by Zara Zenia
"Yeah, right. You ain't goin' nowhere, and you know it," Danny said as he mucked out the horses' stalls.
"Shows what you know," I muttered. When I finished with her, I moved to Elsie and did the same for her, filling the second pail. I opened the barn door and carried the pails out, set them down in the deep snow and closed the doors again, then picked them back up and headed back to the house.
I took the pails in to Mama, then went back out to collect the eggs. Once that was done, Danny and I fed all the animals and headed back in. I left the basket of eggs on the counter and went to the bathroom.
I looked in the mirror and brushed and braided my hair and then brushed my teeth.
"Breakfast, you two! Hurry, the bus will be here soon!"
"Coming!" I called, meeting my eyes in the mirror.
I woke with a start. Thinking over the dream, I couldn't believe I was back in the Tower. It had seemed so real. I could feel the softness of the cow's hair beneath my fingers. I could smell the hay and feel the coldness of the winter in my bones. I was there, on that farm. It was like a memory, but how could that be? How could that be when Mother said we'd always lived in Miami?
I was so lost in my thoughts I didn't hear Colonel Weiss until he opened the door.
"Good morning, Miss Laura."
I looked up and smiled at him standing there holding a tray. "Good morning, Colonel Weiss."
"How are you feeling this morning? Better?" he asked.
"Much better, I think the sleep took care of the rest of my illness," I replied for Thornbush's benefit. I knew that he could hear things throughout the Tower, but my room had always been safe from him, because once the door was shut, it was like I was locking the system out. It was for my privacy, according to Mother. She claimed she didn't wish to intrude on my area, merely keep me safe from outside intrusions.
"That is good to hear. I've brought you breakfast, something light, oatmeal and toast, and a glass of juice."
"Thank you, Colonel."
He moved into the room and shut the door, allowing me to relax. He set the tray on my table and then opened my curtains, letting in the morning sun. "Your mother left an hour ago. I've been instructed not to allow you to order fast food anymore. We'll have to be sneakier if you want to order it in the future."
I blinked at him. That was a very un-AI statement. "Colonel?"
"Did you sleep well, Miss Laura?" he asked, his eyes brightening.
"Yes, mostly. I had another weird dream that felt so real… it was like I was there. I could feel the cows, smell the hay, and feel the scratchiness of it as I picked up eggs. It was winter and so cold. The snow was deep, probably at least half a foot. I remember the sound of it scrunching beneath my boots which were too small and hurt my feet."
"Interesting. Come eat before it gets cold."
"Why am I dreaming things like this, Colonel? I've never been on a farm, have I?"
"I couldn't say, Miss Laura. Ms. Morse has always resided here in Miami, and I with her."
That was curious. "What about me?"
"Of course."
I frowned. That wasn't really an answer, was it?
"Eat your food, Miss Laura."
I took a bite of the oatmeal. It was good, just the way I liked it, with a dollop of honey. "It's very good, thank you, Colonel."
"My pleasure, Miss Laura. I will return later. Ms. Morse has left explicit instructions that you are to remain up here until she returns tomorrow."
"Of course she did," I muttered.
He left, shutting the door and putting in the code, locking me in.
With a sigh, I finished my meal and then took a shower, washing my long hair took at least an hour. I got dressed and then blew dry my hair. Once it was dry, I ran a brush through it, getting out all the tangles and then braided it in one long plait that fell well past my hips. I settled down on my bed, pulled out my laptop and headphones and looked to see if Rawklix had written to me.
Chapter 9
Rawklix
It had been a close call, there at the Tower. I'd gone over it a million times in my head and wondered if the risk was worth the reward. Then her face would pop into my mind and I knew it was. She was perfection. I wished that she had come away with me. I was already half in love with her and I didn't know if we were even genetically compatible, but I didn't care. Let my brothers take care of repopulating Trilyn with their offspring.
I wanted to see her again, no matter what the risk was. I would keep going back, keep trying to convince her to leave with me. I could protect her from that security system, and I had a feeling that Colonel Weiss would help. Though she'd said he wasn't sentient, I got the distinct feeling he definitely was. Time would tell.
I decided to send her a new email.
My Princess in the Tower,
I was so happy to meet you in person. You are radiant and more beautiful than all the flowers in the world. I wish our time hadn't been cut short by the return of your mother. I do hope you did not get into trouble over me. I only ever wish to bring you joy.
Now that you know who I am, I want to tell you a little more about me. I come from the planet Trilyn. Many years ago, a virus swept through our planet and killed off a great many of the females on our planet. Including my mother. She died while I was relatively young, and I barely remember her. My brothers remember her better and tell me she was quite beautiful and loving. I've seen pictures of course, but they aren't the same, are they? My father sent my brothers and I on a quest to find women of other planets that we were compatible to and we found Earth. That was a little more than four years ago.
