but I’ve heard that he’s supposed to be a real cuddly guy.”
“You’re not making it any better”, said Diamond. “Let’s just put an end to this issue. I don’t think Jessie wants to hear any advice right now and as long as her heart beats for Rage, she won’t want to meet another male.”
“I think I have to get back to work”, I said, embarrassed and upset by the news I had just heard. So, Rage had a woman at his house last night. An Alien Breed who didn’t mind hard sex. The kind, where Rage didn’t have to hold back. It hurt. Damn it, it hurt!
Rage
I shook my head and watched Passion walk away. She was really serious. I would never have taken her for a woman who would commit, but I had seen the sparkle in her eyes when she gushed about her new boyfriend.
But what amazed me the most was that she had fallen in love with a human. They had argued yesterday and Passion had come by to cry on my shoulder. Following my advice, she talked to him today and everything appeared to be fine again.
When I finally arrived at the buffet, I piled fish and rice onto my plate and grabbed a small salad. The humans had transported farm animals, seeds and seedlings from earth to Eden and everything was growing and thriving here. Except for wheat. It simply did not want to flourish here, which is why flour had to be brought here from earth in large barrels. Personally, I didn’t attach much importance to bread. I preferred oatmeal for breakfast.
I glanced through the cafeteria to find a seat. Further back at the window I saw Speed and Sturdy. I approached the table with my tray.
On my way, I passed Diamond, Blue and Star’s table. I knew that Diamond was still pissed at me and Blue and Star only said the bare minimum to me. All in all, the commotion had subsided a bit. Especially since word got around that I had beaten up Happy because of Jessie. The women liked a little action and for some reason found it romantic that I recently acted as a guardian of virtue for the woman I had wanted to kill before. Who can understand women!
“Son of a bitch”, Diamond snarled at me as I approached their table. I wrinkled my brow. I had no idea that she was still this mad at me.
“What an asshole”, Star stepped in, who was normally rather sympathetic to me.
“What?” I asked and paused with the women’s table. “What have I done now?”
“You have to ask?”, Blue snapped. “First you beat up Happy because he’s genuinely interested in Jessie and then you fuck your way around the neighborhood. A typical guy! Makes me sick!”
“What did I do? Fucked around? Are you insane? Who is saying that shit?”
“The motherfucker can’t even admit to it”, Diamond said dismissively. “I told you what would happen if you hurt Jessie!”
The women got up and I took a step back in bewilderment.
“Damn it! What’s the matter with you?”
“Now you’ll get the beating you deserve”, Blue hissed and knocked the tray out of my hand.
“Hey!” I shouted at her. “Stop this nonsense. You know very well that I don’t fight females. So what is the bullshit you’re telling me?”
Diamond pulled back and her fist landed on my chin. The woman had a hard punch. I shook my head and caught the next blow with my hand. I couldn’t possibly fight with these females. First of all, it was against my beliefs and secondly, I would be looked down upon in the colony forever. A fact the three females were well aware of. They attacked me like wildcats until I went down beneath them. I vaguely noticed how chairs were pushed around and the circle of spectators increased. A few women cheered on my three wildcats.
“Fuck!”, I cursed and tried to somehow control the women without hurting them. At some point I heard a shrill voice: “Stop it! Stop it now!”
The women let go of me and I glanced into a pair of blue eyes. Jessie was bent over and looked down at me with a mixture of worry and anger. Then she turned around and shouted, “I didn't ask you to meddle in my affairs.”
I stood up groaning.
“It’s okay, Jessie. I guess I deserved it”, I said. “Although not for what I was accused of”, I angrily said to Diamond, Blue and Star.
“You’re coming with me. I am going to fix you up right away”, Jessie said without looking me in the eye.
“I’m okay”, I resisted. “A few bruises and scratches won’t kill me.”
“Fine!” said Jessie angrily. “As you wish!”
She jumped up and left the cafeteria. I stared after her as the onlookers slowly sat down at their tables again. I got up and gave Diamond and her friends a sinister look.
