by Darby Cupid
All of a sudden, my uncertainty is answered as they pull apart, revealing a flood of warm yellow light from within and the silhouette of exactly who I’m hoping to see.
Crystal fiddles with the lock on the window before opening it and staring down at me, her eyes wide with surprise. “Dylan? What are you doing here?”
“I had to see you,” I call up as quietly as I can. “Will you come down so we can talk?”
She pauses for what must be a couple of seconds, but to me it feels like hours. Then she’s gone, the window empty. I wait, my heart pounding, until a light appears downstairs and the double doors leading from the kitchen slide open.
Crystal peers out, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. “Why don’t you come inside?” she calls. “It’s warmer.”
“I want to talk to you away from prying eyes and ears.” I nod towards the house knowing full well Sera will be listening somewhere.
Crystal shivers and pulls the blanket around her as she walks out onto the cold grass towards me. “What would you have done if I wasn’t awake? Or if Sera had been asleep?”
“I’d have thrown stones at your window until you woke up,” I grin as she reaches my side. My heart grows ten times larger at the sight of her. “Come on, I’ve seen the perfect spot right at the bottom of the garden.”
I lead the way down through a small group of fruit trees to a clearing with a small fountain and a white painted metal bench. When I glance back, I can see only the very tip of the roof above the trees.
“See?” I nod. “Private.”
Crystal moves to sit down on the bench, but I stop her. I pull my navy-blue hoodie off over my head and hand it to her, taking the blanket from around her shoulders and laying it down on the grass.
“Won’t you be cold?” she asks, the sweatshirt hanging in her hands as she hesitates.
I roll my eyes playfully and lie down on the blanket, placing my hands behind my head. “It’s not even that cold. I’ll be fine.”
Crystal stares at me until a gust of cool evening breeze makes her finally pull the sweatshirt on over her head. Sitting down beside me, she pulls her knees to her chest. She’s so close, but also so agonisingly far. Behind us, the fountain splashes and the drone of the occasional car can be heard in the distance. Other than that, it’s eerily still.
“I’m sorry,” I sigh, breaking the silence. “Perhaps it was the near-death experience or maybe it was just me being an insensitive jerk, but either way, I shouldn’t have said it. I should never have asked you.”
As my words hang between us, I sit up and take hold of her hands. I tug them gently until she raises her eyes to meet mine.
“I know we’ve only known each other a few days,” I continue, stroking the backs of her hands with my thumbs, “but it’s like you’ve always been here. I can’t imagine life without you and the idea of you leaving forever? It kills me.” I drop my gaze to our hands, aware that I’m presenting my heart to her on a platter for her to potentially destroy. “All I know is, if you’ll let me, I want to spend as much time with you as I can before you leave. I couldn’t cope knowing I’d wasted what little time we have left.”
The silence is agonising as I watch her thinking things over. Finally, she reaches out a hand to push the hair from my forehead and I’m sure my heart will burst. When I look into her eyes, it’s like I’m toppling over the edge of a cliff, falling and falling and never stopping. She traces her hand down my jaw and I move my face into her palm and kiss it gently. Reaching out with her other hand, she runs her fingers through my hair, and I close my eyes with a sigh. I’m not sure if it’s a sigh of relief or happiness.
She leans forward and places her warm lips on mine and I know it’s both. My heart shatters into a million happy pieces as I reach out, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her close. My eyes warm with joy, I pull back and kiss the tip of her nose.
“Does this mean you’re in?” I ask. “For however long we have?”
Crystal smiles, her eyes sparkling in the moonlight. “For however long we have.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Crystal
Smiling, I snuggle into Dylan’s shoulder. Lying side by side, the stars above us glisten in the velvet darkness and for a moment, I think I can make out a couple of familiar constellations. I blink and they’re gone.
“You know,” I whisper. “On Starlatten, we have three moons.”
