by Andi J Feron
“Love you too.” I reached up and kissed him.
He pulled me close and kissed the top of my head before releasing me. I watched him disappear down his shuttle terminal, then I took a cab to the civilian airport. I took a plane to Pennsylvania, rented a car, and drove to where Talon had said my grandmother was located. That was the nice thing about Talon’s ability—once he transmitted it into your mind, it was as though he had placed GPS into your brain.
The road grew smaller as the trees grew denser, and there was barely room for my car to fit through the path. I drove through a wooded area several miles back before an encampment of travel trailers appeared. I drove slowly because children would run across the road without looking.
Several women hung clothes from lines they had rigged from their trailers to the trees. Two dogs chased and barked at one another, and a large bearded man swatted at them with a stick to shoo them away from his trailer. My car brought intense stares, and I figured visitors weren’t a regular occurrence. They must have lived in isolation on purpose.
I drove to the back of the encampment to where my grandma was supposed to be; the silver rounded trailer in front of me marked the end of the road. I got out of my car and spotted a man with a grey beard sitting by the door on the opposite side of the flowerpot. He wore a white shirt that barely fit around his bulging belly as a cigar hung from his mouth. He held a shotgun and looked like he was considering pointing it my way. He jumped up as I moved closer to the trailer.
“What you want?” His tone matched the distrust his stance revealed.
“I’m here to see this woman.” I held out the picture.
He snatched the photo from my hand. “Hmmm…that’s Kathy Boswell. Why ya lookin’?”
“She’s my grandmother. My mother was Molly Boswell.”
“You’re little Seraphine?”
“Yes.”
“We’re family. I’m your Uncle Shane.” He handed me back the picture.
“Nice to meet you.”
“Honey, you met me a long time ago. You used to live with us, but your father moved you away when you were pretty small, two years old maybe. How’s your mama?”
“Not good. She passed when I was seven.”
“No! Molly’s dead? That’s mighty sad. How did she die?”
“My father killed her. He beat her.”
“Probably got mouthy with him. Women tend to do that from time to time.”
No words would stumble out of my mouth. He went into the trailer, and when he came back, three women walked out and stared at me.
“Our little Seraphine has returned.” A woman with dark brown hair pulled me into a hug.
An older woman, who I recognized as my grandma, hobbled out with her cane. “My baby. Where is my baby?” my grandma asked. She limped over to me as quickly as her legs would allow. She touched my face and gazed into my eyes. “It is her, my beautiful little angel. I told them all you and Molly would return. We just needed to give Jack time to explore a little, then he’d bring ya on back. My Molly with you?”
“No, I’m sorry. My mother died when I was seven.”
Grandma gasped. “No! My Molly is with the angels?”
“I’m afraid so. I’m sorry.”
She began to cry, and my heart dropped that I had to deliver such news.
“She died getting mouthy with Jack,” Shane told them.
“No! She didn’t do anything wrong. My father beat her to death,” I said.
The third woman spoke, “He wouldn’t have beat her for nothing, that Molly always dreamed too big. We told her to be happy she landed a well-together man like Jack. She couldn’t stay grateful, and it got her killed. Foolish girl, that Molly.”
“Come sit with me, child, over here.” My grandma directed me to a chair. She continued, “Tell me how you have been. Did Jack raise you well? Did he find a new wife to help?”
“No, he went to prison and is still in there. I grew up in foster care.”
“I wish they would have brought you back to us. That’s the issue with us moving around so much. We are hard to find. You could have had a nice husband by now. Connor Abbott is a nice boy, we could match you with him.”
“No, I have a husband,” I said.
“Oh, good, good. Is he a well-to-do man?”
“He’s a good man. Now, I want to know about my mother.”
I listened as my grandmother told me about my mother only going to school until the fifth grade before she stayed at home to help. The elders of the camp arranged my parents’ marriage when my mother was sixteen. I was born a year later. My father got into a disagreement with my uncles over where to move the camp, and he took my mom and me away.
My mom returned to the camp with me when I was four and told them about my father’s violence. Her family told her she needed to go back to her husband. Divorce did not exist in the camp. My father found us. The elders sided with him and made us go back with him. The more my relatives talked, the more I realized why my mother’s story unfolded the way that it had.
My heart hurt for my mother. She was raised to believe that you obeyed a man no matter how much he hurt you. She tried to get out but had nowhere to go. She ran to the one place she should have found refuge but instead was forced back into the life that eventually killed her. My mother never stood a chance.
I respected Talon, and I valued his opinion because I loved him. When we argued it was only with words. I knew that no matter how angry Talon felt toward me, he would never hurt me. My relatives seemed to have a warped sense of what respect meant in a marriage.
I told them I needed to get back to my husband, and they all agreed it was a good idea. I walked to my car, and before I drove away, the brunette climbed into my passenger seat and shut the door. She handed me a cloth bundle. I opened up to see a little ceramic ballerina in a pink tutu doing a pirouette.
