“That’s not what I’m doing.”
Webber grabbed Starling’s shoulders and gave her a little shake. “You are a pet. Start acting like it, woman. They don’t expect anything of you or from you. It’s time to start living up to their lowest expectation. Have fun. Be a pampered pet.”
“I am.”
“No, you aren’t.”
“Then what do you suggest I do?”
“I’ve been saying it over and over. Have fun. You’re so hell-bent on being proper. Stop it.”
“We belong to a king.”
Bekion almost nodded in agreement with Starling’s words. She exhibited proper behavior for the pet of a king.
Webber said, “And your point is what? That just means our toys are more expensive and shinier than the other pets’.”
Starling stood, confronting Webber. “Fine. What do you want me to do?”
He grinned at her. “For starters…” He drew back his hand and then slapped Starling’s arm. The resounding clap sent a hush over the room.
Everyone stared at Starling and Webber.
Starling clutched her wounded arm with her mouth hanging open, pained shock evident on her face.
Bekion half rose out of his seat. How dare Webber hit Starling? Bekion would crush the man’s head in his hands.
Webber said with a grin, “Tag. You’re it.” He ran away with a loud laugh.
Starling stared after him. Her hurt expression turned to one of anger. “You’re dead meat,” she yelled and then ran after him.
Webber dodged and wove through the crowd, laughing the whole while. Starling soon started laughing as well. Their game of chase amused all inhabitants of the throne room except Bekion.
He resumed his seat but couldn’t relax. They had met the day before and yet Webber shared a closeness with Starling that Bekion couldn’t hope to match. She had never laughed like this with him. She had never looked so happy either.
A loud gasp went up through the crowd when Starling tackled Webber. She straddled his waist, raised her fist and punched him in the back of his arm, near his shoulder. The crowd groaned and then laughed more.
Webber yelped and clutched his arm, much the same way Starling had earlier. “Ow. You don’t hit like a girl.”
“I have three older brothers back on Earth. They didn’t teach me to hit like a girl.” She pushed off of him and started back toward the throne.
Bekion hadn’t known Starling had siblings, he never asked. He sighed.
Rois said, “They are getting along very well.”
Vieve nodded. “I like Webber.”
Bekion grunted.
If he thought their childish antics would end there, he was sorely mistaken. The next day Webber amused himself and the crowd by running up to Starling at different points, throwing her over his shoulder and carrying her around the throne room. She exhausted herself screaming at him to put her down.
Each day heralded a new game that disrupted court proceedings. Bekion seemed to be the only one put out by the interruptions.
Bekion greeted day seven with a sense of dread. He sat on his throne, hearing cases while Starling sat on the stairs doing her translation project. He noted the absence of his other pet. Bekion almost wanted to ask the whereabouts of Webber, except he kept his question to himself lest he somehow make the man materialize.
The throne room was quiet and orderly. Bekion wanted it to stay that way.
Starling set aside her tablet, stood and stretched with her arms over her head. She said over her shoulder, “I’m going to walk around.”
Bekion held up his hand to the man speaking and said to Starling, “Stay in sight.”
She nodded and walked away.
Bekion waved the man before him to continue. He started to give the man his full attention when the doors opened and Nausic and Webber entered. Murmuring erupted over the crowd.
Webber had become notorious in the short time he had resided at the palace. Most patrons of the throne room hadn’t come to the palace with a problem. They wanted to see what Webber would do next. The added crowd served to annoy Bekion even more.
Webber yelled, “Heads-up.” He threw a large round object into the air.
Bekion rose from his seat when he saw the object’s target. “Starling!”
She stopped and looked around, putting herself in the path of the object. It hit her and exploded in a shower of water. She screamed and stood with her arms out from her sides as the water drenched her clothing.
She yelled, “Webber! I’m going to kick your ass.” She looked around for the man.
Webber stuck his tongue out at her.
Starling slid a little but regained her footing and started chasing him. He dodged around people and threw taunts over his shoulder.
Starling stopped chasing him and headed for the throne. Bekion thought she came to him for help. She grabbed one of the decorative balls that surrounded the chair instead. Jumping to the bottom of the stairs, she stood straight, drew her arm back and launched the ball at Webber’s back with impressive speed.
It hit him in the back of his head. He fell to the ground and clutched his head as he curled into fetal position. “Son of a bitch.” A litany of curses dropped from Webber’s lips as he rocked from side to side.
Starling stalked over to him. “Oh, quit whining, you big baby. I picked a light one.”
“You didn’t have to throw it so damn hard.”
She kicked Webber’s backside. “You didn’t have to hit me with ice-cold water. That’s what you get.” She kicked him again.
Webber whipped around and grabbed her legs, tripping her so she sat hard. He crawled over her and started tickling her. Starling laughed even as she tried to push him away.
“Stop. Stop.” She hit Webber’s arms and shoulder but the man didn’t relent.
Bekion had had more than enough. “Webber! Starling!”
They both stopped their movements and looked at him.
He pointed to the doorway behind his throne that led to his audience chamber.
Webber backed away from Starling. “Uh-oh. I think we’re in trouble.”
“It’s your fault,” Starling said, smacking his arm.
