The Anuan Legacy
Page 14
She was enthralled by my world and I was enthralled by her. Neither of us moved. Our energies held fixed to each other like magnets with no outside force to pull us apart. I had to be that force.
I straightened up in my seat, putting distance between us. “It’s a lot to take in. Let’s not overwhelm you. Why don’t we have Earth food this morning? You can learn all about the rest later. Maybe something chocolate? You like chocolate.”
A silent void filled the space between us, like the air had suddenly been sucked from the room and sound no longer had a medium in which to travel. I realized my blunder too late to take it back and by the tone of the energy between us, Victoria realized it too.
“How did you know I like chocolate?”
She did like chocolate. But how would I explain why I knew that? “Hmm. Don’t you? Most people do.”
“Is that so?” She squinted her eyes at me again. “I thought you Anuans weren’t voyeurs?”
“Don’t worry.” I tapped the tip of her nose with my finger. “Your pink bedclothes are still safe.”
“Mm-hmm. I’m glad to hear it. Now, why do I feel like you’re keeping something from me, Alien?”
I bowed my head, thinking, trying to figure out how to handle this. I wouldn’t be able to hide what I knew from her for long. I might as well be honest. As honest as I could be, anyway.
“Gaige?”
“Well.” I looked her in the eye. “Because I am. Keeping something from you. But I’ll tell you everything once you’ve settled in and feel steady.”
“Gaige, I feel steady now, so tell me.”
“You only think you feel steady. Remember back in the motel, I told you that your exposure to our energy would not only be taxing on you physically, but emotionally as well. You saw a little of that then. As you continue to absorb our energies here, including all our emotions, you’re going to become overwhelmed by what you receive until you learn how to process everything. After that, I’ll tell you what you want to know.”
She stared at me for a few seconds. Those seconds moved like hours while I hoped she’d agree.
“How about a chocolate croissant then?” she said. “Can your atom machine come up with one of those? And hot chocolate?”
“Absolutely.” I turned to Toji, who still hovered quietly next to us. “Toji, two chocolate croissants and two hot chocolates.” I exhaled a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. I’d bought a little time, but knew my reprieve would only be temporary. Sooner or later, she’d have to be told why I was really on Earth that day and what it had to do with her.
CHAPTER 57 -
GAIGE
Victoria slowly pulled loose a piece of the flaky pastry and put it in her mouth.
“You like it?” I asked, watching her lips move with every chew.
“Yes, it’s really good.” She tore off another piece. “In fact, it’s the best chocolate croissant I’ve ever tasted.”
“I’m glad you like it. The constructors do a pretty good job. We can even construct some Earth clothing for you, if you’d like.”
She tugged on the arm of my flight suit. “Well, actually, I like your clothes. Can I get some of those? I mean, built-in heaters and phones, bullet-resistant fabric, and who knows what other cool features. You can’t get clothes like that on Earth.” She put another piece of croissant in her mouth.
I smiled at her wide-eyed enthusiasm for the things this world had to offer her. “You can have anything you want.”
“Anything, huh.” She grinned.
I knew where her mind had gone. I knew because it was the same place my mind went as soon as the words left my mouth, too late to stop them. I needed to be more careful about what I said now that we were here, together. If she already knew all there was to know and I could be positive she understood her feelings, I’d have bonded with her right there. But she didn’t. There was so much we were keeping from her. And her emotions, her feelings, they couldn’t be trusted yet. I had to backpedal—quickly.
I swiped my untouched plate aside and took her hands in mine. “Look, Victoria, you know you shouldn’t be in a hurry for . . . well . . . anything. We have no idea what the next few days will bring. You could be back in your home before you know it or you could . . .” I paused, wondering if I should even say the words.
“Or I could stay, permanently? Is that a possibility?”
I groped for something to say. Something that would satisfy but not influence her. “It’s too soon to contemplate a decision that significant. There’s too much to consider first.”
“But it would be a possibility?”
It was a possibility. One I hoped would come to pass. That was the problem. I feared that telling her yes with my hopeful intentions behind it might lead her in that direction. I couldn’t impact her decisions so I decided I should change the subject and steer clear of the topic all together. “I need to meet with the captain and mission commander. Are you ready to see your quarters? I’ll show you to them—”
“What? Wait a minute. My own quarters? I won’t be staying with you?”
“I’d just complicate things for you. You need time to adjust before thinking about anything else, including me. But I’ll be here for you, for anything you need.”
Victoria’s energy dropped, along with her head. Her emotions grew heavy.
“It won’t be so bad. I have a surprise for you. And there’s someone who will help you get settled while I’m in my meeting. I think you’ll like talking with her.” I put my finger under Victoria’s chin and raised her bowed head. “Okay? And I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“Of course. I don’t want to keep you from your meeting. And who could pass on a surprise?” Victoria smiled, the corners of her mouth rebelling against her sagging emotions. “Take me to my quarters and go. I’ll be fine.”
