by Kara L. M.
“Hello beautiful.” He smiled at me and held my hand. We were charging up and I soaked up every last ounce. The feast smelled incredible but was aesthetically odd. If you had ever seen the movie Hook where they go to Neverland and eat the pretend food that looks like colored whip cream then you could get an idea of what the meal looked like here. Every color of the rainbow was represented and none of them tasted like dessert. There was also a blue water drink that was absolutely refreshing. “What is this blue drink, I am in love!” I declared. “That comes from the Ewa Mountain. It is the freshest water on the planet but it’s infused with magical properties. It’s supposed to keep you healthy from illness but more importantly shielded from powers.” He explained. “What do you mean powers?” He swallowed a bit and set down the glass. “You know, the way you teleported me to you, the way I can heal or injure.” He said taking a bite. “Injure?” I looked up. “Well yes, I can put bones together just as easily as I can break them.” He said it while he shrugged. “That is special to just you?” I asked. He smiled. “Yes, I know I made it sound like learning is easy for me, which it is for a lot of us but I have instincts and deep rooted knowledge on the body. Maybe the warrior past is in my genetics.” He said casually as if it was no big deal that he was a super weapon.
“That is interesting. So you can’t hurt people drinking from Ewa.” I asked. The devilish grin came back. “Oh no I can still hurt them, but my instincts of their weakness are lost.” He scooped an enormous bite of orange fluff. “Ah.” I said as I gulped another drink of the Ewa. Miss grumpy pants sitting across the way was still giving me the look of death. Who knew what powers she had?
I met a few of Austin’s closest constituents, Darro and Zinka. They had fought alongside with him since he showed up to Octavia. They seemed nice but rigid. I wonder how many aliens disagreed with a human being here or maybe these guys have seen too much battle. As dinner went on I heard all the stories of Austin leading the troops. I was fascinated by the play by play of how they battled and won back the castle grounds. It was inspiring to hear Austin painted as a strong war hero but yet in my mind I knew he could be all along. A small alien girl about my age floated over to talk to me. “Im Tria.” She smiled at me. Her four foot height made her look like she was ten except for the curves on her body told me otherwise. She had the same black markings on her eyes but she seemed to wear less of it.
“Hi I’m.” “Liv!” She cut me off bouncing with excitement. “Sorry we all know about you, Austin told us about your dreams and his dreams of you saving everyone!” She said excitedly. I smiled “Well I sure hope I can be what I was in those dreams.” I replied. A frown crossed her face. “You have to! I mean you will.” She said with hurt in her voice. She was no longer bouncing which bothered me because her energy was infectious after getting the stink eye all night. “I am sorry this is still pretty new for me. I am sure I can make it all happen. I want to save those people badly.” I admitted with pain in my voice. She smiled wide. “I knew you would! Don’t mind Emya, she has major eyes for Austin and your an obstacle to her.” She explained. I peeked over at Emya. Her dark long hair was still in that impossible loop on her head. Austin said she didn’t like humans. Did he know she was obviously into him?
Chapter 18: Oh my Octavia
That night I slid into my pink pajama pants and black shirt. There were silky outfits for bedtime in my closet but my sweats were comfy and Earth felt a bit closer with them on. I fell backwards on the soft circular bed and just laughed out loud. I am on another planet. A knock at my door and Austin came in instantly. “What if I was dressing just then?” I eyed him suspiciously with a smile. “Why do you think I came in so quickly?” He grinned and faked disappointment.
“Just like home.” He said softly into my ear as he cuddled me on the bed. “I know you find this outfit irresistible.” I poked him in the side. “I find you irresistible.” He purred in my ear. My body tingled at the anticipation of kissing but then he sat up. My face pulled into a frown. “Leaving already?” I said with a pout. “No, but we need to talk. I need to know if your dreams have revealed anything new since we last were together. I would like to start searching more places than what we originally had mapped.” Uh oh here comes the truth. “My dreams have only been of me and you separating that night.” I admitted nervously. “That’s ok Liv, we have more than your dreams to go off of. Don’t feel pressure, but if you dream tonight let me know.” He squeezed my hand to reassure me.