We offered your planet our advanced technology in exchange for allowing us to stay and see if we could find the woman we are most compatible with. As you may have seen on the news, that has not always gone well. There are people, Humans, who do not wish us to be here. My brothers have had to fight to gain the women they love.
I tell you this, because I think you could be the woman I am meant to find. Everything about you speaks to my heart. I cannot say I am in love with you, not yet, but I am in deep like with you. I would like to continue to court you, should you find yourself in deep like with me as well. I do hope you find this agreeable. If you do, we will find a way around your mother, I promise you.
I await your answer with heartfelt anticipation.
Yours always,
Rawklix
I hit send and then set the tablet aside, knowing she may not be able to answer me right away. Feeling restless, I decided to head out to the beach and maybe go for a swim. "Fellnix, I'm going out. I'll be back later," I called.
"Of course, sir. Will you be dining out this evening?"
I thought about it, but Fellnix was a much better cook than any chef I'd encountered on the planet. "No, I'll be back before dinner."
Fellnix looked please. "Very good, sir. Enjoy your afternoon."
I went into my room and changed into swim trunks and then out to the beach. There were many people around and a lot of them called out my name, wanting me to join them. There was a game of beach volleyball going on that looked like fun, but really, I just wanted solitude. I gave them a wave and jogged down to the water. I waded in and dove into the four foot wave. I body surfed for about an hour and then called it good. My body felt more relaxed now that I'd gotten rid of some of the pent up energy. I dropped onto the warm sand and laid back, my hands beneath my head. The Earth's sun felt good on my skin. It was warm and comforting and reminded me of home.
I should have made this trip down here to Miami years ago. I don't know why I didn't before. I suppose because I was trying to please Father by getting into college and law school here in what the Earth called the United States. The schooling system here was nothing compared to the schooling children got on Trilyn. I'd easily managed to graduate college and law school within three years here. I'd taken quadruple the course load that Humans took, but our brains worked differently than most Humans, from what I could tell. I didn't have to
spend hours studying one subject. I merely had to look at the material and I knew it. Most of the material were things we learned in our toddler years; it was hardly challenging. The biggest challenge had been the case laws and Supreme Court rulings that I'd needed to know for the law exams. Still it wasn't too hard.
I'd had fun living up there, but it wasn't like this, warm sand and sun, calming waves of the ocean lapping at the shore. This was relaxing. My eyes closed and I drifted off to sleep.
I woke an hour later and headed home. I dusted the sand off as much as I could before I went inside and took a shower. I got dressed and headed into the living room. Sinking onto the couch, I picked up my tablet, which Fellnix had plugged in to charge for me. I pulled up my email and saw that she'd answered me. With excitement, I opened it.
Rawklix,
I too enjoyed meeting you. You are very handsome. Thank you for the compliment.
I am so sorry to hear about the women of your planet. That must have been horrible! And I am sorry you lost your mother so young. I would like to know more about your planet. I haven't been able to find much online. Trilyn isn't in our galaxy, is it? How far away is your home? Do you get to visit it while you're here?
I have heard of some of the trouble from the Humans First group on the news. Not all Humans feel that way though. Many people are glad to have the Trilyn here, from what the news tells me. I am glad that you are here, Rawklix. I would like to get to know you better as well. I like you a lot. Since you first emailed me, you've had me intrigued. You are in my thoughts constantly.
I am not sure how we will manage, but I would like for you to visit me as well. I will speak to Colonel Weiss about it. Something strange is going on with him though. He's been making the oddest statements. Can AIs evolve into sentient beings? Can they hold opinions? According to Mother, that's impossible, but I have to wonder. Either way, he is my only confidant and my gut says to trust that he can keep our secrets safe from Mother.
Until next time,
~L.
With a smile on my lips, I set about answering her questions on Trilyn and about AIs. I shared that though it had been kept extremely quiet, it appeared some AI had developed into sentient beings and that I too suspected that was the case with Colonel Weiss. I also suggested that we continue to treat him as if he wasn't, until such a time that he was comfortable sharing that he was. He had to have a reason to keep it under wraps, and I had one guess as to why. Nora Morse. Were she to become aware of them, she would be even more dangerous.
"Sir, dinner is ready, would you prefer to eat in here?" Fellnix asked from the doorway.
"Yes, please." I nodded and switched on the tv. I turned it to a music station to enjoy as I ate.
After dinner, I purchased the first book in the Jim Butcher series that Laura had recommended and spent the rest of the evening reading.
The next morning, I sent Laura a new email.
My Princess in the Tower,
Thank you so much for recommending The Dresden Files, I've quite enjoyed the first few novels in the series. Are there more book series out there like this one? I have already purchased the entire Dresden Files series and anticipate I will finish them in another day or two. I think you have turned me into an avid reader.
