A Soldier in Love

by A. Petrov

  “I bet I will,” he offered.

  Michelle poured him a glass of wine. She wished she had wine glasses but the regular ones would have to do.

  “What is this?” he asked as he sniffed the cup.

  “It’s wine. It’s kind of like prasna but maybe not as sweet,” she explained.

  He took a big gulp and furrowed his brow giving the cup a strange look. “This is strong!”

  Michelle giggled. “Ah, take small sips.”

  He nodded and took a smaller drink. “It isn’t bad. It may take some getting used to.”

  Michelle began to prepare their meal. It was a simple thing but it was amazing being able to cook again. She hadn’t known it but she missed Earth food. She missed a lot of things.

  “It smells really good,” Serik said putting a gentle hand on her shoulder as he observed her.

  Michelle looked up at him and smiled. “Good.”

  “Anything I can do to help?” he asked.

  “Hm, you could set the table?”

  He nodded and retrieved the eating utensils.

  “Oh, but we will have to use these,” Michelle said revealing forks and knives.

  “What are these things?” Serik asked with an arched eyebrow.

  “They are called forks and knives,” Michelle replied.

  Michelle set the food on the table and gave Serik a quick tutorial on how to use a fork and a knife. She guessed if you used chopsticks your entire life a fork might throw you off a little bit.

  “This is amazing,” he said as he stabbed his plate with his fork and took another bite.

  “I’m glad you like it,” Michelle beamed.

  Chapter Thirty-four

  “Will you teach me about combat from your planet?” Michelle asked.

  “You really want to know?” Serik responded.

  She nodded. “On Earth, I trained a lot before the call up. I trained for a little while with my squad mate Bryce too, on Redex.”

  “I am skilled fighter,” he said with a serious look in his eye.

  “I am too,” she said as she crossed her arms over her chest.

  “You don’t understand, Michelle. I had to be tough,”

  “I did too,” she replied. “When did you learn how to fight?”

  “When I was a child, a family friend taught me. Then I learned more advanced fighting skills in the Baat army,” he replied.

  “But you’re so big who would pick on you?” she asked.

  He grinned. “Well, I did only get picked on until I was the biggest in the class.”

  Serik handed her what looked like electrodes.

  “What are these?” she asked.

  “You didn’t have these in the Earth Army?”

  Michelle shook her head.

  He gently began to roll up her shirt sleeve. Michelle blushed as his fingertips touched her skin. He placed the sticky electrodes on her skin and she watched in amazement as a light surrounded her body.

  “What is this?” she asked unable to take her eyes off of her body.

  “It is a suit that will protect you,” he explained.

  “This is amazing,” she exclaimed as she studied it.

  “It should absorb most of the shock in a spar. It absorbs energy,” he offered.

  She nodded and waited for him to suit up as well.

  “Well, come at me,” he grinned.

  Michelle rolled her eyes and took to her feet. She pivoted back and forth on the balls of her feet. He moved in closer to her. She stepped back shocked by his speed.

  “How are you so fast? You are too big to be that fast,” she breathed.

  “Baat speed,” he said lunging towards her.

  She ducked down.

  “Too fast,” she said as she hopped around on the balls of her feet.

  He dove for her again before she hit his neck with a sharp blow.

  “Fatality detected. Restart spar,” the suit chimed.

  “For someone so small you are a very strong fighter. You know all the right points to hit for a kill,” he mused as he restarted the suit.

  “On my planet I wasn’t small and I’m pretty sure you let me win that one. You are just too fast for me,” she called out breathlessly.

  He gave her a confused look. “You mean there are females on Earth who are smaller than you? Impossible, you are tiny.”

  She grinned. “I keep telling you, I wasn’t tiny on Earth. Maybe to you I am small but I was taller than the average woman there.”

  “Are all Earth women as strong as you?” Serik inquired.

  Michelle let out a small laugh. “No, most are not and I suppose my fighting abilities come from a combination of training and modifications.”

  “You told me some about the training but what modifications?”

  “Earth Army injections… My brother-in-law, uh, my sister’s mate, he was in the Earth Army, he was high ranking so he injected me with a compound that makes me stronger, more resistant to getting sick, a better soldier.”

  “Sounds dangerous,” Serik remarked.

  “So, is your planet being attacked. I figured I would have died anyway but somehow I am still here,” she gave him a weak smile.

  “It seems like you know about danger,” Serik posed.

  “Maybe, I tried to train combat…” she paused. “I had to be strong. I didn’t want to get hurt again,”

  “I won’t let anything bad happen to you anymore,” Serik promised. “But I understand. Bad things happened to me too.”

