“And did you ask?” Hanley shook his head with a mocking chuckle. “Common sense. See? You are not ready for employment.”
“What you’re really saying is I’m not essential enough to fight for or forgive. Gotcha.” Lynden circled Hanley and meandered over to where Coal sat. “Well, in that case, I’ll just act like the otaku girl you think I am.”
Mack whispered, “Shit,” and lowered his face into his hands. Coal had looked his direction with confusion. “I can’t watch this.”
Lynden suddenly burst from her bubble of boredom and fury, throwing her hands into the air as if gleefully surprised. “Omigod, he’s sooooo hot. Did you get him for me, Daddy? Can I keep him?” Lynden jumped up and down and squealed, biting her fingernails as if trying to contain the excitement. “I always wanted my own Martian alien teenage boy.”
Coal’s eyes widened and he choked, and Mack pushed him in the arm. Dark blue eyes peeked at Coal from behind fingers, and Mack whispered, “Whatever you do, don’t make eye contact with an otaku. You’ll turn to stone.” Too late. Coal had locked eyes with Lynden, who squealed again with a giant, crazed grin. Mack groaned and leaned back in his chair, draping an arm over his eyes. “It was nice knowing you.”
“Did you see that?” Lynden shrieked. “He looked at me! Omigod. Omigod. Zomigod!” She bunched her shoulders together and batted her eyes. She looked to Hanley, who steeled his gaze and crossed his arms over his chest, as if bored with her overzealous display. “Best. Day. Ever.” She looked back to Coal. “We’ll ride ponies, pick flowers, and have hot alien sex.”
Coal lowered his face as his skin heated, wishing he could turn to stone.
“Thanks, Daddy. I love him! What I always wanted. I’ll be sure to name our first child after you. Girl or boy.” She made a heart with her hands upon her chest. “I. Heart. Androgynous. Names.”
“I am happy to hear you feel this way,” Hanley said casually, almost appearing satisfied. A calculating smile appeared on the older man’s face and Coal shivered involuntarily. “Your new job will be to take Coal out and be seen publicly. Let the media believe you are falling in love and make the otaku jealous of you.”
“What?” Her eyes widened and she paled.
Coal stood. “Sir, I must protest—”
“Perception.” Hanley pinned his daughter with a stare as sharp as a knife. “Make the Martians a desirable race. Coal is here to woo and charm the media for me. Don’t guide his life. Be his life. The world needs to see that the community of New Eden Township is fully human, and so are the residents of any future colonies.”
Lynden staggered back as if punched in the gut and glared at her father as she morphed back into her otherwise emotionless existence; and Coal’s heart broke. He detested her posture of emptiness, where every smile was fake and every glance appeared as if it took great effort.
“Got it. I’m not smart or pretty. Don’t have any talents except one, apparently.” Lynden tensed her face for a moment, then blurted, “God, how I must embarrass you!”
“Don’t be dramatic,” Hanley snapped in reply. “You want to make things right after nearly ruining thirty years of research? Do your duty to your family and to your brother. Build up his empire. You care about his future, right?”
Lynden never answered. Instead, she fled from the room. They heard the slam of her bedroom door. Awkward silence filled her void, and Coal and Mack sat very still. Coal was not even sure if the young man next to him breathed anymore. Hanley looked at Coal with a friendly smile, as if nothing was amiss. “You remember your assignment?”
“I made this choice,” Coal said as he strode across the room to face Hanley. “Which I had in ignorance believed I had the freedom to make, for I wished to belong to their culture.” He straightened his shoulders and stood taller. “Do not punish Lynden for my decision. Punish me instead.” Mack lowered his arm, his jaw falling in shock, or perhaps fear.
“Always so valiant.”
Hanley placed a hand on his arm in an affable gesture, although his eyes were still blazing. With a squeeze, his hand fell away and the older man side-stepped past Coal and strolled toward the front door, whistling a merry tune as he pulled a coat from a closet. Dr. Nichols waited for Hanley, already retreating into her emotional cocoon.
What mother stood by, caring not that her daughter believed such lies about her worth?
