Slade

by Simpson, Serena

  “It is, but I am happy for them.”

  She nodded understanding the sadness of being on the outside looking in. Her stomach rumbled.

  “Sorry I didn’t eat before I came.”

  “You didn’t want to fight on a full stomach.”

  “Yeah.” He got her, that was surprising. “What are you doing?”

  He was walking across the roof to the other side where there was a silver contraption with buttons and words (she assumed they were words) that she couldn’t read.

  “What would you like to eat?”

  “Surprise me?” What could be in that silver contraption to eat? Her stomach rumbled again, but she was going to refuse any alien food. He might not be the big bad, but that didn’t mean… it didn’t mean that she wasn’t paranoid.

  She didn’t know what she was expecting when he walked over, but a hot dog with the works and a plate of fries wasn’t it. She wasn’t much of a cook. That meant she ate fast food, for the most part.

  He handed her the plate. She nibbled on a fry before her eyes got big. “That’s good.”

  His lips creased in a smile. “Thank Brandi, she introduced us to fries that came from peeling potatoes. Now we peel them and keep them stored so they are fresh when we want to use them.”

  He sat down next to her. This time he sat on one leg. It was such a strange sight that she found herself frowning. Until now, his body had always been held in reserve as if he might need to fight at any moment.

  She stuffed a bite of her hotdog in her mouth to keep from moaning his name. He watched as she ate in silence. When she was done, she sucked the ketchup off her fingers. Her cheeks bloomed with heat as she watched him staring at her mouth.

  “Thanks for the food.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  He leaned into her making her tilt her head back. His green eyes were darkening like the sun was going down, but the moon was coming out giving them a mysterious look. Her tongue came out to moisten her lips. She wasn’t a virgin, she reminded herself, but she might as well be. Slipping out at night, so she could go to a club for the express purpose of getting laid didn’t give her that much experience. She didn’t want to die a virgin. Here lies a virgin over the age of thirty who wasn’t a nun. That wasn’t the epigram she wanted on her tombstone.

  He pulled back, and she couldn’t blame him. Most of the guys she laid with said she sucked and not in a good way.

  “We should get ready for the big bad I’m sure he’ll be here in a few days.”

  “Let’s start by giving him a proper name.”

  “I remember him, it, whatever you want to call him.” She sat back and closed her eyes as memories of laughter and sisterhood flooded her mind. “It was one of those summer days where it was a little too hot and everything felt sticky. I was downtown with my sister at the point. We went there often to hang out. On good days, we would take our McDonald's there to eat and watch the water. We had stupid arguments over what river was best, the Monongahela or the Allegheny. The Ohio river wasn’t in the running because it was a combination of the other two rivers.”

  She was happy to be wearing a pair of jelly shoes. They came and went as far as styles go. They were enjoying a short-lived flare of popularity, and she was wearing a pair of blue ones that had sparkles in them. They went with the outfit she had on.

  “I’m sure we knew better. There was no reason for us to be walking the ledge. Honestly, it wasn’t the first time. I guess we thought we were invincible. We were laughing; I remember some lady shouting at us to back away. We ignored her.”

  She shivered remembering the sudden chill that came over her that day. “Have you ever felt like a hand grabbed you by the gut and wouldn’t let go? I remember turning around. Behind me was a male, a figure that was out of my nightmares. Not because he was grotesque, he was more like Jeffrey Dahmer. You know people used to say he was cute and polite and all that other BS. That’s what this guy was like, he was smiling but his eyes were so cold.”

  She shivered again remembering the look of death he gave her. Her hand automatically reached for her sister. She was the oldest; she would make everything okay.

  He shook his head and reached his hand out. It never touched her, but something came from him knocking her over. Suddenly, her jelly shoes didn’t have the grip that she needed to regain her balance. The water that was looking magical a minute ago looked cold and forbidding as she raced towards it. Her sister's name was on her lips as she hit the surface. She was pushed down, her swimming skills no use as a heavyweight refused to allow her to rise.

  Her eyes were wide open when her sister dived in after her. It was too late her body was being dragged further down. No one would ever find her. She died hoping that her sister would live.

  Chapter Seven

  “Trogon,” Slade told her.

  “That’s his name?”

  He nodded his head. “Twin eater.”

  She cocked her head, sure that she heard him incorrectly. Trogon—twin eater. In the back of her mind was a niggling that made her eyes hurt as she tried to bring back a memory. It escaped her leaving her feeling empty.

  Her training came back. There were areas in the galaxy where being born a twin was a sin. If you were an identical twin, it was considered a death sentence. The first time she heard that it caused her to laugh out loud. She was sure her ‘teacher’ was messing with her. The frown on his face reminded her he didn’t have a sense of humor.

  Then she proudly proclaimed that a small part of the galaxy must be like a backwater planet, and even the Appalachians knew better than that. She was what twelve? The only thing she knew about the Appalachians was what her teacher mentioned in a history class.

  “Why would Trogon come after me? I’m not a twin.” Her sister was several years older. They looked alike, but that was it.

  “You have a sister?”