She pointed at the ballerina. “That’s for you. It belonged to your mother. I’m your Aunt Maggie, by the way. Jack is my brother, although I don’t recognize him as such. Your mom was my best friend. The last year that we were allowed to go to school, our teacher took us on a field trip to a ballet. Molly was entranced by what she saw, and she wanted to be a ballerina. She twirled everywhere and was yelled at for twirling and turning fabric into tutus all the time. ‘No woman could make time for dreamin’,’ they would all tell her. They pulled her out of school to stop all of that.
“Her and I snuck out and went to this little market, and she saw this little ballerina. It cost more than she had, but the man gave it to her after he saw the way she looked at it. She kept it next to her bed and dreamed of starring in traveling shows. She heard of one coming to town and was going to sneak out to try and join.
“She thought she would work as crew and hoped someone would teach her. Her father caught her and decided to kill her dreams by marryin’ her off to Jack. She gave me that before Jack took her away. She was afraid he would break it, and it was the last bit of dreams she had left. I want you to have it, so when you look at it you see that your mother was bigger than all of us stuck here in this place.”
I hugged and thanked her. I promised her the ballerina would be treasured for the rest of my life. She climbed out of my car and I drove down the narrow road until it widened. I refused to gaze into my rearview mirror at the place I had almost been bound to. I drove away, as far as I could manage before I had to pull over because I couldn’t see the road through my tears. I wished I had let Talon come with me. I missed him so much right now.
I began to drive again, figuring I would leave from the Maine base. I found myself in Talon’s hometown. He took me there once when we were a recruiting team. I had a sudden urge to see Allie. I knew I couldn’t tell her who I was, but I was so close. What would it hurt?
I went to the center of town. It was a Saturday, so there was a chance Allie was at the bookstore Talon said she liked to work at. I drove around the town square before I saw the bookstore on the right and parked. The bell alerted the woma
n at the counter of my arrival, and she turned around to greet me. Her name tag read ‘Lilly.’
“Hello there! Traveling through?” she asked.
“Yeah, just wanted to get something to read for my trip home.”
“What do you like to read?”
“Pretty much anything. Any suggestions?”
“Allie! We have another one who wants suggestions,” she called to the back of the store, then to me she said, “The girl who works for me knows every book in here. I swear her memory is prodigy level with how well she remembers each one. Her help is priceless.”
I tried not to show my excitement when she called Allie’s name. A few minutes passed, and I saw Allie round the corner carrying a stack of books in her arms. She could barely see over the pile. She was still small, and I could imagine a strong wind toppling her over.
“This one on top is good if you’re into historical fiction. I won’t spoil it. I do that sometimes.” Allie placed the books on the counter. After she set the books down, she looked at me and smiled. “You like historical fiction? I’m pushing this one because I really like it, but I know not everyone likes that kind of thing.” She handed me the book she was talking about and continued, “I like pretty much everything though, so I have good suggestions for pretty much any category you find fascinating. We even have comic books, but you don’t really look like a comic book person. But if you are, that’s okay. Comic books definitely have their appeal to a lot of people and maybe…”
“Allie! You’re doing it again. Give the lady a chance to tell you what she likes,” Lilly chided Allie on her rambling, but it made me smile.
Allie smiled sheepishly and said, “Yeah, sorry. What do you like to read? I mean, there are a lot of good ones here. My brother likes Jane Eyre. I didn’t really think it would be his style, but he told me one time it was one of his favorites. But he also told me someone important to him gave him a copy, so maybe it was more that than content.”
That caught my attention. I gave Talon a copy of it before we were together when he went back to Earth for a year. Allie gave me a few more suggestions, and I picked three out.
“Thank you, Allie, for the suggestions. I think these should keep me pretty busy on the ride home,” I said.
“Sure. I hope you have a safe trip back. You’re very pretty by the way, like one of those models from New York or Paris.”
My smile grew bigger. “Thank you. You’re very pretty yourself.”
Allie smiled before picking up the pile of books that I hadn’t chosen and carrying them to the back. I missed her so much while barely knowing her. A teenage boy with light brown hair ran in.
Ms. Lilly pointed to the back of the store. “Hey, John. She’s in the back.”
“Thank you.” He went to find Allie.
The woman rang up my purchases.
Allie ran up to the counter. “Ms. Lilly, would it be okay if I took off? John got tickets to the Linkin Park concert. No clue how he did it other than he’s amazing!”
John shrugged. “My dad knows people.”
Mrs. Lilly waved her hand toward the door. “Yes, yes, go have fun. Be careful, you two.”
“Always!” Allie sang as she and John ran out the door.
I smiled. “I love her enthusiasm.”
“Yeah, that girl loves life and all that goes with it. She keeps me young with her spirit. Thank you for your purchases. I wish you well on your travels.”
“Thank you.”
I got back in my rental car and drove to Maine base where I boarded a shuttle. When I made it back to my quarters, I saw Talon wasn’t in. I attempted to call him, but he didn’t pick up. I was tired, so after a shower I crawled into bed, not even taking time to eat dinner.
When I woke up, I glanced at the clock and saw that it was morning. A quick walk around our quarters revealed Talon was still not back. I called him again and got no answer. I really wanted to see him and tell him about my trip. My com device went off, and I saw Jasper was calling.