Bekion barked, “Now.”
He waited for them to precede him into the room and then shut the door behind them.
Starling stood, hugging her arms and shivering. Webber rubbed the back of his head with one hand and his behind with the other.
Bekion said in a harsh voice, “I’ve had more than enough of both of you. The throne room is not a playground. You are disrupting the court proceedings.”
Starling pointed at Webber and said, “It’s his fault.”
At the same time, Webber said, “She started it.”
“I did not,” Starling yelled.
“You did and you know it.”
Bekion made a frustrated noise that interrupted their next words. “Enough. Both of you, enough.” He sighed and pulled his hand down his face. After a moment to compose himself, he faced Starling. “This is unlike you, pretty pet. You never acted like this before. Why now?”
Webber said, “You gotta admit she looks better.”
Bekion frowned. “What?”
Webber gestured to Starling and said, “Look at her. Have you really looked at her these past few days? She’s happy. Pets lead happier, healthier lives when you play with them.” Webber crossed his arms. “You obviously aren’t doing it, so I stepped up.”
Bekion didn’t like the hidden meaning in Webber’s words but wouldn’t rise to Webber’s taunting.
Starling said, “We might be taking it too far.” She shot a glare at Webber. “I’ll admit that.”
Webber shrugged but didn’t offer a word of apology or explanation.
Bekion said, “I have something that may distract you.” He tapped his cuff. “Vieve, is my request ready?”
Vieve said, “Waiting in your outer chamber.”
“Good. Send me Nausic. He can escort Star
ling and Webber.” Bekion tapped the cuff again, ending the communication, and then turned his attention to his pets. “Retire to my chambers for now.”
Webber said in a singsong, “Boring.”
Nausic entered the room. Starling walked toward him without a word. Webber and Bekion had a short staring match before Webber shrugged and walked away.
Bekion recognized a challenge when he saw one. Webber didn’t respect Bekion in the least. What’s more, the man blatantly flaunted the fact.
With Starling as the prize, Bekion refused to back down from the fight. His latest offering would give Bekion an advantage over Webber in Starling’s eyes. Bekion knew that for sure.
* * * * *
Starling shook her head as she, Nausic and Webber walked down the hall. “You took things too far, Webber. Where the hell did you get a water balloon?”
Webber tapped Nausic’s side with the back of his hand and said, “I told him what I wanted.”
Nausic said, “He neglected to mention how he would use it. Forgive me, Lady Starling.”
Starling snorted. “Don’t apologize for him, Nausic. If you start, you’ll never stop. He’s incorrigible. It’s that simple.”
Webber bumped against her side, earning him a glare from Starling. He said with a childish grin, “You still think I’m cute and loveable though.”
“Whatever.” She did think he was cute and loveable but would never tell him. He already had a swelled head.
They entered the outer chamber and found Furielle standing near a neat pile of boxes.
Starling assumed they were Bekion’s gift. “What is all of this?”
Furielle said, “Things taken from the humans the poachers kidnapped. The humans’ owners didn’t want it or the poachers didn’t offer it—I can’t be sure. Or they thought to sell it for even more money.”
Starling stared in shock. There had to be thirty large boxes. So many people’s lives had been ruined. This proof made that realization hit home. A shiver that had nothing to do with cold shook her body.
She rushed to the closet and changed out of her wet clothes. When she came back, Webber stood over an open box, laughing at something he’d found.
Starling snapped, “What’s so damn funny?” She didn’t appreciate his humor.
“This.” He held up a laptop box. “Brand new, high-end laptop still in the box. The receipt is taped to it. Looks like,” he glanced at the receipt, “the guy had just bought it. On credit too.” He chuckled. “His creditors will be pissed. This is a three-thousand-dollar machine.”
“Why is that funny?”
“Oh come on, Star. See the humor in it. Whoever this person was spent a huge wad on a brand-new, shiny computer. I bet he was thinking of all the things he would do with it and then poof.” He snapped his fingers. “Gone. Just like that.”
“That’s not funny.”
Webber took a breath, probably to explain more in-depth. His smile faded and he looked at the laptop again. “You’re right. It’s not funny.”
Starling faced Furielle’s and Nausic’s concerned faces. She smiled for their sakes. “Tell Bekion thank you for us. While it’s sad to see how many lives the poachers ruined, it’s good to have a bit of the familiar.”
Nausic bowed. “I’ll leave you and Webber to it while I see to your lunch.” He urged Furielle out of the room as well.
That left Webber and Starling to the somber task of rifling through the belongings of their fellow humans. Cell phones of varying makes and models, e-readers, purses and wallets with cash and credit cards, mini computers, new purchases of DVDs, nonperishable foods and other pieces of Earth life came out of the boxes. Without conferring with each other, Starling and Webber started sorting, putting like items together.
Before long, Starling found herself crying. She noticed Webber was as well. Neither of them spoke as they emptied the boxes. They piled all forms of identification—credit cards, IDs and driver’s licenses—in one place so they could make a list. What they would do with the list neither of them knew. Having it felt like a priority though.
“Found my wallet,” Webber said with a wry grin. He dried his cheeks on his sleeve. “Phone too.”
