The whole night was like a dream, well, nightmare. She didn’t know how much time had passed on the Alturan ship. A few hours at least, according to the clock on her phone. Drone promised nothing had happened to her while she was onboard, but she didn’t trust him completely. Nor should she, not after Payton got the short end of the stick. I need to remind myself he’s okay. The idea of my brother not being whole bothers me even if he’ll be happier.
After she had been taken aboard and put unconscious by the Alturans, she didn’t have any solid idea of what happened next. When Drone woke her again, she found herself with only him and her brother. The Alturans had drugged her enough to keep her disoriented for a bit. As she was led around the ship by Drone, she didn’t get a good look at anything going on. What she remembered the most was Drone telling her to hurry and to stay close. He spoke to a few people on board; his exact words were blurred. I’m pretty sure he was securing our way back to earth. She remembered stumbling onto him, closing her eyes for a few seconds, and then when she opened them again she was back on her home planet.
The cold air snapped her back to reality, and all of her emotions hit her at once.
Will Payton be back when I get there? If so, how different is he going to be? What if they try to take me again? No, I can’t think about it. I have to stop. If the red tribe is there, then I’m doomed, and there’s not much I can do. This is all making me crazy. She clenched her fists. Especially this Drone guy. Who does he think he is anyway? “Boyfriends don’t worry me”? Is he that arrogant to think I would so much as touch him just to get my memories back? I’d rather cash out my life savings or kiss a toad.
And yet, there was something about him that played to her love for the bad boy. Every guy she’d ever dated had a touch of it, for better or worse. It was one of the things that had attracted her to Orlando, even if he was the furthest thing from a stereotypical bad boy as a guy could get. He put on the appearance well. Having a guy who treated her right was a nice change of pace. Yet, she did find herself missing a small bit of adventure. Something about him was different as well. He looked at her in a new way, though she couldn’t quite put her finger on how. Distance was present when they were together. She wanted to blame it on his parents being back home, but she was lying to herself. Something else was keeping him emotionally distracted from her.
Another girl? No, there is no way he’d be interested in anyone else. At school he’s always so indifferent towards all his female admirers. Except for Nia…She annoys him too much. No way they’re meeting up outside of school. I’m being paranoid. It’s not another girl. Whatever was causing him to act differently around her, she’d have to trust he’d tell her on his own, when he was ready. That was how Orlando functioned. He liked to be a mystery until it was time to open up on his own terms. Tait was similar in a lot of ways, so she respected that about him, even if it drove her up a wall sometimes.
The adventurous spark could be returned to their relationship. They’d had fun working around his sister’s work schedule so they could have alone time together. He’d sneaked out of the house a few times to meet her as well. As naughty as all of it sounded, their dates remained incredibly innocent. Not something she was used to at all. Her past boyfriends liked to push boundaries. Orlando seemed to stay away from them. The guy was all kinds of confusing, constantly contradicting himself and keeping her on her toes.
Was that the same as adventure? Or did she really only have a thing for guys who were bad for her? When she saw the Llama Kid again for the first time in ages, she noticed her heart beat awfully fast. Did she stay safe or test her limits?
Safe. Of course I want to be safe. I’m just frustrated and missing all of the old attention I had before I messed things up. Orly and I aren’t even an official couple…yet. He’s close to forgiving me for blowing him off. So close. I can’t mess it up just because I’m feeling insecure.
Self-esteem issues, something she’d never confess to having. Tait was supposed to be the cool, strong, and sophisticated one who had everything together. Deep down, she was plagued by a lack of confidence—confidence that anyone would want her. Payton cared and wanted her around; he was as far as the list went. Their parents wanted the twins around at their convenience. Actually, that seemed to be the story for everyone she knew, including Orlando. They met on his terms. She could suggest things, but he had the overall say.
Drone wants to meet on my terms. Control felt nice. She needed more control. Just because he wanted to meet with her didn’t mean anything had to happen. It’d be fun to play some mind games with him. Serve him and his cocky attitude right.
