Behind the Stars

by Leigh Talbert Moore

  “You did it in the barn when Bully was born. And that other time, when we stayed out too long and were almost caught.”

  “I’m sorry,” he said, back at my side. “I won’t ever do it again without your permission. I promise. I just had to make you believe me, and it was the only way—”

  “The only way? That’s your only alien power?”

  “Yes. Well, and as a Guard, I can communicate telepathically with high warriors like Cato and Ovett, but not with you. At least I don’t think—”

  “Communicate telepathically?”

  “We’re in the ruling class because of our gifts. Cato can deflect the cutting power Ovett possesses. My uncle can do both, cut and deflect, which is very rare. It’s what makes him so difficult to overpower. It’s how I got my scars.”

  His voice grew quiet, as if it was a memory too painful to share, but I had to know. “How did you get them?”

  Golden eyes flickered to mine. “Two planets ago, he found me. I was just a little boy, and I was alone.”

  “Cato left you alone?” After the way she acted, I could hardly believe it.

  “Well, not entirely. Sontag was there. He was betrothed to my sister, but he had no powers. He had only his shoulder armor, and it was no match for my uncle.” Gallatin made a fist and studied the scar across the back of his hand. “When he realized he was lost, Sontag laid his body over mine like a shield, a sacrifice, and all I could do was hold onto him. Acona kept cutting and cutting trying to reach me, until Sontag was shredded. I’ll never forget his screams, the blood...”

  A knot was in my throat. “It’s so horrible.”

  “I don’t remember Ovett’s arrival. My arms were over my face when he finally got to me.” He took a deep breath. “It’s why we still have to run. We’re not strong enough to defeat Acona.”

  I sank to my knees on the blanket. Then I leaned forward putting my head on my hands. My brain felt like it was coming apart inside my head—like there really was a chip being activated. The chip, I had to ask about that, but I felt Gallatin’s hand on my back.

  I jumped up, using my feet to increase the space between us. “Don’t!”

  He winced as if I’d slapped him, then he looked down at his hands. “It doesn’t happen with every touch. I have to focus, and I have to know which emotion I’m trying to project.”

  “Just keep your hands to yourself for now.”

  He nodded. “Of course. Whatever you want.”

  “So when you’re cut, do you bleed green or something?”

  “It’s actually very dark, almost black. Shubuta says it’s because of the composition of the oxygen molecules here and how it reacts with our blood.”

  I didn’t know what to say, and for the moment we were quiet. The space between us clumsy and awkward. It was all so much, so fast. Like we were friends who’d spent a whole summer apart and were now meeting up again to discover everything we knew about each other had completely changed over the break.

  “That used to be the hardest part for me,” he finally said. “The changes in our bodies as a result of being in different environments can be a shock. Our planets are similar, but still—”

  “What color is your blood on your own planet?”

  He glanced up at me. “I was only a baby when I left Gliese, but Cato says it’s clear.”

  “Like water?”

  “No, more like with the cow? The stuff you swallowed?”

  “I’m already close to throwing up.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  I couldn’t believe it, yet he was so calm and at ease with the story. It was seamless, and there was an explanation for everything I asked. Almost everything.

  “So why hold us prisoners? You said you were only going to be here a day? Two? What happened?”

  “Evacuation, escape—we always have to be prepared to flee. In this case, we chose remote locations, places where there were very few people, or where the small population tended to be isolated.”

  “Like Dabb Creek?”

  “Cato liked it here—the forest, the flowers, the green. I was only here a short time before I asked to go to the desert.”

  “Whatever, so then what?”

  “Well, a few years passed. I studied about your inhabitants and animals. It was actually my idea to create the sustainable farm. I outlined how we could hold a small group in a camp like this for up to a week if necessary and all the food, everything would provide itself.”

  “Where’d you get that idea? A book?”

  “Yes, actually, but it was only a theory. I wasn’t proposing it as the first course of action.”

