“Billions may perish?” Angie gasped. “And that doesn’t bother you?”
“There are ebbs and flows. That is the nature of things.” Gamble was once again looking forward. “And even when the universe is in order, innocents die.”
“Stop bringing my brother’s death into this,” Angie said under her breath.
“Did I mention your brother?” Gamble looked around Darto at her.
“You were implying it.”
“Was I?” His eyes gleamed.
Angie sighed. “Yes. Yes you were. Stop.”
“Did you just tell me what to do?” Gamble grinned. He was managing to walk perfectly straight while looking over his shoulder.
The path was just wide enough that I could still walk beside Angie if my arm brushed against hers. I didn’t mind one bit.
“Yes.” Angie’s bottom lip quivered just a little.
Gamble laughed. “Wow. You do get better and better. And for that I’ll even stop asking my questions, and answer yours. I am an open book. Ask me anything you want.” The path opened again, and Gamble took it as an opportunity to hang back He looped his arm through Angie’s and started walking. I kept pace even though it meant Gamble and I were both walking off of the path.
Gamble shot me a look. “Does she need a guard at all time, Lexa?”
“I’m not her guard. I’m her protector.”
“And how are those two things different?”
They weren’t, but that didn’t mean I was going to admit it.
“Kelby will hear the story no matter where he is,” Angie pointed out. “So please continue.” Maybe she was trying to avoid another fight. Maybe she wanted me to stay close. It was impossible to know for sure.
“Story?” Gamble rested his chin on his hand. “Who said anything about a story? I told you I’d answer your questions.”
“Oh.” Angie seemed to consider his words. “Why are you and Darto fighting?”
“Oh, boy.” Gambit laughed. “That’s a fun place to start.”
Darto looked back at us over his shoulder. “Come on. We do not need to go into that.”
“She asked a question. We have to answer.” Gamble’s smirk was eerie.
“No, we don’t.” Darto spat. “Angie. You do not need to know all of this.”
“Why don’t you want me to know?” Angie spoke carefully. She seemed to know this whole situation was dangerous. Darto was trustworthy, and generally Gamble was too, but that didn’t mean setting them off was a good idea, especially so deep in hostile territory. If they started fighting with each other, we might all be in trouble. For his side, Darto should have known Angie well enough to know that his response was the wrong one. Telling her she didn’t need something was only going to make her want it more. “It can’t be that bad.”
“You don’t know what you are saying.”
“Because I’m from Earth?”
“Yes. You have limited experience of the atrocities that occur elsewhere in the universe.”
“Oh? Because they don’t occur on Earth?” Angie’s eyes widened. “You want to know what happened to my brother? Do you? He was shot dead in the hallway of his school by another student. Shot. Murdered in the middle of the hallway.”
I reached for Angie.
She shrugged me off. “And was it random? We’ll never know. We’ll never really know anything because his murderer killed himself. He killed himself after snuffing the lives out of innocent classmates who were excited and looking forward to the rest of their lives. So don’t tell me that I don’t know about violence. That I don’t understand or somehow can’t handle whatever the hell it is that you two have experienced.” Her eyes were bright, and I could almost see the anger and hurt surging through her.
“I’m sorry.” Darto looked deflated. “I shouldn’t have spoken the way I did.” Darto wasn’t one to just apologize. He had realized his mistake.
“Just stop underestimating me and what I can handle. I realize I’m not as physically strong as the rest of you, but in all other ways I am your equal.”
“Or our superior.” I let the words slip out not because I wanted to make her happy, but because it was true. She had a strength to her I’d never seen before.
Darto nodded as if to agree. “I will tell you the story once we get in the boat.”
“The boat?” Angie raised an eyebrow.
“You have a problem with that form of transportation?” Gamble looked at her quizzically. “Normally I’d offer to change the experience, but you won’t be able to enjoy my illusions even if I do.”
“Which I still don’t understand, but that’s fine. I have no problem with boats, I was just surprised you had them here.”
“Oh, we have boats here.” Darto pushed forward.
“We won’t get wet, will we? I really don’t want to get wet.” Malton lifted his head again.
“Are you afraid of water?” Angie scratched him under his chin. It was amusing to watch the evolution in their relationship. She’d been almost afraid of the little dog when they first met, then she was annoyed. Now she loved the little fluff ball.
“No.” Malton turned his head so she could get the other side of his neck. “I’m not afraid of anything, and I’d cross the deepest waters to protect you, but if I get wet I’ll get you wet as you have been holding me for your comfort. I wouldn’t want to get you wet.”
“If you got wet she’d be wet too, so the argument is null,” I teased.
“Oh. Good point. So I don’t mind the water.”
“We won’t get wet.” Darto spoke in a monotone voice. “That’s the point of the boat.”
13 Kelby
“This is like an amusement park ride.” Angie’s eyes widened as the boat came to a stop beside us, and the doors silently slid open.
“And what is that?” I stepped on behind the brothers and held out my hand to her. She accepted my hand. The doors slammed closed behind us as silently as they had opened.
