by Alechia Dow
M0Rr1S has no idea what a solopad is, but imagines it’s Andarran tech. He’d ask about it, but Rupert continues talking.
“I hope you haven’t had the displeasure of witnessing the coldness between Cecil and Allister? If so, please don’t mind them. They’ve been at odds for three years now. All will eventually be forgiven until the next argument. I suspect you Ilori wouldn’t understand.” Rupert turns AvR0la’s wrists over, examining the metal.
M0Rr1S laughs. “You’d think we wouldn’t understand, but we have our own feuds and emotional yearnings.” He thinks of 0rsa and his father, his brother and mother. “We feel just as much as the humans. Just maybe not as much as all of you.”
“Everyone knows that your masters feel. How else would your empire have amassed such a long list of colonies and territories? There must be desire for these things. It’s not practical to own more than you need. Only greed compels this.” Rupert casts M0Rr1S a quick glance with raised eyebrows.
“Greed but also fear,” M0Rr1S states. “My grandfather, Emperor 1lv, is calculating and cunning. His desires mean doom for everyone else.”
Rupert straightens. “It is good, then, that you plan on killing him.”
“Well. I don’t know how I can yet. We have no—”
Cecil returns with a black cord draped over his shoulder. He plugs it into an outlet on the shiny counter behind AvR0la, then places M0Rr1S’s finger between the two prongs once more. “Go fast now.”
The electricity streams into M0Rr1S. He’s already full from before, but now he feels like he has enough electricity to light up the world. He focuses his mind on breaking the cuffs, but he feels fire in his veins. Focus. The cuffs slowly begin to melt, and M0Rr1S pulls back as much as he can not to burn Avi’s skin. His hair lifts off his head and the panel streams colors into his eyes; bright yellow, blue, green... Focus.
The cuffs clunk to the floor. M0Rr1S screams as he rips the cord off his finger. He takes a step back, catching his breath as AvR0la throws their arms around him. “Thank you, sir.”
“Avi, please call me Morris.”
AvR0la tries to smile. “Thank you, Morris.”
“AvR0la, I—”
“Disable Il-0CoM permanently first. It’s very loud and accusatory in here, and any minute now...”
“I can’t. That would require me to sign in and establish a secret...” He pauses. “I know what to do.”
Brixton. M0Rr1S has never used their familial connection before, but then, he didn’t know it went both ways. There’s a long silence in his mind, and he worries that it’s not real, after all. Maybe Brixton said that to make him feel less alone. Yet, there’s a crackle and then a clear line of communication unlike one he’s ever had before.
That didn’t take long. There’s a hint of amusement and maybe a little affection in Brixton’s voice.
Can you disable Il-0CoM for AvR0la?
I will.
Thank you.
Family doesn’t need to say thank you.
The line goes cold. Cecil and AvR0la eye him with raised brows.
“It’s a long story.” M0Rr1S laughs a little, disbelief and happiness at war within him.
“I do love a story, especially a long one. Make it twisty, though.” Cecil pours himself and AvR0la a cup of steaming liquid. Tea, maybe.
M0Rr1S turns to the exit. “I’ll tell you both when I come back. And, AvR0la, I want to know everything. But, I’ve got to see Ellie.”
“Of course, Morris.” This time AvR0la’s lips quirk expertly and they exchange a knowing glance with Cecil.
M0Rr1S eyes them both before bolting out of the kitchen and up the stairs.
CHAPTER 26
“So come with me, where dreams are born, and time is never planned. Just think of happy things, and your heart will fly on wings, forever, in Never Never Land!”
—J.M. Barrie
JANELLE
I hear singing in another language when I wake. My eyes are blurry, and my hand grasps the soft comforter beneath me. Sun streams through the open windows. I turn my head, and my eyes squint at the figure standing there. My eyesight’s not great, but I can make out blue hair. I shake my shoulders, jostling the glasses beside me. Through pain, I reach for them. In my grasp, it’s slow going, but I slide them onto my face before turning back to the figure at the window. I slowly blink, adjusting to my improved eyesight.