  “Yet here we are. Why?”

  He exhaled deeply, studying his palm. “When we prepare to leave, we have to uncover the ships, which are quite large and difficult to hide.”

  “You bury them?”

  “No, we cloak them, sort of like under an invisible dome. But we also build up the landscape for added protection.”

  “And you can’t get them out?”

  “It’s not that. Getting them out is relatively easy and quick. All of this should’ve taken a day to a day and a half, but just as we were leaving, word came that we couldn’t evacuate. Acona’s scouts were detected in this quadrant, scanning every planet, moon, and asteroid for us. We had to wait until they passed, but the ships were out. Some humans had seen us, seen them. It was too late to hide again.”

  “I still don’t understand why you had to hold us here. Why not just erase our memories?”

  He shook his head. “We didn’t know how long we’d have to wait, and it isn’t feasible to keep rounding you all up. The old ones were given heavy sedatives and are being monitored in their homes, but there aren’t enough of us to watch everyone that way.”

  “So some people are still in their homes?” My thoughts went to my dad, Dr. Green, Jackson.

  “Ovett also secured these two abandoned facilities—”

  “There’s another camp?”

  “A ways from us, closer to your town. Many of the workers are being held there. Underground.”

  “Underground! They must be terrified!”

  “They’re also sedated. Asleep.”

  “The man in the ditch,” I murmured, remembering the day I was taken. “So that just left us.”

  “The overflow. Shubuta convinced the others to let her experiment with my plan in this camp. You might say it was pure chance that brought you here.”

  “Then Cato brought you here.”

  He glanced at me with an expression that was too warm. I chose to ignore it. I wouldn’t believe Fate had brought us together. Could I even believe in something like Fate now that I knew there were aliens? I was becoming like Braxton, suddenly doubting everything I knew.

  “But if your uncle’s scouts were scanning everything, why wait? They’d find you if you stayed here.”

  “My grandfather and the other Guard are loyal to our way of life, to our civilization. They’ve been protecting us all along while trying to negotiate a truce with my uncle. Because of our connection, my grandfather is able to set up a vibration, like a shield that makes Cato and me invisible to Acona’s hunters.”

  “He’s only searching for you?”

  “Primarily. He wants to kill us all, but Cato and I are his top priority.”

  I shivered. My whole body shook. I wrapped my arms around my knees, and Gallatin moved toward me. I scooted back, away from him. He exhaled and his shoulders dropped.

  “I wish you would trust me,” he said. “I haven’t changed from before. When we were friends.”

  “How can I trust you? You’ve been holding us captive for weeks!”

  “It’s gone on longer than we ever expected. Two weeks is far too long for your world not to notice. Even in a remote location like this.”

  “Like the cops and stuff? I was wondering about that.”

  “We’d planned for the possibility of a slight delay. You and the others in this camp could stay as you are indefinitel
y—”

  “And our parents? Dr. Green?”

  “They’re perfectly safe. Please understand, it was our only choice. I honestly couldn’t believe how long it worked. This community is so isolated. Few residents ever leave here.”

  “Flora’s sister Lisa moved to California last year.”

  “Yes, and we’ve covered her.”

  “Covered her?” I struggled to stand up quickly. “What does that mean? Did you kill her?”

  “Of course not! We’re just monitoring her contacts, making her think her mother and sister are fine.”

  “You’re mind-controlling her?”

  “Not specifically, but Prentiss, that’s what I needed to tell you. We’re leaving. It’s an enormous risk, but Cato said it’s more dangerous to stay.”

  Again I shivered. I couldn’t seem to stop. “You’re going to another planet?”

  “Yes. It’s why I wanted to come here one last time.” He looked down, and his energy seemed to fade. “You won’t remember any of this. And if you do, you’ll think it’s just a strange dream you had.”

  “I’ll forget? Everything? But what about the time loss? The two weeks?”