I look forward to discussing these books with you in person. Speaking of, when may I see you again? I find I cannot get you off of my mind. I want to show you all of the wonderful things this world has to offer and then take you to Trilyn and show you the various sights there as well. Especially my Solarin Islands. It is the area of the world that I rule over. As you may or may not know, my father has put each of my brothers and I in charge of different continents on our planet. The Solarin Islands are mine. They are so very beautiful, but not nearly as captivating as you.
I would attach images for you, but they would never do the Islands justice, you will have to view them for yourself.
Is there anywhere in this world that you have dreamed of going? I have heard the Earth hold many wonderous sights that I am intrigued to explore. I have been to a few. Japan is an extraordinary place, as are the Niagara Falls. Still, I would like to explore the pyramids in Egypt and the outback of Australia. I have heard great Human works of art exist in a museum called the Louvre, and a place called the Smithsonian, are these places you too would like to visit one day?
I look forward to discovering new things about you. Please let me know when we can meet again.
Yours Always,
Rawklix
I had no idea how long it would be before she answered, so I took my tablet out to the beach and pulled up the next Dresden Files book to enjoy. I quite liked Harry Dresden wondered if he'd been based on any live person.
Halfway through Summer Knight, she emailed me back.
Rawklix,
You are very welcome!
I am working with Colonel Weiss to set up a new visit for you, Mother can be unpredictable, and it is best that you not be here when she is. I have an idea on how to make it work, it just has to be when she is away on one of her trips. I will email you again when it is possible.
I would love to travel, however, seeing as Mother is so worried about me being kidnapped again, I do not know how I can ever make that happen. Still it is nice to dream about visiting those locations. As to where I might like to go… Hmmm. There are many sites in France that I would like to see in person, the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triumphe, and then London, England to see Big Ben and Parliament, and to see the kangaroos in Australia and the pyramids of Egypt and the Mayan Temples in Central America… heck I would love to go to Disney World!
I have no idea what all your world holds, but the Solarin Islands sounds lovely. I am sure they are much more beautiful than me, but I appreciate you saying otherwise.
That is enough depressing thoughts. Tell me more about Trilyn and your family.
I live to receive your emails. They bring me such joy, Rawklix. I have no idea why you dug so hard to find me, but I am so very glad you did. My heart soars when I think of you.
Until next time, my handsome Prince,
~L.
I wrote her back, telling her of my family and more about Trilyn and the things my brothers and I did as boys. Her words about being able to leave being just a dream made me even more determined to find a way for her to get out from under Nora's thumb. I wanted her to be free to go where she pleased, be it with me or on her own, though I much preferred the thought of traveling with her to all the places her heart desired.
Chapter 10
Laura
As soon as Mother left, I set about diving into the programming of the main computer that ran through the Tower and the Castle, which were connected. Colonel Weiss and I had come up with an ingenious plan to use Mr. Planter's visits to my tower to bring me tech to work on as a way to get Rawklix in without Thornbush being any the wiser. I had to set up the program so that Colonel Weiss could access the correct set of DNA and length of time for when each of them visited me. The real Mr. Planter we scaled back to thirty minute visits, and then lengthened
the visits to an hour when Rawklix visited.
The real Mr. Planter didn't like being up here in the Tower anyway and always left me as quickly as possible. I think Thornbush and Colonel Weiss actually terrified the man. He was basically just a glorified errand boy, sent by the hire up techs in the Castle to bring things to me, since I was not allowed down with them.
I heard Colonel Weiss at the door and got up to open it for him. "Good afternoon, Colonel."
"I've brought your lunch, Miss Laura." He moved into the room and set the tray down next to my computer.
I closed the door and said, "Thank you, Colonel, I think I've got it all set up now, can you test it out?"
"Just give me one moment." His eyes flashed brighter white with a hint of blue. "Accessing."
As I waited to see if what I'd done worked, I lifted the dome over my lunch to find a plate of lasagna and a side salad with a raspberry vinaigrette. "This smells delicious, Colonel."
"Thank you, I found the recipe online. It had very good reviews. Access complete on the project we discussed. I am now able to manipulate the data and switch between the two sources of DNA as needed. I see you have also arranged particular threads of data to self-delete after one hour. That was a wise move. It will keep Thornbush from becoming aware and tracking visits."
"I just hope it's enough. I don't want a repeat of last time, where Thornbush feels it necessary to alert Mother to my visitor. Where is she today by the way?" I took a bite of the enticing lasagna.
"Ms. Morse has gone to the Lab in Cutler Bay for the afternoon. She will return at three."
"Does she have any trips planned in the next few days?" I asked.
"Accessing Ms. Morse's calendar." His eyes shone brighter white for a moment and then he said, "She has a trip planned in two days to Santa Catalina Island, California. She will be gone for three days to a retreat. There is another trip planned the following Tuesday. Ms. Morse has entered it as meeting with V-tech in Salt Lake City."
