Sunstar: Amina's story a YA scifi romance (Peacekeepers Book 1)

by Annalise Whelan

  Amina hadn’t heard anyone talk like that before. “I can imagine it’s hard to study someone’s brain when they’re, you know, alive.” Gem chuckled in Amina’s head. It vibrated around in there for a moment and made Amina laugh. “That’s an interesting feeling.” She liked this Gem person. She was vibrant and alive and smart. It made Amina feel dull, but it had been a long time since she had had a friend.

  Gem said, “I can still hear you. I’m going to have to teach you how to mask.”

  Amina tilted her head. “Mask?” But Gem was next in line on her side of the room. Amina gasped when it struck her that her secret, the thing her parents felt fear and shame over, was openly accepted here as an Ability and not just by GIPS but by people in general.

  “You can levitate,” Gem cried. “You bet that’s an Ability!” She said this in Amina’s head while she was talking to the receptionist. Amazing.

  Amina’s receptionist said, “welcome to GIPS. Do you have any known Abilities?”

  She looked back at her blankly. “Um, I can lift things with my mind.”

  The receptionist’s eyes narrowed. “Levitation. Kinetic manipulation is a valuable skill. You will be positioned quickly.” She typed a few things into her network screen and gave Amina three holo-vid chips.

  “These are yours to keep even if you don’t get selected for a squad. Do you have a holo-vid player? Good. You may use them however you like, such as recording your classes for playback. May I have your shuttle-travel ticket, so I can refund you? Thank you. When it’s your turn a peace officer will interview you over there,” and she pointed, “then you will go in there,” and she pointed, “to demonstrate your Ability.”

  It was happening. Happening! A little bud of excitement grew in her belly.

  Finished with her interview, the peace officer smiled at her kindly. “I can see how nervous you’ve been, but you did well. Now, you go to the gymnasium to demonstrate your Ability.”

  “Thank you.” She felt nerves warring with excitement in her belly.

  Inside the gymnasium, there were people grouped behind signs: telepathy, speech, empathy, flight, kinetic manipulation. She joined the group behind the kinetic manipulation sign and asked a girl, “is this where the people who can levitate things stand?”

  The girl looked at Amina with wide gray eyes and blinked. “Uh, yeah, didn’t you read the sign?”

  “Ok, thanks.” She moved away from the girl and stood in the back of the group. A young woman peace officer noticed Amina and motioned her closer.

  “Ready to show me what you’ve got?” She gestured to a table covered with objects of different weights, sizes, shapes.

  Amina stepped forward and looked for the smallest, lightest object, a ball. “No sharp objects,” she said with a grin.

  The peace officer laughed. “We’ve learned it’s best to have dull, flat, round things that are too big to strike eyes, stab or otherwise maim a person across the room. Begin any time you’re ready. Just do what you do.”

  She took a breath, closed her eyes, opened them and stared at the ball. She felt her Ability shift and move through her as if it were gathering energy, and the ball drifted over the table. She lifted it up above their heads and then returned it.

  “Alright,” said the peace office. She typed a note in her wrist-box network. Scanning the small group, she nodded her head. “You’ve all demonstrated you do have Ability, so you may now head to that desk to finalize your application. Unless any of you have another Ability to register?”

  No one did, and Amina didn’t know it was even possible. Surely, that was rare. A chuckle spurted through her lips. Father would’ve popped an artery if she’d had two gifts.

  At the desk, a young man checked over all the information entered in the network, confirmed a few details like her home planet and the farm’s address and her family information in case of an emergency. He looked up from his network screen and focused on her with a smile. “Meet back tomorrow for further instructions after your application has been reviewed.” He handed her a flat disc. “This is the key to your room. The dormitory is the building on the right. Welcome to GIPS!”

  She couldn’t help her huge, toothy grin. Derick would say like a mule eating briars. “Thank you!”

  Amina left in search of the dormitories. As she squinted away the brilliant sunlight, she made out a building on the right of GIPS headquarters. It wasn’t as large as the headquarters, but it was just as fancy. Her light steps marked the sparkly pebbled path, walked by many recruits before her time. It was so exciting! She couldn’t help a little skip and hop.