It was strange to see him in a responsible role. I had met him in summer school where his bad boy attitude and careless ways had me interested. The boy that sat before me wasn’t a boy anymore he was a man that was strong and responsible, worrying about his people. ”I want to help.” I said pulling him close. “You can tell me anything and if you go anywhere I want to go too.” I encouraged. He shook his head. “You are obviously strong Liv, but no amount of working out could help you against our powers.” I inhaled short. “Well that’s too damn bad.” I said as I released him and fell back down on the bed. “Liv, you have to understand, it’s been hell being separated from you. I can’t lose you.” He explained. “I can't lose you either! I may have backed down ten months ago but I won't now. I have changed. I know I am strong and I can do it and I want to do it.” He shook his head but I could tell he was thinking it over. “Austin, it’s the least you can do.” I said hurt. He nodded, knowing I was right.
“You can come on the ship, but that’s it!” He said in a commanding way that only a leader could pull off. I wanted to challenge him but strong finality was laced in his words and it kept me quiet. He grabbed my hand and kissed it. “Once you cool off let me know, I would like to sleep near you.” I watched him leave the bed and walk to the door. I tried to hold my ground but I realized my pride was no longer important. He gave me what I wanted and I was holding out for what exactly? “Austin, don’t go.” I said softly. “I never want you to go, that’s why I am fighting you so badly.” A pained expression crossed his face. He returned to the bed and crawled on top of me. “I will never leave you again.” He breathed into my face. His scent hypnotized me.
We kissed until I couldn’t stop yawning. He laughed at my reaction and forced me to lie down on my pillow. “Get some rest; we have plenty to do tomorrow.” I smiled knowing I would wake up with the love of my life from here on out.
My dreams were more intense than any I had ever experienced before. The alien faces were still begging for help but the lighting was darker. Where they underground? I saw myself clawing to them through the mountain but I wasn’t even close. Then boom they were dead. I woke up screaming for them.
“Liv! Liv its ok it’s ok!” Austin hugged me close. “What did you see?” “They, they don't have much time, they’re trapped underground or in a cave, they’re going to blow them up.” I cried. “It’s ok Liv, now tell me every detail.” We discussed my dream over and over again to make sure I gave every detail. Once we ate breakfast Austin explained the agenda. “Today we’ll present you as the next soon to be queen in the royal family. It’s important to have you speak since influence is one of your gifts and we need everyone on board for the battles to come.” I eyed him curiously. “I thought my only gift was a onetime transportation?” “That is your rare gift; you have always been able to influence me from the first time we talked.” He winked. “What? How do you know you weren’t influenced just because you were into me?” I questioned. “Trust me, it’s a gift. I saw how you won over Tria last night.” I thought of bouncing Tria so sweet and innocent. “Tria is adorable I did nothing I assure you!” He shook his head. “Tria hated me until you came here. Her mother is trapped and she blames me for not finding them. She has the gift of discerning hearts and she saw yours. She has become warm and happy ever since. You influenced her by being you. Keep it up.” I smiled. Poor Tria, that made me want to find those trapped Octavians even more.
“What about Emya and Darro and Zinka? They did not approve of me. I am pretty sure my
influence does not reach everyone.” He laughed. “You are terribly unobservant. Darro didn’t take his eyes off you all night and well Zinka is emotionally disconnected, it stems from a rough childhood.” Darro was looking at me? My first impression was that he was rough around the edges but a tall dark and handsome guy. Any of my friends would have been all over him. “What about Emya?” I teased now. “Well who knows with her? She is not ok with the part alien thing.” He said while rolling his eyes. I laughed. “We both know she is not ok with me being with you.” I emphasized the You. Austin’s eyes went wide. “No, it’s not like that with her.” He denied. Emya was walking in our direction so I grabbed Austin and kissed him in a way I would have never done in public. Her face turned a crazy shade of red as she scoffed into the dining room. “Ah ha, I knew it!” I said triumphantly. “Wow who knew you would use me like that?” He acted hurt but couldn’t pull off the joke for long. “How about you use me somewhere more private.” He winked at me.
