by Lisa Lace
It was actually a welcome break from all the other things going on in her life at the moment.
The big question was solved, it seemed. Now she knew why she had been having the episodes for most of her life, and she'd expected to feel bitter or something considering it was because of Asher's uncle, but honestly, she felt nothing but relief. Relief at knowing that this wasn't a failing on her part. She didn't have some illness that was causing it; it was all external, and she was only being targeted because she knew someone they wanted.
Of course, it should have been scary, because Asher made it seem like the Shaddoc would go to any lengths to find Abon, but they hadn't hurt her so far, right? Apparently just a little memory probing, which sounded harmless but made her wonder how they did it.
She'd seen enough science fiction and alien movies that she had images of herself laid out naked on a cold metal table while tall creatures with large eyes poked and prodded at her.
It explained her headaches when she woke up if they were rooting around in her brain for something, and she wanted to give them a piece of her mind for treating her like some kind of science fair experiment.
She grumbled about it under her breath, looking out the window as she drove and then jumped when Asher laid a hand on her shoulder.
"Are you okay?" he asked, and when she glanced at him, his eyes were large and earnest. She was constantly finding herself fascinated by the color of his eyes. No one she had ever seen before had eyes that color, and Mia was lost in them for a moment before she remembered that he'd asked her something and she nodded.
"I'm okay. Just. Supremely annoyed that those Shaddoc things have been spending years playing with my head. Who knows what they've seen since they started?"
Asher shrugged. "Everything, I'd imagine. If they're sifting through looking for stuff to do with my Uncle. But they wouldn't be interested in most of it, so you don't need to worry about that."
His voice was so cheerful, and Mia shook her head. "Just because they aren't interested in it, doesn't mean I want them seeing everything. A girl's gotta have some privacy, you know."
He blinked, eyes darting from the road to her face as he drove. "So it bothers you that they've seen your memories, even if they weren't really paying attention to them?"
"Of course it bothers me," Mia replied, looking at him like he was insane. "Do you know how much embarrassing stuff is in my head? And that's where it's supposed to stay. There aren't supposed to be people or aliens or whatever poking around in there looking at all the times I've tripped over stuff or spilled stuff or fought with my parents." And just then it was occurring to her that they would have seen other stuff, too. Like her first fumbling kisses and the times when she'd been intimate with other people, as few and far between as they were. "Ugh." She dropped her head into her hands, not even wanting to think about that anymore.
Luckily, Asher was pulling the car up to her house a moment later. From the outside, there was no way to tell that a bunch of aliens had essentially broken in and tried to grab her the night before, and she could only hope that the inside would tell the same story.
Her hands shook a bit as she unlocked the door and let them in, and she sighed with relief with the worst of the damage seemed to be that the Shaddoc had opened all the doors in the place and rifled through a few things. Nothing was missing from what she could tell, and nothing was broken.
"I'm going to get dressed and hunt down the book," Mia said to Asher who was looking around her place with open interest. "You stay down here and don't start going through my stuff. One group of aliens invading my privacy is enough, thanks very much."
He nodded solemnly and raised a hand in something that could have been a salute. Mia snorted and went to her bedroom to put on clothes that weren't her pajamas. Asher was attractive, but he was something like a massive puppy. Either way, she'd seen him eying her legs in her small shorts, and she would feel much better and more in control once she had some clothes on.
Not that she particularly minded him looking, but.
But it was best not to go there.
They had come here for a reason, after all.
Once she had changed into jeans and a t-shirt, she opened her closet door and stood on tiptoe to reach the top shelf. There was a box up there that she had kept there since she'd moved in. In it were most of the happy memories from her childhood. Things like concert tickets and the first piece of art she'd ever gotten a positive critique on, a few photos, and the book that she'd gotten from Abon.
It had been years since she'd looked at it, and once she'd found it in the box, Mia opened it. The words made no more sense now than they had when she was a child, the letters twisting and turning over the pages in a pattern that made no sense to her at all.
Presumably, Asher would be able to read it, so she tucked the small, leather bound book under her arm and headed back down the stairs to where she'd left him.
Asher had moved from examining the trinkets on her mantel to sitting on the couch, tapping his fingers against his knees while he flipped through the channels of her television.
He looked up as soon as she walked in, eyes bright. "Did you find it?"
"I did. It still makes no sense to me, but here." Mia handed it over and sat down next to him, watching as he stroked fingers over the warm leather with an almost reverent look on his face.
It was funny how it had been so long since she'd gotten the book that she'd almost forgotten about it altogether, but now that it was back out and she was watching Asher touch it, she could remember exactly how it'd happened.
It was summer, right before the new school year was about to start. Her parents were off at some kind of fundraiser or charity event, and Mia had walked the distance from her house to the library, a tote bag bulging with books at her side. She'd had a week to go before school started up again, and she wanted to get in as much pleasure reading as she could before then.