  “I do but she’s older than me by years not minutes.” Slade held her eyes until she broke the connection. Nothing made sense.

  “I’m a twin - identical.”

  Should that mean something to her? Slade being a twin had no bearing on her life. “Why did it come after me and not you?” She flashed back to the look on the face of the creature. Its sights were on her. The hatred it displayed was enough to scare her for years.

  “I attract crazy,” she huffed. It felt that way.

  “I don’t know why it came after you. Since you are here, I think there’s a good chance that it’s after us.”

  She hadn’t gotten that far in her mental montage of “WTF” but it did make a wicked sort of sense.

  Slade got up to pace. His walking back and forth should have driven her crazy. Instead, she felt a peace in his pacing. The movements calmed her. Finally, she reached out and grabbed him by the hand. She tugged, and he sat by her. Did it matter? Soon they were going to face Trogon and nothing else in her world mattered. It could only end with her death, but she wasn’t dead yet.

  “Would you like to see a movie?”

  Her mouth opened and closed, much like a fish gasping for water. “Yes.”

  He took her hand. “Keep those eyes open as you descend.”

  “Yes, daddy.” The smile he gave her did something to her insides. There was a warm flutter and a hint of wetness she wasn’t used to having. A movie with popcorn. Maybe he would let her put her feet in his lap. She’d heard people did that kind of thing.

  *~*~*~*

  Mila sighed as she tried to decide if the day she experienced was real or a delusion. There was the possibility that she was insane and being treated with mind-altering drugs. She grabbed a pair of shorts and a tee from the closet and made her way into the attached bathroom. Would she hallucinate such a nice bathroom? The variations of green with the occasional stroke of blue reminded her of the water.

  Stepping into the shower, she allowed the hot water to release the tension in her shoulders. They watched a ridiculous movie with singing and dancing. She could still hear her laughter
bouncing around the area. Slade gave her a big bowl of extra buttered popcorn. When she couldn’t get comfortable, he had taken her feet and placed them in his lap. Then because he was trying to make her every fantasy come true, he started playing with her toes. His wink was in response to her stuttered shock.

  A smile played on her lips as she drifted.

  “What do you want to make for dinner?” He changed his clothes. A pair of joggers and a t-shirt were draped across his body like he was a model.

  “I don’t cook.”

  “Then you’re in luck.” He took her hand and pulled her from the love seat.

  “I am?”

  “Yes, Brandi taught us all to cook. Some of us are better than others. Jabari her mate was meant to burn water.”

  She giggled. Giggled! Before her hand went to over traitorous mouth. “What does he do to contribute?”

  “Wait till you see him fight. Mostly, he does exactly what she has him do. That includes a lot of cut this or stir that. He’s convinced that if he helps his mate with a meal that it’s the same as cooking it himself. Since we never plan to leave him on his own, we know he won’t starve.”

  She laughed when he picked her up and sat her on the counter. “I thought you were a twin?”

  “I am.”

  “I didn’t see anyone that looked like you. There is another brother?” It was the only thing that made sense.

  “Do you know anything about the created?”

  She shook her head slowly. She knew they existed, but they weren’t covered in her aliens of the galaxy class. Yes, she was forced to learn about different species. The slugs being some of the worse.

  “I know you guys exist. That’s about all I know.”

  “No wonder you thought I was the big bad.”

  She gave herself a mental shake of the head. That wasn’t why she thought he was the one she was supposed to kill. Ever since she talked to Quinn, a feeling was drawing her closer to this place. It couldn’t be his voice in the background, but if it was, then he must be the evil she was born to kill.

  “Long story short, the created are a science project. We were created to protect a world that was being invaded, and the males of that planet were no longer able to protect it.”

  Well, that made sense. If she needed protecting, she’d want Slade to do it. He was like an oak tree. A groan tried to escape her lips but she bit them to keep it inside.

  “Our brothers and it’s a loose term are all created from the same batch of genetic material. The scientist used different blends of the same material. Every batch is related.”

  “Don’t do that.”

  “What?”

  “Break down your existence into a thing and not a person of worth.”

  “Aliens are not usually considered persons or people.”

  Mila ran her fingers through his dark hair before laying her hand over the part that he shaved.

  “That’s something that Earth has in common with the rest of the galaxy. We like to conveniently forget that anyone not like us is still someone worthwhile.”

  “How do you remember that?”

  “Spend a lot of time by yourself. Eventually, you realize everyone you meet and interact with is special in their own right.”

  Slade leaned into the warm fingers soothing the side of his head. “They wanted to kill one of us. Who would die? The youngest or the oldest. They even labeled us, but the truth was we were in a pod. It opened, and we were there. There is no youngest or oldest, my brother and I are the same exact age down to the minute.

  “Do you think that’s why Trogon wants you dead?”

  “Maybe, but why me and not my brother?”

  “You do like to ask the hard questions, and I’m still waiting for food. I don’t see one of those silver things.”

  He laughed. “Sorry, you’ll have to rely on alien ingenuity.” Slade moved to the fridge. “Steak?” he took out two thick ones along with two large potatoes.

