“Constance… I. That was… why did… am I supposed to be…”
He continues to ramble on in short sentences for a few more moments, and I just can’t stop smiling. “It’s just something I wanted… for a really long time. I hope you didn’t mind…”
He blushes quite visibly even though I know he’s trying to hide it. “No. I definitely didn’t mind.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I’ve actually… always thought quite highly of you, Constance.”
“And I you, Finn.”
We look at each other in silence, and I really want to kiss him again, but I refrain from that, as I don’t want to overwhelm him or make things needlessly awkward, even if he did take it well the first time. I notice the rising temperatures, and decide to let my hair free of its cloth prison.
“Your hair… it’s beautiful, Constance. I’ve never seen it…”
“Without the covering? I know. It’s much too hot for it today anyway.”
“Aren’t you supposed to wear it though?”
I sigh, and flip my long blonde hair over my shoulder and smile as the breeze moves through it. “I’m supposed to do a lot of things, Finn. But that doesn’t mean I plan on doing them.”
He smirks at me, and I can’t help but notice the way his face crinkles up and how very sweet he looks with that smile on his face.
“I don’t know how you manage it.”
“Manage what?”
He pauses to look out at the scenery before us, and the way the sun is rapidly making its ascent in the late morning sky. “You’re such a good daughter. You do everything you’re supposed to, mostly. And you’re a teacher at the schoolhouse. They don’t let just any girl do that - you have really good social standing in the compound. And then, you pull off stuff like this, and no one ever suspects a thing. You’ve never done anything really bad in your whole life, and yet you get away with almost anything you want. You are a complete mystery, Constance.”
“I suppose. It’s not like I plan these things out though. They just kind of happen.”
He nods. “Well, I guess you finally met your match, anyway.”
“I did?”
He nods, but I see a frown tugging at the edges of his mouth. “Your pa. You said he set you up with Silas, and there’s no getting out of it.”
I sigh as the adrenaline from kissing Finn wears off, and I come back to reality. “Yes, it appears so.”
“So what’s your plan?”
“There’s no plan.”
“Constance, you always have a plan. I always notice how you think up new ways to do things. You’re inventive, and so creative. Remember that time when the Holden’s cow refused to be milked and you came up with the idea to distract her with some sugar cubes? No one else would have figured out how to deal with a stubborn cow. Maybe your ma and pa are just like that.”
I lean back on my elbows in the soft spring grass. Tilting my head from side to side, I let his words wash over me as the warm breeze mingles with the light perspiration on the back of my neck. “So my ma and pa are stubborn cows?” I laugh out loud at the thought, and Finn does too, but then he shakes his head.
“No, well, not exactly. I just mean…” He leans closer to me now, to whisper some words which could change everything for me. “It’s possible that they might bend to your will if you find a good enough distraction for them.”
“Theoretically, perhaps. But it may be a bit hard to distract them from the fact that their daughter is being married off in less than two weeks. I have to finish up my teaching by this coming Friday, and then after that, all the arrangements must be made.”
“Arrangements?”
I nod. “I’m not at all looking forward to any of it. I think they expect me to meet with Silas to discuss where we’re going to live and everything.”
“Oh. That doesn’t sound very good at all.”
“That’s for sure.”
I nod, and try not to flinch as Finn inches a bit closer to me. “Do you think we should be getting back now? Before anyone wonders where we are? My pa might even be furious by now.”
I sigh. I definitely don’t want this moment to end, but I’ve seen how upset Finn’s pa can get sometimes, and it’s not a pleasant sight. I reluctantly nod, and then accept the hand Finn offers to me to help me up from the grass we were sitting on. He hoists me up but doesn’t let go, pulling me closer just for a moment.
“Before we go, I just… wanted to remember this for what it’s worth.” And then he initiates our second kiss with his hand on my lower back, allowing us both to linger just a bit longer than we did before. I feel my whole body warm up, even though it’s a rather nice spring day. His soft lips are coaxing all the emotions out of my own mouth that I would never be able to explain with words anyway. He breaks off our embrace as reluctantly as I did before, and then grabs my hand to lead me back to the main path.
“Was it worth it?” I pause momentarily to gauge his expression. The blush reanimates behind his suntanned face under medium brown hair.
“Absolutely. I didn’t know what I was missing, now I just wish I knew sooner.”
I sigh and watch my feet hitting the path next to him, his solid, strong gait slowed down just slightly to better match my own. “Knew what sooner?”
“I wish I knew… how deeply my feelings ran for you. I hesitated for way too long. I waited for years to say something.”
“Oh.” If there was ever a time to really begin to hate my family and their traditional expectations for me, it is now.
CHAPTER 16
“Oh, wow. So that’s really what I’m looking for? I’m not sure… I really want to see that, Onyx. Sounds… unpleasant and rather disgusting.” Griffin looks down at the ground, and manages to follow Constance and Finn from a distance as they walk back home from the cliffside.
“Yes Griffin, it has to be that. It’s not guaranteed that it will be the moment we need, but I’m going to need to at least try those coordinates in case they are the ones that work. If not those, then perhaps you’ll try the ones a few days after.”
