Wirrin shrugs. “Vihann and I met your father several times when he and your mother first visited our planet. He always seemed to have one with him. He shared the fruit with me during one meeting, and then the next time I saw him, he brought me several more from his ship. I enjoyed this Earthen delicacy immensely.” Wirrin looks to me again. “What are they called?”
“Apples . . . Pink Lady variety.” I stare at the fruit’s pinkish red skin and sigh. Just holding this apple brings back warm memories of Dad sharing his slices with me.
“I recognized the taste immediately and thought of Dr. Foster.” Wirrin’s words break me from my happier thoughts and bring me back to reality. “But I knew about the explosion and his death, so I was confused. Then when the fruits kept appearing, I began to think something more was going on beyond the unexplained presence of so many apples.”
“Could he be hiding on your side of the Intersection?” I ask. “Maybe he ended up at a different point than Javen's father.”
Javen wrinkles his nose. “I don't know how that would be possible. The Alku sense when humans are on this side. Not right away all the time, but Foster would have been here long enough for us to locate him.”
I remember the first time Javen brought me here. He was so worried the others would sense and find me.
And I don't think my father would be on Arcadia and not come to me. Even if he were hiding for some reason, there's no way he would keep me in the dark while allowing me to believe he was dead. Especially after what we both went through after Mom died. He knows the pain and loss.
“Then he must be stuck somewhere.” I pinch the bridge of my nose. “Could he be inside the Intersection?”
Wirrin's brows furrow in confusion. “There's nothing inside the Intersection. It's only a pass-through.”
“But do you know for sure?”
Javen closes any space between us. “Cassi, that's not how the Intersection works. You're only getting your hopes up.”
I hold the apple in the air. “These are appearing out of nowhere by an Intersection point. Does either of you have a better explanation? And Wirrin, you’re the one who told me my dad needed help. What are you wanting me to do?”
“I had hoped you might know something I didn't about your father.”
“Well, maybe I do. If the Intersection is more than a pass-through and my father is trapped, I need to figure out how to get him back. Can you take me to the place the apples were found?”
Wirrin crosses his arms over his body and says nothing.
“Uncle,” Javen says, “if you didn't want Cassi to have the information, you wouldn't have told her. You knew my father’s choice to hold back this secret was wrong.”
“If this gets out among our people, I don't know what will happen,” Wirrin says.
“The Starfire chose Cassi, and the energy has bonded her to me. This may be a new era for the Alku. And if the Starfire has deemed this, we won't be able to stop the motion.”
Javen's words resonate through me. How much power do the crystals have to be able to control my mind, my actions? Am I even my own person anymore? I stare at Wirrin as he speaks to Javen and bows his head slightly.
“But these are not easy words to swallow, even for me,” Wirrin says. “And I am open to change when many are not.”
“Please?” I ask. “I only want to know what happened to my dad. I need to see if he's safe.”
Wirrin bows his head. “I'll take you, but give me time to prepare.”
And with that, he turns and walks toward Irilee. I start to follow, but Javen takes my upper arm and stops me. I twist toward him and he pulls me into his embrace. The warmth of his chest and the rise and fall of his breath settle my whirling soul. I inhale his scent and press into him.
“Why are you doing all this for me?” I mutter into this shirt.
Javen loosens our embrace but still clutches my waist. The expression on his face is confused and almost sad.
He whispers, “Why do you even have to ask?”
“Javen, you disobeyed your father and the Council to be here—to be with me.”
“I had hoped to change my father's mind . . . to help him see reason. But Wirrin listened. He's listening even now. My father is wise, but he's not seeing logic. There must be a way for the Alku to thrive; we can't simply let my people die out. And if you are the key in this, I want to find out what that means.” He pauses for a moment. “Cassi, I would do anything for you.”
