The Anuan Legacy

by Traci Ison Schafer

  I pulled my comforter off the bed, commanded the lights to night-light level, and settled in next to him. I didn’t touch him, though, even with my body aching for him almost more than I could stand. Each day seemed harder to resist the pull he had on me. Was it getting more difficult for him, too? I tried to think of other things—moving the hairbrush, spending time with his family, the ship. Nothing worked. He consumed my thoughts. I didn’t know if I could resist being with him much longer. Secret or no secret. Me staying here or going home. Lifelong commitment or not. None of it seemed to matter. Could we take that step and figure out the rest later? No. That made no logical sense. Logic wasn’t driving my thoughts at the moment, though. I wanted everything else to be decided so we could know: do we take that step or would I be gone from his life? I couldn’t help wonder what it would be like if my future ended up being one with his.

  What would it be like, Gaige, to be with you? I want you so badly. I know you feel it, too. Do you want me as much as I want you?

  Gaige mumbled something, his voice lifting softly through the air. But his eyes remained closed.

  I pulled myself out of my own thoughts and listened to Gaige, figuring he must be talking out loud to someone in a dream.

  “Yes.” He rolled onto his side, eyes open now, and ran his hand up the outside of my thigh, lifting my nightgown to my waist. “I want you,” he whispered in my ear. Then in one smooth, silent move, Gaige was on top of me, kissing me deeply.

  Confused at first by what was happening, I decided I didn’t care about the why. Something had opened a door I was sure we’d go through, despite all the things left unsettled, and I was okay with that. I couldn’t fight it any longer. I laced my fingers into his hair and wrapped my legs around him.

  Gaige jerked back. “What? No!” He pushed himself off me, eyes wide and face panic-stricken. “Victoria, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. I didn’t realize . . .”

  “You didn’t realize?”

  “No. Not consciously, anyway. I’m sorry. Are you all right?”

  Not able to find any words, I nodded.

  “Okay. Good. I need a minute.” Gaige rushed into the bathroom and slammed the door behind him.

  What had happened? Had he pulled me into his dreamland where being together would have no consequences?

  I could hear him banging things around, obviously upset. I’d never seen him like that. I heard the water for the shower come on—no ion beam for this job. In a few minutes, the water shut off.

  I went to the bathroom door and tapped. “Gaige? Are you coming out soon?”

  He opened the door, soaking wet and shivering with his pants sticking to his wet body. Soon the temperature control would cancel out his cold shower. Would we be in trouble again then?

  “I’m sorry, Victoria. I can’t believe what I tried to do.”

  “Were you dreaming?”

  “I don’t know. I must have been. Did I say anything?”

  I thought back to what happened and when he’d first spoken. “I couldn’t make out your words at first. Then you said, ‘yes.’ ”

  “Was I responding to something you said?”

  By this time, the fog of the incident had cleared and I remembered the rest. “Oh no. I didn’t say anything. But I was wondering if you wanted me as much as I wanted you. Could I have . . .?”

  Gaige lowered his head and rubbed his brow. He dropped his hand to his side and raised his head. “Yes. Seeing what you’ve been able to do so far, you probably could have. Not that you forced me, by any means. You just caught me unguarded.”

  “Gaige, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize.”

  “It’s all right. You didn’t know. Nobody knows quite what you’re capable of. You sleep in the bed. I’m sleeping on the floor. Don’t come down there. And don’t think about us like that. Can you do that?”

  “I can try—no, I can do that.”

  I crawled into the bed and Gaige settled back onto the floor. After what had happened, I tossed and turned most of the night, not able to sleep. Deep into the night, I finally decided enough was enough. Living like that tortured us both.

  The secret had to be told, whether he thought I was ready to hear it or not.

  CHAPTER 83 -

  TAS

  Bec stood over the thin disk that lay on the table, practicing her mind skills. The object, with barely any substance at all, quivered and shook, but didn’t move beyond that. She’d worked hard for years, but the Kian’s evolution hadn’t included sharpening their telekinetic abilities. That put her generations behind. She’d build her skills eventually. It was tough to watch her struggle in the meantime, though.