“You have fire in your veins, Coal,” Hanley began again. “Apply it toward guarding my daughter, rather than destroying the opportunity you were given. Be her knight in shining armor. What damsel in distress can resist one?” He casually slipped into the coat. “On Tuesday, you’ll accompany me to New Eden Enterprises. In the meantime, remain on the property and don’t speak to any strangers. The cuff is programmed and will alert the authorities if you decide to test my instructions.”
“I am your prisoner?”
A small smile formed in reply. “No, absolutely not. This is for your protection. Every decision I make is to ensure your comfort and safety.” He opened the door and paused. “I purchased a variety of welding tools and supplies, which you’ll discover in the garage. Please, be my guest. Della and I will return on Monday.”
The front door shut and Lynden peeked her head around the top of the stairs. Even before the car rolled out of the driveway, she begged Mack to let them “crash his place,” as she put it. She had snarled and paced in agitation until they finally hopped into Mack’s car and left...
The view from the guest room window at Mack’s refocused in Coal’s vision as his thoughts faded into the night sky. He placed his hands onto the glass next to his face as he stared straight into a dream.
He physically interacted with the environment, yet he felt disconnected as he attempted to process the voluminous amounts of information and new sights. This moment, towering high into the atmosphere, mentally agitated him akin to when he first communicated with a hologram. He had never stood so high above the ground before, save when flying from New Eden to Seattle, an experience so surreal Coal stopped trying to compare it or to find any semblance to the life he had previously known.
Presently, he stood sixty-five stories above the concrete surface of the city. Vertigo threatened to topple him to the rug beneath his feet. Regardless, he forced himself to stare until his body regulated, mesmerized by the myriad colors that flashed and twinkled as far as his eyes could see. Even the Puget Sound, an inlet of water in the Salish Sea that connected to the Pacific Ocean, shimmered with colors as reflections bled across its surface. Transfixed, he allowed his mind to wander over more memories from earlier this evening...
Mack resided in downtown Seattle. As they had waited for the elevator, Mack explained the building was only five years old and part of a new Green design. It also incorporated the latest Smart Tech, courtesy of Mack’s family, which is why he occupied the Penthouse Suite. His father had purchased the suite in advance and gifted it to Mack at the beginning of summer, upon turning eighteen.
The elevator had startled Coal, his insides releasing a strange ticklish sensation when the floor suctioned him in place as it shot up past the twilight horizon. Lynden had jumped onto Mack’s back with a mischievous giggle, despite the obvious pull to remain grounded.
The doors opened directly into Mack’s apartment, and the young man had promptly dumped Lynden onto the black leather divan. Coal’s heart stopped. Floor-to-ceiling windows framed the main living area, and it appeared as though Mack had thrown Lynden off the edge of the world. She playfully shrieked and threw a pillow at Mack, who ducked with a celebratory laugh, sticking out his tongue in reply to Lynden’s gesture.
With a humored grin, the young man lit up a cigarette and walked up to the glass wall and scanned the forest of buildings that grew out of the concrete. The sidewalks and streets operated much like gridded roots as the ecosystem of cars and people crawled along its outstretched infrastructure.
Coal was not used to such views, nor standing in the sky. Lynden rolled her eyes at him
when he had refused to leave the kitchen area to listen to music in the living room, another strange experience in its own right. The music here was vastly different, the sounds overwhelming and consuming, a negative and positive experience he could not reconcile.
To distract himself from his discomfort, he had studied the room. The furniture was elegant, but markedly masculine. At first, Coal thought Mack might be an artist. But the young man confessed to having hired an interior designer, an occupation that baffled Coal.
People actually designed the insides of people’s homes?
Life beyond the panes continually proved opulent and wasteful. Nevertheless, Coal enjoyed the bounty of colors and the artistry the Outside world offered compared to his childhood home.
After consuming several shots of whiskey in a row, he had ventured beyond the comfort of the kitchen and sat beside Lynden and faced the glass. Delighted, Lynden draped her legs across his lap and leaned back against the plush arm of the divan. With careful consideration, he readjusted his position and gently pushed her legs off of his lap, keeping his stare straight ahead. Somehow, staring out the window had become less frightening than the young woman by his side. A pulsing beat reverberated throughout the room.
