The Solar Flare

by Laura E. Collins

  Ava gazed up at the beautiful house as James helped her out and led her up the steps. The others followed. The large door automatically swung open as they drew near and entered the foyer. Ava couldn’t tell if James did that with his ability or if it was somehow programmed to do it. She felt relieved to have a break from the heat; she wasn’t quite used to it, even though it had been hot on Kyanos. The foyer was enormous, with a high ceiling made of stained glass forming some type of celestial pattern in bright colors. Large white stoned pillars flanked the room, leading off into different wings of the home. The floor also seemed to be made of a white stone; however there was a large elaborately designed rug in the center of the room with a few couches and chairs arranged on it. Ava had never seen anything like it. James noticed her staring and looking about and smiled proudly, happy that she was admiring the home he had worked very hard and long to build.

  An older well dressed woman appeared and walked towards them with a smile. Ava did not sense energy flowing from her and guessed she was human.

  “Welcome back Sir, how was your journey?” The woman asked pleasantly of James with a hint of an accent.

  “The tour went very well, thank you,” he replied courteously. “This is our new houseguest,” he nodded towards Ava. “Ava, this is my housekeeper, Mrs. Maclaren; Mrs. Maclaren, this is Ms. Ava Amherst.”

  “Hello,” Ava said politely.

  “Welcome my dear! Oh, you poor thing, you look exhausted. I have a room all ready for you,” she exclaimed sympathetically, no doubt taking in Ava’s sullen appearance. Apparently Mrs. Maclaren was a nurturing, take-charge kind of woman. It did not offend Ava, in fact it comforted her knowing that another human was around, overseeing things.

  “Would you like some refreshment? I can have some drinks brought out onto the terrace,” she asked happily.

  “Thank you, that would be nice,” James answered.

  “You’re welcome Sir,” she replied and hurried off.

  James led the four of them through the house to the back onto the terrace. The heat enveloped them as they stepped out into the shaded area with a beautiful ocean view. Ava could see the slightly greenish water flowing towards the land, wave after wave, producing that soothing sound she had only heard on television before.

  As they sat down at a table a tall middle-aged man with dark hair came to them carrying a tray. James made the introductions after he set the tray down on the table. Ava observed that he also was human.

  “Ava, this is my butler, Travis.”

  “It’s lovely to meet you Miss,” the man replied pleasantly.

  “Happy to make your acquaintance,” Ava spoke as he laid out plates, cloth napkins, and silverware. He poured a yellowish-looking drink out of a large pitcher into four glasses and placed a large bowl of what Ava assumed was cut up fruit in the center.

  “Will there be anything else Sir?” He asked.

  “No, thank you.”

  “Welcome home, let me know if I can do anything else for you,” he said as he left.

  Ava didn’t know what to make of all this. Her head was spinning with sensory overload. James handed her a glass while Lizeth spooned some of the brightly colored fruit on her plate. She took the glass and sipped on it gingerly. She couldn’t quite figure out what it tasted like but it was cold, slightly sweet, and refreshing. The others were holding their own conversation, something about how great it was to be home again while Ava was lost in her own thoughts. She saw them eating and decided to take a bite. She took the fork and speared one of the yellow and purple chunks and slowly popped it into her mouth. Again, she could not place the flavor, but it was good. The whole experience was starting to feel surreal to her.

  “How are you Ava, are you okay?” James asked Ava gently.

  “I . . . don’t know what to say,” she replied after a moment.

  Lizeth smiled at her. “Sphene will take a little getting used to. I’m sure it’s a big change from your life on Earth and on Orionis.”

  “You could say that,” she replied. “I don’t get how all of you can live like this, in such . . . luxury when most of the population in the universe is scraping by just to exist on man-made space stations,” she said frankly with a hint of bitterness to her tone. It almost came out as if she were disgusted. She thought of Kyanos, and Wesley’s home. While they too were grand accomplishments, it was not as advanced and as splendid as what she had seen so far of this new environment.

  “It wasn’t easy. We’ve all worked very hard for a long time to achieve a lifestyle like this,” Nicholas defended, his dark brown eyes glared at her. He didn’t sound angry, but Ava sensed his apparent disapproval of her comment. James casually held up a hand, stopping the argument.

  “The humans aren’t as hard up as the ITO makes everyone, including you, back there believe. We can discuss that later. I know this may seem extravagant to you right now, but you will feel at home here very soon.”

  Ava put her fork down. “And what exactly am I supposed to do with myself here? I used to have a career that I worked hard for, I had a purpose. Here, I have no identity, no possessions, no credits, no family, and no friends! You’ve taken everything I worked so hard for my whole entire life away from me!”

  “I know you are frustrated. . .”

  “You have no idea how I feel,” she interrupted sharply. Nicholas, used to Ava’s resistance didn’t flinch, however Lizeth looked shocked, hardly believing Ava’s reaction.

