by Pixie James
“Watch your mouth, So’Tia,” Te’Lara warns.
“Sorry, geeze. All that though? Just because I disturbed his precious sleep…”
Te’Lara gives her a look that silences her, then turns those terse eyes on me. “How long have you been able to communicate with Huey through touch?”
“I didn’t touch him.”
Headmaster Ha’Jahn’s eyebrows climb. “You have a telepathic connection?”
“Sort of. He talks to me in my head, I talk to him out loud. That’s normal, right?”
Once again, the two adults in the room exchange a look, this time grabbing each other’s wrists, the Xebulin version of discussing things privately. I roll my eyes and groan. Of course, they’re going to keep whatever revelation they’ve had a secret. Not like I just exploded a room trying to do something they refused to teach me or anything.
They remain silent for a few more minutes, the only sign they’re talking to each other the wild expressions on their faces. They’re battling over something, probably what to do, and by the time they pull apart, Ha’Jahn looks exhausted. He clearly didn’t win.
He lowers his head and sighs. “All right. Based on the recent chain of events, you are excused from punishment for Huey’s choice to engage in what I am sure is his version of benign chemical warfare. Apparently, the remaining term of your two-week observation confinement spent in the animal wing is punishment enough.”
“What?” I shriek. “You’ve got to be kidding me. First, this ridiculous hat and now this…”
Te’Lara lowers her eyes. “Not, even close. The humans decontaminated the entire hospital wing after Huey’s little stunt. It’s soaked and covered with some sort of acid neutralizing foam. It’s going to take us weeks to clean up. Your tutors will all meet with you there.”
Without another word, I follow Te’Lara out of the room, throwing one last glance Tia’s way. She gives me an exaggerated frown then slips out to return to her room. As always, Huey trots behind me, only this time, he has a little more pep in his step. I’d ring his neck if I wasn’t so flipping glad he’s still attached to it.
We go the long way around, bypassing several closed classrooms before turning right and passing through two double doors. At least she’s trying to keep me somewhat out of the public eye. As soon as the doors open, I’m hit with the smell of some weird earthy perfume and wet dog.
My nose burns and wrinkling it only makes it worse. “Gross. What is that smell?”
“Tarkite. It’s a flower that encourages healing. We give it to the Raska females who have given birth.”
“It stinks.”
“You get used to it. If you behave yourself, I might even let you see the Rinnys—the Raska young. Traditionally they are shielded from sight until they’ve weaned, but since you’re Huey’s, I doubt the pack would be disrupted.”
I perk up a bit at the idea of playing with a bunch of mini-Hueys. That definitely doesn’t suck.
The large open room to my right is lined with what looks like pillows, and the lights are dimmed. I can make out a large pile of glowing crystals in the corner. There are probably six Raska in there asleep. Seriously, is this what Huey did all day before I got here?
“And that?” I nod to the room, and Te’Lara’s scowl breaks for a moment before she tightens it back up.
“Ah, that’s their lounge. The Raska are treated like royalty amongst our people. They sacrifice their lives for ours—always remaining at our side. They spend their days before they are matched relaxing. Once they have found a charge, their life is no longer their own.”
I snort at the thought of King Huey flopped over and snoring. “I just can’t picture Huey lounging around all day.”
“Ah. The Dan-A-Tish does not lounge. He sleuths. Quite impeccably, I’ll add.”
The winding hallway comes to a stop, and Huey pushes past us, nearly knocking me over as he enters the room I’m assuming is his.
“All right. This will be your quarters until you are cleared to be with the rest of the students.”
A loud huff comes from inside the room. Apparently, I’m not moving fast enough. Te’Lara beckons me forward. It’s small, but there’s a queen size bed and what looks like a fancy alien treadmill.
“You know I’m never going to live this down, right?”