  A giggle vibrated through her thoughts. “I see you! I’m waiting for you at the bench.”

  There Gem sat, grinning as if she’d never been so happy to see someone. A definite new friend. She was beautiful. Up close she was exotic, with dark liner accentuating her tilted blue eyes and light lavender-toned complexion. She wore a fitted cropped bodice and matching pants that started fitted and ended with a dramatic flair. “I love your outfit! It’s so unique and fashionable!”

  Gem laughed and shook her dark hair. “You’re sweet!”

  A quick glance down reminded Amina she was wearing a hand-sewn one-piece tunic of worn castoff curtain fabric. Not so fashionable, but she had unique covered. Would people think she was strange? Think she talked like a backwoods planet nobody?

  Gem rolled her eyes as she jumped up from the bench. “What’re you so worried about? You’re gorgeous. All that pretty long hair and that tunic shows off your legs to perfection.”

  Aminah’s face grew hot. How embarrassing. “Can you teach me how to mask? Right now?” Gem laughed, and they started up the path toward the dormitories.

  As they walked, someone bumped Amina’s side. She looked over and saw a young man jogging past. He turned and jogged backward, facing them. With a wave and a jaunty smile, he called, “sorry about that.” His eyes swiftly ran over Amina, lingering a second on her legs. He stopped jogging backward and moved their way.

  “It’s turning out to be a beautiful day,” he said with a confident smile. “Are you both recruits?”

  It was all she could do to nod. He was seriously cute with thick, dark hair that kissed the back of his collar. She had an immediate impression of vitality. He had something, maybe it was a brightness, but whatever it was, he reminded her of a field of red grass in the golden hour before sunset. Gorgeous. Confident. Bold.

  “Well, welcome to GIPS, ladies.” He made a slight bow. “I have somewhere to be, but I hope to see you again.” The last he said looking into Amina’s eyes, making her flush. He turned back around and jogged ahead.

  “You certainly thought he was hot,” said Gem. “I really hadn’t considered it before, but there will be lots of men around.”

  Amina sighed. “He had a gorgeous smile. He probably thinks I’m an idiot. I couldn’t get my tongue to work.” When she glanced over at Gem though, she was frowning. Interesting reaction. “Everything ok?”

  “Sure! I can’t wait to see our rooms, can you?” Gem laughed and ran ahead.

  The building she would be living in towered in front of her. With a deep breath, she began to march up the marble steps. Inside it was impressive, even ritzy. A huge water tank full of brightly colored fish dominated the lobby. A cushioned bench and several single chairs, full of pillows, created cozy lounging areas. Plants added to the home-like environment. The greeters were bright, cheerful, and dressed alike in orange uniforms.

  Her room was easy to find and very clean. Amazingly, it was all hers. There was a bed taking up one entire wall with a canopy and pillows piled up at the headboard, a cushy chair, and a desk with a lamp. How luxurious. No more bed sharing with three little sisters in one small room. The excitement began to blossom. “I can’t believe it’s real,” she cried, whirling around the room.

  She explored the bathroom and found it richly furnished with heated water ready for a bath to be poured. “Unbelievable.”

  “I know, right?
” asked Gem’s mental voice.

  Amina groaned. “We’re going to have to lay down some rules!”

  Gem laughed. “I’m just super excited. Can’t help myself.”

  “I hope it’s going to work out. I’d hate to have to leave after all this.”

  “Don’t worry,” Gem’s mental voice reassured her. “We’ll make it. The Squad really does need our Abilities desperately.”

  “How can you be so sure?”

  She could swear she “heard” Gem’s smirk. “He thought it!”

  “GEM!” But it was a relief and made her smile. “Why don’t I come to see your room?”

  “Sure!”

  Gem’s room was just as lush and unbelievable. Amina arrived to find her jumping on the bed.

  “Got to break it in!”

  “You’re crazy, you know that?”

  “It’s fun! Come try it.”

  “I’ve never jumped on a bed in my life.”

  “No! You’re joking.”

  “Serious.”

  “You haven’t lived! Come on, right now!” Gem jumped off the bed and pulled Amina up with her. “Right now!”