  I walked up behind her and put my arms around her waist. “You’re doing great.”

  She let out a defeated sigh. “I’m not sure about great, but at least I’m getting some movement out of them now. That’s more than I could do when I first arrived.”

  “Wait and see. One of these days it will fly right into your hand.” I pushed some energy into her. “Try it now.”

  “Don’t do it for me,” she said.

  “I’m just letting you use some of my energy, that’s all. What you do with it is up to you.”

  Bec inhaled, exhaled, and then held up her hand. After a few seconds the disk lifted into the air and floated slowly to her. She grasped it when it got near enough, then turned to me and kissed me on the cheek. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. You should use my energy when you practice.”

  She laid the disk down on the table. “I feel like that’s cheating.”

  “Nonsense. We’re bonded. What’s mine is yours. You should use that to your advantage.”

  I’d voiced that same statement for years, but she wanted to succeed without any help. Had she used my energy all this time, she’d have probably been able to move things on her own by now. But I respected her tenacity. Eventually, she would do it, all by herself. There was no hurry.

  “Sit with me.” She took my hand and led me to our seats.

  I sat and pulled her onto my lap. Why be apart, even by a foot, if we didn’t have to be?

  She curled up against me. “Victoria is doing really well.”

  “Yes, I’m glad about that.”

  “She’s going to have to be told eventually, probably sooner than later. She’s adjusting very quickly.”

  “I know.” I dreaded what Victoria's reaction would be. Would she understand?

  Bec patted my chest. “It will all be okay.”

  “I hope so.”

  CHAPTER 84 -

  VICTORIA

  Sitting with my legs dangling over the side of the bed, I waited for morning to come. Gaige tossed and turned on the floor all night, probably not sleeping much either. I allowed him the chance at least.

  The room finally began to lighten. It was time.

  “Gaige,” I whispered.

  “I’m awake.” He pushed his covers back and sat up. “Don’t do this, Victoria. Not yet.”

  “We nearly had sex last night. Do you want that to happen with me in the dark?”

  He rested his arms on his knees. “It won’t happen. I won’t let it.”

  “And what if you can’t stop it? Regardless, I want to know and I want to know now.”

  “You may not be ready to handle it.”

  “I can’t handle the way things are now. It’s too much. For both of us. Is it my choice whether or not to be told? Is that my decision?”

  Gaige lowered his eyes in silence, and then raised them back to me. “Yes,” he said, quietly.

  “Then tell me, and do it now.”

  Gaige put his head in his hands and said nothing for several minutes. I stayed quiet and let him wrestle with what he had to do. Finally, he lifted his head and stood up.

  “All right. I’ll tell you.”

  “All right,” I repeated, agreeing, but truly not sure I was doing the right thing. I’d made my decision, though. Regardless of the outcome, we would not put off the inevita
ble any longer.

  “Link to Bec,” Gaige said. “Can you come to Victoria’s quarters, please? It’s time. Yes, bring it with you.” When he finished his conversation with Bec, he sat down on the bed next to me and took my hand. “Everything will be okay.” By the uncertain feel of his energy, I wondered if he was trying to convince me or himself.

  My hand felt perfect in his. Right. I didn’t want this to be the end for me and Gaige. A wave of dread hit me. My stomach burned and tears tried to form. I wouldn’t let them. I had to be strong.

  “Find your balance, Victoria. If you have to know right now, at least do that. And remember, no matter what, I’ll always be here for you. If that’s what you want. You don’t ever have to worry about that. Now find balance.”

  I could do this, and anything else. I searched for balance and the dread dwindled to a nervous anticipation.

  “Good,” Gaige said. “That’s good.”

