by Seven Steps
Panic set in, forcing her to pace in front of the window as she tried to remember where she'd came from. Her worried feet didn't stop moving until the door slammed shut behind them.
“Where have you been?” Roland asked.
“Getting you guys some clothes. You can’t walk around New York like that. Here.” He tossed Joanna a dress, and handed Roland a pair of pants and a shirt. “Put those on. I’ll be downstairs getting a bite to eat.”
She put the dress up to her nose and sniffed. It smelled clean enough. “Whose clothes are these?” she asked.
“Yours,” he replied. “See you in a few minutes.”
He slammed the door behind him, leaving Joanna and Roland alone again.
His eyes found hers in the dimly lit room, making her breath catch and calming her running mind.
Why haven't I noticed how handsome he is?
She boldly allowed herself to look him over for a moment more, before turning back to the window, slower this time.
I feel so strange. Shaky. Perhaps once I get some sleep, I'll feel like my old self again.
The smooth fabric of the brown and white striped dress was cool beneath her fingers. The neck was cut wide, and a white stripe lined with lace ran up the middle. The bottom of the dress had two layers of fabric, making it poof out. No doubt, these clothes were of a good quality for the time they were in, but in Joanna’s eyes, they were rags. She rolled her eyes.
“Who in their right mind would wear this?” she asked, shaking the dress out in front of her.
“It doesn’t look too bad,” Roland said, holding the white shirt up in front of him.
“Yes. It does,” she replied, beginning to undress. “Where do you think he got them?”
“Probably stole them from somewhere,” Roland replied, unzipping his white space suit from the neck.
The thought that she was about to undress in front of Roland made her grip her space suit to her breast.
She bit the inside of her lip and scolded herself.
I'm being ridiculous. I've undressed in front of him a million times before. He tailors my clothes!
She quickly stepped out of her spacesuit and into the dress, shoving her hands through the sleeves.
“Button me,” she said.
She heard his heavy footsteps approach. Felt his heat when he stood behind her. Goosebumps raced across the sensitive skin at her shoulders, her neck, her arms.
Why am I feeling this way? What is wrong with me?
The fabric pulled tighter as he buttoned the back of her dress. When he reached the last button at the top, his movements slowed.
She heard him inhale deeply. Felt his warm lips press to her pale, brown flesh. Tingles raced through her. Her heart pounded against her ribs, and her lungs refused to work. Every bit of her zeroed in on the place where his lips lingered on her skin. The feeling was electric, and new, and beautiful, and terrifying. She knew she'd scream if she could just find the breath.
After what seemed like an eternity, he ended his torturous kiss and pulled himself straight behind her.
“Done,” he croaked.
With the spell of his lips gone, her lungs worked again, her breaths coming in fast. She whipped around and faced him, suddenly both terrified and angry and confused at the man who stood before her.
“Why did you do that?” she demanded. What was meant to be a scream came out as barely a whisper.
His eyes held no shame. No fear. In fact, there was a darkness there; a fire that leapt from his eyes and consumed her, making her body heat beneath it.
“I've wanted to do that for a long time.”
Anger pinched her cheeks, and squeezed her eyebrows into a frown. She stalked across the room and collapsed onto the bed. So many emotions ran through her that she didn't know which one to examine first. Instead, she wrapped her arms around herself and rocked twice before looking up at him. She hoped he saw her anger, and not the other confusing feelings that made her want to call him back to her; to demand that he kiss her like that for the rest of their lives.
No. That's madness. Men and women don't kiss each other. They don't even touch each other. To do that is a vile dishonor. Why would he kiss me like that? What has he done?
“Why did you do that?” she cried, her voice screeching like chalk down a board.
“Joanna, if you want me to say I’m sorry, I’m not. I'm not sorry that I kissed you. In fact,” his eyes turned soft, the yearning replacing the heated looks he'd given her a moment before, “I'd like to do it again.”
Fear rose in her heart, tinged with something else.
No. No. It’s not possible. We cannot do this. It’s wrong.
His large body sat on the bed next to her. He was close. So close that their arms touched.
Joanna didn’t know whether she wanted to run screaming from the room or inch closer to him.
There was silence, but only for a moment.
“Joanna, we’re on Earth now. We’re free. There’s no Enforcers around. There’s nothing to be afraid of. We’re safe here.” His fingers found their way to her chin, and he gently turned her face to his.
Her lips trembled as he smoothed away a hair that had falling into her flushed face.
His eyes zeroed in on her lips.
She felt her entire body shake.
He's going to kiss me again!
Shamed at the thrill that ran from her hair to her toes, she jerked her head back and stood.
“I think we should get something to eat now,” she said, her eyes on the door, her fingers fidgeting.
This room is hot. Much hotter than bfore. I have to get out of here. This heat is doing strange things to my brain!
“Of course,” he replied.
She tried not to focus on the way his deep voice seemed to fill the room. To fill her soul. He briskly walked over and opened the door for her, allowing her to walk out first.
She passed him and stepped out into the cooler hallway. Her feet moved fast, anxious to get away from the large man behind her who made her feel every emotion at once. Who made her want to do some very un-Venian things.
When did that happen?
