by Magan Vernon
"Okay, before we get started with the syllabus and expectations for the year, I thought we should start out with a little getting-to-know-you speech. Think of this as your first assignment of the year."
She paced from one end of the front of the room to the other. "I want each of you to come up to the front and tell us your name, your major, where you are from, and something that makes you unique that you think you can bring to your future speeches."
Unique about me? How about that I am engaged to a powerful alien?
Luckily, there were eleven other students before me so I had time to think of something better. Since it was a summer honors class, most of the kids were overachievers with their uniqueness being something about their academics, how many languages they spoke, or something else scholarly. I felt like that day a year ago when I sat across from the Columbia recruiter. She wanted me to say something that would stand out, so I blurted out the first thing I could think of. Unfortunately the same thing happened…again. I slowly walked to the front of the room and stood there, grasping my sweaty palms together.
"My name is Alex Bianchi. I'm a public relations major with a political science minor from Winnebago, Illinois, and the only unique thing about me is that I did an internship at Circe Operations Center last summer."
A collective oh and ah came from the students and even the professor. I didn't think it was that exciting. The girl who spent her summer building houses in Haiti and spoke five languages was way more interesting than me.
"And will you be doing another internship there this school year, Alex?" Professor Johnson batted her long, fake eyelashes at me. At least I thought they were fake. They looked like they were almost as long as her bangs.
I shrugged, heading back to my seat and hoping that everyone would soon turn their attention from me. "I'm just focused on getting my degree for now."
I wished I could just disappear. I hated when the attention was on me; it just made me stick out and put a target on my back so other students could hate me. After the professor went through the syllabus and talked about the accelerated summer semester we were released. Everyone piled out of the room, happy to get out of class, but I couldn't be so lucky.
"Miss Bianchi, can I speak with you a moment?"
Crap.
I turned back from the doorway to see the professor sitting on her desk and grinning from ear to ear. Everyone else had already left and it was just me and the fiery haired lady.
"Yes, Professor Johnson?" I took another step toward her.
"I wouldn't believe it if I didn't see it with my own eyes," she whispered, putting her long, pale hands to the side of her face. "The future princess of Calta, here, in my classroom."
Ugh, another alien. How did they all seem to find me?
"Uh, yeah, in the flesh," I muttered.
She clasped her hands together. "I just really can't believe you are here. Oh my stars!"
"Professor, no disrespect, but as cool as it would be to sit here and talk to you, I really should get going to my next class."
"Oh, of course!" She put her hands on her lap. "But we must chat soon. I want to hear all about the royal wedding." She beamed.
"Uh, well, that won't be happening for quite some time. I need to graduate first." I shifted from one foot to the other.
"Well, you know, the Mars mountain lodges do book up years in advance, so it is never too soon to start planning," she added.
I nodded. "Alright, I will keep that in mind." I forced a smile and quickly bolted out the door before she could pummel me with any more alien questions.
***
After sitting through biology and lab, there wasn't anything I wanted to do more than get to my room and try to get in touch with someone at Circe. My only class left was an online class on Greek mythology, and I figured I could follow that from my laptop anywhere.
Before I was even ten feet from my dorm I could hear the oohs and ahhs from a bunch of students gathered near the parking area.
"Who is he?" someone whispered in front of me.
"With that guyliner and that car he has to be some sort of a musician."
My heart leapt in my chest. It had to be Ace.
I pushed through the throngs of students until I pushed to the front of the circle. A sleek, red sports car sat idling near the sidewalk, but it wasn't who I was expecting sitting in the driver's seat.
"Monte?" I scowled, approaching the shiny, red car. Of course, he would have a showy vehicle. The first time I met the guy, Ace had him beam into my car to figure out what Caltian woman was trying to interfere in our relationship. Ever since then he had become a thorn in my side, especially with his obsession with models and vampire books.
"Alexandra, my darling, you finally decided to grace me with your presence." A large Cheshire-like grin spread across his lips. Sure, he was attractive. Jen said that the girls back at Circe referred to him as the Caltian Adonis, but I just saw him as the guy that stared at my chest way too long. He was like the creepy uncle who always wanted you to sit on his lap at parties.
"What are you doing here?" I crossed my arms over my chest, fully aware that he probably already got the view he was looking for under my polo shirt.
"Tsk, Tsk, Princess, no need to get an attitude with me or I won't be taking you to see your knight in shining armor." He waved a long finger out the window.
"Seriously? You are taking me to see Ace?" I lunged as close as I could get to the car.
"Well, if you are going to get that excited, then maybe we could take a little spin beforehand." He wiggled his eyebrows.
I knew he was joking. He would never try anything with me or Ace would kill him, literally. I also knew for a fact that he preferred blondes and made it his mission to try and get me to change my hair color. He even went as far as to schedule appointments for me at beauty shops. Caltians loved their blondes for some odd reason. I guess it was because every girl on their planet was ghost white and had dark hair.
"Are you going to take me or are we just going to stand here and play verbal tennis all day?" I rolled my eyes.
"Your call." He grinned as I walked around the car and slid in next to him on the passenger side.