You will be fine, I thought. I had to make sure she knew that. The barrage of our energies might have been starting to affect her emotions. I had to send positive, calming energy to her, to override the avalanche of feelings she might be experiencing. They would only create confusion, doubts, fears. There was no need for them. Everything will be okay. Everything will be okay. Everything will be okay.
“I know it will.”
I snapped out of my thoughts. “What?”
“I know it’ll be okay. You don’t have to worry about me. I’ll settle in while you go to your meeting.”
“You heard me?”
Victoria wrinkled her brow, no doubt as confused as I was surprised. “Yes. You said everything will be okay.”
“No, I didn’t. Well, I did, but not out loud.”
The wrinkle in Victoria’s brow grew deeper. She dropped the piece of croissant that she’d been holding during our conversation. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying you read my thoughts. I was projecting them. But I was just trying to send you the positive, calm energy of those thoughts. Not the thoughts themselves. I can’t believe you heard them.”
Victoria sat, mouth agape. “Are you sure you didn’t say it out loud without realizing?”
Her presence did have a way of distracting me. But I was certain that I’d only sent the intention. “No, I’m pretty sure I only thought it.”
“How could I read your mind? I’m not Anuan.”
“It’s a human trait. It’s just that most Kians don’t attempt to develop it the way Anuans do. Therefore, it lies dormant. You’re a special case, though. As you’ve already seen with the intuition.” Getting into more than that could open up topics she wasn’t ready for. I had to put some separation between us so I could think. “Why don’t I escort you to your quarters?”
CHAPTER 58 -
VICTORIA
“Shall we?” Gaige waved an arm toward the door, obviously not wanting to get into a big discussion about the fact that I’d just read his mind.
I could make out the outline of a door in the area of the wall Gaige indicated. When we got near enough, it slid open.
Yellow lights located within the upper portion of the hallway walls blinked twice then stopped. They blinked twice again and stopped again. The pattern continued to repeat.
“Is the rest of the ship set to Anuan gravity?” I asked.
“Yes, but we can adjust it. I’m doing that now. We’ll change the settings to Earth gravity wherever you’ll be.”
I didn’t want to be treated differently. I wanted to blend in here as easily as Gaige had on Earth. Aside from the space-alien flight suit he’d had on, that is. “But I’ll have to get used to Anuan gravity eventually. Why not start now?”
Gaige kept his eyes on the lights. “It would be a pretty noticeable difference for you. Zada wants to assess your tolerance levels first. If you end up staying here . . . That is, if you need to stay here for any length of time . . . depending on the situation . . .” Gaige sighed. “It’s just better to acclimate slowly.”
I could stay here, beyond this “situation,” if I wanted. I could tell. Anuans respected personal choice. Was Gaige being hesitant about it, and us, so as not to interfere with my choice? Or the revelation he had to tell me when he thought I was stable enough, could that affect whatever decisions I might make?
I tried to picture myself back on Earth and couldn’t. But I saw myself with Gaige and the Anuans. Their draw had gripped me and didn’t want to let go. Could I let go of them? What might I find out that could make that a possibility? On the other hand, could I so easily let go of Earth, if that time really came? I wasn’t so sure I could if fantasy turned to reality.
The lights stopped repeating their pattern and remained a solid yellow.
“Are you ready?” Gaige asked.
“I’m ready.”
I stepped into the hall with Gaige. The glassy, pale-blue corridor stretched out smooth and long before us like some futuristic tunnel. While walking through the new alien surroundings, thoughts spurred by the foreign place weighed on me. I continued to think about the secret Gaige had to tell me and whether I’d end up staying with these people after all was said and done. It seemed to be a possibility. But would I choose it? Could I choose it and leave all that I’d ever known behind? Being able to read Gaige’s mind also weighed heavily in my thoughts. Had he, maybe, spoken the words out loud after all and not realized it? There was one way to find out. If it worked in one direction, it must work in the other as well. I concentrated hard, reaching out to him with my thoughts.
“Gaige, can you hear me?”
Gaige stopped. “Did you say something?”
“No, but I thought it.”
Gaige forced a weak, troubled smile. “Maybe you should go slowly with that. At least until we understand how your acclimation here will go.”
My energy level had dropped in that short moment of thinking to him and I doubted I could have managed much more anyway. “Agreed.”
Gaige started walking again and I stayed close by his side. The lighting in the hall warmed my face like sunshine. “It’s like we’re outside on a sunny day.”
“It’s designed that way,” he said. “It’s not good for a body to go without sunlight for long periods of time. So the lighting throughout the ship simulates the light of a main sequence star, like your sun or ours. The cycle of light and darkness throughout the common areas is coordinated with Anu’s days and nights at our home port.”
I stopped and closed my eyes, reveling in the rays of light as if they were shots of happiness. Even a hallway here made me feel good. Winters in Ohio were cold and gray. I missed the Florida sunshine and the warmth. “That explains it.”
“Explains what?” Gaige asked, waiting patiently.
“Why this light is so energizing. It’s like real sunshine.”
“The properties are identical.”
