“We know that’s not true,” Collins says. “How would they be able to come here when they have?”
“When have you known an alien to come here?” I snort, knowing she’s not wrong but wanting her to doubt herself. Aliens come here often, but no one would know that except the Guidance and the Premier. They monitor everything, from the cameras around the country to satellites that track entities entering Earth. Only one has ever gone unnoticed. People just made up stuff decades ago to scare the citizens before the destruction. They created these things called UFOs as a form of transportation for the aliens. Aliens don’t even travel in a contraption called a UFO or a contraption, period. Most travel by light or atoms. Then people said they saw round-headed, avocado-eyed, pencil-bodied creatures and tagged them as aliens. That’s not even how aliens look. The entire alien race should be insulted.
“I have never seen it, but I’ve heard stories like everyone else here. The ones that came before the destruction. But now all we know is they stay out there and haven’t come here since,” she says as she points toward the window that looks out to the night.
“They’re probably scared because people like us exist,” Floyd adds, chest swelling as he crosses his arms.
“Who’s scared?” Luke returns and sits between Collins and me.
“The aliens,” I tell him with a smirk. “They’re afraid of people like us.”
He chuckles. “They might not be yet, but if they ever came here again, they will be.”
My stomach rumbles, urging me to leave the group and grab a couple of pre-wrapped sandwiches. As I’m turning from the counter, food in hand, there’s a call. “Ky.” Cory’s right in front of me. He continues, “I thought…”
“You thought what?” Marc says from behind me. He wraps his arm around my waist, and I want to stuff one of these sandwiches into my mouth to give myself a reason not to talk.
“I thought you were gone,” Cory counters, his voice going deep.
“I’m not.”
Cory glowers at us and sucks his teeth before turning on his heels and marching out of the rec hall. I shrug and head back to the table, Marc coming up behind me. I settle in with the plate in my lap and set my soda on the floor.
“Told you,” Luke says in my ear.
I roll my eyes. He steals my sandwich.
Finishing the food in my mouth, I ask, “Why don’t you ever get your own food?”
“You come with yours,” he states, shoulders rising near his ears.
“For myself, not for you, you vulture.”
“I’ll get you some food if you want,” Collins says to him.
“Yes, Collins,” he says in a deep, toneless voice, “get me some food.” She jumps up and hurries to the counter. Luke shakes his head, watching her happily fetch his snack. He rolls his eyes when he looks back at me.
I sit my empty plate on the floor and pick up my soda. I show it to Marc. “Purple soda,” I state.
He shakes his head. “Grape pop.”
I turn the can over in my hand and look it over. “Do you have a name for everything?”
He hides his laugh, declaring, “It’s the name on it. I didn’t make it up. You like to identify things by color.”
I turn the can in my hand. “It looks purple to me.”
“Does it taste like grape?”
“Yes.”
“Point,” he announces like he’s right and has proven something.
I open it and drink. Before I can pull it away from my mouth, Luke snatches the can and downs it. Soda drips from my lip to my chin, and I catch what falls in my hand. But before I can scold him, Marc turns my head toward him and slowly trails his tongue from my chin up to my lip.
I close my eyes to keep everyone from seeing them roll back. Aww. I shiver.
I take in a breath as his lips close around my bottom lip. I kiss him once, feeling that thirsty sensation take me over again. My back stiffens, holding me back from falling into a deeper kiss.
“Yep.” Marc draws back slowly and meets my eyes. “Tastes like grape.”
The lights in the room have lowered, and other couples are engaging in their own quiet make-out sessions. Even though the soda’s gone, I lick my lip anyway. I bite it. He nods, and I smile as he looks away. I jerk away from someone pinching my side.
“Chill out, Ky,” Luke says.
“Or maybe you can make like Ky,” Collins croons, turning him to her.
Someone’s burning a hole through the back of my head, and it’s hard to ignore. Marc gently pinches my arm, trying to grab my attention. I take Marc’s hand, tugging him with me as I stand, and we leave to a corner of the rec hall where there are minimal people and little light. No one appears to be going to their rooms tonight, and whatever this bug is, it has everyone…I know this word…closely acquainted.