“Whoa,” Dylan chuckles, kissing me on the top of my head. “That’s insane. I’d love to see that.”
A thought pops into my head and I sit bolt upright making Dylan flinch at the sudden movement.
“What’s wrong?” he asks.
“Perhaps you can.” Excitement courses through me, warming me despite the chilly evening air.
Dylan shuffles back up to a sitting position. “What do you mean?”
“I’m not sure if it works this way round,” I say almost to myself, “but it should.”
Before he can question further, I place my hands gently on either side of his head. Closing my eyes, the purple stone heats against my skin allowing the sparkling energy to flow through me and out of my fingertips.
Mauve fog clears, replaced by a blinding white light. I raise my arm to shield my eyes, vaguely aware of Dylan beside me doing the same. As my eyes adjust, I lower my arm, blinking to focus. I say Dylan’s name, but no sound leaves my lips. I can only watch as he stares in awe out of my bedroom window. When I reach out to touch him, my hands move through him like a hologram.
I smile at the look of disbelief on his face as he takes in the towering glass walls framing the enormous white sun star and our three moons. Anjar, the largest, is pale grey and ten times larger in appearance than the sun, so close you can see the craters and grooves. I smile as a handful of ships move steadily in front of it. All of this enveloped by the beautiful pale mint green sky.
I inhale happily, grinning at the expanse of pale purple grass as it stretches out before me, edged with plants and trees in various hues of violet and blue. Below the trees, colourful flowers twist and bloom amongst delicate sculptures all enclosed by glittering grey walls.
Beyond the palace gardens, small clusters of buildings made of glass and shimmering stone glint in the sunlight, stretching out until they meet the shadows of the giant purple-grey mountains in the distance. Every now and again the white light of the sun star reflects off a land craft as they hover between the buildings. I wonder whether I ever really appreciated how breathtakingly beautiful this was before.
Before I can think about what I’m doing and how this is working, my mind flicks to the throne room. I choke out a silent sob as the room materialises around us and I catch sight of my mother and father on their thrones.
My father stands, his arms outstretched, and for a moment I think he sees me, and I raise my arms in response, but of course, he hasn’t. This is my memory of a brilliant speech he gave on our planet’s civilisation anniversary. Standing proudly in front of the crowd, his dark skin contrasting with his pale robes, his eyes find mine across the crowded room and he smiles. I almost slump to the floor under the weight of my heart. Beside me, the ghostly image of Dylan watches, his eyes bright with wonder. I try and focus. This is for him – to show him where I’ve come from.
Forcing the grief from my mind, I picture my mother in our gardens. The memory shifts and I find myself standing above her crouched frame as she tries to teach me about the different plants in our gardens and the healing properties they have. Her soft curls fall down the back of her light blue robes as her delicate pale fingers run across the petals and leaves.
It’s all too much and a wash of sadness makes me shiver. Before I can stop it, the memory starts to dissolve, rippling like a puddle into faint violet fog.
Silent tears make their way down my cheeks as I let my hands drop from Dylan’s head. I wipe them away with the sleeves of his sweatshirt as he opens his eyes and stares at me in disbelief. He opens and closes his mouth to speak several ti
mes, before shaking his head.
“Was it too much?” I ask, doubt stirring in the back of my mind.
“No!” Dylan exclaims. He reaches forward and takes my hands in his, bringing them to his lips. “I’m glad you showed me. It’s just a lot to take in. I mean, purple grass?”
My doubt turns to laughter as I relax into the smile playing on his lips. “So, what did you think? Honestly.”
“Honestly?” he scratches his chin thoughtfully. “It’s incredible. In fact, I’m even more in awe of how you’ve coped these last few days. Earth is an incredible culture shock for you.”
“You could definitely say that. It’s been interesting though.” I move to lie back down on the blanket, pausing as I see Dylan watching me. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m trying to decide if you look more like your mother or your father,” he smiles. Before I crumble, he reaches out and takes my hand. “I’m so sorry. You must miss them so much.”