“Amusement parks?” Angie stood with her legs a good distance apart as if trying to steady herself. “Oh. They are amusement places.” She laughed. “Sorry. I just broke the first rule of defining things. You can’t use the same word to do it. But what I mean is recreational places. Fun places with rides and games and food that tastes good but is really bad for you.”
“What kind of rides?” Gamble walked over to a wall of computers and pressed a few spots on the center screen. The boat pulled away from the dock.
Angie lost her balance for a moment but quickly regained it. “All sorts. Rollercoasters, those are rides on tracks with big drops and loops. Carousels where the horses, or other animals, move around in a circle.”
“How do they keep the animals there? How do they keep them all in one spot?” Darto rubbed his chin. “Are they cruel to the animals?”
The boat picked up speed as we moved further away from the dock.
“Oh, sorry. I guess I wasn’t clear. The animals aren’t real. They are plastic, or wood, or some other material,” Angie explained.
“Any other rides?” I could tell she liked talking about this place, and it made me want to know more. There was such a sadness to Angie, that finding the happiness and joy inside her filled me with a satisfaction I had never felt before.
“There are water rides sometimes. Like you are in a log that goes down a steep waterfall and land in a big pool of water. That’s generally called a log flume.”
“How would that be enjoyable at all?” Malton hopped down from her arms, landing imperfectly on the ground.
“You really don’t like water.” She looked out the window. It was dark outside, but lights from some further shores beckoned in the distance.
“What else?”
“There are giant swings and rides that use gravity to keep you pinned to the wall. What else? Oh, scary houses and rides that swing back or have steep declines and get you sick.”
“Wait. Why would you do this stuff?” Darto looked positively horrified. “Who woul
d want to get sick?”
“Not sick in a bad way really. It’s hard to explain.” She brushed a lock of hair off her shoulder. “You get an adrenaline rush and feel really good when it’s all over.”
“And the games?” I wanted to know more.
“Oh, there are lots of those. Mostly the kind where you have to knock things down either with balls or water or—”
“More water?” Malton took a few steps away from us. “This place sounds nuts.”
“It’s more than one place. There are lots of amusement parks. Usually one, or even more, in big cities.” She said that, but I was pretty sure she was speaking of one in particular. I wondered where it was. Was it back where she was raised, or was it a place she visited on a trip?
I saved my questions for later. “If we save Earth maybe I will have to pay one of these amusement places a visit.”
“If you do you should try funnel cake and cotton candy.” She grinned. “The pink kind of cotton candy. I don’t care what people say about it all tasting the same, the pink is always better.”
“Those are the foods you mentioned that taste good but aren’t good for you?” Gamble had his back to the computer screens. We were moving on autopilot.
“Yes. Treats.” Angie took a seat on the back of a row of brown chairs. “And there are other foods too. Ice cream. Frozen smoothie drinks. Anything sweet is there.”
“Why would you eat things that aren’t good for you?” I asked.
Evidently it was the wrong question. Her whole face scrunched up. “Why would you do a lot of things? They taste good.”
I liked this side of her. No, I loved this side of her. “Promise me then.”
“Promise you what?”
“That if we save Earth you will take me. Take me to your favorite of these places.” Maybe I wasn’t asking her the specific question, but I would find out one day. I needed to know where these positive memories of hers stemmed from.
“Okay. I can do that.” Angie smiled. “I’m surprised you’re so interested and that the equivalent doesn’t exist elsewhere in the universe. Earth is so behind in everything.”
“And maybe that’s why we don’t have it.” Darto put his hand on the seat beside her.
“True…” she trailed off.
“Simpler times can be the best of times.” Darto leaned back beside her.
“Are you waxing nostalgia, or is there more to your statement?” Angie looked over at him. She was very perceptive. She could pick up on the smallest things with people. I had to assume she already knew how I felt about her. If things were different I’d have made her my mate already. Unfortunately, that was going to have to wait.
“I wish I hadn’t promised you that I’d tell you our story.” Darto frowned.
“Why not?” she asked.
“Because the mood right now is nice. It won’t be when I start talking.”
Angie looked out the window, and I followed her gaze. I watched the brightly lit trees as we sailed on beside them. They were beautiful in the darkness. I thought about saying so, but somehow I didn’t think it’s what she wanted to hear.
“That doesn’t mean I don’t want to hear your story. Tell it now and then it’s told. Things are far worse when you don’t know them.” She rested her hands on her thighs.
“Not always.” Darto looked over at his brother.
“Are you sure there is no way to get her to see our illusions?” Gamble straightened and walked toward the rest of us. “This would be so much easier if we could just show her.”
“And terrifying. I wouldn’t want to scar the girl.” Darto stood up and waited beside me.
“Ah, come on. She’s already explained her strength to us.” Gamble grinned. “Are you going to make her go through that song and dance all over again?”
“Yes. I have explained that. Come on. Just tell me.” She stood as if not wanting the rest of us looking down at her, but with her height leaning, sitting, or standing it was still going to happen.
“This story has to do with, let me see what word translates best.” Darto paused. “Genocide.”