A quick right brought her directly in front of Nic and Terra’s door. She knocked with the knuckles of two fingers, struggling to keep her composure.
There was a burst of laughter in the room and the sound of a scuffle. A moment later, Terra appeared at the door, a soft blue dress on, similar to Joanna’s.
“Joanna, you look wonderful!” Terra said, a big grin on her face.
Can she see my sin on my face? Can she see how my body reacted to Roland earlier? Does she know that he kissed me?
“Yes. Well, we're going to get something to eat. Are you coming?”
Another burst of laughter, and the sound of more scuffling. Joanna looked past Terra and into the room. Nic, Danny, and Deanna were running about the room, chasing each other and hitting each other with thin pillows. Deanna let out loud shrieks of laughter every now and then as Nic picked her and her brother up and swung them around.
“What’s going on here?” Joanna asked.
“Nic’s just playing with the children.” Terra's eyes held a happiness and joy that Joanna had never seen before. She seemed almost giddy. “Hey. We’re going to dinner!” Terra called over her shoulder.
Nic took immediate notice and stopped the game.
“But we were having so much fun!” Deanna whined.
“And now it’s time to eat. Aren't you hungry?”
The girl pouted for a moment before Nic picked her up and threw her over his shoulder, forcing her to hold on to his thick neck with her two small hands. She let out more shrieks of laughter.
“We’re ready,” Nic said, taking hold of Danny’s hand and marching the two children into the hallway.
“Well, I see that you’ve adjusted quickly,” Joanna said as Terra locked her door.
“Yes,” Terra replied, brushing her hair back with one hand. “Aren’t you?”
No. I am not adjusting at all, she wanted to yell. I’m in desperate need of a bath, I don’t remember the name of my birthplace, and Roland is trying to kiss me, and giving me all kinds of shivers. Does that sound well adjusted to you?
She bit her lip against the barrage she wanted to hurl at everyone around her, and led them down the stairs and past the man behind the desk. She turned to the left, toward the kitchen. The man behind the desk eyed Nic as he swung Deanna from his back and placed her gently down on the floor, causing her to whine again. They quickly advanced past him and through the door, to the smoke-filled room.
CHAPTER 23
The kitchen was more like a dining room; situated in the back of the boarding house. The only light shone from candles scattered on crooked ledges on the walls. Each candle dripped its hot wax dangerously close to the wooden tables and chairs.
“Haven’t these people ever heard of colors?” Joanna asked, joining Marshall at the table.
“They’re poor. Maybe they can’t afford it,” Roland replied.
Joanna rolled her eyes. “You’re never too poor for pastels.”
Marshall waited for the women and children to sit before walking to the kitchen to request a bowl of stew. Nic and Danny trotted behind him.
The smell of alcohol and food mixed and fused into a smell that was both delicious and intoxicating. To their left, a woman with red hair and pale skin was having a loud conversation with her equally red headed friend about the evilness of the government. To their right, an older, sweaty man with a painfully thin comb over loudly sipped a bowl of soup.
“What are you doing in here?” Terra heard.
A woman with short brown hair, pouted lips, sharp blue eyes, and a tall, lean body looked down at her.
“What do you mean?” Terra asked.
“I mean, what are you doing in here?” the woman repeated.
“I’m about to eat with my friends,” she said. “Is that a problem?”
“Yes. It is. I can’t eat my food with you here.” She bent down and whispered into Terra’s ear, “Niggers make me nauseous.”
Terra didn’t know what nigger meant, but she could tell from the tone of the woman’s voice that the word was not a compliment. She patted Deanna’s head before standing to confront the woman.
Her body tensed with adrenaline, and she pulled herself up to her full height. “Leave me and my friends alone now.”
The woman leaned in until they were nose to nose. She smirked, revealing perfect teeth. “No.”
“Terra, just ignore her,” Joanna said.
“Yeah, Terra. Maybe you should listen to your friend.”
Before Terra could answer, the woman shoved her backward, causing her butt to hit the top of the wooden table.
Terra launched herself off the table, dropped her shoulder, and rammed it into the woman’s gut.
The woman’s back hit the wooden table behind her, and she flipped head over heels over it. Her head bounced off the wooden floor with a THOINK.
Terra leapt over the table, straddled the woman, yanked her up by the collar, and sent a hard punch to the woman’s jaw.
“Get off her!”
Someone grabbed Terra from behind and threw her across the room.
Terra stopped herself before she flew into the wall and glared at the short, rough looking blonde woman who’d thrown her.
She let out a scream and began to run toward the blonde when two massive arms grabbed her from behind, holding her back. It was Nic.
“What’s going on?” he asked, the adrenaline in his eyes, too.
“I don’t know!” Terra screamed angrily. “They just attacked me!”
One of the women, the blonde, grabbed Terra’s throat and began to strangle her.
“Hey!” Nic cried, yanking the blonde off her and holding her at arm’s length. “Leave her alone!”
“I’m going to kill her!” Terra screamed, squirming in Nic’s grasp. “Let me go!”
“Get off me, you big ape!” the woman cried out.
