by Zara Zenia
"I'd do it all again just to see you smile like that," I say.
He blushes again and turns away. Walking back into the bedroom, he switches on the television.
"I was hoping you'd be home soon because there is a movie on tonight about a couple and their dog. Apparently, it is romantic and sweet. Something you would like?"
I nod and laugh.
"I would like that very much.
"Yes, I remember you said you like romantic films."
"I do. You have a good memory."
"I also got this for you."
He reaches into the minibar and pulls out a big pink box.
"Raspberry cheesecake!"
"This makes you happy too?"
"Oh, my God yes!"
He cuts me a slice, which I notice is the biggest slice of cake I've ever seen and hands it to me on a new, pink plate with a fancy little napkin on the side.
"Thank you so much."
"It's nothing," he says as he sits down beside me.
Curling up beneath the covers, I finally feel as if I have a home of my own. It may be a crummy motel room but in the moment, I realize you don't need fancy things and a big house to have a home. All you need is a special person beside you and a little bit of effort. As the movie starts, I cuddle into his side and relax. Then something dawns on me.
"Why aren't you in the bath?" I ask.
"What do you mean?"
"Every night for the last month you've been in the bath when I come home. You're always in there with that little earpiece talking to your alien buddy."
"First, he's not my buddy. Secondly, I just didn't feel like it today."
"Really?"
"Uh-uh. I wanted to spend time with you instead. Now shush, I want to know what happens to this puppy."
I smile and cuddle into him closer. After a long shift at work and all the cheesecake, I begin to feel sleepy and no matter how many times I try to keep my eyes open, they keep shutting. I feel Voland kissing the top of my head. Then he's brushing the hair from my eyes, kissing my cheeks and stroking my head.
"Sleep well," he says. "You work too much."
And I feel myself fall into a deep sleep. I start to dream immediately. I think about the home I left behind and the mother who hated me so much. I think about Ronnie and how much I miss him. Then I think about introducing him to Voland. He'd be so psyched to know that his sister was living with an alien. I bet Voland would take good care of him too.
"Goodnight, Ronnie," I mumble in my sleep.
And Voland is tucking me in and holding me tight.
"Goodnight, Flick."
When I open my eyes, the room smells like bacon. I hear the door shut and feel a gust of cold wind breeze over the bed.
"Voland?"
Sitting up, I see him enter with breakfast.
"I didn't know what you wanted, so I got everything," he says.
He places it all down on my lap. Looking into the brown, paper bags, I see bacon subs and scrambled egg, Danish pastries, and croissants.
"Wow, thank you. This is the best thing I've woken up to in a long while."
"You're very welcome."
He playfully ruffles my hair and walks away. I can't help but wish he'd given me a kiss too. That would have truly completed the morning.
"I really don't wanna go to work later," I sigh as I nibble around the edge of a piece of bacon.
"You don't like it there?"
"Not really. I mean, it's ok. The money's super useful and everything but there must be something better I can do, something that will get us out of this place and into a proper apartment."
"I don't know. This place is starting to grow on me."
"I think you mean the mold is starting to grow on you."
He laughs.
"I know what you mean, though. I think you deserve better. I want to see you happy in a big house like the women I see in magazines. Isn't that what happiness is?" he asks.
"For some people," I say. "For the lucky ones."
"One day you'll be a lucky one too."
"Here's hoping."
I munch away happily on breakfast, sharing the pastries with Voland and washing it down with a big, black coffee.
"That was exactly what I needed," I smile and pat my bloated tummy. "You're the best."
He doesn't reply. His eyes are fixed on something on the floor and I lean over to see what he's looking at. His earpiece is flashing red.
"Are you not going to answer that?" I ask.
"No," he leans back and looks away.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I'm not interested."
I'm shocked. Usually, when that thing begins to beep he's clutching at it as though his life depending on it, squirreling it away in the bathroom where he mutters random locations and coordinates.
"You're really sure you don't want to answer it?"
He thinks for a second before picking it up and shoving it in the top drawer of the desk.
"I'm sure. Don’t worry about it."
Voland is doing something he hasn't done before; he's walking me to work.
"You really don't have to do this, you know."
"I want to," he insists. "I want to make sure you get there safely."
"I always get there safely!"
"Yeah but..."
He seems uneasy and looks off into the distance.
"I've heard things. I looked up those girls that you almost became, the prostitutes. Terrible things happen to them, awful violent things."
I stop in my tracks and hold onto his arm.
"But I'm not one of them," I say.
"But you almost were... and you have to walk through the main strip where they all work. What if you get confused for one? What if someone hurts you?"
There's a pained look in his eyes.
"You've been thinking about this a lot, haven't you?"
"Maybe..."
He starts walking again.
"Come on, I don't want you to be late for work."
I jog to catch up with him and link my arm into his.
"Thanks, for caring about me."
"How could I not? You're all I have."
