Hunger

by Harmony Raines

  “Thank you, Okil.”

  “Evie. Okil.” Ishk’s voice came from along the corridor they had just crossed.

  “Ishk,” she said, and her insecurity returned as Okil dropped her hand.

  “I shall leave you two alone.” Okil moved away from her. “I will wait at the entrance, Evie, just follow this corridor.”

  “I did not know you were visiting the tower.” He looked a little flushed and there was the faint trace of blue under his skin.

  “Okil brought me here. I needed a new tag. You don’t want me running around your planet with no tracker inserted in my neck, do you?” She tried to make light of it, but it fell flat.

  “Are you well? Did the procedure hurt you? You look pale.” He sounded concerned, probably because if she was ill, he might have to care for her. She could ease his concerns there.

  “No, Ishk, it’s just the doctor did a scan and gave me some other news.” This must be the most unexpected thing she had ever had to say, considering only days ago, she was alone on Earth, wondering where her next meal was coming from.

  “Were you injured by your attackers on Earth?” He had no clue to what she was about to share with him.

  “No.” Here it was, time to tell him that he was about to get his wish and be rid of her. She tilted her chin, looking him in the face, although she felt like crying. “I am pregnant. Congratulations, Ishk, you are going to have a son.”

  “Pregnant. Already?” he asked. The shock made his colours leap across his face, starting in a small circle and then emanating out to cover his whole face and disappear down his neck. Like blue waves, crashing onto a beach, growing smaller as he regained control.

  “Yes. Your system works very well at finding compatible females, and apparently I was at my most fertile,” she said, trying to sound upbeat, whilst hoping she wasn’t going to breakdown in tears.

  “I see.” The colour had drained from his face and he looked pale.

  “Okil is making arrangements for me to move to the breeding house.” She waited for him to respond, but he simply looked at her. “I will return to your house and collect my things if that’s OK.”

  Still nothing, although a crease had appeared on his forehead. What had she expected him to do, go down on his knees and beg her not to leave? What a fool she was, that was exactly the hope she had held on to. Foolish human female.

  “Goodbye, Ishk. Take care of yourself, and of our baby when it is born.” She held out her hand. He glanced down at it, and she knew it was ridiculous, but she wanted to feel his warm skin against hers just one more time.

  As though in a daze he took her hand and grasped it firmly, holding it for much longer than she expected, his eyes saying what his mouth wouldn’t. He might want her, but he didn’t need her enough to change his views on human females and where they belonged.

  Pulling her hand from his, she turned and walked to where Okil was waiting, knowing Ishk’s eyes were on her every step of the way.

  Chapter Twenty-Three – Ishk

  Ishk didn’t know how he felt. Or how he was supposed to feel. She was pregnant. She was no longer his.

  Did she care? No, she would be glad to be rid of him surely. After seeing the simulation, he knew he had not pleased her when they mated.

  What does it matter? he thought as he walked back to his office.

  Once inside he made himself a cup of strong tole and leaned against the wall, looking out across the vast plains of grassland that surrounded the tower. Here and there, he could see houses dotted around, so low to the ground they could only be seen because of the bright flowers, oases of colour against the green.

  Evie had been an oasis of emotion in his life. Over the last few days, since he left Earth, he had learned more about himself than he had about humans. But it had changed his opinions on the best way for his species to prosper; the simulation of data had been very clear. They were better off with these human females living with them, rather than shutting them away.

  However, that was what he was doing: shutting her away in the breeding house. If he carried on with his plan, that would be her fate. He wished he had more time to get to know her, to see if they were compatible. He shook his head. Perhaps instead he needed some time away from her; the drug she must secrete from her skin would wear off and he would become sane again.

  He should focus on getting his house ready for a child, their child; soon the daycare centers would be updated, to take in the children while their father’s worked. The planet would be filled with the laughter of children.

  Wait, no, his child would be the only one in the daycare, unless others changed their mind. His child would be the odd one out, the only boy with no mother, just as Ishk had been one of the few with no father. In his conversations with the council and with Evie, it had become clear that his motivation had been strongly influenced by wanting to save the next generation from the heartache of losing both parents. The memories of losing one parent, his father, had stayed with him and influenced his whole life.

  Yet Evie had gone through the loss of both her parents and survived. Probably because she was older. But if Ishk had been able to have his mother with him, he would not have been orphaned; he would still have had one parent.

