Terraformed Skies

by Anna Lewis

  “When was the last time you did something crazy?” Lindy said curiously, nudging his shoulder with hers.

  He was surprised again, but seemingly captivated now. “Uh, never?” he said, shrugging.

  It was her turn to laugh aloud. “Seriously? Not even when you were a kid?!”

  He shook his head, chuckling. “Was always a good kid.”

  Lindy turned serious then. “You’re always seeking your father’s approval. Must be tough to follow in the King’s footsteps, huh?”

  He seemed amused again despite her bringing up his father. “You read my mind.”

  Lindy smiled. “It’s my secret power!”

  Kristan shook his head in incredulity, but he was smiling from ear to ear.

  “Come on!” Lindy said, suddenly getting up. As she did, her toe caught on a rock causing her lose her balance. She gave a slight shriek as she fell backwards on the prince, awkwardly ending up in a sitting position on his knees! But to her delight, he had his arms around her.

  “Are you okay?” he asked with concern.

  She nodded, suddenly speechless. She hastily clambered to her feet and hurried down the trail. “Let’s go!” she called.

  Following reluctantly, he was shaking his head and chuckling. “Where are we going?”

  “I want to show you something,” Lindy shouted. She led the way to the edge of the island that she had explored a few days previously. It wasn’t a long walk and there was a trail that was barely visible, which had obviously not been used frequently.

  As they fell into step together, she felt him beginning to loosen up and become more comfortable with her. She was very pleased to see that she still had that ability. If it wasn’t to seduce men, at least it was helpful in making people feel more at ease just as she’d accomplished with the rest of the Vorton community.

  They finally came to a stop in front of a small cave entrance. She studied his face and knew he did not know about its existence.

  “When did you discover this cave, Lindy?” he asked, turning all serious again.

  “Let me think…” she paused. “I think just a few days ago when I was looking for materials for the craftswomen in the community…”

  “You’re helping them out?” he asked in surprise.

  “Yeah, why? Is that bad?” she asked defiantly.

  “No, no!” he immediately answered. “Just…interesting.”

  She led the way into the dark cave. “It’s a small one, but there are no animals here inside, I believe… I did see some odd-looking gadgets that I think you should check out.”

  “Gadgets?” he repeated curiously, quickening his step to follow her further into the cave. The pathway was quite dark now as they ventured farther from the entrance.

  Lindy had no slippers on, but she didn’t really care. She’d gotten used to the feeling of bare earth beneath her feet, and sort of enjoyed it now. Besides, it was less slippery when navigating inside a cave.

  “Just a few more steps…” she said without looking back. “Come on, hurry…”

  She came to a sudden stop when she reached a point where there was a drop from the ground. “Whoa!” she cried out, almost falling forward. Strong arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her back. She felt her body pressing against Kristan’s and it took all her self-control not to turn around and start kissing him.

  “Be careful,” he whispered in her ear, his warm breath tickling her neck temptingly.

  She was breathing heavily now, her heart feeling as if it would burst out of her chest. And for a moment, she forgot what they were doing there.

  He pulled her closer, his hands enfolding her tightly. She could feel his chin on the side of her head. “What did you want to show me, Lindy?” he asked then.

  “Uh…” She could not even think straight!

  He slowly moved her to his side. “Is it down there? I’ll go first.”

  She was so wrapped up in the rising temperature of her body and the crazy thudding of her heart that she didn’t have the energy to even protest.

  To her disappointment, he let her go and sidestepped her to take a peek down below. He shone a light from his watch to check the height of the drop. “It’s not far at all,” he said. “It’s safe to jump. Wait here, though… Let me go first.”

  He jumped to the ground below and called out to her. “Lindy?”

  She took a deep breath, looked down and met his eyes. Somehow, she knew she could trust this alien prince. Without thinking any further, she went down to a sitting position on the edge before jumping—straight into his waiting arms.

  They stood there face to face, staring at each other. And because he didn’t immediately let her go, she followed her instinct and placed both arms around his neck.

  Kiss me, she demanded in her head, eager to feel his moist lips on hers. But aloud she started to say, “Prince Kristan, I—“

  He didn’t let her finish. He swooped down fast and kissed her on the lips, taking her by surprise. Her heart felt like it exploded as their lips caressed one another passionately. Their tongues met in a fiery dance of desire, the sexual tension between them mounting dangerously.

  They kissed some more, oblivious to their surroundings. But abruptly, the prince stopped as the desire they had for each other started to escalate. He gently pulled back.

  “What’s wrong?” Lindy asked, out of breath.

  “Nothing,” he answered with raspy breathing, trying to calm himself down. He quickly took his eyes away from her and changed the subject. “So where are the gadgets you were telling me about?”

  Still feeling elated but a bit disappointed, Lindy wordlessly pointed to the black velvet string bag hidden in a crease in between some rocks.

  Kristan seemed to have forgotten about her as he examined the old, worn-out gadgets in the bag. There were a few crumpled papers that were confidential documents regarding the army in the bag with them.

  “Those papers weren’t there before…” Lindy said, puzzled.