I back into the corner, Marc tight in my clutch. He crowds my space, and I move my hands over his shoulders and fold them behind his neck. It’s hard to not gaze into his eyes. “You could touch me,” I suggest.
He tilts his head back and surveys me through his lashes. A thin line of purple slices through the slits of his lids. “Is that what you want me to do? Touch you?” Heat spreads through my neck and chest. I nod, hiding my gasp. “Tell me,” he says, voice so raspy it scratches when entering my ears.
I feel him under my touch, his hair curtaining my hand. The pressure builds from my stomach and charges to my chest. Anticipation. “Come closer and touch me,” I breathe.
He grips my waist and steps closer than I expect him to. “Now what?” he asks.
I stiffen the muscles in my neck, and with my heart pounding, I whisper, “Kiss me.”
“Where?”
Everywhere. I smile at the thought. “Why are you making this so difficult?”
He shrugs. “Trying to see if you are for real. If you’re into me or just fueling your curiosity. Or your interest for the moment.”
“Do you like me?”
“You know I do.” He squeezes my waist harder then let’s go. “I would pull you closer, but I don’t want you to take your shirt off,” he says with a smile.
I laugh too loudly, throwing a gentle punch in his gut. I can’t believe he mentioned that. “That happened,” I admit, cheeks burning.
He nods, hiding his open-mouthed laugh with a bowed head. I’ve never seen him laugh or smile this freely before. It’s cute. His bottom molars are all silver, and his fronts are white. Maybe that’s why he hides his smile. His lips lighten with their stretch over his happiness. They’re smooth and fit impeccably in front of his teeth. The laughter dies out, and he says, “Yeah it did, but it’s fine.” A grin remains.
“I think I broke down your walls,” I say, my somber display of emotions ready to shine through.
Marc quickly sobers, smile vanishing. “No one can soften me, Ky.” Like clouds blowing in and shadowing a town from the sun, Marc’s hooded eyebrows lower, stealing the light from his upbeat disposition. The heavy rasp in his voice puts meaning to his words in a depth of seriousness that makes me want to retract my words.
I drop my arms. “I’ve… just have never seen you smile freely like this.”
“Don’t try to uncover me, Ky.”
Wall to my back, I lean as far as I can away from him. “Why not?”
His hands fall from my sides, and the emptiness is heavier than when his hands were resting there. “Do you want me to uncover you?”
I do actually. I’m that wrapped up in you. “Yes,” I answer. His brows knit, and he purses his lips. “No come back for that one, Marc?” I question, stoned by his silence.
He shakes his head. “I didn’t anticipate that response.”
“What’s yours? You want me to be with you so you can be with me, but we only exchange short hugs and kisses,” I accuse.
“No, we started in conversation, and I opened up to you then,” he says, pointing to his chest. “I’m open with you now. Too relaxed.” His shoulders fall as his confession deflates
him.
“And the problem is?” I don’t understand how this works, and maybe that is the problem.
“I like you, Ky, but we won’t get serious. Never will.”
My palms are sweating. I look away from him. “You only want to kiss me?” I accuse, moving from the wall to walk around him.
He steps forward, blocking my way. “That’s not what I’m getting at.”
My trigger finger twitches when I try to step around him again, and he blocks that way too. “You are not saying much else, Marc.” His rejection steals my confidence, and I need to get away before I reveal that.
“Can you wait, just for a minute?” I try to move again, and he moves with me. “You are working on getting pinned against this wall.”
“You are working on getting a knee to the gut.”
He moves fast and has my legs pinned with my arms at my sides being held there by his. He’s crazy strong and uses his strength to keep me still. “Will you let me explain?” he asks in a low voice. His lips graze my ear, and his chest presses against mine, helping to pin me against the wall.
“What?” I snap. Him denying what I thought we felt for each other doesn’t level or abolish this thirst or his allure or this senseless attraction. And this is another problem. I have too many forbidden feelings, and every time I reveal them, I could be incriminating myself. I don’t know what’s right or wrong anymore.