  “You’ve had a difficult life Ava, I know!” His tone was stern but he wasn’t angry. “You’ve been dealt a bad hand up until now, but I’m going to change that for you. You deserve it. I’m not saying this to offend you, but you look like you could use a vacation. Take a year off. Relax. Clear your mind, train and strengthen your body. You have the rest of your life to work if you want to. Hell, I could waste fifty years doing absolutely nothing without even trying,” he said lightly. The others chuckled. Ava looked at him, unsure of how to respond to that, she felt so numb.

  “And you do have a family Ava, you have all of us, if you’ll let us be part of your life,” Lizeth reassured.

  “I am going to provide for you, don’t worry about anything. You will be safe here, nobody or nothing will harm you. As soon as those vaccinations have had a chance to kick in, I’ll take you into the city and we will register you as a new citizen. You’ll have an identity, . . . anything you want.”

  This was all starting to be déjà vu to Ava, having recently been through all of this on Kyanos. She took a deep breath of the fresh, humid air and nodded. There was no sense in asking him to take her back to Kyanos again right now, she knew the answer would be no.

  A little while later Nicholas and Lizeth took their leave and Mrs. Maclaren came to escort Ava to her new room. James followed behind.

  “Here we are,” she said cheerfully opening a large elaborately carved white door at the end of one long hallway. “I had some clothing brought in according to Melanie’s specifications. Everything you could need you will find in here my dear.” Ava had guessed right, James must have messaged ahead, letting her know that she would be coming to stay.

  Ava walked into a large room with a white stone floor and stone walls. A soft light colored rug ate up most of the floor and went underneath the beautiful, elaborately decorated bed. The end of the room opened and rounded out a little into a sitting area with glass doors leading to a private balcony with an ocean view. She also noticed she had her own bathroom with something she had never seen in person before, a bathtub in addition to a shower. Overall she was impressed, it was not at all what she had imagined; a dark room with prison bars on it.

  “Where is your room?” She asked James curiously.

  “I have the master on the other side,” he said pointing to the opposite side of the back of the house, which was where the other rooms were located. “I thought you might like some privacy.”

  “Thank you.”

  After asking a few more questions, Ava was left alone
so that she could freshen up and rest a while before dinner. James knocked on her door to collect her when it was time, since she didn’t know the way to the dining room yet. Due to the reversed time change, she could barely keep her eyes open.

  “I’ll give you the tour tomorrow if you like,” he said as they walked down a large staircase towards the back of the house. He quickly pointed out the kitchen so she knew where to come for breakfast. It seemed strange to Ava that the two of them sat by themselves at a rather large table in the elegant dining room.

  “Do you usually eat in here?” She asked, thinking how lonely that would be for him.

  “No, only when I have guests, or when my family is here. I usually eat in the kitchen.”

  “Oh. How many people work here for you?” She had seen a few other people in the house earlier in the day.

  “Mrs. Maclaren is the lead housekeeper. I’ve known her since she was a child. She is a widow now and her family is all grown. She oversees the cook and the other housekeeping staff. Travis is the butler. He and his family live not far from here. He oversees the deliveries, the gardeners, and some of the other miscellaneous things.”

  “Does Mrs. Maclaren live here?”

  “Yes, she lives in the guest house on the east side of the property.”

  “So they look after things when you are gone?”

  “Yes, but don’t worry. They are all good, honest people and I pay them well for their services. They wouldn’t dare cross me.”

  “Then, they know what you are,” she said. He nodded. “How did you discover this place?”

  “I loved living on Earth. Nothing compares to it, the way that it was before The Great Impact. Afterwards, I couldn’t stay there. So I set out to find a replacement. I was fortunate to meet Blayke and Lucas soon after my transformation. We built a starship and set out on a quest. We found Sphene mostly by accident. Once we checked it out, we wasted no time bringing people and anything else we needed here.”

  “How is this place so . . . advanced?”

  “Robinson spent most of his life helping to develop the stations while I was busy here. I didn’t see much of Kyanos, but from what I could tell it looked like a fairly recent discovery. I also have an advantage over him when it comes to creating buildings.”

  “What is it?”

  He pointed to his head and tapped it. “I can move stone and building materials faster than any crane or machine can,” he said amicably.

  Ava realized the truth in what he said. Wesley had often spoken of how back-breaking the labor was for him at his job, and on Kyanos. James talked as they ate, telling her a few of the details of how his life began on the small planet. She sensed he was very relaxed from how his energy felt. She looked at her plate after she had eaten a piece of bread. Some, what appeared to be vegetables, were laid out elegantly next to a light colored piece of some type of grilled fish with seasoning and herbs on it. It didn’t smell fishy, but Ava wasn’t much of a seafood fan, having hardly ever eaten it because it was considered a rare delicacy on Earth, and was always previously frozen on the stations.

  “What is this?” She asked as she took a small bite.

  “We call it a Jupiter Fish because they have a mosaic of orange to brown and white scales on them you can see when they are caught. They are pretty plentiful here. Do you like it?”

  “It’s okay,” she replied shyly. It tasted fishier than it smelled, turning her off. Fortunately the vegetables tasted good.

  “I have a lot to learn about you,” he said as she set her fork down, still not having much of an appetite.