When she got back home, there were no aliens waiting to kidnap her again and finish off the job. Her parents were asleep in the living room, the television on. Quietly, she took off her shoes and jacket, putting them away in the front closet by the main door. Then she crept her way up the stairs. Payton’s door was closed. Swallowing, she turned the knob to peek inside.
Sound asleep in his room was her brother. His heavy breathing put her heart at ease. Nothing happened, or at least that’s what he’d believe when he awoke the next morning. He’d be normal again. In some ways, Tait envied her brother. All he had to worry about now were keeping his grades up, playing well on the football team, and making his girlfriend happy. No more fear about if he would return home again from a mission.
Fighting grew exhausting, fast. The passion for Alona’s people made all of the sacrifice worth it. Hold on to the final prize.
Chapter Twenty-Five
JD groaned and rubbed at his eyes as he rolled onto his side. His nice, comfortable bed continued to beckon to him to not leave just yet. How he got there, he didn’t know, but he loved it. Sleep was something he could never get enough of, yet for the first time in a while, he felt perfectly rested. Between school, relationships, and his siblings, something had kept him from having a good night’s sleep.
“You finally awake?” Orlando asked from somewhere in the room.
“No,” JD mumbled. “I’m going back to bed.”
“I’ll allow it. You might have to answer to your parents, though, since it’s a school day.”
You’ll allow it. How gracious of you. Wait, it’s a school day? JD opened his eyes wider to look at his clock. A blurry nine in the morning was displayed in painful red letters. “Why didn’t anyone wake me up sooner?”
“When they came home last night, we told them you and Angela had food poisoning,” Orlando said. “I got a free pass from my parents if I promised to spend the day with them. Cadence left a while ago.”
“Why are you in my room?”
“We had a pretty wild slumber party last night. I’ll catch you up later. Now that I know you aren’t going to die, I’m getting breakfast.” Orlando grunted, shifted on JD’s carpet, and then cracked several joints.
JD winced at the sound, turning to face his friend. “That can’t be healthy, man.”
“No, it probably isn’t. Neither is sleeping on your floor. Good thing I got a chiropractor who can fix it.”
“We have a couch.”
“But then I couldn’t make sure…” Orlando waved a hand. “After breakfast. Can’t think straight without coffee.”
JD watched him go. Yawning again, he looked back at the clock. Is it really so late in the day? What happened? How did I get food poisoning? Had to be a lie. Perhaps there was more to Orlando’s comment about watching over JD to make sure he didn’t die. What kind of trouble did I get into?
Slowly, he climbed out of bed. He was still in his clothes from yesterday. After rubbing at his eyes one more time, he left for the kitchen. Coffee sounded divine. He only drank it when necessary, and it definitely felt like a day where a whole pot wasn’t going to be enough. While his body was rested, his brain didn’t seem to want to wake up.
His dad was in the kitchen cleaning up after JD’s twin siblings. They were preschool-aged and little monsters. Adorable monsters, but monsters all the same. The two went
to school every other day for a couple of hours. Staying home sick was something JD avoided. There was no peace and quiet with those two around. He got more rest camping out in the nurse’s office or sleeping in class. Hopefully, he’d be able to talk his dad into letting him go to school for the second half of the day. Just thinking about being subjected to hyperactive four-year-olds gave him a headache.
“Feeling okay?” Dad asked.
“Okay, no. More like I’ve been hit by a bus,” JD muttered, going straight for the coffee. Pain was already starting to shoot between his eyes. Getting out of bed was a bad idea.
Orlando sipped at his mug. “I told you not to eat that sushi.”
All JD could do was shrug and grunt. He didn’t care much for sushi, but he wasn’t about to argue with his friend. Orlando was the only person there who knew the truth of what happened the night before. If he was lying, then he was covering up something big.