There's a phrase on the tip of my tongue. I don't want to say it yet, can't bear the thought of uttering it and getting nothing but silence in return. So, I bite the side of my cheek to stop me saying anything and think about the long shift ahead of me. I distract myself by thinking about Bertie and all the old, crazy drunks that are usually propping up the bar. I think about the working girls that frequent the place with their dates and how they always look so tired, so jaded with the world. I want something better for myself, and for Voland.
"We're here," I say.
I realize that this is the first time Voland has seen my work and as I look up to the crumbling dive bar with the blue, neon sign, I find myself embarrassed.
"This doesn't look safe," he says.
"It's fine. I'm not a little girl. I can look after myself."
"I hope so. You want me to hang around for a while?"
"No, I'm fine."
I reach up and give him a quick peck on the cheek.
"Thank you."
He's about to say something when a beeping noise interrupts us. He pulls his earpiece out his coat pocket and stares at it for a moment as it flashes in his hand.
"I guess you better take that," I say.
"No. Not today," he says as he pushes it back in his coat pocket.
I raise my eyebrows.
"Don't look at me like that," he chuckles. "I'm not answering it."
"How come? What's with the change of heart? You used to get all angsty if you weren't attached to the thing."
"I've just, I dunno, changed my priorities I guess. I don't want to waste my time on it any longer."
He smiles and gives me a hug.
"I'll come get you when you finish," he says.
"Ok. Have a good night."
I watch him walk into the distance, his figure shrinking into
a speck on the horizon. There's a twinge in my gut, the feeling that I miss him already. I sigh and head inside.
"What's with the long face?" Bertie asks.
He's wiping down the bar with a wet, slimy rag. I can smell it from where I'm standing.
"It's nothing," I groan.
"You look as though you're turning up to your own funeral," he laughs.
"I said I'm fine!"
He raises his hands apologetically.
"Alrighty then."
He pours me a scotch and soda and slides it along the bar.
"Here, cheer up won't ya?"
"No thanks. I'm more of a cake and coffee kinda girl."
I stare at the glass of brown liquor and feel nauseous at the thought of drinking it.
"Just get it down ya," he insists. "It'll make the night go quicker."
And he walks off and leaves me alone with it.
"I wish Voland was here," I whisper to myself.
"What?"
I look over and see the rotten toothed old dude that's always here.
"Nothing,” I say before taking a sip of my drink.
I grimace and slam the glass down.
"Here, you have it."
He grins like a child at Christmas.
"Thanks!"
He gulps it down in one go and I set about clearing the empty glasses.
Chapter 14
Voland
I'm back at the motel room, alone and bored. I flick through the television channels but all I can think about is Felicity and how I wish she didn't have to work in that bar. I caught a quick look at the customers and they don't look safe. I shiver thinking about her spending the evening in that place but what can I do? We need the money to survive. If only there was a way I could have a job...
The communicator has been buzzing relentlessly in my pocket for the last couple hours. With nothing else to do and knowing I'll have to do it sooner or later, I answer.
"Hello."
I keep my voice stern and authoritative.
"Voland!"
Saurad’s voice booms and it feels as though I've ruptured an ear drum.
"Voland. You kept me waiting. You've been playing games!"
He's raging mad and the communicator is rattling in my ear with the power of his voice.
"My apologies," I say with a cool voice. "My business has been diverted elsewhere."
"Elsewhere," Saurad chews the word over in his mouth for a moment. "What does this mean exactly?"
There's a tinge of skepticism that is not usually in his voice and he's taking his time waiting for me to speak.
"Yes, elsewhere. I have been busy with family matters."
“Somehow, I don't believe you," he says with a haughty flick of the tongue.
"You don't have to. It's true regardless of what you think."
"Very well," he sighs. "What news have you got for me today?"
"I'm afraid I have none."
"I see..."
He's silent for a long while and the anticipation of what he's thinking is making my heart race. His breath is loud in my ear and I can hear something else too. He's tapping on something like he's typing furiously.
"Voland... I'm afraid your tip off about the Orbans on Earth has not born us any fruit."
He sounds so sad as he says this that I almost feel sorry for him.
"Oh?"
"I'm starting to think that maybe you knew it wouldn't."
"I can't say I knew such a thing at all, sir," I lie.
Shit, he's onto me. If he finds out I'm on Earth and that I brought the Orbans here then he surely will have me hunted down and killed.
"Your father was just like you," Saurad says.
"What are you saying about my father?"
"That he liked to play games, that he liked to misdirect people and start rumors for his amusement. That he was as manipulative as a human when he needed to be."
"I'm not manipulative! I have only told you the truth!"
"You have done no such thing!" he shouted.
I don’t know what to say.
"Tell me what your purpose of lying was?" he demanded.
"I had no purpose," I reply.
"So you DID lie?"
Shit, he got me. He's trapped me into a confession.
"I didn't lie!"
"So what did you have no purpose in doing if it wasn't lying?"