  A chime rang and the door became transparent, showing Bec on the other side. I put my hand on Gaige’s cheek. He nodded. It’s okay, let her in. But I couldn’t. Not yet. I moved in close to Gaige, my lips just touching his. I wouldn’t be deprived, not of one more or one last kiss. So I took it, that kiss. Gaige didn’t object. After a long, wonderful moment, I pulled back and gave the computer permission to allow Bec in. Gaige and I stood to greet her as politely as if she’d been invited to a formal dinner party. But this was far from a party. When she entered, I noticed the photograph in her hand.

  “I assume that’s for me,” I said, nodding toward the picture.

  Gaige took the photo from Bec and handed it to me. “Yes, it’s for you.”

  The group picture was taken at some kind of celebration. I recognized Bec and Tas, and Daigon and Sena, though they were all younger. Then, a little boy caught my eye and I knew immediately it was Gaige.

  “That’s you, isn’t it?” I asked Gaige. But before he could answer, I saw her, and I saw her eyes. Her beautiful aqua eyes. “The eyes. I knew they were blue, but not this color blue. I was so young to remember exactly, I guess.” My world felt like a dream. Everything disjointed and hazy.

  “Sit down, Victoria,” Gaige said.

  “I don’t want to sit down.” All I could do was stare at the photo. Trying to remember for myself. I couldn’t. It was too long ago. But there she was—my mother—with her aqua-blue eyes. My legs went rubbery and I decided sitting might not be a bad idea after all. I took a step backwards, still not taking my eyes off the photo, and sat slowly down on the bed.

  Gaige put a hand on my shoulder. “You understand?”

  “I understand.” I let my hand drop to my lap. I’d seen enough. “My mother’s in this picture.”

  “Yes, she is.”

  “Anuan.”

  “Yes.”

  “My father?”

  “Kian.”

  “She was on Earth for him, then. But she was no Earthling.” I continued to roll the fact over in my mind.

  “No, she wasn’t.” Gaige stepped closer, shifting his hand from my shoulder to my neck. He kneaded gently. I could feel his calm essence. He was trying to help this go smoothly.

  My mother was Anuan, which meant I was, too. Things began to make sense. “That’s why I have all these abilities. ‘Humans have the potential.’ Yeah, right. Human Anuans, you meant. Human Earthlings, might have this potential in a thousand years!”

  Gaige didn’t say anything. Bec didn’t say anything. They waited for me to work through the revelation in my own time.

  “How did she end up on Earth with my father?”

  “Bec?” Gaige said. “You’d remember the details better than I would.”

  “She was Tas’s little sister, and he adored her,” Bec said. “She was a Peacewalker, an Anuan who went to Earth to spread calm and peace by their presence. She met your father there and wanted to stay on Earth to marry him. The Council agreed since her request would have caused no detrimental effects to others. She had to promise not to share Anuan technology or influence Earth in any direct way by who she was. She agreed.

  “Peacewalkers were only permitted on Earth for a few months at a time while the mission ship was in the area. Since she’d relinquished the program and Anu to stay on Earth permanently, she couldn’t always be protected. Tas and the ship were on Anu when he felt her presence fade. He couldn’t reach her by any means, so we departed for Earth immediately. By the time we arrived and found out your parents were dead, you were already settled in with your father’s brother and his wife.

  “Tas wanted you brought back to Anu. After extensive discussions, though, we realized that kind of upheaval would have been too upsetting for a child, especially after recently losing your parents. We knew your aunt and uncle would provide you with a good, stable home. We didn’t expect you to feel the emptiness of not knowing your Anuan people when the decision was made.

  “Tas has worried about you all this time.” Bec pulled a tissue from her pocket and dabbed at a tear on her face. “Our constant surveillance of Earth began because of you, so we could always look after you. We incorporated it into our scientific research of the planet, but it was initiated for you. Though weapons are always a last resort for us, The Council agreed that if anyone ever tried to harm you, weapons could be used to defend you—initiated remotely from Anu if a ship wasn’t in the area. Tas has been anxious all these years to give you the choice to come home. To your other home, that is.”

