“That's why you guys talk differently,” I said.
“We talk different?” Amira asked, glancing at Jai with concern on her face.
“Not in a bad way. You have a slight accent I've never been able to place, and you always talk so formally,” I said.
“We will need to be more careful. Perhaps you can give us some instructions on how to blend in better?” Amira asked.
“Sure, but later. Tell me more about this,” I said, circling my hand to encompass the two of them and the sky.
“Two others came as well, but they returned to report Earth as a good place for us to come,” Jai said. “They gave us the instructions and the information on where to come and how to find those who were here.”
“How will you know when it is safe to return?”
“King Chark will send one back to retrieve us,” Jai said. “They saved two additional medallions as backups to come for us when it is safe to return. Whoever comes will be able to find Ramal. He has a tracking device he keeps with him. Ramal will give them the information on how to find us here.”
This was a lot of information to take in, but it made sense. I knew there was something different about them from the first time we met. No wonder Marshal had been able to turn off the light. I'd noticed little things they said and did that were different from others. I'd always prided myself on my ability to read people, but I wouldn’t have ever made the leap to being from another planet.
“What is the name of your planet?” I asked.
“Rommader,” Amira said.
I looked into space and asked, “Where up there would I look for Rommader if I did have a strong-enough telescope?”
“It is in the direction of Orion,” Jai said.
“Is that why Orion is your favorite?” I asked, remembering the night we watched the stars on my roof.
“Partly, but I kind of like it anyway,” he admitted. “I like the way it looks. The three main stars lined up like that sort of speak to me for some reason.”
“I'm going to have to keep my eye on Orion,” I said to myself, knowing I wouldn't be able to see it for another few months.
We were so far apart from each other, but somehow in this large universe, we found one another. How did I fall for someone from outer space? I shied away from the idea of him being an alien. He was definitely not alien to me. He looked just like any other human here, except he was perfect. And now it looked like there was no chance for any future with him. I was only seventeen, but I couldn’t imagine the day when he would have to leave and I’d never see him again.
All of a sudden I felt depressed and found the night to be extremely disappointing. I looked away from him, my gaze falling on the jeep. The light from the lantern was losing battery power. The moon gave us the light to see by as we talked. I sat up straight and asked, “What time is it?”
Jai looked at his watch. “It’s two-thirty.”
“Oh no! My parents are gonna kill me! They wanted me to get home before two, and we still have to drive down the mountain.”
I jumped up and rushed to gather our stuff and shove it in the jeep. I paused briefly to look up. A meteor shot across the entire span of the heavens. I'd always loved the sky, but now I would never see it the same way.
Chapter Eight
Past Curfew
On our way down the mountain, I sat beside Jai, once again unsure of what to say. I had so many questions I didn’t know where to start. I looked out the window, staring at the sky.
“What’s your planet like?” I asked, unable to keep quiet any longer.
“It is similar to yours,” Amira said. “Ours is a bit smaller in diameter and spins at a slightly slower rate, but there are oceans and land like here. We only have two continents. Our air and water needs are the same. The food is close to the same, a little different in texture and flavor.”
I looked over at Jai. I tried to study his face and features in the dim light from the jeep's display, without being too obvious about it. The revelations of the evening weren't enough to overcome my growing feelings for him.
Eventually, Jai broke the silence. “How are you holding up with all this new information about us?”
“I’m doing okay.”
“You are not completely freaked out?” he asked, peeking at me from the corner of his eye. I felt Amira brush against my arm as she leaned forward to listen.
“Are you kidding me?” I shook my head. “I mean it's a lot to swallow at once, but I’ve been watching you. I always figured there was something different about you. I never would have guessed this different. But it sort of makes sense.”
“You are very trusting. Are you sure we are not making this up?” Jai asked.
“I’m sure.” I'd never felt more sure of anything, even as outrageous as it sounded. Being under the vast expanse of space, and watching it unfold as Amira told of her Vision made me sure it was all true. Plus, where else would they have gotten a plant that’s side effect was telepathy?
“Will you swear to me to keep this all silent?” Jai said. “Never speak of it to anyone?”
“Do you need me to sign something in blood?” I couldn’t believe he asked me again.
“I am sorry, Holly.” He reached over and took my hand in his. “I do not mean to hurt your feelings. I have made too many mistakes here. I need to do all I can to make this right. One careless word could mean disaster for us. We should have just come to Marshal and Delilah’s home and stayed away from associations. I should have never let myself get to know you.”
I tried to pull my hand out of his, but he held on to it. When I relaxed after a moment, he squeezed it softly.
Amira spoke “Jai, that is my doing. I never really had friends at home and was excited to get to know Holly.”
I looked at both of them. “I promise not to talk to anyone about this. I won’t even talk to you about it, if you want. But you’re from another planet. I can’t help being excited. I want to know more. If you trust me,” I added.
“We do. Our lives could actually be in your hands. But your life could be in danger as well, especially if Amira’s Vision is true.”