  “Incidents like this have occurred in the past. Collective time loss. Your people will make up some explanation for it.”

  I shook my head. “I don’t think this will work out as easily as you’re saying.”

  He shrugged, and his voice was sad. “Regardless, we’ll be light years away.”

  “So it’s not your problem?”

  He didn’t answer, and I started walking. This time I wasn’t going to stop. “I’ve got to think about this and figure out what to do.”

  “You don’t have to do anything. We’ll be gone in a matter of hours. A day at most.”

  I paused at a skinny tree and looked back. He stood there in his shorts, his palms facing me. “I would never hurt you,” he said. “I hope you know that. I hope you can understand.”

  “Understand what? That you’ve been treating us, treating me like an animal? Holding us like your cosmic playthings? Or worse. Acting like we have no rights or say in what happens.”

  “Remember that day when Bully was born, when I thought you might die?”

  The abrupt change in subject confused me, but I nodded. He took a step toward me, but I took a step back. He stopped and crossed his arms, placing his palms against his torso “It didn’t make sense, we’d only just met, but everything in me refused to believe it.”

  “Believe what?”

  “That I might never get to know you better. That it was all over that fast, and I’d only just scratched the surface. I couldn’t let that happen. I would not let you die.”

  I turned away, toward the camp. “Why are you telling me this?”

  “I just... wanted you to know.”

  “And in two days, I won’t remember it. I’ll forget you ever existed?”

  He looked down. “Knowing that, that you’ll never remember me...”

  We stood there for a moment, silent. Then he turned and started back to where his clothes and the pack still sat. I inhaled a shaky breath and headed toward the camp. By the time I reached the fence, I was crying.

  Chapter 17

  It was almost time for dinner, and my damp clothes and swollen eyes were a sure sign that I’d been up to something. I wiped my tears away with my sleeve, but as I looked down, I saw the marks from my soaked boxers and tank that couldn’t be excused as sweat. It all added to my misery, but it was quickly forgotten when D’Lo stopped me mid-way across the yard. His dark face was strangely pale, and my sadness turned to fear as he grabbed my arm, quickly pulling me to the dorm.

  “I’ve been looking for you,” he said. “It’s Braxton. He went and did it. I don’t know how long it was before we found him.”

  “Did what? What happened?” My voice was breathless as I clutched his giant arm.

  “He went down to the perimeter, to the place where the big trees line the fence. He took his sheets and made a knot... Roxie found him hanging, but I got him down.”

  Pain exploded in my chest like a bomb, and I dropped to my knees on the grass. D’Lo went to one knee beside me, holding me in his big arms. My eyes closed as whiteness crept into the sides of my vision, but D’Lo squeezed me.

  “Don’t you faint, now. He needs you, Pren.”

  “Oh, god,” I wailed, fresh tears slicking my face. “Oh, god, Dee, it’s too much. It’s all just too much.”

  My breathing was shallow and difficult, but D’Lo rubbed my back.

  “Stay with me, girl. You’ve got to be strong.”

  “I can’t anymore. I don’t know how to fight this. I don’t know what to do—”

  “Do it for your brother.” His deep voice urged in my ear. “They did this to him. They’re the reason.”

  My body shook so hard, I couldn’t stand. I could only cry, gulping in hoarse breaths as I clung to my friend. I was sorry for Braxton, of course I was, but my tears were also for a loss I couldn’t share with Dee.

  In spite of what Gallatin had revealed, in the last few hours since I’d left him in the woods, my mind had gone from shock and fear to sadness and pain. All the moments we’d shared these last few days and nights, the experiences we’d had...

  We wanted the same things—our own place, family, peace. He called me strong. He watched everything I did and truly saw me, not what I needed to become or how I need to change. He saw me as I was, and he was proud of me. He said I was smart, and he wanted me to be a doctor.

  He told me his wishes and dreams, his hopes for us—dreams I’d been watching slip away between Jackson and me in the past months. Things I didn’t believe could grow so fast and be so strong...