The lead singer of the Starry Eyed, Allister Daniels, stands there singing. Lost in his own world. My heart pounds; his voice is angelic. He wears almost normal clothes with the exception of a glittery purple cape. His blue hair falls around his shoulders, and his bright violet eyes brighten even more in the sunlight.
Is this a dream? I’d pinch myself, but I’ve already had enough pain.
“Um...” I clear my throat.
“Janelle.” Allister abruptly stops singing, and glides across the room to my side. “Hello, darling.”
I mean, it’s nice to wake up in a gorgeous bedroom, serenaded by a mega popstar and teen heartthrob, but it’s also super confusing to be called darling. I don’t know him like that. I’m sure my face says as much because he pulls back from me and smiles.
“Right, sorry. I’m the lead singer of the Starry Eyed but I’m also an alien like Morris, only I come from Andarra. A land far, far away in space and time. Like Star Wars. Only real.” He gestures with his hands. “We’ll know each other soon. We’re best friends, though never when you were this young. But the future has changed, and so have we.”
I can’t make sense of what he’s saying as there’s a ringing in my ears and I’m not sure I’m completely conscious. He’s a Korean superstar. Now he’s an alien from a land far, far away in space and time? I want to understand what he just told me; it seems important, but I feel like I’m already forgetting it as I come out of a mental haze.
Mom. Dad. Alice. Morris’s Ilori friend. The pod. The books. Oh no.
“Everyone and everything is safe. Your books are downstairs on a table in our library. We’ve been collecting everything for you, for humanity. Art. Books. Music. We even connected with the cloud and downloaded as much as we could before the Ilori took over. Not all is lost, I promise.”
“You read minds?”
“You and Morris.” He shakes his head. “No, you’re both just predictable.”
I want to cry, and hug him, and maybe dance. I don’t even know. But my family...they aren’t fine, I know it. “Mom.” My throat is so dry and crackly, and the words come out with a rasp.
He angles his head to the other side of the room, where my mom is sleeping on a couch in a corner. She looks more peaceful than I’ve seen her in years. Her chest gently rises and falls, and the usual lines creasing her forehead are smooth. She looks younger.
“Is she okay?”
Allister holds my gaze. “She’s better, but she’s not herself yet. The trauma’s deep. Rupert will help her and your father.”
I rub my head. “I’m so confused.”
“Morris will tell you everything.” Allister strolls back to the window. “He loves you. There’s this look in his eyes when he thinks about you or when someone mentions your name. Sometimes love needs only a moment to blossom, and it lingers forever.” He sighs. “I should write that down. Would make a great line, right? Oh, how I love love.”
I don’t know why I ask it, because there are so many thoughts running through my mind. But there’s something tragic in his expression. “Are you, do you...have someone?” I remember from magazines that he’s dated supermodels and actors; and how quickly each relationship ended.
“I did, but she’s...gone.” He doesn’t elaborate, and I don’t push.
I sit up in my bed, my body feeling stiff with dull pain. But I’m alive. Small victories. “How am I still...here?”
“We got the good meds where I’m from.” He la
ughs. “It’s sort of our thing—healing and music. Probably why we have four platinum albums and thirteen Grammys.” Allister doesn’t look away from the window. Though I’ve only ever seen pictures of him, and he’s apparently only a few years older than me, there’s something serious—ancient, maybe—in his expression. But with one smile, he’s as beautiful as his massive fan club suggests, and there’s something sparkly about him that draws you in. I bet his glittery violet eyes aren’t contacts at all, probably just an alien feature, like Morris told me once.
His dark blue hair glints in the beams of light. I’ve read that he dyes his hair for each new album. The latest album came out two years ago, but still his hair is a vibrant blue.
“This is really weird.”
Allister chuckles. “I wanted us to have a proper meeting, you know? And you’d think, given my grasp of time, that I could have managed that. But the Ilori made it difficult to get to the beach, and I—” He pauses, swiveling toward the door. “Morris is coming. I think I’ll go work on a new song. When you’re ready to discuss what you’d like to do, come find me. Or, most likely, I’ll find you.”