  “What do you mean?” she asked.

  Serik hesitated for a moment realizing that he had said too much.

  “I suppose I should tell you, I’m bad luck. I’m evil,” he admitted.

  Michelle let out a small laugh.

  Serik shook his head at her laughter. “It is true Michelle. On Baat, two colored eyes are a sign of bad luck, a sign of evil. They don’t kill you for being different on Baat instead they just make your life a living Hell. Bock is one of my only friends. He never judged me based on my looks.”

  “Well, good thing I’m from Earth because I don’t believe that. You’ve always been lucky to me,” Michelle grinned.

  “You don’t know what you mean when you say that,” Serik said in a low voice, an almost whisper. It was true she didn’t. He wished desperately like he did during the days of his youth to be normal so that she could accept him. He knew it could never be. He could only have her for this small moment in time.

  Michelle stared into Serik’s blue and golden gaze as he came closer. Before she realized it his mouth was against hers. It was surprising at first but it felt so good, so right.

  He deepened the kiss as she thought he might devour her whole. Although surprised she kissed back. His mouth against hers just felt right. His mouth was hot and forceful and his lips were soft and inviting.

  Suddenly Michelle realized what she was doing and she pulled back. She couldn’t, she was a soldier. Soldiers didn’t kiss.

  “I… uh, I should get changed,” Michelle said as she felt the familiar heat rise to her cheeks. She quickly got up, leaving Serik alone with his demons once again.

  He silently cursed himself for getting to close with her. If she knew the truth she would be repulsed. He knew it was wrong to love her but he just couldn’t help himself. Once you love someone with such intensity how did you ever stop?

  ***

  “What kind of music do you listen to on Baat?” Michelle asked as Serik wrapped his arms around her on the couch.

  Serik felt nervousness pitted deep within his stomach. He had held Michelle, held her hand, watched her laugh, and he had watched her cry but he had never kissed her. Well, before last night that is but she had shied away. He would have to give her up soon, very soon. All he wanted was to enjoy the last few moments he would have with her. He prayed that she would forgive him.

  “Music?” Serik repeated.

  “Mmhmm, music.”

  “Well, I can play some for you,” he offered.

/>   Michelle nodded eagerly.

  Michelle watched as Serik fumbled with a few controls. A few moments later a melody began to play. It was soft and it reminded Michelle of an old fashioned waltz type of tune.

  “Do you know how to dance?” she asked.

  He shook his head.

  “They don’t have dancing on Baat?” she asked.

  “They do,” he replied.

  “But you don’t know how to dance?” she inquired.

  “I never learned to dance because I never had anyone to dance with before,” he explained.

  Michelle smiled. “Well, now you do. You taught me combat so it’s only fair I teach you how to dance.”

  She rose to her feet and gave his arm a tug to pull him up. He slowly got to his feet as well.

  “Put your arms around my waist,” she directed.

  “Step, step, now back,” she gently instructed. At first his steps were labored and difficult. Their differences in stature also came into play. He towered over her, having to hunch over to reach her.

  She smiled warmly. “Step back,” she instructed. He stepped back as she stepped forward.

  “Step, step, now back,” she said as his steps slowly began to mimic hers. They swayed across the room.

  “This feels nice,” he said softly into her ear.

  His blue and golden gaze met her green one.

  “I would have never learned if it wasn’t for you,” he grinned.

  She smiled.

  “I’m glad, Serik,” she said as they gently swayed across the room.

  “Did you do a lot of dancing on Earth?” Serik asked as the song ended and a new one begun.

  Michelle shook her head.

  “Why not?” he asked as they changed their pace to a slower one.

  “I, uhm, well, I guess I didn’t get asked very often,” Michelle replied awkwardly.

  “That’s hard to believe,” Serik said rubbing his chin.

  “Why’s that?”

  “Because you are extremely beautiful of course,” he replied.

  “Serik, I’m not,” Michelle protested.

  “Michelle, you are. More than maybe you will ever know,” he insisted.

  He wanted to kiss her again but he stopped himself. Instead he just held her in his arms as they swayed around the room.

  It would be enough just to dance with her, to hold her, to love her for that moment in time.

  Chapter Thirty-five

  He felt the sting and impact of something hit his shoulder. He looked down it was a small rock. The other boys were at it again. They had often thrown things at him.

  “Your mother is a whore,” a boy had yelled. It was Vrum, a vicious boy in Serik’s class. He was large but not as a big as Serik. For some reason Vrum felt it was his duty cruel to the others, often fighting and mocking others.