“He will be coming for us sometime,” Amira said.
Jai became silent for a bit as he drove.
“What will you do now?” I asked.
“We need time to discuss with Delilah and Marshal and contact Ramal to see what they think of us staying here or going back home,” he said.
“You can’t go back!” I said. They both looked at me as if surprised by my outburst. I blushed, hoping the darkness hid it. I didn’t want Jai to see how bothered I was by the idea of him leaving so soon. It hurt in a way I wasn’t expecting.
“You can’t go back,” I repeated a little quieter. “It wouldn’t be safe. You have to keep her away from him. You would be better off waiting to see if she has more Visions to know more of what's happening there. How often do you have them?” I turned to Amira.
“Occasionally,” Amira said. “This was my first Vision since we moved here. My last one was calm and peaceful. I hoped it meant this would be over soon. My father still controlled the kingdom, and the lives of the people moved on as they always had.”
“Do you think Shander is in control now?” I asked.
“I do not know.” Jai sounded so defeated. “There is no way to communicate with them without someone coming here. We were to search for more Traveling ore and make the best life we could while we waited for them to solve things on that end. Her father wanted her to have a chance to learn as much as possible from your planet and culture. That is part of the reason we came to the United States. We wanted to see how the people in the most powerful nation on your planet lived. See what might be good for our planet and see what we do better.”
“And you picked Utah?” I couldn’t believe they’d try to learn about the US by coming here.
“The Salt Flats are a perfect place to leave Earth from. We will have to be ready to leave immediately when the time comes.�
�
“You can’t just Travel from wherever you are?”
“The magnetic field around Earth has waves and flows that alternate in a rhythm. With the mountain ranges around here and that huge flat area in the Salt Flats, the interference is less than in most other places.”
“Wow.” I didn’t know what to say. They could leave Earth within hours. My eyes started stinging, and I breathed slowly to stop the tears. I hadn’t felt as sad when Celia moved away as I did with this information. Of course I could still e-mail and call her whenever I wanted, but when they left, it would be impossible to communicate with them.
“King Chark felt that if Amira was not home, he could focus on solving the problem with Shander,” Jai said. “He didn’t want to worry about Shander finding her and holding her for ransom or marrying her against her will. With her previous Visions, we felt hopeful it would be over soon, but now who knows how long it will be before she can return to her father.”
“What about your mother?” I asked. “You’ve never mentioned her.”
“She died when I was young. I hardly remember her.” Amira’s voice was low.
“I’m sorry.”
“Thank you.” Amira placed her hand on my arm and squeezed gently.
“What about your family, Jai?” I asked.
“My father was Amira’s mother’s brother. I was raised on an estate near the palace until I turned ten.” He paused for a moment. “When my parents died, I went to live at the palace with Amira. I learned how to fight and protect her. I became her personal bodyguard after her other bodyguard was killed.”
“I’m sorry you lost your parents,” I said, longing to comfort him somehow, but having no clue what to say. “I can’t imagine how hard that would be. And then to have to leave your home and come to a place across the universe.” I shook my head as I thought about it. And how dangerous was it to be a bodyguard to a princess? Would Jai be killed too?
“It has been hard, but King Chark has become like a father to me. Amira is a better little sister than I imagined I could have.”
Amira snorted in a delicate way that only she could manage. “And you, Jai, have been a typical brother.”
“How old are you guys?” I asked.
“Seventeen,” he answered.
“Seventeen,” Amira said.
“Are your years the same as ours?”
“Pretty close, it may be off by a few days. I haven’t really studied it.”
I wasn’t sure why I felt so relieved he wasn’t older than me. Considering he came from another planet, what would it matter how old he was? But now my parents couldn’t object too much to me seeing him, based on his age. And if I wasn’t grounded until the end of summer for getting home late tonight, I planned to see him every day.
“How did you know where to land here on Earth?” I asked.
“We came to Scotland where Ramal is. We used the tracker to find him. There is something special about that place too. Something that makes it easy to Travel with our medallions. We arrived on Earth not too far from what you know as the Loch Ness. We stayed with him for a few months while learning about your planet, language, and culture. Delilah and Marshal came to the States to set up a home and background story just before we moved here.”
“We should have stayed with Ramal and not gotten you involved in this.” He glanced at me before fixing his eyes on the road ahead of him.
“I’m glad I’ve been able to get to know you two.” I hesitantly squeezed his hand.
“I am glad we met you as well.” He smiled at me. I hoped he wouldn't be in a rush to leave now.
“I do worry we may be putting you in danger,” he said again.
“I don’t think there's anything to worry about. Who would believe your story if I told them? Which I wouldn’t,” I hurried to add. “I hope Shander won’t make any attempt to find you here, but I wouldn’t be in any danger anyway. Please don’t worry about me. Just take care of yourself and Amira.”
“You are probably right,” he agreed. He didn’t say more, but I couldn’t help thinking he didn’t believe me.