  “French fries?”

  “Baked potatoes and corn.”

  “Nothing green?”

  His nose wrinkled adorably; she had to bring her hand up to her chest.

  “Please tell me you’re not one of those that insist on having something green at every meal.”

  “We didn’t have anything green at lunch, and I’m not sure what you would eat green for breakfast, maybe a protein shake.” A green shake that wasn’t a Shamrock shake made her nose wrinkle. “Normally, I’m a fast food type of gal, so I rarely see anything green, but if we are eating real food in an actual kitchen of a house. Well…” She drew the word out. “We should eat something green.”

  He stepped away from the counter and pointed to the fridge. “That’s all on you.”

  She jumped down feeling a kind of contentment she never knew. In the crisper was everything she needed for a salad. She might not be a cook but putting together a salad was only hard or dangerous if you couldn’t handle a knife.

  “Why do you have the makings of a salad?” she asked after he placed the steak into a new age looking oven.

  “The sister’s take care of the ordering of the food. They order the food for this side of the house because we have kitchens. I can’t imagine them not ordering something green for us.”

  “They’re health nuts?”

  “Hardly. Brandi just has this thing about green food, after she died and came back, she’s even more determined that we eat right to live out our immortal lives.”

  Mila turned to look at him as she washed the lettuce. “There is too much in those words for me to unpack right now.”

  “Give it time, it’ll sink in.” She nodded before continuing to wash the vegetables.

  “So where is your twin?”

  “We were separated by birth. Brie,” his breath caught. He hadn’t thought of her since he first spoke with Mila this morning. “Excuse me.”

  He fled the kitchen leaving her to watch his fading back.

  “Brie,” she said the name softly. Whoever she was. She meant something to Slade. A sliver of jealousy penetrated her heart, which was crazy. He wasn’t hers, and she hadn’t known him for a full day. Her movements slowed as she got the salad together.

  “I think the steak might be done.” She put on a glove and opened the door to the oven hoping it wasn’t booby-trapped to kill anyone who wasn’t Slade.

  “I needed to check on something.” He told her coming back into the kitchen. His head was down refusing to meet her eyes.

  “No problem, there are times I need to get away too.”

  He moved her over before taking the steaks out and then the potatoes. The corn he placed in a bowl to microwave.

  “Dinner’s ready.” He got their plates together then smiled as she placed a bowl in front of him with his salad. She raised a brow, and he knew he better eat it.

  “Brie saved my life. The scientists decided to kill me. Honestly, I’m not sure they wouldn’t have killed us both. We were the first batch of twins born since they had their great war. I can’t tell you how much we weren’t wanted or the hell I personally lived through.”

  Mila took a bite of her steak before she let out a soft moan. “This is good.”

  “Thank you.” He gave her a wink before eating a bite of his own. “I still don’t know why they let us live. My brothers the ones you met downstairs are not genetically compatible brothers. Each of their brothers died. We came together as a group of broken created. We had no one to tether ourselves too.”

  He searched her face. She held her head high as she allowed him to look for what he needed.

  “You’re not disgusted or surprised.”

  “The only bond I had was broken when I was a child. I know what it’s like to need to be close to another person.”

  “I never thought of it that way, but yeah.” His life had been missing something before Dante had connected them all. It touched a part deep inside of him that even Brie could never touch. “I would die for them.”

  “You mi
ght have to.” This time there was no smile or joy in her eyes.

  “I know.”

  Chapter Eight

  Mila stepped out of the shower. She never once thought of anyone bedside herself dying. The realization that there were going to be other victims in this war killed her appetite. No dessert for her. Not even the thought of warm donuts could have coaxed her to eat another bite.

  Slade might die to keep his family safe. She would surely die to keep her sister safe. What did it all mean? She climbed into the bed. It was almost too roomy; she was used to a twin-size bed. Her arms stretched out then her legs scissored open and shut. Neither being able to touch the edge of the mattress.

  An hour later, she got up and tiptoed to the door. Slade was sitting facing the door when she opened it.

  “What are you doing?” she screamed clutching her heart as she waited for her feet to touch the floor again.

  “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

  “Well, you did.” There was no way to deny that since she had jumped up and backward at the same time.

  “Um, do you usually spend your time stalking doorways?”

  “No, but this is a special occasion.”

  “So, it’s just my doorway?” He nodded, and a smile played on her lips.

  “Do you want to go out?”

  “Out as in leave the house and do something… fun?”

  “Uh huh.” He gave her the smile meant to melt hearts.

  “Yes!” She all but screamed. “I only have jeans; I can’t get into a fancy place.”

  “I happen to know this bar that serves great drinks and has a dance floor.”

  “Dance? I don’t know how to dance.” She panicked stepping backward.

  “Neither do I.”

  “Seriously? I thought everyone knew how to dance, except me.”

  “I think you’ve spent too much time alone.”

  She spent time with Me’akal so that wasn’t alone, but she got it. Her life was spent in a prison of her own making.

  “Have you ever punished yourself because everything seemed like your fault?”