“Who are you?” her own voice screamed. She could hear the fright and confusion in the voice.
When they were all outside the dome, she finally stopped and turned around to face them.
Her other self gasped.
“Who are you?” her mom breathed with a scared expression on her face.
“I’m Gem from the future,” Gem answered with a serious face.
They both inhaled in alarm. “That can’t be…” the other Gem said.
“Time travel,” the future Gem explained briefly. “I came back for good reason. There’s a special person in my life, in your life… that we need to save. Please I need your help.”
The announcer had come on stage. They could hear him talking.
The other Gem looked back to the dome. “I-I have to go back in first… Let’s talk later…” she started to say.
The future Gem clutched her hand. “Please, I’m begging you… Don’t…”
Her other self hesitated and looked truly sorry. They seemed to feel some sort of connection in between them.
“Can Gemini please come up on stage now?” the announcer was saying. His voice boomed over the loud speakers which could be heard even outside the large dome.
“Please…” Gem pleaded, holding on to her other self tightly. “I promise you, you’re going to be much happier in the future if you listen to me. You will find love and it will make all the difference in your life. Believe me, I’ve been there.”
Suddenly, her other self broke free and ran back toward the entrance. Her mom, looking anxious, ran after her.
Gem’s heart constricted as an image of Cliff entered her mind. She sprinted after them.
A final announcement was being made by then, but she didn’t catch the words anymore as a strong gust of wind made her close her eyes and drop to the ground. The wind seemed to grow stronger, climbing higher and higher, enveloping her in a misty cloud.
Gem felt her limbs being stretched far and wide, her head seemingly growing bigger. She could not see anything. She could only feel the pain. She could only hear the screaming gale.
In a few seconds, everything went dark.
*****
The sound of the waves crashing onto the shore made Gem open her eyes. Where am I? she thought. She sat up on the fine cream-colored sand and looked at the vast sea in front of her.
Somehow she knew in her heart that she was on planet Earth. A strange feeling of comfort and relief came over her, though she could not yet comprehend it.
“There you are!” a male voice cried.
Gem looked up and saw a well-built young man with dark hair and brown eyes coming toward her. On his trail was a familiar dog who was barking happily and wagging its tail.
Her heart began to pound wildly, for reasons she did not understand. She stood up quickly, a questioning look on her face.
“I thought you’d left,” the man said with a worried expression on his face. He immediately embraced her, his muscular arms circling her shoulders.
The sudden closeness made her heart jump. Cliff. The name came to her out of nowhere.
“Cliff…” she whispered into his chest as he stroked her back and kissed her on the forehead.
She closed her eyes, savoring his warm, loving touch. And when she did, a startling myriad of memories engulfed her. She could remember--- the sculpture of herself that he had given her, the Moonrock Beach Festival, their lovemaking on the sand dunes, the way he smiled and made her feel special, her return to her past and…
Her eyes flew open then. She stepped back from him and glanced at her wrist. She was still wearing the time travel watch, which was dated 1131 in Martian year.
“Uh, Cliff? How long has it been since I got here?” she asked.
Cliff gave her a weird look. “About a month. Why?”
Gem was very much relieved to see him alive again. It was around this time that the Warrior King had come back to get her. Maybe, just maybe, I was successful in changing the past. Perhaps Mom was able to stop the old me, or a new bride had been picked before she got back to there. There won’t be any Warrior King coming after me because I was never the next bride.
“You know, Gem, you always talk about the planet Mars in your dreams,” Cliff said with concern. “Sometimes you talk about your mom too. I have this feeling you need to settle something somewhere. Every time you go missing, I’m gripped with fear that I’ll never see you again.”
Gem gave him a reassuring smile, taking both of his hands and squeezing them. “I think we’ve just been granted a new future,” she said with a huge smile on her beautiful face. “I will never, ever leave you, Cliff. We have a whole lot of years ahead to make new memories together.”
He smiled. “I’d like that.”
Then he leaned over and gave her a soft, sweet kiss on the lips. “I love you, Gem.”
“I love you too, Cliff,” Gem whispered. Then grabbing his hand and pulling him down, they sat on the sand side by side. She tilted her head to rest it on his shoulder, while his canine friend joyfully bounced around them.
“Now I’m ready to tell you everything,” she said. “Are you ready to listen?”
“Of course,” was Cliff’s immediate reply. He placed his hand around her waist and pulled her even closer to him.
“Once upon a time, in outer space, I lived in planet Mars…”
THE END
Bonus Story 22 of 40
Suburban Cyborg
“The readings we are receiving from your other unit are sufficient. How has your oxygen filtration system been functioning, PAUL-3957?” The voice from the handheld communicator was nasally and there was a humming background noise collected from interstellar feedback.
“Function levels are normal. Optimal setting is at 115% oxygen intake.”
Paul Bardon was sitting in the bedroom of his suburban home on Earth as he read the statistical information from the display imbedded in his left forearm to the small device in his right hand. The information was being sent to his commander 130 light years away on Beseda or, as it was known on this planet, Beta Ursae Minoris b.
“You’re doing an excellent job, PAUL-3957. We have new orders for you. Activate order Alpha-92-C65.”