“Genocide?” Angie shuddered. “Oh?”
“Are you sure you want to hear this?” There was worry in Darto’s eyes.
“Yes.” Angie nodded. “I have never experienced something that horrible myself, but I know it’s happening on Earth. And it’s happened many times.”
“Yes, it has,” Gamble murmured. “Some of those times in your history have changed the shape of the universe.”
“Really?” Angie asked.
“Yes. It’s killed some of Earth’s people that the rest of the universe needed,” Gamble muttered. “And it’s reshaped history more times than I care to admit. We may look down on Earthlings, but all planets play a role.”
“Oh.” Angie seemed to consider his words. “I think I understand.”
“But this story isn’t about an Earth genocide,” Darto added.
“Good.” Angie returned to her spot on the back of the chair.
“Just because it isn’t Earth doesn’t mean it’s an easy story to listen to.” Darto was waiting for Angie to tell him to stop. But I assumed he knew that wasn’t going to happen.
“Oh I know, but somehow knowing it didn’t happen close to home makes it easier. I hope that doesn’t make me a bad person. It’s just… well, I don’t want to admit that it’s easier to hear.”
“It’s just normal nature.” Gamble rubbed his forehead. “Nothing to be embarrassed of. We all feel this way.”
“Back to the concept of home…” Darto continued. “Are you really sure you want to hear this story?”
“Yes.” Angie tag. “I’m sorry. I will refrain from making comments.”
“Why don’t you make yourself comfortable.” Darto gestured for her to walk around to the front of the chairs.“This story is going to take a while.”
“We have that much time left on the boat?” Angie walked around and settled in a chair. I sat on the one next to hers before Malton could. He stuck his nose up and jumped onto her lap. I should have seen that coming.
“Yes. And the waters are going to get choppy soon,” Gamble pointed out.
“Wonderful.” Malton circled around on Angie’s lap until he found the spot he wanted.
“There was once a small planet called Layton.” Darto rested his chin in his hand.
Angie nodded, encouraging him to continue.
“It wasn’t a particularly noteworthy planet on the surface. It was mountainous, populated by a simple but strong people.”
I already knew where this story was headed, but I didn’t know all the details. Or exactly what role the brothers played in it.
“But things changed when a rare mineral was found in those mountains,” Darto continued.
Angie groaned. “Oh, no.”
“You know this story?” A look of surprise crossed Gamble’s face.
“No. But I know what happens when rare minerals are found. It’s never good for the indigenous people.”
Darto shook his head. “No, it isn’t.”
“Representatives from all the wealthy planets came and made offers.” Gamble joined in with the storytelling. The boat rocked back and forth.
“Offers? Real offers or threats?” Angie asked. “Oops, sorry. I said I wouldn’t interrupt.”
“It’s a fair question.” Darto shifted his weight from foot to foot. “And mostly real ones. Not necessarily fair deals. But enough money that the people of Layton would have been all right for a long time.”
“Except that their planet would be destroyed.” I had remained silent for long enough.
“No spoilers, please.” Gamble frowned.
“Sorry.” I leaned back against the chair. “Although I’m sure Angie already knows what’s going to happen.”
“The people said no.” Angie crossed one leg over the other, careful to shift Malton so he wouldn’t fall off. “Because they knew what would happen.”
“Yes.” Dar
to nodded. “They did. In fact, they only wanted the smallest amount of the mineral mined to protect the natural plain.”
“That makes a lot of sense.” Angie stroked Malton’s fur. “But I am sure that’s where this story turns dark.”
“Of course.” Gamble fell into the seat on the other side of Angie, leaving only Darto standing. He was now the lecturer, lecturing to his pupils.
“Okay. I’m ready.” Angie gripped the edge of her chair with one hand while her other hand rested in Malton’s fur.
“Steeling yourself?” Darto asked.
“Yes. I know this is going to be upsetting.” Angie’s fingers dug into the brown fabric of the chair.
“Yet you want to hear it.”
“Yes. I know it’s important. Sometimes you have to face the past to face the future.”
“Wise words.” Darto spoke sadly.
I knew Angie was thinking about her brother. I hated that she’d been through so much in her life. If I had my way she’d never know adversity again. And that meant this mission needed to be successful.
Darto dragged a chair over so he was sitting facing us. “When the offers were rejected, the wealthier planets were angered as you can imagine.”
“Yes.” Angie nodded.
Dalton folded his hands and placed them in his lap. “And war broke out.”
“War against the Layton people? Or between the different wealthy planets?”
“Yes.” Darto leaned forward.
“Huh?” Angie’s brow furrowed.
“Yes meaning both. It happened in both ways.”
“Oh.” Angie’s expression darkened. “I should have known.” She turned to me. “Were the Lexas part of this?”
I couldn’t lie. She deserved the truth. The whole truth. “Yes. I was very young, but I knew about it.”
She nodded. “Thank you for your honesty.”
“I have no reason to lie to you.” I could try to make my people look better, but that would only come back to haunt me later.
Starburst: Half Light Page 9