Chapter 8
I hadn't been to Circe in over a year, but driving down the dirt path toward the mountain range felt like going home all over again.
"Have you seen Ace? Spoken to him? Is he alright?" I drilled Monte with questions as soon as we took off from campus and didn't stop even as we parked Monte's car and got into the elevator that was masked by a large mountain.
Circe was nothing if not secretive. They didn't want the reputation for being the real Area 51, so the whole operation was hidden inside a mountain range and all of the air space within a fifty-mile radius was restricted.
"Do you human girls ever stop talking? I would think you would need time to breathe," he spat.
The monotone voice called over the elevator, "Going up. Fifth floor, infirmary ward."
He was still in the infirmary? I would have thought he would have been out by then. Maybe he was just resting. I nervously tapped my foot on the elevator floor.
"Must you keep on with that incessant tapping?" Monte snapped.
Before I could respond the elevator doors opened, and I was greeted by the blinding white walls and fluorescent light that was Circe. I bolted from the doors as fast as I could, not caring if Monte was following me or not.
I stopped the first Circe worker I could find in a silver jumpsuit. She looked to be in her mid-thirties with dark brown hair pulled in a tight bun away from her face and her eyes glued to an electronic tablet in her hand.
"Hi, I'm looking for Ace, the prince of Calta," I sputtered, almost out of breath from storming in.
The Circe workers eyes barely flitted to mine, but with their boring poop brown color I knew she was a human worker. "He is in room 402, down the hall and to the right," she croaked out as if it were painful to even say.
I nodded. "Thanks, lady!"
I quickly turned and headed down the hallway as fast as my big flip-flop-clad feet could carry me. By the time I came to a screeching halt in front of his room, the panic had set in. Did I really want to see him? What kind of condition would he be in?
"Thanks for waiting for me, Princess." Monte barreled behind me, pushing the door open and walking in the room like he owned the place.
Circe infirmary rooms were a lot different than those in the human world. The times I had been in the infirmary I was either in one of the dozens of goo tubes or placed on a cot in a large, white room with dozens of other aliens around me. I guess Ace was special enough to have a private room.
While everything else at Circe was stark and white, the infirmary rooms were completely covered in stainless steel from the floors to the walls and even the ceiling. As I followed Monte in the temperature dropped at least another thirty degrees and there, levitating in the air in what looked like a giant hamster ball, was Ace.
"Looking good, Machiavelli." Monte slammed his giant hand against the ball. It shook for a second and then stood still.
I stared at Ace. My Ace, who always appeared so strong, looked like a shell of himself. He was dressed in a white robe that was as light as his skin, and dark circles paraded around his eyes that barely opened. What did I do?
"Ace, are you okay?" I whispered, cautiously taking a step toward him.
He looked down from the ball, a hint of a smile on his face. "Hey, Alex, good to see you."
He pressed something on the side of the ball and it lowered to the ground, opening in the front while he stepped down to the steel floor below. "How was your first day of college?"
"Oh, Ace!" I couldn't hide my emotions any longer. I lunged for him, throwing my arms around him and embracing him in the biggest hug I could bear.
"You are alive! You are okay!"
"Of course I am, Alex." He ran his fingers through my hair. They were chilled to the bone, but they started to warm shortly after they connected with my skin.
Caltians sensory organs are mostly in their hands. When they are cold, they aren't in the mood, but when they heated up...oh boy. It was the best sensation in the world when the rest of his body was cold and his hands a warm tingle; just thinking about it always sent shivers in all the right places. I missed his icy hotness.
"I thought I lost you forever," I murmured into the soft fabric of his robe. "I don't know what I would do without you."
Ace gently took his hand and lifted my chin up so that I was looking into the endless pool of his dark eyes. "I'm not going anywhere. I am yours, forever."
Monte let out a loud noise that sounded like when one of Brian's cats released a hairball. Ace and I both snapped our heads in Monte's direction.
Monte lifted his hands above his head. "Sorry, carry on with your boring dribble."
Ace's smile widened, lighting up his face. "Aw, is Monte jealous?"
"What?" Monte arched an eyebrow, crossing his arms over his chest. "That is preposterous. I am no such thing."
"Ohhh, I think that is just someone trying to hide their jealousy by being defensive," I mocked, enjoying watching Monte squirm.
"There is nothing to be jealous of. I am very happy not having to deal with human girl drama." Monte pulled his arms tighter around himself.
"Come on, friend." Ace took a step closer to Monte, keeping one arm around my waist. "You know you are curious to meet a human girl that isn't just another Circe drone and probably just as eager as I am to meet Alex's new roommate."
"A human girl roommate?" Monte's ears perked up and he dropped his arms.
"Indeed." Ace nodded. "I did a background check. She's definitely not a beauty like Alex, but I think she is better looking than those vampire-loving girls you keep watching from the cinema."
"Hey, leave the vampire girls out of this! Once they meet a real alien they won't give a damn about those blood suckers." Monte pointed his finger at Ace, keeping an eyebrow raised with a smile on his face. Always the jokester.
"Erm, I'm not sure Monte is exactly Lucy's type," I mumbled.
"Is she breathing?" Ace asked.
"Yeah, but..."