  “It means that the spy recently returned here,” Prince Kristan said thoughtfully. “He may have been in the training building or within the army grounds the past few days. I will have the security cameras checked.”

  Lindy was already running through the people she’d seen over the past few days while she’d been cleaning up in the training area.

  “Have you noticed anything weird lately?” the prince pressed on. “Maybe someone who looked suspicious or even a soldier who wasn’t supposed to be in a particular place at the time…”

  Lindy tried to recall the memories. She remembered wondering why that quiet soldier often went inside the officers’ hall when he wasn’t even an officer yet.

  “Branzon, the new graduate?” Kristan blurted out, his eyes clouding over in deep thought. He took out a communication device from his pocket and started snapping commands to one of the officers.

  Lindy then had a picture of Kay’s boyfriend Calone in her mind. She remembered seeing him just yesterday, rushing out of the training building but trying to act nonchalant. It was almost night time then.

  Kristan stopped speaking into the device he had on his hand. He turned to her and barked, “Calone? What the hell was he doing there?!”

  Lindy’s eyes widened as she realized that he’d been reading her mind—literally. “How are doing that?” she whispered in awe.

  In the midst of what appeared to be chaotic thoughts in his head, Lindy saw his face turn very serious as he looked into her eyes. Then he revealed to her a secret that nobody else knew. “I can read minds, Lindy.”

  The color drained from her face as she grasped the reality of it and knew that he’d been reading her thoughts all along.

  ***

  The monthly musical festival of the community servers was in full swing in the metal dome which was decorated like an enchanted forest. There were vines hanging around on the walls and from parts of the ceiling, intertwined with lovely lights and flowers. Real stars outside could be seen through the
glass ceiling, flickering beautifully in the night sky.

  Lindy had gotten so accustomed to the alien chants already that she found them entertaining now, sort of like a cross between rap and soulful melodies.

  “This is really special,” Kay commented beside her. She looked extra pretty in a long pink dress that Lindy had made for her after learning how to do basic sewing. It was a makeshift costume for her performance later that evening. “Thanks for the outfit, Lindy. And the decors! Wow!”

  Lindy smiled. “You’re welcome. But I don’t deserve all the credit. We all worked hard to make this event very special.”

  “It’s my first month without Calone by my side…” Kay murmured wistfully.

  Lindy knew that Calone was being investigated, but she couldn’t tell Kay until it was confirmed that he really was the spy. She had a bad feeling about it.

  “Don’t worry,” Lindy assured Kay, secretly very relieved that they had already broken up for good. “There are lots of better men lining up to dance with you tonight!” She motioned to a couple of male servers eyeing Kay.

  Kay consciously tucked a strand of her dark brown hair behind her ear. “I have forgotten how to deal with other men…” she said nervously.

  “You’ll handle it. Just be confident!” Lindy told her. “You are smart, pretty, and totally irresistible!”

  Kay smiled at her with gratitude. And in return, Lindy embraced her friend.

  Suddenly, they heard somebody announcing Kay’s name as the next performer.

  “Good luck, Kay!” Lindy called after her friend as Kayraz climbed up the stage. She proudly listened to her friend belt out a sweet, mellow song as some of their other friends played various instruments in the background. It was a combination of Vorton and human music, and all the servers present were loving it.

  As she was swaying gently to the music, she felt an arm drape around her shoulders. It was Elixir, grinning at her and looking as if he’d had too much to drink already.

  “Hi, beautiful,” he greeted cheerfully, his words slightly slurred. “How about joining me for a private walk on the beach?”

  “No, thanks,” Lindy said in reply with a polite smile. She knew when to avoid Eli and when to joke around with him as a friend. This was one of those times when it was better to stay away, especially since she had no intention ever of hooking up with him.

  “I promise to behave, Lindy,” he kidded, giving her a peck on the cheek.

  Lindy pulled away in surprise. “Eli…I said no,” she told him firmly. “Let’s just enjoy the evening, shall we?”

  “Oh, come on! Celebrities like you love to party, right?” he insisted, still grinning. “Let’s have a little fun, Lindy…”

  To her astonishment, he had the nerve to wrap her in his arms and plant a kiss on her lips. She gave him a good shove, which made him tumble backward a bit. It was a good thing they were in the back of the room, so the commotion was left unnoticed.

  “What’s your problem?” Eli demanded, this time looking angry and embarrassed. He lunged at her then, but somebody blocked his way, moving in front of Lindy.

  “What’s your problem, Elixir?” a calm but stern voice said. It was Prince Kristan, coming to protect her. The bluish aura that radiated from his body was darkening.

  What was he doing at the servers’ event, anyway?

  Lindy could smell his intoxicating scent, making her heart pound harder. He was blocking her view so she couldn’t see what was going on. Eventually, though, Eli backed down, grumbling under his breath and moving away.

  “I’m putting that guy on my list of spy suspects,” Kristan said under his breath as he watched Elixir partially walk and partially stumble away.

  Lindy sighed in relief. She didn’t want to cause any trouble, especially on such a special evening. And hearing Kristan’s decision to have Elixir investigated too, she thought that maybe it was all for the best. She had a lot of unanswered questions about him.