He's got me now. With nothing left to say and with nothing to lose, I blurt out:
"I lied to protect them! Because Palzu is a tyrannical dictator, a monster! And I wanted those Orbans to at least have a fighting chance at escaping his clutches."
Saurad doesn't say anything. I start to wonder if he heard anything I said or if the line has disconnected. But then I hear his breathing once again and the sound of his frantic typing. What is he writing? Who is he talking to? Is he taking notes of this conversation? His breathing gets heavier, so heavy that I can imagine the hot, moistness of his breath on the end of the earpiece. I hear him licking his lips, his wet tongue gliding over his parched, leathery lips. Then he croaks as though he's about to speak.
"Voland... You. Are. A. Traitor."
He says the words so solemnly that each one sounds like a quiet bullet to the heart.
"And for this... You. Will. Pay."
He hangs up, and I'm left with nothing but buzzing in my ear. I rip the earpiece off and throw it to the ground, stomping on it as hard as I can in case someone decides to track it. Then, as a further precaution, I run the hot tap in the sink and submerge it under the scalding water. It smells like burning rubber and makes a squealing noise as the chip inside explodes.
"Fuck!"
In a burst of anger, I lash out and punch the bathroom door. It sends a shockwave of pain up my arm as the wood splinters beneath my knuckles.
"Fuck... Shit. They're going to be here soon. They're going to find me and kill me, they're going to... Felicity!"
Suddenly, out there in the night, she seems so vulnerable, even more at risk than before. I must keep her safe, must make sure Palzu's troops can't reach her. I jump into my boots and bluster out the door into the frigid night. The snow is gliding over my face as it runs in waves of wind and cold. I shiver and hug my arms tight around me as I run, barely able to see through the heavy snow.
Out of nowhere, a car screeches to a halt in the middle of the road.
"Hey, buddy! Are you freakin' crazy?"
A guy's yelling out his window at me and smacking the horn on the steering wheel. I ignore him and continue running. At last, I can see the blue light above the bar. Shouldering the door, I head inside. I'm immediately hit by the smell of tobacco and pungent booze. It's disgusting and I don't know how any human can put that stuff in their body.
"Voland?"
Felicity is collecting glasses from the nearby tables. She looks shocked to see me.
"Flick. I have something to tell you but we have to go, now."
"No! Voland, I'm working."
"It's important!"
A chubby man with slicked back hair sees us talking and comes out from behind the bar.
"Hey, who's this guy? He giving you trouble?"
"No," Felicity says as she waves her hand dismissively. “Everything's fine. He's just leaving. Here, I'll show you out."
She pushes me out the front door so I'm back outside in the middle of the blizzard.
"What's going on?" she asks.
"Who was that?"
"That's Bertie, he owns this place."
"I don't like him."
"Neither do I but that's not why you're here is it? Tell me, what's going on?"
I grab her by the shoulders and look her dead in the eye.
"We're in trouble Flick. The Orbans are coming. They know I'm a traitor."
Chapter 15
Voland
"This is crazy, Voland! What the hell are you saying?"
"I'm saying we need to get out of here! Like right now."
"No, this is insane! We'
ve just got settled. I have a job now and we have a place to stay. If we leave this all behind we're back to square one with nothing and nowhere to go."
I understand but she doesn't seem to comprehend that there are bigger things going on.
"I know that this job is important and that money is important too but right now there are intergalactic affairs taking place that are far more important than the concept of money. I wish we could stay holed up in the motel room forever and eat cheesecake and watch movies but we just can't Flick. I'm sorry but we can't."
"But why do we even have to leave? Can't we stay here? Please! Can't we stay here? We could lay low, only leave the room when it's dark and-"
"No, listen to me. The communicator, the earpiece you always hated, they could use it to track us."
"What? Destroy it!"
"I have already but there's no harm in playing safe. They could be watching us, they could know where we are already, they could be looking at us right now!"
Just thinking about it makes me paranoid and I glance over my shoulder, looking for the figure of an incognito Orban cloaked beneath the night sky.
"You're crazy. This is ALL crazy. This can't be happening.
She's teary-eyed and shaking her head from side to side.
"This is a nightmare," she says. "Such a fucking a nightmare."
Suddenly the door bursts open and her boss Bertie is lingering in the doorway, the smell and sound of drunken antics escaping out around his silhouette.
"What's going on out here? Felicity, I don't pay you to have midnight trysts with your boyfriend."
It feels weird being referred to as her boyfriend. Is that what I am? I can't think of any other label right now that would make sense.
"Sorry, Bert," Felicity says.
I'm expecting him to go back inside and tend to his business but he continues to watch us from the doorway, pulling out a pack of cigarettes and lighting one. He holds it between his teeth and sucks hard on it, a plume of blue-grey smoke seeping out from his mouth and nostrils before mingling with the mist.
"Felicity? Are you coming back inside?" he asks.
She turns to him then looks back at me, then turns to him again.
"Sorry, Bert, but I quit."
He sucks hard on his cigarette again, his beady dark eyes on my face.