I wish I could have taken him up on his private offer but we had to get to the strategy room to brief the group on what I had seen. Once Austin explained the details he showed them the next attack route. “How can we trust this half alien or less than half alien?” Zinka scoffed. I wanted to punch him in the face but I tried to remember his rough childhood. What exactly is a rough alien childhood? Darro spoke up. “We don’t have any other options, Zinka.” His calm and poised voice gave me hope that the others would believe me. “We could choose to blow the shit out of everyone, killing nearby rebels in the process, I want to save our people as much as you but how long can they hang this over our heads?” Zinka complained. He had a point. The city could move on if they just blew up the rebels with the hostages but me and Austin felt connected to these people. It was our duty to see this through. I decided to speak up.
“If you could take a second and imagine you are them. I did in my dreams and it was horrible, fathers, mothers and children.” I breathed trying not to cry. “The pain in their suffering and yet the hope in their eyes that they are standing on the right side. You wouldn’t want them to know we abandoned them for good or that the rebels won would you?” The room went silent. Austin held me tight. “No one will be left behind; there is no other option but to fight until the end.” Austin said powerfully. Zinka nodded but you could tell he still had concerns.
Later that day we left the castle for target practice, I was delighted to see that my color was yellow. Tria noticed it before I left the castle steps and called out to me. “I knew you would be yellow, brave, honest and happy! That is perfectly you Liv!” She squealed. I smiled at the assessment. It was pretty close.
As I approached the group I saw the rainbow of aura’s glowing. Austin was gold which wasn’t surprising at all. He was meant to lead. I took note that Darro’s was a deep shade of blue, I wonder if he was cool and calculated but slightly mixed with tragedy? Maybe part of his family was trapped. Then Emya’s dark eyes spotted me across the crowd. She was an emerald green which didn’t surprise me at all. Loud mouth and a troublemaker! I laughed to myself. I joined the group and Austin held my hand and whispered in my ear. “I knew you would be yellow, my happy sweet Liv. You are beautiful.” He purred. I shivered with delight from our touch and his words.
I searched around and was surprised at the lack of weapons. Austin explained that in Octavia their powers were stronger than weapons so instead they had a few that were not lethal. One was the phaser gun that stuns. I was unfortunately familiar with the burning effects of that one.
“There is no kill feature on the phaser gun since most aliens can absorb energy and it wouldn’t help to give them too much to work with. But it will work against small animals.” Austin clarified. The closest thing to a bow and arrow was a metal type bow that shot darts. The darts didn’t’ look lethal either but Austin explained that they are laced with poison. “Even with healing abilities some ailments can take us longer to recover from.” I picked up the bow expecting it to be heavy but it was light. I was secretly excited to show off my skills. I aimed at the target and let it go and it hit the ground. I tried over and over getting a bit closer but nothing would help me hone in on the target.
Zinka was a few rows down and smirked. His aura was black? I don’t remember a black flag? “Half alien chick thinks her tough arms can make that shot, try again.” He laughed. Austin was worried about my feelings and he touched the small of my back. The pulse of electricity shot through my body and I was determined and energized. I aimed the dart at a water container in Zinka’s hand. Snap, the water was leaking everywhere and Zinka’s eyes were lit. He was pissed and shocked all at the same time. He sped in my direction with fury in his eyes and I threw the bow down ready to take him.