“You’ve left us with little choice, Cherise. As of right now, all our additional resources are being funneled into the search for the Xebulin who assisted you.” My heart speeds up at the thought of Vrae, and I didn’t realize until just now how bad I actually miss him. Or the idea of him anyway. Not sure which. I wish I could remember…
“I don’t want to talk about him anymore,” I mumble, biting my lip trying to keep my mouth shut. Arguing right now, after she’s already mad isn’t going to help anyone, but whatever hope my few moments with him built—I’m not ready to let go of it.
“I have grown tired of thinking about him as well. Unfortunately, for me. I do not have the liberty of avoiding the situation.”
Sinking onto the bed beside Huey, I busy myself with unpacking the small bag of things the humans rescued from the room before they got spray happy.
She lingers at the door with her back to me. “You might consider straightening yourself. Ty’Nix will be here in a moment for your study session before he reports for duty later this afternoon. You should show him your appreciation. He has spent the last twenty hours spearheading the search for your mysterious Vrae. Without him, we would have had to deal with his father or another member of the council.”
“Heh. Like he’ll let me forget.”
She doesn’t respond, just walks away and leaves the door open in her wake. The lights in the hall dim after a few moments of no activity, and I go back to unpacking my things. A History of Memory Absorption lies open on the bed, glaring at me.
I’ve read the thing cover to cover twice, trying to busy myself with anything other than remembering what I last saw. Nix. Getting beaten. Mix that with trying to forget I managed to screw up and put an image in Tia’s head, and you have my current state of jumbled up failure.
Why isn’t there anything in there about transferring thoughts? Or absorbing memories through a protection glove? There’s no way I’m the first, right?
The urge to ask Nix about both keeps the question on the tip of my tongue but I know he won’t want to rehash what happened between us. Plus, the thought of everyone finding out I’m even more of an outlier only suitable for study…
I’ll just keep it to myself.
Deep in thought, I tense at the sound of shuffling feet and a loud snort.
“That’s quite an outfit you’ve got on there. New trend? Something I should know about?” Nix asks, a cocky smirk on his face. There’s something about the way his eyes focus on the ridiculous thing on my head that makes me want to smack him into next week.
“I’m really not in the mood, all right? Just get in here and let’s get this over with.”
Nix looks to Huey, ignoring me.
My Raska just sits there with an unamused look on his face. I swear the longest strands of hair he has are the ones that dangle into his eyes and everything in me wants to just chop them off in his sleep. It’d be easier now. Especially since he still gets dosed with pain meds every night.
“Don’t even think about it.” He doesn’t bother looking away from the handsome, and oh so arrogant boy who fills my thoughts when he issues his threat, and after giving Nix a subtle nod, he grunts and flops right back down into his spot.
“What was that all about?” I ask. Both of them answer at once, though I enjoy Huey’s explanation far more than Nix’s.
“Huey’s being ridiculous as always,” Nix scoffs.
“My house, my rules. The Ty may not enter without a clear sign of acceptance from me. If he chose to come in unannounced or against my wishes, I would be fully within my right to maim any of his small digits.” Huey loosens his lips, letting his razor-sharp fangs jut out in a half smile. N
ix flinches slightly and rubs his hands together.
His sea green eyes linger on the top of the ace bandage peeking out from underneath my shirt. Something about knowing he’s staring gives me an odd sense of…embarrassment, maybe? I can’t really put a name to the emotion. All I know is the longer he stares the more I want to cover it up.
“Are you going to come inside or what? You can’t exactly teach me from all the way out there.”
He clears his throat, then wraps his hands around the straps of his backpack. “Yeah. Sorry, been a long week. Haven’t gotten much sleep thanks to you.”
Guilt gnaws at me, turning my stomach into one giant knot. “Hey, it’s not like I meant to. And it’s not like you are being forced to help with the search. You volunteered.”
“Yeah, kind of like I got volun-told to tutor you.”
I point to the door. “Don’t let it hit ya. I’ve never once forced you to help me. And just like I said before, I’ll find someone who actually wants to.”