  And just as fast, they would disappear. In a matter of hours, it would all be taken away. I’d never even remember what I’d lost. I gulped another breath.

  “It’s too much,” I whispered.

  “Come on, now,” Dee said. “Try and stand up. You need to talk to Braxton. Try and get him to come around.”

  I blinked back my tears, knowing he was right. I was being selfish, and we didn’t have time for such things. I grasped D’Lo’s arm. “Where is he?”

  “We got him in his bed, but he can’t let go of the bad feelings. He says we should’ve let him die.”

  Holding Dee’s arm for support, I got to my feet and followed him back, past the empty bunks to the corner where my brother lay on his side, his back facing outward the same as before when I’d left him. I wiped my tears away and focused on helping him.

  “Braxton?” I placed my hand on his arm. “You okay?”

  “Leave me alone.” His voice was cold.

  “Braxton, listen to me. You can’t do this. You just can’t.” My voice broke, and I started to cry again.

  My brother didn’t move. He didn’t turn or try to comfort me, and he didn’t speak. I looked up at the faces of my friends all looking back at me waiting, wanting me to do something. Wanting answers, anything, but I couldn’t tell them what Gallatin had said. Anyway, what did it matter if in two days none of us would remember any of this?

  I turned and walked back to my bunk. The tone sounded for dinner, but I couldn’t eat. Everyone walked toward the door, but my heart was so heavy, I lay over on my side and stared at nothing. I had become like them—hopeless, defeated. But unlike my friends, my hopelessness centered on a coming loss I couldn’t stop. I sniffed and began to cry again, and this time it was because my heart was breaking. I was saying good-bye to something I’d only just discovered I wanted so very much, something that had changed absolutely everything in my life.

  My eyes closed, and I thought about what Gallatin had said when he’d held me in the creek, his dream of us together, our life. I remembered seeing the mixture of a million different colors shining in the sunlight, through the leaves, on the water like a prism. I remembered wanting to kiss him. I remembered his touch...

  Instantly, I sat up in the bed. That was it. I’d found
the answer—for one of us, at least.

  The room was empty except for my brother, and I quickly rose and ran from the dorm down to the smaller cabins at the bottom of the hill. I went to the one where I knew I’d find him, where I hoped I’d find him, and went around to the small window I remembered being propped open. Dropping to my knees, I looked through the space, and there he was.

  For a moment I could only watch him, that painful ache twisting in my chest. I tried to make my eyes see him as scary or strange and alien, but I couldn’t. He simply lay there on his back on the bed, an arm over his eyes. I studied his scars, remembering the horrible story of how he got them, a little boy trying to protect himself against blow after blow in a savagely executed attempted murder. More pain twisted in my chest, and I wanted to keep him close, to know he was safe.

  “Gallatin?” I whispered, and he dropped his arm, sitting up to look at me through the screen.

  In seconds, he was opening the window, helping me step through into his room. “Why are you here?” His voice was hopeful. “I thought you were angry with me.”

  “I need your help.” Our hands remained clasped.

  “Anything—”

  “It’s my brother. He...” A sob snatched my voice away, and I had to sit.

  Gallatin caught my arm as my knees gave way, and he helped me to the side of his bed. Then he pulled me against his chest and wrapped his arms around me. I didn’t pull back. I wanted him to hold me this way; it was so good. He softly shushed, and for a moment I clutched his shirt, knowing how in just a few days he’d be gone, taking our memories with him. He’d be gone along with this safe place in his arms, where I could release my fears and pain for a little while and lean on his strength.

  Slowly, I pushed up, out of his embrace. “I’m sorry,” I said, wiping my eyes on my sleeve.

  He handed me a towel. “Why are you crying?”

  “My brother tried to kill himself. D’Lo found him, and—”

  “What? How is that possible?” Gallatin stood and walked to the other side of his room. “That should never have happened!”