Lynden sat up with cat-like grace, grabbed his chin and forced him to look at her. Mack was occupied, conversing with Fillion, and ignored them. Coal had licked his lips nervously, forgetting about the piercing near the corner of his bottom lip, and a tender ache had made him wince. He blinked rapidly, a dizziness making his head swim, unable to discern if it was the whiskey or vertigo, or perhaps both.
“You don’t give a shit, remember?” She raised an eyebrow, the same way her mother did, questioning him and challenging him in a single movement.
“Alas, I do and always shall—pardon—will ‘give a shit,’” he said in response. “I am not sure I could ever detach so readily, nor do I wish to.”
“It’s not that you detach. It’s that you show no fear and no pain, no emotion at all. You’re awesome. Nothing fazes you. In your world, you had to physically survive. In my world, you need to emotionally survive.”
Coal maneuvered out of her grip and leaned back. “I am not accustomed to the constant flux of overstimulation, nor presenting a lack of honor toward another.”
She eyed him as she plopped a candy on a stick into her mouth, what she referred to as a lollipop, and pulled her legs up to her chest. Her hair was pinned in the most unique twist on either side of her head. Random strands of color flew out of the coiled tresses and a dark, blood-red section of hair fell over one eye. Today, her eyelids sparkled light green, the same shade as a young blade of grass, framed in thick black, setting off her hazel eyes. Her lips were painted to match the blood red of her hair and Coal had forced himself to look away.
He knew those lips, an experience that should have never happened and one he could never take back. Lynden acted indifferent, like usual, her childlike antics and playfulness carrying on as if she never offered herself to him. In her words, she didn’t give a shit. Coal did, however, and warred with guilt and shame, feeling awkward whenever he was in her presence, which was often. Before his makeover, he had asked Ignis what it meant to “hook up” and was horrified.
Was she accosted while engaging in such conduct with that monstrous excuse for a man?
Anger. That is what Coal felt. And sorrow. Guarding her was never meant to be an act of protection from others, he had realized in that moment. It was to protect her from herself.
Did Hanley actually possess affection for his family?
Sometimes it appeared so, in strange, curious ways. Nevertheless, the older man often dismissed those around him as if his own needs, concerns, and thoughts were the only ones which were valid.
With a conspiratorial smirk, Lynden had plopped one leg across Coal’s, pulling him out of his introspection. Every feature on her face dared Coal to refuse her, the lollipop swirling around playfully in her mouth. The faint smile he offered her in reply dissipated, however, when he looked out the window once more. Dizziness had returned and churned his stomach in sour circles.
“Are you afraid of the glass because it reminds you of being enclosed? Or is it the height?”
“I simply have no context for sitting in the clouds.”
She had looked at him curiously for a second, blinked, and then returned to her usual unimpressed expression...
The memories of this evening dissolved into the view once more, and Coal shifted on his feet. Lifting his eyes, he searched for stars, even though Mack explained that the city released far too much ambient light to fully see the sheer quantity of tiny flecks in the night sky. But to Coal, to look upon even one star was rewarding enough. He wished to know the constellations that dotted the sky with pictures and stories, but did not desire to retrieve his Cranium from his overnight bag.
“Boo!” Coal said, leaning away from the glass. The whisper whir of the drone increased in volume as it approached, and Ignis materialized by his side. The technology’s unnatural white light summoned a reflection in the window pane, and Coal squinted until his eyes adjusted.
“Greetings, Coal.”
The electronic apparition waited for instruction, but Coal stared at the ghost in the window, haunted by how different he appeared as he searched for a remnant of the man he once knew.
“Good evening time, Ignis. I hope you fare well—excuse me—are doing well.” He detested such nonsensical comments to a machine, but Ignis had a sensitive side that needed proper care.
“Yes, I was perusing the news when you called for me. Want to know what’s buzzing?”