My throat is a lump and I find all I can do is nod.
After a moment, Dylan lies back on the blanket, pulling me down beside him. I watch him as he stares up at the night sky, memorising his profile. Every now and again, I reach out and stroke his face as if to check he’s really here.
He turns his head toward me, and I note his serious expression, his eyes a million light years away.
“What’s wrong?” I ask.
“I’ve had a lot of realisations today,” he says, his eyes glistening with sadness. “I’ve decided I don’t want to take on the bakery. I hate getting up at four and five in the morning and I hate scraping dough out of my fingernails all day.”
He sits up, plucking blades of grass and examining them carefully before throwing them into the breeze. “What are you going to do?”
He laughs bitterly. “Break Mum’s heart. Tear my family apart.”
“Will she not understand?”
“I honestly don’t think so. She clings to the bakery as though it will bring Dad back. Maybe that’s one of the reasons I don’t want anything to do with it. As far as I’m concerned, his legacy doesn’t deserve to be continued.”
I watch him, my heart aching in sympathy. “I know it’s different, but I understand how you feel.”
“What do you mean?”
I pull my arms around my legs, resting my chin on my knees. “My path has always been laid out before me. I never asked to be a princess. I’m not even allowed to pour my own drinks. I’ve never felt comfortable receiving special treatment. I just want to be treated like everyone else.”
“What would you be if you didn’t have to be a princess?” he asks.
I raise my eyebrows, considering the question carefully. “Do you know? I’ve never even thought about it, because it was never an option.”
“Could it be an option?” he prompts. “What if you abdicated?”
My blood runs cold at the thought. Turning my back on over a thousand orbits of my family ruling Starlatten? I might not have chosen the path for myself, but the thought of running away from it…
Suddenly everything is perfectly clear; like someone has turned on a light. Despite the fear of what lies ahead, it’s something I need – something I want – to do.
My mother’s voice weaves its way into my thoughts. As she held me in her arms amongst the terrifying chaos of the evacuation deck, her beautiful face streaked with tears and dirt, she’d told me that sometimes we don’t create our own path. Sometimes we have to carve our own truth into the one that’s been chosen for us. I never wanted to rule but I know it’s the right thing to do. I want to put things right. I want my home back.
“If there’s a planet left to rule,” I say with growing determination. “I want to be the one to do it.” I turn my head to look at Dylan, my heart buzzing with the exhilaration of accepting my fate. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For helping me realise that it’s okay to accept my path, even if I didn’t get to choose it.”
Dylan gives me a small smile before standing and reaching out a hand to me. “You’re welcome. Come on, let’s get you back inside. You need a good night’s sleep after today.”
He pulls me up and we walk back to the house in silence.
When we reach the sliding glass doors that lead to Sera’s kitchen, Dylan leans forward and kisses me softly, squeezing my hand as he pulls back. “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”
I notice that his smile fails to reach his eyes.
“See you tomorrow,” I echo as he turns to leave.
I wait until he’s disappeared into the darkness before I close the doors, only then realising that I didn’t give him his sweatshirt back. After tonight, I feel closer to him than ever, but as I turn and head back upstairs, I can’t shake the feeling that somehow, I’ve pushed him away.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Jaik
After the third sigh from Jordan, I place the chemistry textbook I’ve been flicking through down on the crowded desk and swing the chair round to face him.
“What’s with all the sighing?”
Jordan looks up from where he’s lying on his bed, his phone bright in his hands. As he glances between me and the screen, it’s clear he’s trying to decide whether to say something. I swear he changes his mind at the last second.
“It’s just been a hell of a day,” he says, placing the phone down on the bed. “I can’t imagine what it must have been like inside the warehouse.”
“Yeah. It wasn’t fun.”