“Hear me out.” The rasp lightens in his voice. “I don’t want to just kiss you. I told you before, I like you, and before I wouldn’t have expressed that, but it happened. It’s okay that it happened.” He kisses my neck. “I wanted it too. But you know we can’t get too involved or too serious because it’ll cause distractions.” Against my mouth, he continues, “As we discussed earlier, you wouldn’t choose me over Luke, and I wouldn’t choose you over Sean. If we get caught up,” he kisses me once, “what do you think will happen?” Stepping away from me, he lets me go. “If you get to know me too well or I get too wrapped up in you, we could risk letting our feelings for each other dominate over the care we should have for our twins.” He leans down halfway to kiss me. “Do you understand?”
I stare at him, stalling, before I push off the wall and kiss him. “I understand.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
“Good run-through this morning. All of you have improved, and I am proud to see there are no more failures.” Jord stands on the stage, overlooking us as though he’s a god, while his heavy voice echoes through the mess hall. “Today, there will be one on ones. Everyone will be fighting regardless of your title.”
Everyone scarfs down the rest of their lunch, each of us eager for the next round of tests. Whoever wins moves up a level. Lose, and it’s not a decrease in spotting, but losers clean the toilets and have to handle the trash.
After having two days off, and Separation coming up quickly, we’re fighting even harder to prove ourselves. Yesterday, we were required to fight against random members of the teams, and after we kicked their asses, Jord and Seits fought each of us leaders. Many of us still have bruises, too proud to let our twins heal them.
A few belches sound over Jord as he calls, “Marcain. First up.” Jord didn’t break a sweat going against most of us, only Luke and Marc put up the best fights. But in my defense, Jord is in his thirties, twice my size, and has a right hook that can take out a diesel engine.
Marc stands from beside me on the floor. Cory jumps to his feet. Seated closer to the front, he leaps onto the stage, saying, “I’m fighting against Marc.”
“You okay with that, Marc?” Jord asks.
Marc eyes Cory as he jumps onto the stage in one swift movement. “Yes,” he answers, deep rasps causing me and a couple others to clear our throats.
“This oughtta be good,” Luke says.
I adjust so I’m sitting with my knees pulled to my chest, gaze pinned on the two enemies ready to break each other’s necks. “I agree.”
Cory’s face is a mask of jealousy and anguish. Marc smirks as he cracks his neck. Knowing he doesn’t like Cory, he’ll likely enjoy this.
“My money’s on Marc,” Luke whispers.
“No way am I making that bet, we all know Marc is going to kick Cory’s ass.”
“Ready!” Jord announces. “Until one of you can go no longer.” They both nod, and he says, “Okay. Go for it.”
If Marc’s able to beat Cory, that may mean bad vibes for Cory as a captain.
Cory approaches Marc with a punch Marc dodges. Marc comes back with a punch to Cory’s stomach. As Cory bends over, Marc’s elbow connects with Cory’s back, and as Cory lowers from the impact, Marc drives his knee into Cory’s face, causing Cory’s head to whip back hard.
“Oohh,” sings from the crowd.
Cory grunts and Marc steps back, letting Cory gather himself. Cory rubs his hand over his mouth, shakes himself out, and glares at Marc.
Everyone’s quiet, watching the fight.
“They probably need this to get past the anger you caused between them,” Luke says.
“Hey, I had nothing to do with this.”
“Don’t be naive. You had everything to do with this.”
I ignore Luke, turning my attention back to the brawl.
Cory kicks Marc in his chest. The impact sends Marc flying off his feet and smacking the hardwood floor of the stage.
I cross my legs to keep from getting up and running on the stage to check on him. He lies there for a second, and Cory quickly crosses the floor. Drawing his knee high, the heel of his boot plows through the air and onto Marc’s rib cage with the force of a sledgehammer.
Marc cringes from multiple kicks Cory applies in seconds. Cory snatches Marc up from the floor by his neck. It’s evident in Marc’s red-turning face that Cory has got him tight. Cory’s saying something we can’t hear.