Nic let her go, and the woman angrily stomped across the room. She angrily gestured to a bald man whose muscles rippled beneath his white T-Shirt. The man squinted at them, then tapped his friend—a tall red head with missing teeth and a scar down his right cheek. They stood and walked toward Nic.
“Hey!” said the bald one. “You hit my wife?”
“No. I didn’t hit your wife. She attacked Terra, and I pulled her off.”
“Look: if she,” he gestured toward the blonde, “wants to pick a fight, then that’s none of your concern.”
“She can pick a fight with anyone she wants. Just leave me and my friends alone.”
Terra watched as Nic’s face turned from one shade of red to the next. He was angry. She’d never seen him angry before. Irritated, yes, but never angry. It intrigued her. She couldn’t look away.
“You’d protect a nigger over a white woman?” the red headed man demanded. “You’d better get your facts straight, boy. You’d better look in the mirror.”
“Keep your woman away from mine,” Nic replied, pointing at Terra.
“Oh. I see,” the red head said. “They’re saying that if our wives pick a fight with his friends, he’s going to get involved. Oohhh. I’m so scared.” He danced around in a circle with his hands shaking above his head. “Oohh. I’m so scared that the big nigger lover is gonna get me! Oohh!”
“That’s exactly what he is. He’s a nigger lover.”
“That’s your girlfriend, nigger lover?”
“No. That ain’t his girlfriend. That’s his whore!”
The man never got a chance to take a breath. Nic’s massive fist rammed into the man’s face, crushing his nose and sending him slamming into the floor. He grabbed the red haired man and threw him across the room, causing him to crash into the blonde and the brown haired women along the way.
The bald man jumped up and grabbed Nic’s pant leg and pulled.
Nic got lose and kicked the man in the face, sending spittle and blood flying.
The room turned quiet. All eyes were on the large blond with blood on his pants and shoes. They examined him, deciding their best strategy. Then, a short man with long, dark hair stood up. He was followed by another man, then another, then another. Soon, every man and woman in the bar was standing and walking toward Nic. He backed up toward the wall, nearly tripping over Terra.
“Terra, get out of here,” he said.
“But I can help you!”
“Get out of here now!” Nic screamed. “Take Joanna and the children with you.”
Terra complied and ran toward the table. Nic assumed a defensive stance. Out of the corner of his right eye, he saw Marshall and Roland stand beside him. If he was going to go down, it would be with those two men by his side.
The crowd advanced closer and closer to the three men.
“We don’t take too kindly to nigger lovers in this place,” said the short bald man. His two eyes were already blackened, and his nose was pointed slightly to the left.
Nic took a deep breath.
The short man began to run at them, when, suddenly, they heard, “What’s going on down here, you bunch of roughs?”
Nic looked toward the hallway.
A tall man with dark hair, long arms, and a rounded belly strolled into the room. He wore a dark blue jacket and slacks. A dull, golden badge sat on his right chest.
The crowd parted for him.
“Nothing, sir,” the short man said. “Just having a friendly chat.”
“Well, here in America, we have chats at tables,” the tall man replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “How about we try that? Or would you rather me throw you all in prison? We’ll see how your wives like having polishers for husbands.”
The crowd scattered back to their tables, and the room was silent again.
Terra, Joanna, and the children reappeared in the doorway of the room.
>
“These with you?” the officer asked.
“Yes, sir,” Nic stuttered. He didn’t know who the man was, but he obviously had to have some sort of authority.
“They were running down the street, screaming that there was some sort of problem in here. Is there some sort of problem in here?”
Nic looked at the tables around him. No one looked up.
“I said, is there a problem in here?” the officer asked.
“No, sir. There’s no problem,” Nic whispered.
The man nodded. He held out a large sweaty palm to Nic. “The name’s John Kennedy. I’m the Police Superintendent for the city of New York.”
“Nic,” he replied. “This is Roland and Marshall.”
John Kennedy leaned into Nic, his breath smelling like mints, his face heavy with fat and flesh. “If these guys give you any more problems, you just call me, okay?”
Nic nodded. “Yes, sir.”
“Now you remember my name, don’t you son?”
“Yes, sir. John Kennedy.”
The man’s face muscles somehow lifted the heavy skin to reveal a smile, and small, curved teeth. “Good. You staying here for the night?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Then I suggest that you turn in. Did you eat yet?”
“No, sir.”
“Get some bowls; take them with you.”
“Yes, sir,” Nic replied.
Nic walked to the counter where a woman began handing him bowls of stew, bread, and tumblers full of beer. Terra, Roland, and Danny walked over to aide him before filing back through the smoky hallway and up the creaking staircase to their rooms. Kennedy followed them closely.
“Well, have yourselves a good night,” he said from the top step.
“You, too,” Nic replied over his shoulder as Terra opened the door.
They quickly walked inside and took a deep breath. The room was dark for several seconds before the gas lantern in the corner was lit. They looked to see Danny waving out a match.
Silently, Terra led Deanna to the bed and they began to eat. Danny stayed by the lantern, staring at Nic, waiting for him to make a move. After several seconds, Nic moved away from the door and sat in a chair across from Terra. Danny ran over and, taking a bowl from Nic’s hand, sat at his feet and began to eat.