Griffin sighs through the receiver. “What happens a few days after?”
“Well, according to what I am expecting, I believe that she’s going to be made aware of the presence of the fetus. At which point, she’ll decide to… terminate it."
“You mean you? You’re the fetus, right?” Griffin waits for Onyx’s response, and regrets saying what he did as he realizes that he may have crossed a line.
“Was. I was the fetus. But that’s not important for your task, Griffin. Just keep an eye on her, and let me know what coordinates your communication device displays at those moments.”
“Okay, I understand, Onyx. I will do my best.”
Onyx clicks off without saying goodbye this time, which makes his distaste obvious to Griffin. He makes a mental note to himself to apologize to Onyx next time they speak.
The scenery is quite pleasant this time of day, and Griffin has to remind himself to stay focused on the task at hand. He has now mostly adapted to the differing gravity levels and environment, so he’s able to operate on Earth in relative comfort at this point. He approaches the compound while following the duo he’s been sent to monitor, and waits for the next notable thing to happen. As they get closer to the houses, he manages to duck in and out of sheds and other convenient hiding spots.
“Who are you?”
He turns around to find himself face-to-face with Constance herself, with Finn standing close behind her. “Huh? Oh, I’m no one. Just carry on.” He quickly tries to run away, but the boy grabs his shoulder and prevents him from making a hasty getaway.
“I thought I could sense someone following us. I wasn’t sure but now I am. Who are you?”
Griffin begins to panic, as he realizes how detrimental and potentially dangerous it is to come into direct contact with the very people he has been sent to observe. “I’m not following you.” He emphasizes that slight detail, hoping that the lo
ophole he found would be enough to get them off his tail without having to outright lie.
“Oh really? Then why did I feel eyes on us? Are you working for her pa?” Finn tightens his grip on Griffin’s shoulder.
“What? Who’s ‘Pa’? And why would I be working for him? Please let go of me, I promise I don’t have any ill will toward anyone. Please.” Griffin tries to smile at him reassuringly, but to no avail.
“I’m not convinced. Constance, you said you saw this guy around recently, right? Are you sure it’s the same guy?”
The girl nods nervously. “Of course! Who else do you know who dresses like that?” She motions to Griffin’s Upperworld jumpsuit, instantly making him wish that he bothered to procure some more Earth-typical clothing before embarking on his quest.
“That’s true, I’ve never even seen clothes like that before.”
The girl looks Griffin up and down, analyzing his every move and nuance. Griffin winces at the thought of the way his image was being imprinted in her memory. He starts thinking up ways to get away, but nothing good comes to mind. He could try to shove the boy’s hand off of his shoulder, but he’d have to sprint away which could call even more attention to him, and perhaps even start a fight. None of that would be good.
“Look, I have no idea why you’re here or what you want, but I’m going to say this once and only once.” The boy leans in menacingly toward Griffin. “Stay away from me and my girl. Got it?”
Griffin nods, and then backs away when his shoulder is finally released from the death grip supplied by the curious humanoid.
✷✷✷
Brielle exits Evander’s record-keeping office feeling a new weight on her shoulders. It’s always tough to know information that will undoubtedly be of concern to someone but be forbidden to reveal it to them. But that is what she promised Evander, and she would have to stick with that, no matter how badly she feels about it. Running to her own pad, she decides to spend some time alone to ponder what she’s been forced to swallow.
Upon arriving, she opens her door and lets herself in, and then flops down on her very plush bed. Luna would be upset, of course. But if I were her, I’d be a lot more upset not to know the truth. But I did promise Evander. I wish he didn’t make me promise that.
Her thoughts swirl inside her head, and without anything else to do, she resigns herself to taking a nap. But sleep runs from her faster than her torturous thoughts are whirling around in her mind.
What if I just tell Luna only what she needs to know? That Onyx has a limited amount of time? Maybe she’d be able to help somehow. I wouldn’t want to limit our options, and she has a lot more experience with this stuff than I do. If she can help, she ought to know what’s going on.
Satisfied with that rationale, she finally manages to go to sleep. But the coming concern surrounding telling Luna how the love of her life is rapidly failing fills her with dread, and she tosses and turns the whole time.
CHAPTER 17
“You… you called me your girl?” I looked at Finn standing next to me and can’t keep the smile from spreading over my face. He shuffles his feet in the dust of the road and nods almost imperceptibly.
“I guess I did.”
“But I’m -”
“- betrothed to Silas. I know.”
I nod at him, and then excuse myself to enter my house alone so that my family wouldn’t pester me with all kinds of nosy questions. He waves at me as I turn away, and I pray silently that the blush forming on my cheeks would dissipate before my parents question me about it. Then again, if they were planning on taking the rest of my life from me, then there was no reason why I couldn’t at least own these last couple weeks for myself.
“Constance! Where have you been? We were looking for you earlier. Your chores still need to be done.” My mother faces me with her hands placed staunchly on her hips, and I have to force myself to avoid rolling my eyes at her. No need to pick any extra fights besides the all-encompassing betrothal fight. That one would be quite enough for the ages.