“He’s too close,” I mutter to Luke.
“Damn right he is. Watch this.”
Marc draws his head back and comes back with a rocking headbutt.
Cory drops him, stumbling back, hand clamped over his nose. Unlike earlier, Marc does not let him rest. He punches him twice, and Cory continues to stumble, head still rocking. Marc rams his foot into Cory’s chest. He lands a kick much like the kick Cory gave to him.
With his back to us, Cory falls back off the stage. He hits the floor on his back hard, sending everyone scooting back.
Marc jumps from the stage.
In the back, we can’t see, and I’m the first of many to stand.
Before Cory can fully get up, Marc grabs him by his vest, lifting him just enough but not pulling him from the floor. This perfect position allows for every punch he jabs into Cory’s face to be worsened by the back of Cory’s head bouncing off the tile floor. Over and over, he punches Cory, drawing blood by jab number four.
Cory grabs Marc’s hand on his next punch. He lifts his lower body, wrapping his legs around Marc and slams him backward on the floor using the strength of his legs.
Marc’s head hits the floor as he falls, slowing him down. Cory has slowed, trying to regain some endurance after Marc likely shook his brain.
I relax a little, and the muscles in my shoulders ease as I breathe. I don’t know who I want to win because I don’t want either of them to lose. Cory has been my friend forever, and even though he’s been an asshole, he was there when I needed him, and in all honesty, I don’t want him hurt. I’m attracted to Marc, and I care about his well-being. It physically hurts me to see him in pain.
It’s better if I don’t watch.
I look down at my boots. My eyes shift back and forth between Luke’s and mine. At every punch and grunt, I change which pair I look at. Something on one of the fighters breaks, the crack causing the crowd to cringe while others cheer.
“Okay,” Jord yells. “Twin!” There’s no inflection on time that indicates his surprise or expectation of the winner. “Heal, then remove yourselves.”
It’s silent when I expect people to talk about what happe
ned. I don’t look. I’ve not looked.
“Collins,” Jord calls.
Marc returns to my side. We sit, and the girl I saw in Luke’s room stands, saying, “I’ll fight Collins.”
“Okay,” Jord says.
Collins is going to murder her.
“You couldn’t watch me pummel your boyfriend?” Marc asks when we’ve settled onto the floor.
“Had no doubt you’d win. You got tangled up in his web a few times though, and it made me uncomfortable.” I downplay the event, not wanting to tip him off.
He snorts.
Luke pulls my arm and says in my ear, “You are a liar.”
I peek at him. “Nobody asked you anything.” He’s right, but that’s not what matters. “Watch your girlfriend whoop your other girlfriend.”
“Yes, Collins is going to beat the shit outta her. But neither of them deserves the title of being my anything.”
I meet Marc’s stare. Before I speak, he looks away. He’s not an idiot, and it’s pointless to lie to him.
Collins does away with Luke’s playmate quickly. That wasn’t even a challenge, but I give her props for taking Collins on.
There’s no one I want to fight, and from what I know, I’m in good standing with everyone here. “Ky,” Jord calls.
“I’m going to fight against you, Ky,” Luke says as I stand. I nod, walking away from him, as I overhear him say, “I’ll fight against Ky.”
“Yes!” Jord cheers. “I have been waiting to see this.” He claps and leans forward on his knees.
Well that’s just great. I jump onto the stage. Luke’s right behind me. He smiles at me, and I return it. “You are going to take it easy on me, right?” I joke.
“Never.” He steps to the side and brings his arm up so I will meet it with mine. I walk to him, placing my forearm to his. “I’m going to try to kill you.”
“I hope so.” He bumps the side of my fist with his.
Jord laughs and says to his sister, “This will be interesting.”
She responds, “Like you and me.”
Luke smacks my face. “Pay attention,” he says laughing.
Reverting my attention back to him, I shake my head. “Cheap shot for you, Luke.” He backs away. Our vests are off, tossed aside. We wait for Jord to yell for us to start.
The Separation Trilogy Box Set: Books 1 -3 Page 23