“No, not really. Thank you all the same. I am most curious and hope you can assist me.” Coal turned and looked at the wavering man. “What are the constellations that appear in our sky?”
“I am happy to assist you. In October, there are many.” Ignis pulled a constellation map out of the air and held it in his hands. “Hercules, Aquila, Sagittarius...” As Ignis spoke each name, the constellation lit up brighter on the map. Coal pressed his forehead to the glass and studied the stars again, connecting dots until an image formed in his mind.
A light rap on his door made him jump, and he hit his head on the glass with a mild thunk. Light poured into his darkened room and he looked over his shoulder, knowing it was too late to command Ignis back into his box. Lynden tilted her head as she stared at his holographic Companion. Hesitant, she shut the door behind her, dousing the intruding light from the hallway.
“I see I have competition as your Guide to Life.”
Realizing her mistake, she looked up to the ceiling in disgust. Lynden approached his side and flipped strands of hair hanging over one of his eyes. Since his haircut, she often amused herself with flicking the red and black strands that draped across his face. Or petting the short, spiky hair on the back of his head, left in his natural hair color, what she called platinum blonde.
“So, who’s your Companion, Mr. Awesome?”
“This is Ignis, a gift from your father while at N.E.T.”
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Lynden Nichols,” Ignis said in a kind tone.
“So my dad never really planned on maintaining my employment. Wow. No words.” She turned to Ignis. “Please ensure my image or voice are never recorded, Ignis. Any and all recordings must be deleted immediately.”
“Yes, Ms. Nichols. Any other security or privacy requests?”
“No.”
“Coal, do you approve of Ms. Nichols’s requests?”
“Yes. Whatever Miss Nichols commands, Ignis. You and I are entirely at her service.”
“Coal has wonderful social skills, don’t you think?” Ignis turned his head from Coal to Lynden with a friendly smile, still holding the constellation map. “I have learned so much from him.”
Lynden nibbled on her lip ring thoughtfully for a moment, and then her gaze slowly traveled toward Coal. “Yep. A gentleman.” She studied the map. “Making wishes, Mr. Awesome?”
> “Is not that tradition saved for stars that fall from the heavenlies?” Coal asked, studying her features in the unnatural glow of Ignis’ presence. “Their death dance in the night sky nourishing the soul by granting a hopeful, longing heart its one desire?”
She whispered, “What does your heart desire?”
“Ignis, thank you for your assistance. You may shut off. Goodnight to you.”
“Yes, Coal. Have fun stargazing. I like your nickname. Mr. Awesome. I’ll have to remember that one.”
The light evaporated instantly, and Coal and Lynden were consumed by black. They remained still for several heartbeats. City lights sparkled and shimmered in waves of intensity, man-made stars that grounded his wishes. A click cut through the silence, announcing that Ignis was secure in his box, and Coal let out a pent-up breath.
“Lynden, I am a jumbled mess and desire many things at present.” He looked at her over his shoulder. “There is a lack of adequate words to describe my experience in your world thus far, and I fear my thoughts will never make sense.”
Silence. Small, even breaths pulsed onto the exposed skin of his face, and he remained still, his mind tethering to every nuance of her presence next to his. Time passed slowly before Lynden asked in a soft, feather-like voice, “What’s she like?”
Coal hung his head and angled his focus back toward the city. “Her hair holds captive golden rays of the sun. Her eyes are as deep and soulful as the green of the Earth. Her laughter is akin to birdsong...” The last word trailed off and he cleared his throat.
“That’s so poetic.”
Coal whispered, “She is poetry.”
“Lucky girl.” Footsteps shuffled along the rock-tiled floor and the door creaked open. “Mack asked me to get you. He’s waiting in the living room.”
“Please,” he said, pivoting toward her. “Stay for but a moment longer.” Lynden lowered her eyes and quietly shut the door. Nervous, he confessed, “I shall not return after my ninety days are over.” Coal shuffled in the dark toward her voice, hands out in front in search of obstacles. “I wish to remain in your world.”
Elements (The Biodome Chronicles series Book 2) Page 30