“I just went for a walk in the fresh spring air, Ma. It’s really beautiful out today.”
She nods, but her distaste with me remains apparent. “I understand, but did you need to take all morning? Was that absolutely necessary?”
I shake my head no, but clench my fist inside the pocket of my dress.
“And where is your head covering? Did you walk around outside with your hair uncovered like that?”
I reach up to touch the top of my head, and freeze as I realize that I must have left my head covering on the cliffside. “Oh my, it seems I must have. Sorry, Ma. I’ll go get another one from my room.” I disappear into the room I share with Fae so that I can recover my hair before Ma feels the need to lecture me for the thousandth time about saving my tresses for my husband and all that traditional stuff that I’ve always hated so much.
“Constance! Keep that one on this time, please.”
I nod my affirmation, and then grab the broom out of the closet to tidy up the floor as I usually do on Saturday mornings. Ma resumes kneading some dough in the kitchen, and Pa is likely working in the fields again. Fae must have already finished her chores, as she is sitting at the table doing some of her schoolwork.
“Constance, I need help with this arithmetic problem, can you help me?” I pause my tidying to help her with the problem, even though my own problems are still at the forefront of my mind.
“Sure, Fae! What seems to be troubling you?”
She begins to ask me some questions about the latest long division problem she is working on, and I help her the best I can. I almost forget about how angry I am at our parents until Ma says something I didn’t know would rattle me as much as it did:
“Oh my, Constance, you are going to be such a handsome mother to Silas’ children!”
She stands there smiling at me, clapping her hands slightly. That comment fills my blood with venom, and I simply decide to stand there in front of her, maintaining silent eye contact until she backs off.
“Well, perhaps it’s a bit early to expect that of you. Nothing until your wedding night, of course, anyway!” She tries to balance my discomfort with some levity, but I remain as stone-faced as a statue. Fae pauses her arithmetic work to view the spectacle that is unfolding in front of her. Ma’s smile rapidly fades, and she turns back to her kitchen work as I continue working with Fae.
After I finish helping Fae with her schoolwork, I resume my chores until I hear some commotion outside my window. In fact, it looks like a fight is breaking out. Before Ma or Fae can stop me, I run straight out our house to see what’s going on.
“I saw you with Constance earlier today, don’t even try to tell me you weren’t!” Fat, smelly Silas is holding Finn by his shirt collar in the middle of the street.
“What do you mean? We just went for a walk, nothing happened!” Finn throws a couple of useless punches before just giving up and trying to reason with him. Silas’ belly fat functions like armor, and very few people can punch hard enough to hurt him in his midsection.
“Oh please, Finn. No one goes for ‘just a walk’ with that girl. Now admit it so I can make you sorry!”
I can see Finn wincing from Silas’ rank breath, and I feel instantly sorry for dragging him into this. “Please, Silas, put him down! He did nothing wrong, let him go.”
“Why should I listen to you, woman? This does not concern you. Now run along, and go fix us some lunch, huh?” He pinches my cheek harder than he probably should, and then follows that up by patting my rear end in full sight of the small crowd that has formed on the street. I am mortified. And just about ready to see Silas’ corpse on a spit like the fresh game that Pa sometimes brings home. Except there’s nothing fresh about this sluggard.
“It does concern me, as it appears that you’re both fighting about me, even though there’s no need to. In less than two weeks, I will be all yours, Silas. So leave Finn alone - there’s nothing he can do to change that. There’s nothing anyon
e can do to change that.” I place my hands on my hips, and hit him with my best withering glance, not totally unlike the one I used on Ma just a little while ago. He tries to return it, but ultimately falters, throwing Finn to the ground and stomping away in the opposite direction. I kneel down to help him up.
“Finn! Are you all right? I’m so sorry he interrogated you like that. I will never understand why he is the way he is, although I have a sinking feeling I’m about to find out.”
Finn accepts my hand and I pull him up the best I can. He rights himself, and then rubs the shoulder that Silas had assaulted. “I’ll be okay, Constance. Thanks anyway.”
Something about him seems a bit more strained than he was even just earlier today, as he could barely look me in the eye. I have no idea what changed, but something definitely did. I guess I’ll have to be okay with that, somehow. But I certainly wasn’t going to give up without a fight. And the time I had left before I am joined to Silas forever should be spent with the guy I really wanted - and that is most definitely Finn. It’s always been Finn, and it always will be.
CHAPTER 18
That was the closest call yet. How in the world am I expected to do this? It seems like I can’t go very long at all without being apprehended by some humanoid. Maybe my clothes really are far too eye-catching… The next thing I should try to do is maybe get some more Earthly ones. But where should I get those? Is there a shop somewhere? I believe I should have some Earth currency in here, yes, here it is. Good. Now, to find a shop.
Griffin walks around the main square of the town, hoping that no one will give him a hard time as they have been up until this point. After about half an hour of aimlessly walking around, Griffin finds a nearby cart with what appears to be clothing for sale.
The Rise of Onyx Page 11