Austin got between me and him but it was too late. Zinka’s hands were glowing red. Uh oh what is his power? Austin screamed as Zinka’s red hands burned his arms. I kept my fists up like I did in kickboxing, ready for the blow or in this case the melting. I was shaking with adrenaline. Just as Zinka’s hands were about to grab me Darro started spinning into a tornado and he hit me like a ton of bricks as I shot up in the sky. I was floating above the shooting course relived to be away from Zinka but terrified of the height. I expected to eventually plummet but the wind blew me further away. I started to calm down once I floated closer to the castle grounds. The wind safely brought me down. I inhaled deep now that I could finally breathe. Darrow re-appeared and stared at me. “Are you suicidal?” He asked harshly. I was still in shock by his great tornado power so I stayed silent. My pride and strength had carried me up until this point but now I couldn’t handle it. I cried hard. His eyes softened and he pulled me to him. It was weird to be wrapped up in another alien’s arms that weren’t Austin’s. Even weirder to feel his electric current which was more bumpy them smooth. It had a little kick to it which was interesting. Wait, I thought you could only feel the one and only you’re connected to? Did he feel it too?
“You’re ok, remember you can’t let them see you like this, keep being tough, you convinced all of them but me.” A hint of laughter was in his voice. “Thanks.” I said as I pulled away. Being that close felt inappropriate. Austin was walking fast towards us and his arms were steaming from the burn. “You ok?” He asked sweetly even though he was in pain. “Yes but your arms.” I pointed out worried. “Better mine than yours, thanks Darro. Her being mostly human would have made the healing process quite difficult.” He said. “I am going to fix this as he pointed to his arms.” He walked into the castle. I started after him when Darro spoke up. “I believe in you, I think you are meant to be the game changer. Don’t make a mistake like that again if you want to make it to see the fight.” He said seriously. “Thanks for saving me, I won’t do that again.” I said as I scurried up the steps.
I watched the healers work on Austin quickly. Alien healing was unlike anything I had seen before. Austin could heal broken bones with his simple hand movements but these aliens had the power to heal which means they could cast a glow over the injury site. I watched the melted flesh shed off his arms and magically regenerate before my eyes. I would have normally been disgusted but I was too wrapped up in the magic of it all. Once he was healed. I walked over to see his arms up close. “No rough movements for a day.” The alien healer said sternly. “Of course, I wouldn’t dream of it.” Austin said touching his new skin. “I am sorry about that, but wow can you believe how quickly that worked?” I said putting my hand out to touch for myself. He grinned as he jumped off the table. “Yes I can, I actually have been in here more than I care to admit.” I shook my head. “You have? What happened?” We walked down the corridor to his room. “Well first of all there was the training for battle, I was faced against powers that had wicked painful results, but this was the first time I have ever been burned.” He shivered as if he could still feel the fire. “I am sorry; I hope you understand that I didn’t want to be seen as the weak human girl anymore. But I can’t believe I was the reason you were hurt.” I
frowned. He smiled and grabbed my hand. “You have never been weak, you held power over me since the day we met and well you saved my life if you remember?” I smiled. “Luck and more weird luck. Nothing has happened ever since.” We reached his room and stood outside the doors. “We have time to work on that, plus you will be in the ship when we leave for the rescue mission. I don’t expect or want you to battle.” I wanted to fight with him over this nonsense of me not being in the cave searching for the aliens but I had caused enough damage today. I nodded.
“You want to see the king’s quarters?” He gave me a devilish grin. “Yes I do!” I smiled as he pulled me through the big metal doors. “Those doors are thick.” I commented as we passed through them. “They can withstand almost any power, just in case an enemy could get this close.” The room was a huge circle with glass windows surrounding us. The view of Octavia was stunning with the hundreds of trees and waterfalls in the distance dropping precious Ewa water. I could see the color particles floating around crowds of aliens walking through the square. I would never get over how vibrant and beautiful it was to see their emotions floating right around them. I wish Earth could be more forward in that way. No more bull about who you can trust or love. It would be obvious, written on our sleeves or our air particles.