“My purse was given to the one who purchased me. They passed it on to Bekion, who gave it back to me.” She caressed her polished amber. “My phone might be in here somewhere.” She dug a little bit before the familiar glint of a silver phone chain caught her eye. She pulled the chain, unearthing the phone. “Here it is. Battery is dead though.”
“That’s the story with most of them. Any chargers?”
“I found chargers in the purses. It’ll take a while to figure out which chargers go with which phones. Maybe one of the scientists can help us charge them.” She shook her head with a sad laugh. “Seems stupid though.” She tossed her phone back in with the others.
Webber dug it out again. “It’s yours. Keep it.” He folded her fingers around it then patted her hand.
Without asking, she understood what he meant. This piece of home, however small it may be, had more value than whether the phone worked or not.
A loud smack made Starling jump. She looked at Webber, who had slapped his own cheeks. He shook himself with a loud growl then said, “Enough sadness. Let’s see what we got.” He perused each stack. “We’ve got DVDs and a laptop to play the DVDs.”
Starling held up one of the e-readers. “This thing has over five thousand books in it.”
“How the hell does it still have a charge after so long?”
The e-reader beeped and shut down. Starling said, “It just died.”
“Did you see the genres?” He peered over her shoulder at it.
“What genre did you want?”
“Guy-on-guy porn.”
Starling smacked his arm with a little laugh. “Moving on. MP3 players that look pretty well-used so that has to mean they are loaded with music. Possibly movies too. The batteries need to be charged.”
“Hopefully the owners had good taste.” Webber snapped his fingers a few times. “I’ve got an idea. Get Nausic and Furielle back here. I think I figured out a way to get Bekion to forgive us.”
“I didn’t know you cared.”
He shrugged. “I don’t but you do.”
She smiled at him. “I knew you were a nice guy under all that mischief.”
“Shh. Don’t tell anyone. I’ll lose my bad-boy rep.”
Starling scribbled out a note on her armband. Nausic and Furielle returned a minute later. Webber requested a recharge for the many items so they could access the media. Furielle called Vieve, who sent three of her staff members.
One man picked up an MP3 player. “How quaint. Electrical-powered devices.”
Webber asked, “Can you power them or not?”
“Easily. It would be better to simply transfer the data to an apparatus that is not so antiquated.”
“Then do that,” Webber snapped.
The man pulled out his tablet and laid the MP3 player on it. After tapping at the tablet, he gestured to the side.
Vivaldi’s Winter flowed out. Starling sighed as she listened. Her heart felt lighter at the sounds of home. She asked in a soft voice, “Can you do that for all the devices?”
“Easily. I do not know why Lady Vieve sent three of us for such a simple task.” The man, along with the other two secretaries, cycled through all the devices in a matter of minutes.
“Finished.” He handed the tablet to Starling. “Your information is now part of the public archive. You can access it from any terminal or tablet.” He looked over the devices he had handled. “There is no need to keep these things.”
Starling said, “Maybe not for you but there is for us. Thank you for your help.”
The secretaries left.
Webber kicked out Nausic and Furielle once more and faced her. “Now then, let’s get started. First things first, I need to know what music we’ve got access to.” He took the tablet from her and scrolled through it. “Good selection
.” He looked at her. “One question—can you dance?”
“What kind of dancing did you have in mind?”
“Formal.”
She raised an eyebrow. “You mean waltz and the like, right? You do formal dancing?”
“I’m well-versed in several forms of dance and martial arts. My mother didn’t want me depending on athletic skills or a bad attitude that I could set to music to get me ahead. What about you?”
“Trained in singing and some formal dance. So long as you’re a solid lead, I can follow.”
“Good to know.” He looked at the closet. “We need outfits.”
Starling let a grin split her face. “I have an idea what you’re going to do. Bekion will love it.”
Two days later, Starling got to test her theory. She didn’t warn Bekion what she and Webber had planned since she wanted it to be a surprise. Only Furielle, Nausic and Vieve knew because they had to help with the setup.
Starling sat on the throne steps as usual, waiting for her cue. She wore a flowing blue ball gown that garnered several appreciative looks. The dress sparkled with every movement she made and breath she took. Matching gloves covered her arms to muffle her arm cuffs.
Bekion gave his verdict on his current case and dismissed the people. The next case was about to be called when a haunting melody filled the room. Everyone started murmuring.
Starling stood and brushed off her dress.
Bekion asked, “Starling?”
She turned and smiled up at him with a little wink then faced the doors.
Webber entered, wearing his tuxedo with long tails. The seamstresses had had a fun time making it. He looked very distinguished. Once he reached her, he sketched a bow to Starling, who curtsied.
The music switched to a waltz. Webber snapped Starling against his chest in a sharp move and then proceeded to lead her in a large circle around the throne room. Her dance teacher would be so proud of her form and steps. Starling had finally succeeded at the lessons he had taught her. Too bad the man couldn’t be there to see it.
The ländler played next. Starling smiled up at Webber. “I knew you would toss that in there.”
“What can I say? I’m a sucker for The Sound of Music. Wonderful movie. Julie Andrews was great.”
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