“Like I said to Jessie, maybe I deserved this for what I wanted to do to her”, I said coldly. “But I didn’t fuck around! I haven’t been with a female since Jessie arrived here!”
With these words I turned away and made my way to the exit.
Jessie
I was so fucking angry! I wished I could hit something. I was angry at Rage because he didn’t want me and preferred to fuck around with Passion instead, and I was angry at Diamond, Blue and Star because they beat up Rage and got me involved in it as well.
Certainly, word that I wanted Rage, but he didn’t want me but made sure that I didn’t meet any other man, would circulate everywhere. Pfft! Rage had something in store for him. Tonight I would go to the clubhouse and have some fun. What he could do, I could do as well! Son of a bitch! My workday just didn’t want to be over. I hardly had anything to do. A soldier had come because he felt unwell and it turned out that he had slight indigestion. Then I took care of one of the toddlers who scraped up his knees and chin when he fell from a small wall and at the end Trouble brought in his dog Bessy who had injured her paw. Since we didn’t have a vet, I took care of the animal and reassured Trouble, who had been worried because the paw had been bleeding so badly. Well, that was my workday. I felt relieved when I finally put my coat in the locker. I was in a hurry to get out of the building. Outside it was totally calm and stuffy. Even though it was already dark, it was still so hot that I was starting to sweat. Inside the building it had been air-conditioned, but out here it was terribly humid. The path down the hill was sparsely lit with solar lamps, but one of the two moons of Eden was almost full, while his younger brother, who was a little further away, could only be identified as a narrow crescent. I took a deep breath and it felt like I was breathing in water. Ozone was in the air. There was a thunderstorm brewing. I hoped it would bring a bit of a cool down. January was the hottest month, I was told.
I heard a noise behind me and turned around. A figure stepped out of the darkness into the pale light of a solar lamp.
“Rage! You scared me”, I said and my voice was a little shaky. Could I really trust him? It was dark and there was nobody around who could help me.
“Sorry”, he said and stopped. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I just wanted to talk to you.”
“What do you want, Rage? I am tired and want to go home.”
“I don’t know what’s going on here”, Rage said and took a step closer, brushing a sticky curl out of his face. “Someone said I was fucking around. I just wanted to tell you that I haven’t been with a woman since you got here. I can’t even touch another woman anymore.” He came closer and grabbed me by the arm. “There is only you in my head. The whole. Damn. Time”, he said angrily and his grasp got stronger.
“Ow!” I said. “You’re hurting me!”
He let go abruptly. His face was painfully distorted, then an angry expression appeared.
“See! I can’t even touch you without hurting you”, he growled. “Fuck! There is no way, you k
now?”
I shook my head confused.
“Fuck!” he screamed and turned away to run down the hill as if the devil himself was chasing after him.
When I entered the clubhouse an hour later, it was packed. I made my way through the crowd, greeted some people here and there until I fought my way to the bar. Snowflake was sitting there, smiling at me. She had been in my office several times because she regularly needed medication. She was different from the other Alien Breed women. Due to a genetic defect, she was not only smaller than the others, she barely came up to my chin, she was also an albino. Her white hair and extremely light skin resulted in her name. She was beautiful, in her own way, delicate and ethereal. Since she had neither eyebrows nor eyelashes, a plastic surgeon had implanted them for her. Well, framed by these long lashes, her pale blue eyes were the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.
“Hi, Jessie”, she said. “Will you join me?”
“Hello Snowflake”, I greeted her. “Yes, I’d love to.”
I ordered myself a beer and sat down on the free stool next to her. We chatted for a while about my work and drank beer. I was already a bit buzzed already. Normally I didn’t drink much alcohol and I hadn’t eaten in a few hours.
At some point, Snowflake and I just sat there watching the people on the dance floor. I saw Diamond dancing close and provocatively with Speed. It was obvious where they were going to end up tonight.
“Hi Doc”, I heard a voice next to me and I turned my head.