My heart skips at his words. Anything? I gaze into Javen’s eyes as if I’m seeing into his soul, and what I see is beautiful, pure. The intensity of our connection grips onto me and interweaves my heart and mind. I know he’s telling the truth. He would do anything for me, and my heart aches for that—for that love and safety.
Suddenly the guilt of my own selfishness bubbles to the surface. Saving the Alku should come before me.
I take a step back from his embrace. “It’s not fair to put that kind of pressure on me.”
A confused look overtakes Javen’s face. “What pressure? What the Starfire has gifted us is beautiful.”
I scoff. “What if the Starfire is manipulating our bond? Making our feelings toward each other more important to you than saving your people?”
Javen's brown irises shift and swirl with cyan. “It’s not.”
“People don't fall in love like this,” I say. Despite my words, my heart flutters with longing for him but I stand my ground, not giving in to its desire for me to fall back into his arms.
“Sometimes my people do. There are even rarer occasions when the crystals determine when two hearts are fated to be together.” A faint smile, almost shy, plays at the corners of his mouth. “The Starfire is always right.”
Javen pulls me close to him again, and I don't resist. I don't want to, even though my mind is shouting something different than my heart. His body tugs at me like a magnet. I snake my arms over his shoulders and rise onto the tips of my toes.
I whisper, “I'm just scared.”
“Me too.” His words come out as near breath before he touches his lips to mine and his strong hands flow over my back. “But we are stronger together.”
As our lips make contact the world becomes right again, and all I can think of is Javen.
♦ ♦ ♦
“Why are you still out here?” Beda asks from behind. “And with her?”
Heat rushes up the nape of my neck and cheeks.
Javen interlaces his fingers with mine and squares himself, making his frame appear larger than it already is.
Beda tenses her jaw. “You're making the wrong choice, cousin.”
My breath comes in short pants as I squeeze Javen’s fingers. Javen and Beda say nothing for what seems like an eternity, and the weight of the silence bears down on my shoulders.
Javen continues to train his icy stare onto her. “Is this all you came out here to say, Beda?
“My father needs you,” she finally says, relenting.
Javen squeezes my hand. “Let's go, then.”
We start to walk, but Beda holds out her arm to block me. “Not you.”
“Why not?” I protest, feeling bold yet terrified of her all at the same time.
“My father has ordered me to escort you to your quarters for sleep.”
I open my mouth to argue but then snap it shut. Just thinking about sleeping reminds me of how little I had last night.
Javen eyes Beda for a moment and then looks to me. “Go with her,” Javen says. “Crossing the Intersection takes a great amount of energy. You will need to rest before attempting it again.”
I touch my neck where the Starfire had once hung before Hammond took the crystal from me. “I'm going to need a new Starfire, too.”
“I'll make sure you receive a new one,” he says.
Javen leans in and kisses my forehead. A shimmer of energy ripples through my body, but as soon as he pulls back, the feeling dissipates. “See you soon.” He smiles at me and then turns to walk down
the main road of Irilee.
“Can we go now?” Beda asks.
I nod and follow her as she struts down a smaller side road. She stays several paces ahead, and so I speed to catch up.
“I don't get it. What's with you?” I ask.
She spins toward me and I nearly slam into her, but she blocks me with her arm—again.
“There's nothing wrong with me. You’re the one intruding on my world. Would you want us intruding on yours?”
Nervousness rushes through my chest, but I hold my ground and plant my feet. “Traveling to Arcadia wasn’t my choice, and I didn’t make the Starfire choose me. I wanted none of this, Beda. But here I am.”
We stand staring at each other for what seems like a lifetime. My pulse is pounding so strongly that I'm certain Beda can hear the sound. Her eyes swirl with deep cyan in anger.
Finally, Beda sneers. She does a one-eighty and starts walking again.
With a sigh and an admittedly very immature eye roll, I follow her. Beda’s unkindness makes me miss Max and Irene all the more. I hope they’re safe. I need them. I need my friends and want to get back to them as soon as I can.