“Ha. After this mess? Every male Xebulin getting woken up at the crack of dawn to be pulled out of bed and examined? Not likely, Cherise. Everyone’s pretty pissed at you.”
Everyone? Really? I chew on my nail and stare straight ahead, trying to avoid his gaze. I’m not sure why, but what he said really hurt my feelings. Maybe it’s that same miserable girl I used to be sneaking back out, but damn…the whole school?
Choosing the chair in the furthest corner of the room, he sits, shoulders tense.
“If you don’t want to be here, just leave. If you’re that worried about getting in trouble, I’ll tell Te’Lara you were here.”
Nervously fiddling with the buttons on his shirt, he runs his fingers over them, making sure they’re all secured closed. The way he has them all done up to his neck looks a little silly, but I can’t exactly say anything. I’m the one with a giant condom on her head after all.
“It’s not that. I’m just…” He looks over at Huey, then the ground. “I might be pissed, but that doesn’t mean I’m not glad you’re okay.”
I cross my arms and cock a brow. “You sure about that?”
The tension in the room fizzles out a bit when he cracks a smile. “Don’t make this weird. It’s not like I’m professing my love. Just glad no one had to clean up your dead body off the floor.”
“Oh, gee. That’s just about the sweetest thing anyone’s ever said to me.”
Nix laughs at the over-the-top southern voice I only reserve for people who really deserve it. If there’s one thing about Texas girls, we know how to cuss you out without using a single bad word. “I don’t know why, but I’m pretty sure you just told me to screw off.”
“Take it how you will.”
“All right. All right.” He throws his hands up in defeat, “I deserved that. Look, I managed to get Ha’Jahn to let me borrow one of the reinforced pairs of Neuris gloves the teachers use for the touch games. This one still has last year’s images. So what happened before…no way it happens again.”
All traces of humor leave my face, and I couldn’t hide my trepidation even if I wanted to. “You sure?”
He rests his elbows on his knees and he nods. “Next week, professor Te’Eune will be coming herself to help you practice siphoning and how to distinguish the truth from lies. I’m still learning both, so she thought she’d be a better teacher. For now, let’s just focus on what you’ve already learned. There are fifty sets of memories programmed into this glove, and you’re going to name at least the first twenty.”
He slides his hand along the neon blue line that runs up the side, activating it. “All right, let’s go.”
My temples throb—the strain of trying to pull the images from the glove draining me. I only make it to fifteen when the nausea starts, and by seventeen my eyes feel like sandpaper and I swear my nose is going to start bleeding like it always does in those sci-fi movies when the heroine does something unusually cool.
The room spins, and Huey leans against me to keep me upright.
“Whoa, you okay?” Nix asks. He jerks forward, almost as if he’s getting ready to catch me, when the door creaks open.
“Ty? Are you in he—Oh, my God.” Ki’Lin’s high-pitched laughter cuts through my wave of pain and has me seeing a different kind of red. “What,“ she wheezes, doubling over with laughter, “the…hell…is on…your head?” Her deep gasps for air have me tightening my grip on Nix’s arm, and I swear if he laughs too, I’m going to rip it off and beat them both with it.
“What are you doing here, Ki’Lin? You know we’re in the middle of a tutoring session,” Nix asks, the taut lines of his face mirroring the annoyance I feel.
Wait. How would she know that? Does he talk about me to her? I cringe at the thought of them hanging out and laughing about me.
“Yeah, I know,” she manages before composing herself. “But you missed our meet up time. You should have been in the headmaster’s office ten minutes ago.”
Has it been an hour already?
He sighs heavily, then checks his watch. Sure enough, it’s ten minutes past nine.
“This is just too good. Sometimes, I swear you practically beg to be humiliated,” Ki’Lin laughs, pulling out her phone. I lunge for her but by the time I get there she’s already taken several pictures.
This time though, Nix jumps to his feet, hands squeezed into tight fists at his side. “Knock that shit off, Ki’Lin. Give it to me.”