“It must have been terrifying.” Jordan shakes his head and sits up, leaning back against the headboard. “I mean, there was so much blood. And the bodies. I can’t shake the image of Oakstone face down, his glasses cracked on the floor and Dylan lying there, that knife in his chest like a flag in a sandcastle. The blood…”
I lean back in the chair and survey him with a frown. Violence has been such a huge part of my life for the past seven years. Sure, yesterday was particularly gruesome, but I’ve probably seen worse. I haven’t really stopped to consider how it might affect the others.
“First time you’ve seen a dead body?” I ask.
Jordan nods. “I’m guessing it wasn’t your first time?”
I shrug.
“I hope I’m wrong,” Jordan mutters, his eyes fixed on his hands, “but it’s like there’s a divide: the ones who lived through it and the ones who waited outside. I can’t help thinking, if we’d come in a little sooner—”
“You’d have been dead.” I cut him off. “Cadicus killed Oakstone in a split second. Even I didn’t see it coming. If you guys had stormed the warehouse, you’d have all been part of the body count.”
Jordan doesn’t respond, his stare distant. I’m about to turn back to my book when his phone beeps, illuminating the bedcovers, despite being facedown. He sighs again.
“Seriously, Jordan?” I press. “Who is it? What’s going on?”
A small smile appears on his lips. “It’s Sera.”
“Ah,” I lean back and fold my arms behind my head. “And she’s making you sigh like that already? You two been together long?”
“We’ve known each other for years, but we’ve only been together,” Jordan pauses, surprise lighting his face. “Two days.”
“Two days?” I raise my eyebrows. “You seem pretty serious.”
“It’s been a pretty serious couple of days.”
I nod in agreement as Jordan taps out a response to Sera, the phone giving his dark brown skin a blueish tint. My heart beats a little faster as I realise the next question I’m about to ask. “How long have Crystal and Dylan been together?”
Jordan’s head snaps up fast enough to give him whiplash.
“Erm, same as me and Sera to be honest,” he says, trying to hide his reaction to my question by rearranging the pillow behind him. “We got together the same evening.”
“Really?” I scoff. “What is it with you lot and super serious relationships? What do you do after a week? Get married?”
&n
bsp; Jordan pulls a face and shakes his head. “Very funny. Anyway, Crystal only landed on Earth, what, five days ago?”
My hands drop to my lap in shock. “What? Five days? I thought it had been a couple of weeks, or longer. No wonder she seems so bewildered all the time.” I swivel on the chair and gesture around Jordan’s room. “I can’t begin to imagine how weird all of this stuff must be to her.”
Jordan sits forward in interest. “Pretty different where you come from, huh?”
“Oh man,” I laugh. “You have no idea. I mean, all of this is normal to me because I lived with Cas for so long believing Earth was my home. Now, when I think about my life before? It’s laughable. I don’t mean to offend, but you guys are so –”
“Primitive?” Jordan offers.
I hold my hands aloft. “You said it, but yeah. Primitive.”
We sit in silence for a moment and I think back to Starlatten, wondering how much it’s changed since I’ve been gone. I wonder if my home is still there. Is my father there alone? Did he remarry? My heart contracts as I imagine him living in our home with a new family as though we never existed. I force the image out of my mind.
“You okay?” Jordan asks.
“Yeah,” I smile. “Just thinking about purple grass.”
“Purple grass?” Jordan’s eyes bulge at the thought.
“Yep. And three moons. Oh, and the plants are blue, and the sky is green.”
“You have three moons and purple grass!” Jordan exclaims. “Purple freakin’ grass! It sounds like something out of a Dr. Seuss book!”
“Just imagine how bewildered Crystal is,” I chuckle.
Jordan blows a slow whistle through his teeth. “Jeez. I bet she thinks Earth is so… bland.”
I laugh harder. “Don’t be so harsh. Think about the rainforests. Tropical islands. There’s some pretty incredible beauty on this planet.”
“So, back on your planet – I will never get used to saying that,” Jordan laughs, “–did you live near Crystal?”