Beda leads me to a small dwelling. She pushes the door open and then slams it right in my face. I want to kick in the door and pretend it’s her face. Instead, I shove my way inside and then pause.
The room is simple with furnishings nothing like the type I'm used to seeing, not even on the ship or in the apartment I shared on Arcadia. A rustic table made of dark wood sits to my right, circled by four chairs fashioned from the same kind of gnarly wood. To my other side is a small kitchen. My gaze darts around and eventually rests on a large stone fireplace in the corner—no stove—and instead of a refrigerator, there’s . . . nothing. Unfamiliar produce, sprouting long green stems and frilly leaves, lies on the counter.
Beda flings her hand out toward the vegetables. “Hungry?”
“Yeah, actually. I haven't eaten since yesterday.”
“I'll bring you something in a minute,” she mutters flatly.
She then waves me on to a room at the rear of the dwelling. Inside, a single mattress lies directly on the floor. If you can call it a mattress— more like a big pillow.
“Get some sleep. You're going to need all the rest you can manage.”
I turn to ask her whose home this even is, but she's already gone. Maybe to get me food, but I doubt it. I let out a loud sigh as exhaustion creeps over my body.
I shuffle to the bed and squat to touch the surface. The fabric and stuffing give under my hand, much softer and more comfortable than I had first imagined. At the end of the bed, I grab a green blanket and crawl onto the giant pillow. The surprisingly soft blanket amply covers my body, and I begin to relax. Before long, I cross over to the world of cyan dreams, leaving Beda and my troubles behind.
♦ ♦ ♦
My eyes flutter open to the plunk of a wooden plate of food at the end of my bed and the shuffling footsteps of Beda hurrying from my room. I push up to sit, and my body feels completely refreshed. I don't know how; there's no way I could have slept that long.
My stomach grumbles and I straighten, crossing my legs with the blanket still pulled over me. I grab the plate and pick up the spoon resting in some green concoction. I sniff the mixture and, to be honest, I'm not sure about the spicy smell. But I've always been willing to try new foods. So, let's not make this meal any different, Cassi.
I bring the spoon to my mouth and take the bite. Slightly sweet and a little sour, but overall the cooked vegetables are not bad. I shrug and take another taste, and then another and another until the plate is empty. I push from the bed, taking my plate with me, and walk out of the room.
Beda stands in the kitchen, eating the same meal I had just devoured.
“Did you make this?” I ask, gesturing to my plate as I place it on the counter.
Beda doesn't answer and continues chewing.
“Well, if you did, the food was good,” I say.
She eyes me and then tosses her empty plate to the side. “Go back to bed.”
“How long was I asleep?” I peer out the window and see that the morning light is still like it was when we came in.
“Maybe thirty minutes?”
“Thirty minutes? I feel as if I slept for hours.”
Beda shrugs. “The Starfire is changing you. Who knows what you'll be when it finishes.”
Chapter 2
After Beda forces me to rest for several more hours because I’m a human, I trail behind her on the street again, her wavy, dark hair blowing in the breeze. Her words about the Starfire’s effect on me burrow their way through my brain. She's just trying to scare me. Still, the thought persists.
The Starfire is changing me—it has changed me already—the visions, my new abilities. But I can't chalk one restful nap up to the crystals.
“How much sleep do you need? Do the Alku need?” I ask as I catch up with her.
She lets out a low, barely audible growl in her throat and I ease away from her. If I weren’t already aware of how much she hated me, I would think I had imagined the noise. But I know better.
“Using the Starfire usually allows us to sleep a few hours each night. But we can get by on less.”
“So, you think the Starfire is doing the same thing to me?”
Beda arches a brow. “I've no idea what the Starfire is doing to you, human.”
I follow as she walks through the entrance of a structure made from natural brick. Wirrin, Javen, and another Alku girl stand inside the room. They turn toward me and Beda as we enter, and the younger female tilts her head my way. The girl is maybe a year or two older than me with bronzed skin and long, straight snow-white hair with a single braid draping down the front of her shoulder.