“And does it always seem like the sun is rising whenever the lights are turned on?”
“It’s one option. I thought you’d like it.”
“Yes, I do.”
Though I could have stretched out right there on the floor and soaked up that “sun” like I was spending a day at the beach, I knew Gaige had to get to his meeting. So, I started walking again through the eerily empty halls.
“Where are all the people?” I asked.
“Your quarters are in a converted well room. You’d call it a hospital room. But don’t worry, it won’t seem like one. We don’t use them very often, but need to have them in case there’s a major accident on the ship or on one of the missions. Since they stay unoccupied, we were able to block off a whole section for you. We can keep the entire area at Earth gravity so you’ll have plenty of room to safely roam around.”
“I’ll be glad when I don’t need all this special treatment.”
“You need time to—”
“Time to adjust.” I spit the words out like that could rid me of them. I knew better. “Sorry to interrupt.”
Gaige took me by the arm to stop me, and turned me toward him. “I know you don’t like that you have to go through this. I don’t either. But please, try to be patient. It is for your own good to take things cautiously.”
“I just don’t think all this caution is necessary. But I’ll try to be patient about it.”
“That’s all I can ask.” Gaige took me by the hand and led me down the corridor. “There’s no one who will be happier than I if all our caution ends up being unnecessary.” He squeezed my hand and I reciprocated.
Up ahead, I saw what looked like a window, but it couldn’t have been since there were rooms on both sides of the hallway. Whatever it was, it seemed to be a good distraction from the impatience I’d have to learn to tame. “What’s that?” I asked, walking up to it.
“It’s a virtual window that shows a projection from Anu.” Gaige stopped next to me. “They’re scattered throughout the corridors to give people a glimpse of home.”
A field of tall, fuchsia-colored wisps of vegetation spread out as far as the eye could see. Breezes blew majestic patterns across the bright pink carpet, swirling the thin stalks one way then another. The patterns morphed and overtook each other, continuing their dance until they disappeared over the horizon, only to be replaced by another wave, and another.
“So, this is a live feed from Anu? This is happening right now?”
“There may be a few seconds of lag, but it’s close.”
I placed my hands against the window, wanting so badly to run my fingers across the wispy flowers. “What is this place?”
“You’re looking at the Plains of Tonken.”
I followed a breeze as it danced across the field, almost hypnotized by it. “It’s so beautiful.”
“Yes, it is.”
“Does every window show a different location on Anu?”
“The windows in the corridors, yes. You’ll be able to see many of our scenic sites—the White Mountains of Kadesh, the Merimose Falls, the golden rocks of the Taskeel Valley—and some of our more populated areas, too. The exterior windows are real. From them you’ll see the space that surrounds this ship.”
I kept my hands pressed against the glass, trying to be closer to the place that seemed to call me to touch and hear and breathe it. After a few moments, I pulled my hands away from the window and began walking again in the same direction we’d been going. These windows would give me a glimpse of Anu, the place. But what of its people? “Who is the person you’re having me meet?”
We turned down a new corridor that looked the same as the one we’d just been in.
“She’s Conner’s mother. I thought she could help you with some of the things you might be going through as you try to adjust here.”
“More than you could?”
“Yes, she’s an expert on Earth and is a consultant for the ground missions. She and Conner’s father are both assigned to this ship. They have been for years.”
“Ah, an expert on Earth. So that’s why you thou
ght she could be helpful to me?”
“Not necessarily because she’s an expert, but why she’s an expert.” Gaige gave me a sideways look with a grin like he was about to hand me the keys to the universe.
“Okay, I’ll bite. Why is she an expert?”
“She’s a Kian. She’ll be able to truly understand what you’re going through.”
I stopped in my tracks. “She’s what?” I’d heard what he said, but could hardly believe it.
“Kian. It means from Earth. She’s from Earth.”
“I know what Kian means—Earthling. Like me. But, there’s another one here?” The pitch of my voice had risen noticeably.
“Yes, there is.” Gaige wore a broad smile, obviously happy to see me so ecstatic.
“Is Conner’s father Kian, too?”
“No, he’s Anuan.” Gaige took my hand. “We should keep moving, if you want to meet Conner’s mother.”
“Oh, yes. Of course I do!” I noticed a little extra bounce in my step after hearing the news. I might have been an alien in an alien world, but I was no longer one of a kind, left to wonder how I’d fit in. Not only had Conner's mother made the transition to Anuan life, but she’d done so with an Anuan man. Spending time with her made perfect sense.
So engrossed in what Conner’s mother and I had in common, it took a moment to realize what else that meant. “Wait! That makes Conner half-Earthling.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“I would have never guessed he wasn’t a full-blooded Anuan, what with the speed and all. He seems to have the same abilities as you. You’re all Anuan, right?”
“Yes, I’m fully Anuan. He inherited the Anuan speed and strength. They seem to be dominant traits. Our gravity also helps in developing those traits. So, he does as well with that as any full-blooded Anuan. You’d never know unless somebody told you.”