  She jumped. It was glorious, ridiculous fun and probably did break the bed. Freedom is a glorious thing. Once they’d gotten the bed sufficiently broken in to satisfy Gem, they lay gasping and breathless and giggling on the floor.

  “Thanks to my sad lack of mask, you heard all about my planet. Where are you from?” Amina rolled onto her side to face Gem.

  “Pystar.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding!” Amina knew her jaw must’ve hit the floor. “I dream of visiting Pystar. I heard it’s like a garden. I mean, the entire planet! The first world we colonized after leaving the Solar System. And it’s one of the largest and most sophisticated planets of the Gwana System. And only notable people can afford to live there. Who are your people? What do your parents do for currency?”

  Gem didn’t seem to feel the way she did. Her mouth drooped gloomily. “Yeah. It’s not all a garden. Giant cities mean heaps of buildings. Most of it is beautiful.”

  Amina chewed her lip. Gem is the most carefree person ever, smiling and cheerful. She wished she had Gem’s self-confidence. Maybe no one’s life is perfect.

  Gem’s grin reappeared. “Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we were assigned to the same ship!”

  The two of them continued to talk together, giving silly examples of their Ability. Gem bounced up and rifled through the desk. “Look, we have orientation holo-vid chips. Let’s watch them!”

  They discovered they could have food cooked for them and delivered. For no currency. “What should we get?”

  Amina grinned. “Dessert. Every kind of dessert.”

  Dessert was served through a Network wall unit. She stared at the tray. “I’ve never seen so much deliciousness at once.”

  Gem hooted from her spot in the middle of the bed. “They’ve got maids! I was not looking forward to cleaning my room.”

  “You’re serious? You had maids?”

  “Sure. This means we can make a mess!” Gem shot over to the dessert tray and scooped a wad of white yummy looking fluff into her hand.

  “What’re you doing? I was going to eat that!”

  Gem’s look turned mischievous right before she launched the white fluff into her face.

  Amina smirked underneath the fluff. “You so shouldn’t have done that to me!” She used her Ability to lift a dish of cocoa-mouse and dumped it over Gem’s head. She shrieked. And the fight was on.

  The next day the meeting room of the main GIPS building was crowded just as it had been before. Amina’s head swam.

  Gem giggled beside her. “You’ll adjust.”

  Gasps rose over the noise. Her gaze turned toward the lobby door. A man wearing a standard GIPS peace commander uniform had entered, creating an anxious hush to rush through the crowd. Amina excitedly clasped Gem’s arm, and Gem nodded in awed agreement.

  ‘This is it!’ Gem’s mental voice echoed in Amina’s mind.

  The peace commander raised a hand to get everyone’s attention. His tall form was extremely intimidating. He was a good two heads taller than the tallest males in the room. She shuddered when his baritone voice boomed.

  “Welcome one and all!” He smiled under his thick white mustache. “You all have come from far beyond Kildren to meet with us today. We compiled thirteen lists of those who will be joining squads. The groups are based on each person’s Ability. You must move forward from here and prove yourself in mental, strength, and skill exams. First, you will have three months to train with your squad. When you pass individual and squad testing, you will be given your first mission assignments. It is my personal goal to make sure each of you succeeds!”

  A joyous hum erupted throughout the room. Amina grinned broadly at Gem. The room was instantly silenced when he raised his hand.

  “I’m going to staple these papers to this board.” Amina’s eyes followed as he pointed to demonstrate. “You will all have a chance to find your names listed, so please be patient with your fellow recruits.”

  When Amina finally pushed her way to the list, she saw not only her name but also her ship’s coded name, Sunstar-3.

  “Gem! We made it!”

  Gem squealed and nodded vigorously. “We’re on the same ship! Can you believe it?”

  It was a little out of control for a while with the recruits jostling to find themselves on the list. She found herself a corner to wait it out. Before too long, another peace officer came in, this time one of the captains. The captain called the group to order and drew their attention to the vinyl numbers applied to the meeting room floor. She then instructed them to gather by the vinyl number that corresponded to their sheet number. All 13-squads-worth of recruits scrambled to find their spot. Amina stayed in her corner until the hubbub died down enough that she didn’t feel her head would explode.