"Well, then she most likely is his type!" Ace said.
I shook my head. "No, Ace, she isn't into guys like Monte."
"What's wrong with guys like me?" Monte narrowed his eyes. "Most human girls find me attractive. I have been asked many times to fornicate!"
I covered my mouth to stifle my laughter. "Uh, dude, I mean she isn't in-to guys. She likes girls. She's gay."
Monte and Ace both stared at each other for a split second before they burst into laughter.
"Alex, that is the funniest thing I've heard you say!" Ace breathed out between laughs. "You can just be honest and say she isn't into aliens instead of something ridiculous like that."
I pulled away from Ace, holding my hands out. "Whoa, are you saying you don't believe my roommate is actually gay?"
"Isn't that what he just said?" Monte asked.
Ace ignored Monte and turned his body toward me, the smile leaving his face. "I'm just saying that it seems highly unlikely that a woman would prefer the company of another woman unless they were using it for power like women do on Calta."
I narrowed my eyes, placing my hands on my hips. "Well, boys, this isn't Calta and there are plenty of women that enjoy the company of other women and guys that prefer other guys as well."
Monte and Ace both shared a collective gasp.
"Really? This shocks you guys? You haven't watched enough human movies to figure that out?" I rolled my eyes. It was getting ridiculous with the two of them.
"I thought that was just acting." Monte shrugged.
"Gah, you guys are ridiculous!" I threw my hands up in the air.
Ace looked down at me and then back up at Monte. "As much fun as this conversation is, do you mind giving us a moment?"
Monte let out a big, overdramatic sigh. "Fine, I guess I can tell when I'm not wanted."
"Would you rather I ravage Alex with you still in the room?" Ace arched an eyebrow while he smirked. The combination of the two looks sent a warm, electric buzz through me that wasn't even the result of his touch.
Monte shook his head. "I'll pass." He turned, calling out before he left the room. "Just let me know when you are done." He shut the door behind him with a resounding thud that echoed through the room.
"And now that I have you alone." Ace turned his attention from the door and his gaze was back on me. He moved his other arm around my waist and pulled me as close as we could be. Tilting his head down, he pressed his forehead to mine, inhaling a deep breath through his nose. "Only a few days without you and I thought I was going to fall apart."
"You fall apart?" I lifted my eyebrows, wrapping my arms around his neck. "I was so worried that I hurt you. I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if I would have been your demise."
Images briefly flashed in my head of all the times I had to save him: the queen's threats, Simone throwing him against the wall in the coffee shop, but those weren't directly caused by me. Okay, maybe indirectly since they were mad about our relationship, but this time it was me that caused the accident that could have killed him.
"Hey." Ace's left hand moved from my back to run his fingers along my jaw line. "Accidents are just that, accident. You didn't do it on purpose. These things happen, Princess, and they are beyond our control."
"But look at you. It's been days and you have been stuck in the infirmary. I was so scared that the worse had happened." I tried to keep the fear out of my voice, but the words came out shaky.
"Don't talk like that, Princess. In fact..." His words were nothing more than a whisper on my lips. "Don't talk at all."
And that was all I needed to put the images in the back of my mind. The thoughts of aliens coming after us and all the craziness that surrounded me to just enjoy the moment were my lips met his.
Chapter 9
My first online class of the
summer and I skipped it. I figured spending time with my alien was more important than watching an online discussion when I could just catch up on the chat transcript later anyway.
Monte drove me back before my dad or anyone else knew I was at Circe. I wanted to see my friends that I hadn't seen since last summer, but technically I wasn't even supposed to see Ace until he was released. But wasn't like I was a very good rule follower when it came to my alien.
"Hey, where you been all day?" Lucy was sprawled across her bed, watching a re-run of some 1990's cartoon that she swore was a cinematic masterpiece and far superior to nothing else on TV.
I dropped my bag on my desk chair and flopped down on my bed across from hers. "Classes and then one of Ace's friends stopped by and picked me up so I could visit him."
Lucy sat up, smoothing out her hair. "Was that the dude in the sports car that looked like the lead singer of one of those whiney punk bands everyone was talking about?"
I nodded, smacking my lips. "I'm guessing so."
"No offense or anything." Lucy pulled her bare feet up and tucked them underneath her. "Sorry, if your boyfriend, or fiancé, or whatever is like that."
I shook my head, letting out a short laugh. "No, Ace, is definitely nothing like Monte. Thank God!"
Lucy snorted. "Good! I was hoping I wouldn't have to deal with a roommate with a D bag boyfriend. My last roommate dated this guy that swore up and down he was the next big white rapper."
I smiled, not because of what Lucy said, but I thought back to last year when I found out Brody was being sleep creeped. The good old farmer boy dreamt of being a famous white rapper. The thought of him in his Carhartt jacket yelling about hoes and dough, still made me laugh.
"Yeah, that totally isn't Ace. I think he would die rather than be associated with anyone who raps. He makes fun of the music I listen to enough. I couldn't imagine what he would do near a wannabe rapper."
Lucy took in a deep breath, still smiling. "Well that's a relief. How is he doing anyway? Still in the hospital?"