She stumbles back, clutching her phone to her chest, eyes wide like she can’t believe he’d ever talk to her in such away. I can’t deny the little zing of happiness it gives me to see her caught off guard by his attitude. “What’s your malfunction, Ty?”
“Give it to me, now.” He grips her smaller hands in his and wrenches the phone from her fingers, deleting the images she just took. She stares at him open-mouthed while he destroys all evidence of my condom hat and his tutoring session. “What the hell are you thinking? You know we’re not supposed to take pictures in this wing.”
I risk a brief glance at Huey, who answers my unspoken question. “All are required to ask permission before capturing the image of a Raska. To do so without it is a grave sign of disrespect. My likeness is to be emblazoned when and where I choose it to be. My distinguished exterior is not to be flaunted without caution. Plus, I am shy.”
Shy? He can’t be serious…
Ki’Lin’s trembling lips still, then transform into a smile. “Oh, my gosh. You’re so right, Ty. Thanks for always looking out for me. You’re the best.”
Cue the gag noises.
Her long lashes flutter as he hands back her phone and gathers his stuff.
“I’ll be back tomorrow. Keep practicing.”
“Sure thing, boss.” I roll my eyes, giving him a mock salute, then watch him walk away for longer than I’d like to admit.
“Stop that,” Huey demands, slapping me with his tail. There’s no way he could have reached me without intentionally elongating it.
“Stop what? I’m not even doing anything.” The weight of all the sensors on my head starts to strain my neck and I lie back, trying to offload the pain. Huey nudges my bag out of the way, and when I yank it back, he flips up a set of silver back fins and slices right through the strap. “What the hell, Huey? All I wanted to do was put up my books. That was my only bag. And since when can you do that?”
He shrugs his shoulders. “My skills are beyond your comprehension. Now, stop infusing me with adoration for the Ty. I do not care for the feeling.”
“I’m doing no such thing.”
Ugh, I probably am. Whatever. I’m just going to deny, deny, deny.
I glare at him, cheeks ablaze, and he gives me a bored sigh. “You know you are. Control your affection for him and focus on your studies. I want to get out of here and I miss your bed.”
Chapter Nineteen
Men in white coats with clipboards are hovering around me, watching my every move, and no matter how many times I reassure myself that I’m safe
, I can get my heart to settle down. I should be happy. After nearly two weeks of being interviewed, studied, and locked inside Huey’s room, this is the last appointment until my quarantine is up, and freedom is so close I can taste it.
Along with my breath. I ran out of toothpaste yesterday and Te’Lara had already gone to bed before I realized it. The coffee I demanded before they were allowed in the door this morning didn’t exactly help either.
The clock on the wall hasn’t moved in what feels like forever and I’m starting to sweat. Doctor Jensen has taken his sweet time setting up this last interrogation session, and I’m ready to get the heck out of this room.
“Now, Cherise. I want you to relax. We can’t get a good read on you if your baseline is hopping all over the place. The sedation only takes minutes and feels like seconds. We just want to try one last time to recover any deep memories you may have that you are not aware of.”
“Or that you are knowingly holding back,“ the officer guarding the door mumbles under his breath.
“I can hear you, you know.” He opens his mouth to respond, but when Huey lifts his head off my lap and shows his teeth, the guy shuts right up. That’s another big bonus of having a giant alien lap dog—instant douche repellent. “Gah, do you people have nothing better to do than torture me?”
The sticky goo they used to cement those stupid electrodes to my head for the past two weeks refuses to come off, and when I finally work the edge of one of the more stubborn globs free, it yanks out several strands of hair. Dang it, I just grew that. I might have a bright blue pixie cut, but after spending several days completely bald every freaking hair counts.
“If I can be honest, my dear. I’d much rather be sitting at home with the Missus. But until we know how and when you got here, I’m afraid I won’t be going anywhere.” He tinkers with a tiny video camera, and the view screen lights up the lenses on his face. “Right, then.” He looks behind him to another camera they’ve set up on the wall, “Send him in.”