I nod at him, and all the words I want to say finally break free. “Thank you, Allister Daniels. For everything. Thank you. I don’t know what else to say.”
His face lights up. “You’re my idol, I would do anything for you.”
“Me?” I snort in disbelief. “Your idol? You’re a celebrity rock god. And an alien!”
He grins. “But I’m no hero. Not like you.”
My brows furrow. “I’m not a hero.”
Morris bursts through the door, startling my mom awake. She screams before falling on the floor, and Allister runs to her. “Mrs. Baker.”
I bolt up, the pain aching along my sides, my head throbbing.
“Ellie.” She pushes herself up and scrambles toward me. “Sweetie, baby.” Her hands are warm on my face, and her eyes are wide. “Oh goodness.”
Morris glances between us, hesitates, then follows Allister out of the room.
“Mom...” I have so many things that need to be said, that threaten to burst forth and linger in the air between us until she takes over, and I can be her child. I want to sob on her shoulder, while she pats my back and tells me not to worry. She’s here now. But there’s a big chance she can’t do that. “Are you okay?”
She kisses me on both cheeks with dry lips and hugs me close to her. Tears fall from her eyes, while her matted hair tickles my cheeks. There’s a frenzy in her actions that I’m used to, that I love and recognize. “No, honey, I’m not okay. I’m not—I don’t feel quite right. Not yet. But I’m just so happy you’re safe. And why are you traveling alone with an Ilori boy?”
“Mom, can we not talk about that now?” Seriously, after all this, she wants to discuss my love life? But she ignores that as she squeezes the life out of me, and my ribs still hurt, making breathing extremely difficult.
“Janelle Quicia Baker,” she starts, stern, and then stops. “I don’t care what you’ve done or whatever your connection to that Ilori is. You’re alive. That’s all that counts.”
“Mom.” My shoulders sag in relief. She hasn’t been this lucid in months, and tears blur my vision. “Mama.” I hug her as tight as she hugged me and begin to sob. When she pulls away, her gaze flicks back and forth, as if darting around to ward off invisible assailants.
“They’re coming, baby. Did you hide my bottle? I need a sip, honey. I’m scared. Just a sip. Don’t tell your father, okay?” Her voice becomes shrill, falling into her familiar loop. “Don’t tell him. We can’t trust him anymore.”
The moment’s over, and the pain and anger at the unfairness of it all rushes back into me. I want to smash everything and scream until I’m hoarse, until my parents come back and everything’s as it’s supposed to be. The numbers tug at my lips just as there’s a knock on the door. My mom jumps and throws an unsteady arm around me.
“They’re coming.”
Five, Allister slips in before wrapping his hands around my mom’s shoulders, shushing her, and effectively calming her. He escorts her outside, where she asks him for a sip, something to help with the pain and worry. I don’t hear his response.
Four, my blood-soaked shoes, no longer pretty.
Three, a window overlooking, undoubtedly, the Starry Eyed’s massive estate.
Two, the Starry Eyed. The Starry Eyed.
My breathing slows... One, I run my hand through my frizzy Afro sticking straight up... One...
Morris pops his head in the doorway. “Are you okay?”
“Morris, please...”
He steps inside and closes the door behind him. He crosses the room and I shakily stand up to greet him beside the bed. I don’t care that my jeans are cut or that I look like a mess and I haven’t showered in what feels like forever. My worries dissolve into mush when he’s in my orbit. He cups my face, then he leans down to kiss my forehead.
I bring my fingers to his cheeks to wipe away the tears there. “We failed.”
“It doesn’t matter, not right now. You’re here, and I thought I lost you. Oh, Ellie. I promised you, I promised...” Morris chokes out the words and I pull him into a hug. “Can you ever forgive me? I can spend the rest of my days trying to earn it. I can—”
“Morris, I love you.” My voice is low, and I’m both nervous and ecstatic to release the words I’ve been holding close to me, too afraid to let go. But I’m not afraid anymore. Anxious, yes, but I’ve been through a lot these past weeks and I refuse to cower anymore.