“Thank you for picking Angela up from cheer practice and getting her home, and for staying to help with the kids,” Dad said.
Orlando waved a hand. “Not a big deal. I was on my way over anyway, so what’s an extra stop? And it didn’t feel right going home with both of them puking up their guts while they had to babysit. You know, in the off chance someone woke up. My parents understand. I’m just glad everyone is okay.”
Why didn’t Cadence stay? Orly said she was here earlier. JD frowned.
As if Orlando could read his mind, he said, “Cadence’s mom demanded she come back once curfew hit. Something about the buses being weird after a certain hour. Cadence said she’d text you both later, though.”
“And you stayed here?” JD asked.
Orlando patted his chest. “I am? I thought I was at the beach having a picnic with penguins.”
Ugh, I forgot how he’s even more sarcastic when he’s tired. “I meant, you decided to stay even though…”
“Yeah, let’s not get gushy about it,” Orlando mumbled.
“Are you sure your stomach is feeling up to that coffee?” Dad asked, eying JD.
JD took a long sip. “I’ll be okay. I won’t push myself.”
His dad frowned, a sure sign he didn’t believe his son. Given JD’s track record, it wasn’t much of a surprise. He had a tendency to get caught doing stupid things or being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Even though Angela was the one who walked on the wild side, JD was the one they expected to be on the dangerous path.
“We’ll talk about it more later,” Dad said. He got up from the table and went to the living room, where the twins were conveniently picking a fight with one another.
Great, I’m in trouble and I don’t even know what I did. JD grabbed a bagel, hoping to appease his grumbling stomach.
“Did I get food poisoning?” he asked in a whisper.
Orlando shook his head. “I was thinking you could tell me what happened.”
“Can’t remember anything since dinner yesterday,” he mumbled.
“I figured you were going to say that,” Orlando said quietly. “Brief version, because that’s all I got anyway. Your sis called me needing a ride home because she was captured by our favorite doc. When I picked her up, she mentioned you saving her, but didn’t get into a whole lot of details. In fact, she didn’t elaborate on much period. The doc gave her something that would wipe her memory of the past…I don’t even know how many hours of the day. She puked in my car then passed out. You came back home shortly after I got her here and dropped in the middle of the floor.”
He spoke in a low voice, and quickly. JD almost missed most of what was said. So many questions popped into his mind. Mainly, why didn’t he remember any of it and what did the Doctor do to him?
Orlando raised his mug to his lips with a shaking hand. “I told your parents you both got sick shortly after they left. Bad sushi, ate it without caring that it was expired. I brought it over without checking the date. I found an old container in my car and put it in the garbage in case anyone decided to rummage through it.”
“You go above and beyond to make things believable.” JD chuckled.
“I cover my bases.” He stood. “As much as I want to stay and see how Angela is recovering, I was serious about spending the day with my parents. Tell her what’s going on and that I’ll call her later.”
Nodding, JD walked his friend to the door. “Sure thing. We need to—”
“Hang out again soon. I know. For now, rest up and try to…you know…” Orlando glanced at JD’s dad. “Don’t push yourself.”
“I won’t.” Try to remember. That’s what he was going to say, because that’s what I need to do. Something else about me feels off and I’m not sure what. He saw Orlando out, closing the door slowly behind him. I lucked out having good friends. I owe him big time. JD rotated his shoulders and noticed a stiff, sore spot in his left arm. Like he’d been given a shot. This must be what it’s like to get black-out drunk. Note to self, it sucks and that’s not even what happened to me. Angela was taken by the Doctor. Somehow I saved her. Now both of us have been wiped clean of the events of the night. With how much my muscles hurt…I can only assume he got hold of me and did not-so-great things against my will. He frowned. Did I fail? He nibbled on his bagel, no longer hungry but forcing himself to eat anyway. Faking sick wouldn’t be hard to do.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Orlando took his time going back home, stopping at a fast food place for a second breakfast and more coffee. He hardly got any sleep on JD’s hard floor, using nothing more than a pillow and a blanket. As uncomfortable as it was, Orlando didn’t mind. Sure, he could have easily gone home once JD’s parents came home. It’d been late enough that he could pretend to be too tired to drive and not raise any eyebrows. Leaving didn’t feel right, not with so many things unknown.