  My head felt like it was the size of a watermelon and my ears buzzed. Receiving this news on top of having had no sleep made it hard to think everything through. “Why did you leave me there all those years?”

  Bec spoke again in her loving tone while Gaige continued to massage my neck and emit calm energy. “The decision was made to allow you time to heal from your loss, to mature so as to better understand the situation, and to make your own decision about where you wanted to be. You are only now an adult by Earth standards. That’s the time everyone agreed would be best to approach you. Gaige was preparing to do just that and gradually introduce you to this information. Tas knew Gaige would be the best one to carry out that mission. He knew you’d be in good hands with him. But when Gaige was captured, things became complicated.”

  My saturated brain was only catching bits and pieces of all the information Bec provided, and I missed some of the details that came while my thoughts churned. “Wait. You said everyone agreed. Who is everyone? Did my parents—my aunt and uncle—know who I was? What I was?”

  Gaige finally spoke. “They knew. It wouldn’t have been fair to them otherwise.”

  “They know I’m here now, don’t they? That’s why my father didn’t give me any of his usual advice when I spoke to him.”

  Gaige’s hand paused—his calm essence disjointed for a moment—then resumed its kneading of my neck. “Tas has kept them informed.”

  “Then everyone has been lying to me my whole life. I hate to be lied to.” My head felt like it might explode, a headache taking quick and full control. “I want to be alone. I need to think.”

  “You shouldn’t be alone,” Gaige said.

  “Gaige,” Bec interrupted. “Let’s give her some time.”

  “She shouldn’t be left by herself after all this,” Gaige protested.

  My skull felt close to splitting open. I couldn’t deal with the arguing. I grabbed my head in both hands to hold it together long enough to speak. “Gaige, go!”

  “Gaige,” Bec said. “Come with me. Please give her time to process.”

  As the two argued back and forth, Bec tugged the still-protesting Gaige out of my room. When they were gone, I laid back on the bed, scooting up enough to rest my aching head on the pillows. I kept my eyes closed for a while, trying not to think of anything besides getting the pain to subside. After some time, and perhaps a few minutes of dozing, the headache eased.

  Next, I had to process what I’d learned. Had I used the skills Gaige kept helping me uncover, I could have figured this out on my ow
n. I should have figured it out on my own. But who could have ever imagined they’d be a college student one day and an alien the next. I turned my head to look at the photo of my biological parents on the dresser, the black and white photo. Even it had betrayed me.

  I went into the bathroom, filled my hands with water, and splashed it on my face. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of my pink Anuan ship suit hanging on a hook next to me. I grabbed a towel and dried my face, then took the suit off the hook and threw it in a heap on the floor. At that moment, I didn’t want to be Anuan. I didn’t want to be an Earthling, either. I couldn’t run around the ship naked, though, so I rifled through my dresser drawers, pulled out some jeans and a sweater, and put them on.

  I couldn’t think in that dichotomy of a room, but knew exactly where to go. I ran out of my room and down the corridor. Yellow lights up the hall blinked to indicate a gravity change. Gaige must have thought I might leave my area. Even from a distance, he still protected me.

  CHAPTER 85 -

  GAIGE

  Slumped down in a chair and holding a copy of the photo I’d given Victoria, I stared out my window. The stars and galaxies blurred into their black background and I let them. I didn’t want focus. Victoria consumed my every cell. If the only place I could have her was in my tortured thoughts, then I’d hold on to them for now and search for balance later.

  “Conner requesting entry,” the computer said.

  “Allow.”

  I listened to the door open and close. Conner’s footsteps grew closer, but I didn’t bother to turn around. I didn’t have the strength or the desire.

  Conner gave me a consoling slap on the shoulder and sat down in the chair next to me. “She’ll get over this.”

  I rolled my head in his direction. “She was pretty mad. She hates to be lied to. Now she finds out her whole life was a lie.”