“I love you,” he mouths into my hair. “I love you. And I’m sorry. So sorry.”
We hold each other for the longest time, and I let the sadness out that I’ve been ignoring for so long. My mom and dad lost themselves, and I lost them. I sob into Morris’s shoulder as he rubs my back.
I sniff. “What now?”
Morris pulls away to answer my question but doesn’t let go. “I don’t know. I have so much to tell you, Ellie. So much I’ve learned from Brixton.” There’s a hopelessness to his voice that I’ve never heard before as he exhales. “I can still broadcast my song. If I manage to get aboard an Ilori ship and upload it within a week. Which I can’t... I have to find a way off Earth, which I won’t. And I don’t know how to fight for Earth and the freedom for both of our people. Ellie, it’s impossible.” He leans his forehead against mine.
“Nothing we have done has worked out in our favor. But I’m happy that you have your parents here, that you can stay and be safe among the Andarrans. It will be hard saying goodbye, but—”
“Then don’t,” I say. “Yes, I have my parents, but they’re not okay. I have Alice, and this place, it’s safe. But I can do more than just survive and hope and wait, Morris. My parents asked me to live for them, not just exist.”
“It’s too dangerous.” His voice falls into a whisper. “I thought I lost you.”
“Has your brilliant alien mind ever considered that I don’t want to lose you either? That it’s too much for one person to save the world? That you need me?” I cock an eyebrow at him, reminding myself of Alice, back when the missing book was my biggest worry.
“I can’t ask that of you.”
“You didn’t ask, I’m asking. Do you want me to come with you, Morris?”
He smiles into my cheek, his forehead still pressed against mine. “You are better at people than me. You express yourself so well...and you’re smart. I would follow you into a war. I would follow you anywhere, and I don’t want to say goodbye.” He doesn’t meet my eyes.
I could both laugh and cry. Me? Better at people? “Then it’s settled.” I don’t wait for an answer—I’m going anyway. Until I became a librarian, I didn’t know I was a rebel. But I became someone who would risk their life every day to bring words and stories to my fellow prisoners. Even though I’m far away, this rebellious part of m
e still lingers. It demands I fight back against those who would take our humanity, our bodies, our land, our art, without caring or knowing who and what we were. What we are.
And I can do more than give books now. I can save humanity. Yeah, there are some shitty humans in this world; I knew more than a few of them. But I won’t let humanity die because of them. I have to believe that we can change this world, and maybe even society in the process. Books taught me that anything can happen when you fight for it, and somehow, I missed that message until I was standing in that hospital hallway, staring at those humans behind glass walls.
“So, what’s the plan? We find a new ship, encourage others to fight for Earth and labmades with us, because that’s legit the only way we could win a war, and then broadcast your song? And then, assuming we can do all of that in a week without getting killed, we come back and fight?”
Morris lights up our personal bubble with his brightness. “Impossible, right?”
“We’ve already done some impossible things. This almost sounds easy.” I laugh, pecking him on the cheek. “Besides, you need me. Who else will you sing to? Who else can entertain you with Beyoncé dance moves? And most important, who will tell you amazing stories? I have so many more. We still haven’t finished Harry Potter either.”
He lifts me in his arms and brings his lips to mine. “I want to hear them all, Ellie. And about the dance moves,” he murmurs. “When we finally have some time alone and no pressing worries...”
“I would like that.” I bite my lower lip and still, I’m not afraid. If there was ever someone I’d trust enough, that I’d be free enough, bonded enough to enjoy that with, it’s Morris. I let myself live in that fantasy for a moment before pulling back.
“I have to see Alice, and we have to make a plan. Go into space.”
Morris’s eyes sparkle. “You know, we don’t really call it space. We just call it...” I narrow my eyes at him. He chuckles. “We’ll just call it space.”