“Seraphine, are you back on base?”
“Yeah, got back last night. Is Talon okay?”
“As far as I know. He’s on a mission, I believe. I’m calling for you. Admiral Parks wants me to check you over and see if you’re ready for active duty. She said that she has something she wants you to participate in next week.”
“Alright, I’ll head over there.”
I walked to sickbay. A nurse took me to an exam room. She gathered all my vitals.
Jasper walked in. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine. Still get tired easily, but I think it’s improving. I don’t fall asleep out of nowhere anymore.”
“So the narcolepsy has improved?”
“I’m pretty sure it’s gone. I feel tired, but I can stay awake through it.”
Jasper pulled out his scanner and checked me over. “Everything looks good. You think you’re up for missions again?”
“Yes, I think I can handle it.”
“Alright. I’m going to clear you then, but if it proves too much let me know and we can back off a little.”
“Sounds good. Thanks Jasper.”
I walked out and saw Talon laying back on a bed. I ran over to him.
He threw a giant smile my way. “You’re back!”
“Yeah, last night. Are you okay?”
He pointed to his leg. “Yeah, minor weapons burn, nothing the regenerator can’t fix. Helen had to heal a pretty nasty wound on Petra, so she was too burned out to mess with my minor wound.”
“I’m glad you’re okay. Jasper cleared me for missions again.”
“He thinks you’re ready?”
“Yeah, I don’t fall asleep out of nowhere anymore.”
He grabbed my arm. “Come here.”
I crawled up next to him and put my head on his shoulder. “I missed you too much.
“Me too.”
I told him about my trip and then grew quiet.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, probably knowing my silence held more to it than anyone else would have perceived.
“Rough trip. I’m not sure I like where I come from, what makes me up. My roots are a place where people stay stuck, even if they know the life they have isn’t the best. Almost none of them know what dreaming means, and the ones who do know are punished for it. I was supposed to stay stuck there. That was the fate of everyone who came before me.”
“Except it wasn’t your fate. You were meant for much greater things,” he kissed my head.
“But why am I any better to deserve a way out? My mom tried to escape all the terrible things that happened to her. She went to the only place in the world she knew to go, and they rejected her. They told her she was wrong, that she needed to embrace the life that was suffocating her, the life that led to her death. I wonder all the time how a boy like you could have seen anything wonderful in a girl like me. Now that I know exactly where I come from, I wonder that more than ever. Maybe I deserved to stay stuck.”
Talon shook his head. “Why? Because your birth, something completely beyond your control, made you what you perceive as less than? As though your DNA is something that should make you ashamed of the person you are. You know, when I saw you speaking in the courtroom, I was overwhelmingly struck with how amazing you are.
“It was striking to see the way you boldly spoke what you had to, even though I knew you were terrified. You stood up for a hypothetical person who could exist as your dad’s next victim. I don’t give a shit about where you came from, because all I know is that everything that makes you who you are is what I love more than anything else in the universe.”
When the monitor beeped, the nurse came in and removed the regenerator. Jasper looked at the result and handed Talon a cream to put on it for the next week that would help with the tenderness of the area. My life with Talon was so much more than simple survival—it was full. Survival was a component of the war, but the times between missions and battles, we lived a life to be envied. A life that
I could still dream in.
Chapter Nineteen
Seraphine - March 15, 2010
We were called to Admiral Parks’ office. When Talon and I arrived, the rest of our team was already sitting in her office.
Admiral Parks looked up from her computer. “Your team has been chosen to participate in the Ability Games. You will compete against different teams from other divisions. It’s a morale booster. The Games occur once a decade and are a way to highlight abilities.”
Parks gave us instructions and told us that this year’s Ability Games were going to take place on a terraformed planet. We would leave tomorrow and be given further instructions once we arrived on the planet. We met up at the rec center to discuss the Games.
Ajax grabbed a cue to start a game of pool. “They really want to take vitally important units off war detail to play games.”
Elliott joined Ajax at the pool table. “Let’s think of it as a vacation. I’m up for competition. You know we got this.”
Helen shook her head. “I’m personally not looking forward to this. You all have awesome abilities, but I have one that short circuits constantly. I fix a broken arm and pass out.”
I put my hand on Helen’s shoulder. “Don’t sell yourself short. There are times we would have been held up in sickbay for weeks without your repair skills.”
“I call dibs on you as my partner, Talon.” Petra shot him a smile.
“I’m not sure how we’ll be assigned,” Talon said.
I glared at Petra. “Yeah, I call dibs on rooming with Talon.”
“We should let Talon decide that,” Petra shot back.
We both looked at him.
He squinted his eyes. “What? Are you serious? Of course I’m rooming with Seraphine. Why is this even a question? She’s my wife.”
I smiled, satisfied as Petra pouted.
Talon and I made it back to our quarters, wanting to get a jump on packing before bed.
“Why do you let Petra flirt with you?” I asked.
“I didn’t know she was.”
“Come on, Talon, it’s obvious. She even sent me an article on open relationships lowering divorce rates, like that’s even a real thing. She’s insane.”