  She was also worried about ruining Kay’s performance. But glancing at the stage, she could that her friend was enjoying herself and was happy to be entertaining everyone present.

  “Are you okay, Lindy?” he asked, his face blank but his eyes filled with concern.

  She nodded, smiling. “Don’t worry. Eli’s always like that to me, but he was probably pushier today because of the alcohol in his system.”

  “He shouldn’t be drinking more than he can handle,” he replied, his look of concern turning to annoyance. “Now that man’s never going to make it as a soldier.”

  Lindy nodded in agreement, feeling a little sad for Eli who was often fun to be with when he wasn’t drinking or hitting on her. “Anyway…” she started, changing the subject. “What brings you here?”

  “I’m invited to these events every time,” he said nonchalantly. “I decided to come today and see for myself what the fuss is all about.”

  “Cool,” Lindy said enthusiastically, suddenly feeling self-conscious. It was a good thing she’d made an extra effort to dress herself up in a nice blue dress that showed off her lean legs and slightly revealed her cleavage. She had worn her blonde hair loose, the waves cascading way below her shoulders.

  Then she remembered that the prince could read her mind. She looked up cautiously at him.

  He didn’t make any movement or reference to knowing what she’d been thinking. He simply gave her a friendly smile.

  “I’ll see you around,” he suddenly said, leaving her standing there and once again feeling disappointed. She watched him mingle with the other servers, who were obviously shocked by his presence. He looked like he was having a good time.

  As the night wore on, Lindy forgot about the earlier incident and was having a great time with the community she’d learned to love so much. She eventually had the chance to interact with a group that included Prince Kristan.

  “We’re really grateful you’re here, sir,” one of the male singers said, looking awestruck.

  “I’m grateful to be here,” the prince responded sincerely. “You are all such amazing musicians. I’m sorry I only found out now. You should definitely perform at the next gathering in the main house!”

  “We would be honored!” the male singer said.

  An excited chatter started in the crowd gathered around the prince. Lindy smiled, loving the way he was relating with them and even praising them. Maybe he’d realized that forming real relationships with these people was vital for everybody’s wellbeing, and to fulfilling his own goals.

  As Prince Kristan answered each question and even told interesting anecdotes, he sometimes glanced in Lindy’s direction. There were moments when their eyes would meet, causing an invisible spark. It was as if there was an unseen string connecting them.

  “Tell us, sir…” one lady said casually. They were all warming up to the prince and really treating him as one of them. “What made you decide to come tonight?”

  Kristan paused, his brown eyes shining with admiration and warmth. “There’s this friend who made me realize I was being too serious…”

  Everybody laughed. His eyes flickered to Lindy, making her heart jump. “This person somehow dug up the old me, a part of me I had buried deep long ago. But now I’m seeing that it’s better this way—to mix the old me with the new me.”

  Somebody whistled. “Way to go, friend!” he cried out, making the others laugh, including Lindy.

  The party finished late. Prince Kristan said goodbye to everyone and was escorted back to his ride by two soldiers who’d come to pick him up in the modern carriage.

  Meanwhile, Lindy was one of those who left the dome last. She wasn’t feeling sleepy yet, her mind churning with thoughts of the prince. Her emotions were a contradicting fusion of hope and frustration. So instead of heading back to the room she shared with Kayraz, she went to her favorite spot on the beach—the secluded sandy area enclosed by large rocks. She laid out a blanket and sat down, quietly listening to the waves crashing onto the shore.

 
“Hey,” a hoarse whisper came from behind her.

  Her heartbeat quickened in fear as she stood up and whipped around, ready to run if there was any danger. As she turned, she was startled to smash her face into the well-built chest of the man she’d been fantasizing about. She breathed in his scent even through the sweater he was wearing.

  “You scared me!” she said, giggling nervously and yet feeling her body temperature escalating with desire.

  “I’m sorry,” he whispered, raising one hand to gently touch her cheek. The electrifying gesture seemed to disperse tingling heat to every portion of her body.

  In her mind, she was already imagining him kissing her, and making love to her under the moonlight.

  He grinned, the golden sparks in his eyes lighting up brighter. There was also a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Your mind…is way too advanced…” he teased.

  She blushed, which no other man had made her do in a long time.

  “What are you doing here?” she said to change the topic. Her heart beat even faster. Her mind could not stop picturing him kissing and touching her all over.

  He chuckled softly, taking another step closer to her. “You are one naughty woman…” he noted, his face turning serious. His hands cupped her face as he looked into her eyes with intense desire. “And to answer your question, I couldn’t sleep so I went looking for you.”

  “Why?” She tried to shut out the pornographic thoughts in her mind.

  He moved his hands from her cheeks to her neck stroking lightly, his eyes never leaving hers. Then he brought his hands to her shoulders and arms, pushing back her flimsy jacket causing it to fall to the ground. Underneath she still had on the same dress that exposed the top of her breasts and enhanced her curves.

  He gazed at her with longing, his eyes moving down and lingering on her breasts before shifting back to her face. He was making her wait so long it was killing her. She could feel herself becoming damp between her legs as he seemed to undress her with his eyes.

  “You’re getting what you want tonight,” he told her boldly. “And so am I.”