“I just did something really bad.” JD’s words were the most concerning. The guy got zealous. What was he willing to do to protect his sister? He wouldn’t sell us out, would he? No, there’s no way…so what could be so bad? And since Angela hadn’t woken up before Orlando left, he was doubly worried about her. Who am I kidding? I’d be more worried about her anyway. He shook his head. I shouldn’t have kissed her. What was I thinking? I’m scum. No, I’m worse than scum. Taking advantage of the memory loss?
Even if Angela didn’t remember the kiss, he would. Her lips on his were going to haunt him for a long time. Stupid, stupid, stupid. And now I get to live with the moment as some kind of twisted karma. To make things worse, now he had to go back and deal with his parents.
Taking a large swig of his coffee, he walked into the mudroom of the house. The instant he stepped through the door, heavy footsteps came toward him.
“Didn’t you leave your friend’s house almost an hour ago?” his dad snapped.
Orlando held up his bag of fast food. “I stopped to get something to eat.”
“This is the last time you have an…outing…of this nature. From now on, you’re home, at nine, and you stay in for the rest of the night.”
“They needed me,” Orlando mumbled, pushing his way past so he could go sit in the living room.
His father stalked in after him, sitting close to his son in an almost suffocating manner. For the time being, Orlando tolerated it. The pure exhaustion enveloping him was making his threshold for disrespect and attitude small, however. If his father pushed the right buttons, there would be a massive explosion—possibly literally if he lost control of his powers.
For a moment, his father peered at him. “I know where you really were last night. You didn’t spend the night at a friend’s place.”
“Actually, I did, and they were sick, like I said.” Orlando took a bite of his sandwich, determined to prove he could be mature even if he wanted to say a lot of not-so-mature things.
“Then why is there surveillance footage of you on the Rosalotuve’s ship? The one that happens to be in orbit around this location and that you’re working with.”
Orlando swallowed. “Because
I went there first for a few hours. When I came back, I went to see my friends.”
“You’re not even going to try and hide it?”
“Why should I? You know I’m involved. There’s no point in lying if you have evidence.” He shrugged. “I don’t see what the big deal is.”
A low growl escaped his father’s lips. “You don’t see what the big deal is about traveling into space? Alone?”
“I wasn’t alone.”
“Without me.”
Rolling his eyes, Orlando finished his coffee. “So that’s what this is about. You’re all ticked off because you didn’t get to be the first one to show me the experience of space, to be the one who informed me of all the drama with Altura in the first place. If you wanted a good daddy/son bonding experience, it’d be better to start with something like golf, or art class, or tee-ball.”
“I don’t want you involved in a different tribe than our people,” his father said flatly. “You’re a Nassalmvan. I was hoping to get you acquainted with our culture and show you our perspective of the war. Even then, I don’t approve of you being an agent involved on the field. Ultimately, I’m aware I can’t stop you. We’ve talked about this before. Yes, it bothers me I didn’t get to be the one to show you all of this. You’re my son—of course I’m concerned about you.”
So concerned, yet so absent. Orlando took another bite, a large one, keeping his gaze glued on the man pleading before him. He’d been expecting more fire and fight and less desperation. “You can still do all of those things. It’s not like I’m some kind of mindless puppet to Alan’s tribe. Personally, I’d like to understand all points of view since I’ve been told next to nothing about it all. But I’m not leaving Alan, or my friends out of family loyalty. They’re the first…” He averted his gaze. “They’re the first people who have accepted me for who I am, and they haven’t let me down. Which is a lot more than I can say about you.”
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