Javen's eyes light up when he sees me, and my heart flutters. I rush past Beda to his side. I want to feel comfortable among the Alku, but Javen is the only one who truly makes me feel welcome and safe.
“You seem more rested,” he whispers. “Were you able to sleep?”
I nod and make a mental note to speak with him later about the sleep issue and other differences between the Alku and Earthlings.
“Can I go now?” Beda asks Wirrin. “I do have other . . . tasks to attend to.”
“No,” Wirrin says. “You must stay.”
Beda scoffs and throws her back up against the nearest wall next to a small table, crossing her arms over her chest. “My place is out defending the Starfire fields on Arcadia,” she mutters under her breath.
“I have a rotation of fifty Alku soldiers who are using the power of the Starfire to defend the fields and to keep Hammond and her ships away from Primaro,” Wirrin says. “I have a better use of your talents in mind, Beda.”
She groans. Wirrin ignores her annoyance and turns his head toward me. He gestures to the other girl in the room. Not only is she one of the most stunning people I've ever seen—boasting large, brown eyes and full lips—but with her exposed arms and the shape of her muscular body, it's obvious she's incredibly strong, too.
“This is Yaletha,” Wirrin says. “She's the scout who found the apples at the Intersection point. She'll take you to the location.”
Yaletha glances at me, tips her head, and then flits a longing look at Javen. Her expression churns a pinch of jealousy in my stomach.
I slip my arm around Javen's waist. “When are we leaving?” I ask Wirrin.
“Immediately,” Wirrin answers. “Tensions are rising on the other side of the Intersection. And more of Earth's ships have arrived recently at your Skybase above the planet. I would like for you to get the potential Intersection exploration over with as quickly as possible.” Wirrin turns to Beda. “You'll be going, too.”
“But—”
“Beda . . .” Wirrin's pale face grows stern. “You are one of the top warriors in this clan—”
“That's why I should be fighting with the others.” She bares her teeth, reminding me of when she attacked me on the str
eets of Primaro. I squeeze my arm tighter around Javen's waist.
“No,” Wirrin says. “It's why I need you here. I don't know how Cassiopeia and Dr. Foster fit into our futures, but I certainly don't want to see them dead. Both you and Yaletha will escort and protect her on the way to and from the Intersection point.”
Great.
“Javen will go as well,” he continues.
At least he’ll be there, I sigh inwardly.
I stare at Beda and Yaletha. These are probably two of the most unlikely people to help make sure I stay alive. Beda hates me because I exist, and both aren’t pleased that I'm with Javen.
“We should get going,” Javen says. His calming voice releases the air from the ballooning tension in this room. He pilots me toward the exit and away from the others.
“I have something for you,” Wirrin says, stopping us.
In Wirrin’s fingers a Starfire crystal dangles along a length of natural twine.
My heart skips. “That’s not mine from before, right? Hammond still has the one she stole?”
“Correct,” Wirrin says.
Beda stares at the Starfire, eyes narrowed, but says nothing. Yaletha waits in a soldier stance, expression blank.
I take the crystal from him and place it around my neck. The gem glows and pulses in a slow rhythm.
Beda rakes her hands through her hair and turns away.
“You'll most likely need the crystal to have any chance of locating your father,” Wirrin adds.
“Thank you.” I let out a sigh. “You know, you are very kind.” Something about Wirrin does make me want to trust him. Maybe he reminds me of my own father. I'm not sure.
Wirrin bows his head. “Kind is not something I've been called as of late.” He shifts his attention to Beda, who quickly glances away from him. “You should begin your journey. Conserve the Starfire's energy by traveling on foot.”
A few miles outside of Irilee, the terrain is reasonably flat and easy to navigate. But the trail is also entirely out in the open and leaves us visible from all sides. I peer around for possible attackers, who could appear at any time over the surrounding mountain range.
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