  “Not a bad idea. Mind if I join you?”

  “Go ahead.” She looked up to find a handsome young man smiling down at her. “Oh! You’re the jogger!” She noticed his uniform rank and gasped. “You’re a captain, Sir!”

  “It’s true. I would apologize for my earlier clumsiness, but I’m glad I bumped into you, literally.”

  Was he flirting? Ha, that’s funny. She held out her hand, palm up. “I’m Amina.”

  “Nice to meet you, Amina.” He laid his hand over hers, palm-to-palm, but he didn’t linger. “Duty calls.” After a brief nod, he strolled away.

  She tilted her head thoughtfully as she watched him go. He didn’t make her uncomfortable. At least now she was able to speak. Usually, men made her nervous. Not that she hadn’t been around men, she had. The fields back home were full of them. They usually just ignored her. Probably because she couldn’t flirt if her life depended on it. If a bad guy were to say, “flirt or die!” well, she’d be dead. She’d gone to school with girls who drew boys like bees to honey. It was a skill she had admired, envied, but never understood.

  While she was doing all this hard thinking, the room had gotten itself organized. She joined Gem with their team. Their Team. The words made her want to swoon. Glancing around, she tried to get a discreet look at her team members. Would she like them? Would they like her? They all seemed to be studying each other. Friend or Foe? They were all girls. Maybe not such a great thing.

  “Hiya. I’m Katlin,” a girl boomed at Amina with a wide, friendly smile. Her eyes were flashing and black. Her nose was large for her face and bulbous. Her teeth were so prominent her lips couldn’t close over them. She reminded Amina of an old horse. Sweet Meg. Homesickness tickled at her heart.

  “You remind me of a dear friend back home,” Amina said sincerely.

  “Great to hear. What’s your Ability? Me, I can speak every language there is. My brain just translates it straight for me, and out of my mouth the words come. My people say it’s a miracle! Saved us a time or two traveling, I can tell you. But it’s not too flashy like levitating or transporting
or some such.”

  “Oh,” Amina breathed. “I think that’s a nice Ability. I can levitate.” She turned to Gem standing wide-eyed, seemingly silenced by Katlin. “This is Gem.”

  “I’m telepathic.”

  “Great! We’re a really fun mix, aren’t we?” Katlin turned to a girl next to her. “This is my friend Mara. She’s the youngest here probably, just fifteen. She’s some kind of medical whiz kid. Her parents are, no joke, star shuttle scientists. She graduated medical college last year! Crazy stuff going on in our heads!”

  Her gaze was filled with Mara. An angelic expression lit her face. There are no other words to explain it. She seemed to glow with innocence and youth. Her soft brown eyes were traced with the longest, blackest eyelashes Amina had ever seen. Her delicate features seemed even more so against her thick mane of reddish-blonde hair. Mara looked embarrassed by the attention.

  She blushed delicately, and her child-like voice whispered, “it’s nice to meet you both. I’m empathetic. I can sense other people’s emotions and even influence others, but I have a lot to learn to control my Ability.”

  She was the perfect personification of empathy. Amina loved her instantly and felt protective of her, like a big sister. She thought of her little sisters back home, and a homesickness pang hit her. Would they ever understand or forgive her? Did they think she had abandoned them?

  “There’s one more of us. Where could she be? Anyone know her?” Katlin asked. “I hope she’s not lost or gone off with a different squad.”

  “Sugar, you talk too much.” They all looked above their heads at a floating girl. “I’m Sari. And as you can all see, I have the gift of flight. Did you know it’s the gift most people wish for? I have it since it’s the best.”

  “Wow,” Amina murmured. “Oops, did I say that out loud?”

  “Mmmhmm,” said Gem.

  Sari landed gracefully and fluffed her hair. This is the girl who draws bees like honey. She was perfect. Blond, curvy, confident. She had a voice like syrup, sweet and slow. How does she feel about the squad being all girls? Amina felt like trouble. Maybe they all felt the same. No one was talking because they were all staring at Sari.