  Chapter 19: New Home

  The next morning the light in the closet flashed on as soon as it sensed Ava’s presence. She had slept well, surprisingly, but her mood had not improved much. After putting on a short sleeved top and some light cropped pants that she found she slipped on some sandals and headed down to the kitchen. It was later than she usually ate because she had overslept due to the time difference.

  “Good morning,” Mrs. Maclaren greeted her in the kitchen. “May I call you Ava?”

  “Yes, please do. Good morning.”

  “Would you like some coffee with your breakfast?”

  “Thank you. I can get it if you show me where everything is.”

  “Non-sense. Now you just sit there and relax.”

  Ava watched as the housekeeper busied herself in the kitchen getting her breakfast together. One of the other housekeepers came in, a younger woman, and they conversed in a language Ava did not understand.

  “Mrs. Maclaren, what language is most commonly spoken on Sphene?” Ava asked curiously after she left. She knew French pretty well by now, but nothing else besides English.

  “Our first inhabitants spoke mostly Italian, so that is what has evolved. But, we also teach the children English in school. Of course, Mr. Xavier can speak several languages flawlessly,” she said positively.

  “I’m glad to hear that English is common, because I don’t know Italian,” she told her as she sipped her coffee, which seemed extra strong compared to what she had tasted on Kyanos. “Where is Mr. Xavier this morning?” She asked, wondering why she hadn’t seen him yet.

  “Oh, he had some things to take care of in the city. He’s been gone a long time with the tour and everything.”

  “Does he often stay gone for long periods of time?”

  “This is the first extended trip he has taken for several years. He has plenty to keep busy with. He and the family are always involved in helping with something for the city, or creating new technology or what not.”

  “You wouldn’t mind if I took a look around the property while he is out? It’s so lovely, I’ve never seen anything like it,” Ava said sweetly to the older housekeeper. She wanted to explore things without the presence of an Asterion near. She wanted to think, to see if there was any way she could find an excuse to be taken back to Kyanos.

  “Of course not my dear, but don’t wear yourself out. . . and put some sunscreen and a hat on before you go, it’s going to be a hot one today. Let me get you a water bottle.”

  “Thank you,” Ava smiled at the housekeeper, finished a few bites of her breakfast and headed back up to her room. She remembered seeing a hat in the closet and the cream in her bathroom before. It didn’t seem that Mrs. Maclaren was privy to the reason why and how she had been brought here, she thought.

  She walked back downstairs and out the same door to the terrace that she passed through yesterday. She wandered out to take in the view, which was breezy and hazy from the humidity. Ava continued off towards the right, down a stone-paved walkway towards the pleasant smell of flowers and the chirping of what were probably some birds. She walked into the sunny garden which was groomed to have the appearance of a small maze. The walkway changed into a fine gravel, which crunched beneath her as she moved. She saw a red rose bush and went over to it, inhaling the sweet scent deeply. She looked at the bush, which was a vibrant red and green with numerous flowers on it. A tear came to her eye as she remembered that Wesley had given her a similar red rose on the past Valentine’s Day. The gloomy sadness consumed her, a great contrast to the bright and colorful garden. Ava decided to keep walking, sipping on her water.

  She couldn’t believe how large and well kept the property seemed. She passed a few probable employees working in a vegetable garden as she made her way out towards a cliff. She passed out of their sight and continued on up towards the edge. She never had a reason to be afraid of heights before, never having seen anything like this, and peered out at the ocean and across the horizon. She could barely see the hangar on the other side of the gulf and saw a few boats out on the water. As her eyes searched her surroundings, she did not see any possible way that she could escape by herself. She realized she didn’t know how to do anything here. She didn’t know how to drive a solar powered vehicle or a boat, and she didn’t know how to fly a starship. She was basically at the mercy of James and his family for everything. An idea came to her as she d
ecided to wander back towards the property and to the beach. James had mentioned that he would answer any questions that she may have about anything, and about Asterions. She wondered, could he and his family also teach her the life skills that seemed to be necessary for survival on these new worlds? Would he teach her to drive, and to fly?

  Ava strategized her thoughts until she reached the beach, and cleared her mind as she wandered slowly towards the great green abyss of water. Wesley had shown her sand on Kyanos, but it was paler here, and also more plentiful, making it more challenging to walk. She had seen photographs and movies of people swimming in the ocean, but never thought she would actually see such a grand thing in person, and it was beautiful. She liked the sound of the waves crashing, and the crackling noise it made when the bubbles dissolved on the beach as the water came ashore and then quickly retreated. She wondered if it would be warm or cold. Wanting to know she slowly approached the water, only a few feet away now before she stopped, sensing James’ presence behind her.

  “I wouldn’t go in just yet . . . at least not until we’ve taught you how to swim. The currents can be pretty strong here,” he said casually.

  After a moment she turned to face him, encouraged by his comment. If they could teach her to swim, perhaps they would be open to teaching her other things. She was surprised by his appearance. He wasn’t dressed in all black anymore. He had tan linen pants on and a white partially unbuttoned shirt displaying the antique cross still around his neck. His hair was a few inches shorter and smoothed back. She felt herself dismissing a slight urge she had to reach up and run her fingers through it. He looked at ease and well rested.