  Serik gritted his teeth and balled his fists up in anger. “She is not!”

  “Then where’s your dad?” he laughed.

  He didn’t know. He was beginning to notice his family was different than those of the other children. He was different both in looks and in size. He was beginning to learn he had different abilities as well.

  “He is evil!” another boy yelled.

  “Freak,” they chanted.

  Serik ran home as fast as he could away from their tormenting words.

  “Are you OK?” his mother asked when he came home out of breath from running.

  “Are you alone because of me?” Serik blurted out.

  “I’m never alone when I’m with you,” she said with a weak smile.

  Serik hung his head in shame. Even at his young age he knew his mother was too kind to tell him the truth. For whatever reason his mother loved him, she had kept him. The other children’s words were true after all.

  The next day Serik could begin to see how different he was. Once he had came to the realization he saw the way the others stared at him. He saw how others went out of their way to avoid him.

  “Freak,” a voice called.

  It was Vrum again. Serik wondered why he always chose him as his victim to bully. Today, Vrum wasn’t alone. Serik swallowed hard as Vrum and his three friends appeared. They moved in closer and in the blink of an eye lunged towards him. The boys grabbed Serik and tried to hold him down. Their hands clawing and tearing at his flesh as he struggled against them. It was futile for them; Serik’s strength was innumerate compared to theirs. He easily pushed them off as though they were puppets. He wouldn’t let them torture him like they did the others. He shuddered at the thoughts of what they did. He had heard of them breaking every finger in one boy’s hand. Another story of a boy having his teeth pulled out one by one. He decided he would endure no such pain or torture from them. It would end today.

  “Evil, Cabaka, freak, you want to fight me?” Vrum sneered.

  Serik paced back and forth as the other boys formed a circle around the Serik and Vrum.

  “You do a disservice to the Baat by contaminating our pure blood lines. Your mother should have been killed,” another boy taunted.

  “Evil freak,” the boys all yelled in unison.

  Vrum lunged toward Serik with a punch but it didn’t faze him. Serik barely felt anything at all. He knew that he was different from others; he was much stronger. He easily out preformed them day after day in athletic trainings.

  “Come on,” Vrum snapped. “You’re not even going to try?”

  Vrum raised his fist again but this time Serik caught it. With his free hand he struck Vrum as hard as he could. Vrum’s face briefly flooded with confusion before he tumbled down. He had defeated the bully in a single blow. It should have felt like a victory but it didn’t.

  The others backed away when they saw Vrum laying there motionless. Serik knew they were wondering if he had killed him. Serik knew he hadn’t. He had given him a hard hit and a possible concussion, but he wouldn’t die. They had forced him to do it. There was no other choice for Serik but to fight or to be defeated.

  “Remember this,” Serik said with anger illuminated in his voice. “Remember this day when you want to fight me again. I will kill you if you come at me again.”

  The others stared in silence as Serik sprinted away. No one followed him as he ran towards his abode.

  He panted for a minute, catching his breath before going inside.

  “Honey?” his mother called from the kitchen as he quietly entered the abode.

  “Yeah, mom?” he replied weakly. He tried his best to appear normal. He couldn’t stand the thought of his mother knowing. He didn’t want her to think it was somehow her fault. No, it was his, all his.

  “How was your day?” she asked as she made her way to the living room.

  “It was fine,” he lied. “I’m just going to get started on my studying.”

  He shut the door to his room and began to cry.

  I am just like my father. I am evil just like him. Look what I had to do… I had to.

  He wasn’t sure who he hated more the father he didn’t know, the people around him, or himself.

  ***

  “The Cabaka are going to come back,” he heard the hushed tone of whispering coming from the kitchen. It was the voice of his uncle warning his mother. He knew he shouldn’t have been listening in but he just couldn’t help himself.

  He shut his eyes and relaxed his head back against the wall he was leaning against. He knew what it meant, he would have to leave. It would just be easier for everyone that way. He was always such a burden on everyone. He trudged up to his room and packed his bag. He would make his life useful. He would do something in the name of the Baat, but not for the people who hated him. No, he would do it for his mother. She was the one person in his life who had always shown him kindness and love. Now, it was time for him to do the same. He would do his duty, it would be his way to make her proud.

  The next morning he woke up just as the sun began to rise. It was early, much too early for anyone to be awake.

  “Mother,�
�� he called out to see if she was awake. To his surprise she was. She was in her robe with her usually neat hair disheveled around her kind face. She looked as though she hadn’t slept at all. Her eyes looked tired and red from crying.