“Yes sir.”
The order directives showed up on his forearm display as his commander signed off. Paul stood up from the bed, sliding the communicator into the front pocket of his khakis, and smoothed out the crisp white sheets where his presence had disturbed them. He looked around the room to check that everything was clean and orderly as his military training had instilled in him. Everything was in its’ place, and just so, as the knock at the front door prompted him to leave the room.
***
Laura Blumenthal was busy scratching behind the ears of the three-year-old golden retriever and crooning “such a good boy” when the door before her opened up. Startled, she straightened blushing bright red. The handsome owner of the dog, Paul Bardon, towered over her wearing his usual khakis and a baby blue polo that was just a tad snug in the shoulders so that the fabric was pulled taut over his athletic frame. She always felt like she was underdressed when she was around him, wearing old concert t-shirts and leggings. Her long dark hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and a brightly colored woven purse slung across her shoulder held her car keys, dog treats, and poop baggies. After all, dog walking in suburban Kansas City was not a profession that one really had to dress up for.
“Hi Mr. Bardon. I-I just finished walking Aspen.” She motioned to the retriever who sat at perfect attention with his tail wagging lazily. “He was perfectly well behaved, as always. He’s the best behaved dog in the entire neighborhood.”
“Thank you, Ms. Blumenthal,” he answered in his standard courteous manner and she handed him the leash. As they traded off the nylon strap Laura’s hand brushed lightly against his long fingers and she felt a small jolt as if she had been shocked.
She retracted her hand quickly, her blush deepening. She felt his dark bro
wn eyes assessing her while she kept her own eyes fixed firmly on his loafers and kneaded the woven strap of her little purse with her fingers. For the last six months, since the quiet accountant had moved into the neighborhood and Laura had begun walking his dog, she had been harboring a crush for Paul Bardon. He was not much older than her, in his mid thirties, and very attractive. He stood just over six foot with broad shoulders that tapered down to a trim waist. His dusty blonde hair was always combed back like James Dean and even in these late October days his skin looked like it had been kissed by the sun.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” she blurted out in a rush as she turned to walk away, desperate to get out from under his scrutinizing gaze. “Three o’clock as usual.”
“Laura.”
The word, her name, hung in the air for a moment and she froze in place. Paul wasn’t an outspoken man, but he always spoke with authority. This was different, however, from his carefully chosen words, deliberate and delivered in that polite manner that almost sounded robotic. Never had he called her by her first name. This was…spontaneous.
Slowly, Laura turned back around to face Paul. He looked like a model standing on his front step with Aspen sitting beside him, the both of them framed by the door with the neatly trimmed hedges extending off to either side. The only thing out of place was the look of shock and confusion on his face.
“Yes, Mr. Bardon?”
“Please, call me Paul,” he said, regaining his composure.
Laura blushed again. “Paul.”
“Maybe we could see each other another time as well. Would you be available tonight?”
“Oh. I-I would love to…but I have class tonight.” The question was unexpected. As much as she had daydreamed of this moment, she never thought in a million years that it could actually happen. After all, despite months of her walking his dog, the two of them had never really exchanged more words than were necessary. Paul’s brow furrowed and Laura knew that such a beautiful man had probably never been turned down for a date before. She quickly added, “But I’m free tomorrow.”
Paul smiled and her heart fluttered. She had never seen so much expression in his face in all the time that she’d known him. His quiet mannerisms never allowed for much in the emotional range, but his perfect smile was breathtaking and Laura felt weak in the knees.
“I’ll make reservations for tomorrow,” he said. “Is lunchtime okay? Would you mind if I were to pick you up?”
For Laura, the world seemed to be spinning and she wondered if this was all just a vivid dream she was about to wake up from. How could such sculpted lips be saying these words? She was momentarily transfixed on his mouth, how his lips moved and caressed each vowel and consonant. They were so perfectly centered between his slightly upturned nose and that prominently chiseled chin. On top of it, they were the perfect shade, slightly darker than the rest of his tan skin and-
“Laura?”
“Oh, yes,” she felt like schoolgirl fawning over him and getting lost in thought. She quickly regained herself. “Yes, I’d like that very much. Lunch sounds great. Would you like-well, I guess you already have my number.”
An amused smirk crept onto Paul’s face and Laura knew she must have been some awful shade of fire engine red from her own embarrassment. He nodded. “Yes, I have your number. I will give you a call later this evening. What time does your class end?”
“Nine o’clock.”
*****
Laura woke up early the next morning. She could barely sleep with all of her excitement for her date with Paul. It had been a long time since she had been on a proper date. Between her job as a dog walker and her business classes at night, she had removed herself from the dating scene so that she could focus on getting her career on track. Her initial plan was to finish her business degree in the next year and open her own doggy daycare before she worried about finding a man.
However, when a man like Paul Bardon asked you on a date it would be foolish to turn him down. He was well off for an accountant and owned a lovely house in the suburbs. He was handsome, in shape, and unlike some of the men from her night classes who had asked her out, he had all of his hair and teeth.