She had a vivid mental image of walking into the library and painstakingly taking each book out of her bag, arranging them in a stack according to size on the counter before she'd pushed them all to the librarian to check back in.
The woman had smiled at her warmly and told her to take her time choosing new ones.
Mia remembered that she hadn't looked for Abon right away. She'd gone over to the young adult section to browse what new books they had, adding five or six to her bag right away. By the time Mia made it over to the section where Abon worked, her bag had been loaded down, and he'd immediately taken it from her and placed it on the table so she wouldn't strain herself.
She could remember how warmly he'd smiled at her. His eyes a bit darker that Asher's, more a warm honey color than brilliant gold.
"You'll be off to a different school this year, won't you?" he'd asked.
Mia had nodded. "Yes. It's on the other side of town. My father says it's the best school in the city." No one had asked her opinion on this school, of course, she'd just been informed that was where she would be going when the new school year rolled around.
"I'm sure it is in your father's eyes," Abon replied kindly. "I suppose I won't be seeing too much of you then. Once you change schools."
And that was one of the worst parts of it all. The library was one of her favorite places to go after school, within walking distance even, and she'd spent most of her time there when her parents were working. But now she'd be lucky if she even got to come on the weekends anymore. Her parents were going on about her taking more responsibilities and coming with them to functions so the people could see her and how much she'd grown.
Mia would much rather have spent her time there at the library, curled up in one of the squashy arm chairs with a book or her sketch pad, drawing or reading or sneaking in a nap.
"I guess not," she'd replied, unable to keep the sadness out of her voice.
Abon had smiled and ruffled her hair before reaching into his jacket pocket and pulling out a small, leather bound book. "I have something for you. Th
is may not make much sense right now, but there will come a time when it will explain everything. There are some things that have happened and will likely keep happening, and they're my fault, and I can't tell you how sorry I am. I hope this will go some way towards making things right."
At the time, she hadn't known what he meant by that. She'd been confused over the indecipherable book and hadn't spent much time thinking about the other parts of what he'd said.
But now that she had the benefit of distance and knowing what was going on, Mia understood what he'd meant. He must have known that she was being taken by the Shaddoc and why. And he must have known that it would continue long after they'd stopped speaking.
The fact that she couldn't understand anything in the book probably made it so that the Shaddoc couldn't get any of the information out of her.
Clever.
When she managed to pull herself out of her thoughts, she glanced at Asher who was studying the book intently. "Does it make sense to you?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.
"Hm? Oh, yes. It does. It's written in our language, but your letters. See?" He turned the book to face her and held a finger at the top right corner of one page. "Right to left, and in a spiral across the page." His finger traced a line through what was presumably a sentence.
Mia shook her head. "That makes absolutely no sense."
Asher shrugged. "To you, maybe. But this was never really meant for you to read, I don't think. It's pretty much addressed to me."
"Why would your uncle give me a book that's meant for you?"
"So neither of us would have the whole story," Asher explained. "In case I was ever caught by the Shaddoc, since they were already taking you. You had all the information, but you couldn't read it, and I could read it, but I didn't have it. So no matter which one of us they took, they couldn't get anything."
"And now?" Mia asked. "Now we've got all we need, right?"
Asher grinned at her. "Yes. But now we'll know what to do. And they won't catch us."
"You sound sure of that."
If anything, his grin got wider. "I am. Would you like to know what the book says?"
The abrupt change of pace was surprising and took a few seconds for her to catch up with, but she definitely did want to know. She'd spent a good portion of her younger years trying to figure out what the hidden message there was, and now she had someone there would could read it all for her.
She assumed that Asher wouldn't' have offered if the words inside were private and meant only for him, so she nodded and settled in, looking at him expectantly.
Asher smiled, his eyes lingering on her for a moment before he dropped them back down to the book and began to read. "There will come a time when I won't be here any longer. When the things that I've set into motion will mean that I have to leave this place. It will be a shame because I like it here very much. I like the quiet of the library, I like the children who come to see me. It's a welcome change from the hustle and bustle of being a king. But I can't forget that a king is what I am."
Even though Asher was reading, Mia could hear Abon in every word. It was like being ten years old all over again and sitting in a chair listening to him tell her stories. Now that she was transported back there, it was hard to believe that she'd ever forgotten. All of her memories were so vivid now.
Maybe the Shaddoc had messed with her head enough that she'd repressed some things. Maybe they had clouded her memories of the tall, smiling man who had made her younger years just that bit better.
Asher's voice was soothing as he read the words, and Mia was reminded once again that she was still tired. She'd slept the night before, but she'd had dreams for most of it, and it felt like she hadn't gotten much sleep at all. Before long she was leaning into Asher, resting her head on his shoulder and smothering a yawn with her hand.