We sat in silence for the remainder of the drive home, and Amira fell asleep again. When we got into town, Jai looked at the clock on the dash and asked, “What will your parents do when you get home so late?”
“I’m not sure,” I admitted. “I’ve never broken a curfew before.”
“I apologize for this,” he said. “It is my fault. I should have paid more attention to the time. I was enjoying the evening too much, and then when Amira woke up screaming, thoughts of anything else left me.”
“Me too. I wouldn't have let you go anywhere tonight without telling me all you did though. Especially if we can’t talk about it,” I said with a little sadness.
“We should keep our conversations to a minimum. Perhaps we can give you some more Densinne to be able to think to you,” he offered.
“Maybe. I’ll have to think about it.” It had been such a relief to have my thoughts all mine tonight.
“Let me know.”
He pulled the jeep up to the curb in front of my house. Before I could grab my jacket off the floor, he was halfway around the front of the vehicle on his way to open my door. I waited for him a little self-consciously. The other time I’d been in a car with them, he'd opened the door for Amira and I'd opened my own. He’d seemed a little disappointed he couldn’t open both doors at the same time, but I never felt like I should wait for him to get Amira’s door and then come get mine.
He held his hand out to help me from the car. When I placed my hand in his, I remembered the burn he'd healed for me. Looking down at my hand in his, I felt thankful I had a chance to know him, however short that time might be. I almost selfishly wished for them to be here forever, hoping the situation on Rommader would never be fixed, and they would be forced to remain on Earth. I immediately felt guilty.
“Thank you again for helping me with my hand,” I said, wishing I had thought to ask how he did it. Maybe later.
He raised my hand to his lips and kissed the knuckles, sending shivers of pleasure down my arm.
“I am… I’m glad I could help,” he said.
We stood there for a moment looking at each other, and then I reluctantly pulled my hand out of his and turned toward my house. “I should go in. Get it over with.” I shrugged.
“Would it help if I came in and apologized for keeping you so long?” he asked.
“No, I’ll be fine. If you don’t mind, could you help me bring my stuff up to the house though?” I walked to the back of the jeep.
“Of course.” He grabbed the blanket, cooler, and jugs while I gathered my telescope and checked the back to make sure I hadn’t forgotten anything. When I turned around to get something from him, he was already waiting at my doorstep.
“Thanks,” I said when I got up to the door.
“You are welcome.”
I let myself in with my key, and Jai helped me carry the items into the house. My parents had fallen asleep on the loveseat in front of the TV. I put my finger to my lips and waved goodbye to him as he let himself out quietly. When he closed the door, I walked back to the window and watched him get in the jeep and drive the few houses down to his.
Taking a deep breath, I walked over to my parents, put my hands on my mom's shoulder, and whispered I was home.
My mom looked at me and then squinted at the clock on the DVD player. “What time is it?” she whispered as she stretched.
“Almost four.”
“What happened to getting home by two?” She yawned.
“It was such an unbelievable shower that we lost track of time. Then we got talking about space and stars and planets that I didn’t even think about the time until two-thirty,” I said.
“Hmm. Well, I’m too tired to talk about this now. We’ll talk about it in the morning. Don’t expect to be able to sleep in though.” She yawned again and then woke Dad up.
He looked at the clock and asked, “Did you have
problems with the jeep?”
“No. We just lost track of time,” I said. “I’d have called if I had a cell phone.”
“Just pay for it yourself and it’s yours.” Dad’s answer was always the same and since I was too cheap, I dropped it.
“Did you have fun?” he asked.
“Yes, it was awesome!” I said, thinking about it all. “It was a perfect night for watching the meteors. Thanks for letting me go up. It wouldn’t have been as bright down here on the front lawn.”
“Yeah, you're probably right.” He yawned. “We watched a few of them when we got back, but couldn't see them very well.”
“Let her go to bed, dear,” Mom said. “She’s going to have a busy day tomorrow if I know you. She can tell you about it tomorrow.”
“Night,” Dad said with another yawn.
“Goodnight, dear.” Mom hugged me.
“Night.” I'd gotten off easy, but I knew the morning would come early. I rushed up to take a quick shower to get the smoke smell out of my hair before bed.
I dreamed of stars and planets, of kings and queens, of s’mores and Amira, but mostly I dreamed of Jai.
Chapter Nine
The Day After
Morning came way too soon. Dad came to my door and knocked a cheery beat then poked his head in.
“Wakey-wakey, eggs and bakey,” Dad sang as he switched on the light.
I groaned and rolled over, pulling my pillow over my head in the process.
“No no, sleepy-head.” He removed my pillow. “If you're going to stay out until the wee hours of the morning, the biggest punishment I can think of is to get you up at zero-dark-thirty and give you a full day’s work.”
“I know,” I mumbled, throwing my arms over my eyes. “I just couldn’t stand your singing.”
“How rude you are to your old man,” he replied good-naturedly.
“Sorry, but you always told me to tell the truth, and truth is, you stink.” I peeked at him from under my arm and grinned.
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