Laura’s inner thoughts continued on this train of thought as she went about her morning routine. She began by getting dressed and going for a morning run. Her steps echoed in the stairwell of her building as she descended from her third floor apartment. Then she headed in the direction of the nearest park.
One of the things she enjoyed about living in the area was that even though she lived “in the city” things weren’t crowded and suffocating. Granted, it was still an urban area and vastly different from the suburbs, but she had visited friends who had moved to places like New York City and she much preferred the sprawling urbanization of the Midwest.
The dawn was just starting to illuminate the sky but there were a few other runners out that Laura passed by when she got to the park. Some of them she recognized and a couple she had even talked to in passing. She smiled at everyone she passed, unable to contain her excitement for the day ahead.
When she returned to her apartment an hour later she was hot and sweaty, but no less excited. She turned on the coffee maker as she let down her hair and began to strip off the sweaty clothes so she could get into the shower. Emerging from the steamy bathroom wrapped in her fluffy blue towel, she breathed in the pleasant aroma of strong, dark roast coffee that filled her entire apartment.
Thoughts of Paul kept her mind abuzz and she kept replaying their conversation on the phone last night. Not that it was a particularly long conversation, as Paul was a man of few words. But just the knowledge that he was interested in her, even if he didn’t quite show it very well, was enough to make her giddy.
After pouring herself a cup of coffee, Laura began the tedious task of figuring out just what to wear. She stood in front of the full-length mirror on her closet door and wondered just how much to dress up for a first date. Paul had said he’d made reservations for brunch at 11:30, so she had roughly two hours to dissect her closet to find the most appropriate outfit.
***
Laura was nervous as she prepared to open the door of her apartment building. On the other side was Paul, and she was quite self-conscious of her appearance. She wondered if the dark brown slacks made her hips look too wide, or if the salmon colored sweater was too much color for her complexion. Her hair fell loosely about her shoulders and she momentarily considered throwing it up in a ponytail, but after a deep breath she decided against it and opened the door.
There stood Paul, his brown eyes were warmed by the small smile that grew on his face when he took in her appearance. He was wearing his usual khakis and a white polo, and the midmorning light highlighted the strong features of his face like his high cheekbones and square jaw.
“Good morning, my dear,” he said as he extended a hand for her.
“Good morning,” Laura managed as she blushed and took his hand.
His long fingers wrapped around hers as they walked down the front steps, and she could feel how strong they were despite how soft and smooth his skin was. She vaguely wondered what kind of magical moisturizer he must use to have such soft skin, because in comparison she figured her hands probably felt almost reptilian.
“I’m glad you were able to see me this morning,” Paul said as he led her to the dark blue Mazda and opened the door for her.
“Me too.” She let out a nervous, yet breathless, laugh as she climbed into the passenger seat. Everything inside the car was immaculate, as if the car had just come from the dealership. She wondered how he could keep everything so perfect.
“Are you ready?” he asked when he was in the car and had put his seatbelt on.
“Yes.”
That perfect smile cut across his face as the car revved to life and they pulled away from the curb. Laura could not contain her gasp as Paul wove through the downtown traffic like a fish through water. It was as if he knew just what all of the other drivers were
going to do. The look on his face expressed just how much he was enjoying it and Laura noted the excitement in his eyes and how he seamlessly moved with the machine, as if he understood it on another level. She’d known guys who were into cars, but none of them had ever looked this at ease and in tune with them.
Normally, she would have worried about the lack of conversation in the car, but Laura didn’t sense any awkwardness between them. She didn’t expect Paul to say much in the first place and was just glad to be near him.
When they arrived at the little restaurant, Paul pulled smoothly into a parking spot near the front door and looked over at her with his little smile still in place. “Have you ever been here before?”
Laura shook her head. She could never afford to eat out at such fancy brunch restaurants on her budget. The dog walking paid well enough, but with the cost of tuition for her night classes there wasn’t much left over for eating out at nice restaurants.
“Then this will be a treat.”
*****
After that first date, Laura’s relationship with Paul blossomed. He began to monopolize all of her free time, taking her to museums and antique shops and regaling her with interesting facts and tidbits of history. They would take Aspen on long walks in the park and as they spent more time together, Laura felt at ease with Paul’s quiet and reserved personality. She didn’t need him to talk a lot, and she found she enjoyed his quiet presence.
He would always hold her hand, and after their third date, he had even kissed her lightly on the cheek. Laura felt electricity surge through her when his lips brushed against her skin. It was as if she had pressed her cheek onto a live wire. The jolt gave her a rush the likes of which she had never felt before. Immediately, she craved to have his lips on her.
One day, Paul invited Laura over to his place for dinner. Her familiar nerves returned as she walked up the steps to his front door. As many times as she had been here, she had never been inside of Paul’s house and somehow the prospect of actually going in struck a chord of anxiety inside of her. Even though she was familiar with his house, Laura found it hard to imagine him actually dwelling somewhere, sleeping and showering like a normal person. For some reason, he just seemed to exist in this suspended construction in her mind, like an angel that didn’t really live on earth, but visited just for her. Of course that notion was silly, and as Laura reached the front door she stilled herself and prepared to see the mundane side of Paul.
Two Wolves For Lizette Page 76