She liked him, Mia decided. He had that whole affably clueless thing going on, and for some reason it made her believe what he told her and trust him wholeheartedly.
There was a chance that trusting him was a bad idea, but she didn't think it was going to come back to bite her. At least she hoped it wouldn't.
Chapter 6: Revelations
It took Asher a good ten minutes to realize that Mia had fallen asleep on him. Once he figured it out, he found himself lowering the book and watching her for a bit. And okay, yeah, he really needed to work on not watching women while they slept, but he couldn't help but be fascinated by the way some of the fierceness drained out of her when she was sleeping, leaving her looking softer and easier to approach.
She was probably very tired. There was no telling how many nights of sleep she'd missed out on because of the Shaddoc wanting information from her.
The fact that she hadn't seen Abon since she was a child should have made them leave her alone, but apparently they wanted to catch the king of the Nalyi so badly that they weren't taking any chances.
"Idiots," Asher mumbled. As if they hadn't already done enough to his people without dragging humans into it and trying to finish the job.
Mia shifted against him, and he smiled at her for a second before he went back to the book. It was amazing to have something in his hands that Abon had written. Something more lengthy than the little note he'd scribbled before he disappeared, of course. So far it mostly seemed to be a journal where he talked about his life before they'd fled compared to the life they'd built afterwards.
Asher skimmed most of that, knowing that he would have time to come back and read it more thoroughly later. For the moment, he was looking for answers. For some kind of clue as to where Abon might have gone.
He flipped to the middle section of the book and was surprised to see his name there in big, bold letters. It looked like it was the middle of something, so he flipped back until he found the beginning of what seemed to be a letter addressed entirely to him. Fingers shaking a bit, he started tracing each sentence to read them.
Asher,
I don't know how long it's going to take from me writing this to you finding it, but I can only hope you're doing well. I'm sure you're tired and confused, but I'm also sure that you've made it fine without me. You were always your mother's son, and you have so much of her in you.
I miss her.
I know you miss her, too. I know you can remember her just fine and you think of her often. And honestly, I truly believe that she's still up there somewhere, waiting for us to come back.
Things will be very different when we return to the Nalyi, Asher. I was their king, and I ruled them with as much strength and grace as I could muster, but I think my time is up for that. Coming here has shown me so many new things, and I don't want to deal in politics and war for the rest of my life.
That means our people will look to you for guidance and leadership. Don't make that face at me.
Asher realized he was making a face: one that was a mixture of shock and horror that his Uncle even thought to pass something like this off on him.
You've learned so much since we came here, and you're ready. You're more ready than I was when it was my time to take over, trust me on that.
There is one thing, though. Nalyi kings cannot rule alone. I did for a time, but your mother served as my queen for the most part, even though she's my sister. You will need to find someone to rule beside you, Asher.
I don't know how amenable she'll be to it, but Amelia is an excellent candidate. You must have found her to be reading this, and I can't imagine that the years will do anything but make her smarter and more resourceful. I am truly sorry about the things that will have happened to her because she knew me, but I also believe that these experiences will have taught her things that she wouldn't have otherwise learned.
She's good for you, Asher. A grounding presence for someone who has often had his head in the clouds. Don't scowl. You know you've spent plenty of time daydreaming of home.
I'm not sure what the state of her life will be, but I know that she will be good at this. It will fall to you to make her see t
hat this is an option, should she choose to take it. This planet is too small for her, and I think some part of her knows it.
At any rate, I am going home.
Don't feel betrayed, Asher. You weren't ready. There is no telling what awaits us back at home, and I have to do something to make up for dragging you from your mother and making you grow up on Earth. Although, I do believe it was the best thing for you.
The plan is still the same.
And that was the end of it.
Asher's fingers were trembling and he dropped the book in his lap, leaning his head back against the couch and letting out a low breath.
So Abon had gone home without him.
His uncle had been missing for enough time that Asher knew it was deliberate, but he hadn't expected that he'd gone back home. How had he even gotten back?
Last Asher had checked, their transport was still where it always was, and there wasn't exactly some trans galactic cab service he could have called, so it didn't make sense to him. There were so many things that he didn't understand, and for some reason his Uncle thought he was ready to be king.
Yeah. Right.
Mia murmured in her sleep, and that drew his attention back to her.
That part of the letter hadn't been any less confusing than the rest of it. Mia had been a child the last time Abon had seen her. How in the world could he have just decided that they would work together when they were both so young?
And hadn't he taken into account the fact that she would most likely have a life and a career and friends that she didn't want to abandon just because Asher asked her to? Asher was nothing to her. Just some alien who'd dropped into her life trying to save her from the Shaddoc and had accidentally gotten more entranced than he'd meant to.