  His generation had never had that luxury, nor the ones before that. But now his child and the children of his fellow Karalians had a unique opportunity. But could he, Ishk, member of the Hier Council and one so vocal on the subject of sending the females to the breeding house and cutting off ties from the rest of the people on Earth, find the courage to change? Could he swallow his pride and reclaim Evie?

  Chapter Twenty-Four – Evie

  “I never expected it to be so … big.” Evie looked down as they flew over the buildings below. It was as big as a small town. She didn’t know what she had expected but this wasn’t it.

  “We had to house a lot of females, and they liked to live together, in tight-knit groups.” Okil turned the cruiser and came in to land, heading for a small courtyard. “You get first pick of where you want to live.”

  She smiled at him, but a lump formed in her throat. “I might have the whole place to myself for a long time.”

  “Don’t worry, we’ll all keep you company.”

  “You are a good man. Or whatever it is I should call you, Okil.”

  “I am getting used to being called a man.” His smile held a secret and she wanted to ask him who it was that had touched this handsome, kind Karalian’s heart.

  “Tell me, Okil, will you be a lottery prize soon? You do such a lot for humans; I would have thought it was time you got some kind of reward.”

  “I don’t think so.” There was a wistful look in his eyes.

  “What, Okil, tell me? I will keep it a secret, I won’t tell another soul.”

  He landed smoothly and they sat for a moment while he looked out of the window. She didn’t press him; they had all the time in the world. She had nowhere else to be, possibly for the rest of her life.

  “There is someone I have met, on Earth. We have never … you know, mated, it is forbidden, but I have fallen in love with her.”

  “Won’t she enter the lottery? I know it’s rigged in some way, that they choose us because of our what? Compatibility?” He nodded. “So surely they can rig it for when she would be most … compatible.”

  “It’s more complicated than that.” He looked up, and in front of them the gates opened and another cruiser drove in. “The others are here.”

  He got out, came around to her side of the small cruiser, and helped her out. Okil grinned at her. “Between us, we can make this place habitable enough for you.”

  “Thank you, Okil. That wouldn’t be hard. I’m from Earth, remember, give me somewhere comfortable to sleep and enough food and I’ll be happy.” But would she? Evie remembered the last few years and the hardships she had endured. At least here, she didn’t have to worry about anyone wanting to hurt her. If she ignored the high wall surrounding the buildings, she could
almost imagine she was free.

  “Evie, hello, we didn’t meet before. I’m Vanessa.” A pretty young woman came over to her and hugged her. “We have brought everything you need for tonight. Let’s go look inside some of the houses and then you can choose one of your own.”

  “I’m so pleased to finally meet you, Vanessa. And thank you all for your kindness. It’s going to a little strange living here alone.”

  “We will all visit, often. And Lytril has agreed for you to be allowed to leave if you are under the supervision of one of the men. I don’t know what the big issue is. After all, you are tagged; it’s not as if you can run away and never be found.”

  “You are the Hier Ruler’s … partner.”

  She laughed. “Yes, I am. He would allow you to leave, but well, politics.”

  “I understand,” Evie said.

  “I suppose you would. You might only have known Ishk for a couple of days, but I figured you had worked out he is opposed to us being free.”

  “Which is why I am here.” Evie looked at the uncomfortable expressions on all of the other women’s faces. “It’s OK. I don’t mind. I’ve lived on my own for the last five years. Like I said, as long as these walls are to keep things out, as well as me in, then I’m OK with it.”

  “Nothing gets over these walls. And there will be a guard here most of the time, especially at night. You are safe,” Okil assured her.

  “A guard? He’s not armed, is he?” she asked, worried if she did something wrong she might end up dead.

  “Only with a communicator. If there are any problems, he will radio the tower and backup will arrive.”

  “Now you make me sound as if I’m the president. All this security for me.”

  “You are almost as important as the president; you carry part of the next generation in your womb. That is very precious to the Karal. Their prime days are numbered.” Celia had linked arms with her and they had all started to inspect the buildings.

  “Prime days?”

  “Yes, there is only a certain time in a Karalian’s life when he is able to father a child. This is why they are so desperate for us to come here. Soon they will increase the number … as soon as the uprising is quashed.”

  “Uprising?”

  “There are some who see us as a threat. The council wants that small minority quashed before they increase the numbers.” Celia pushed open a door and grimaced as a strange smell hit them, they moved on to the next house.

  “You mean those like Ishk?”

  “He is good at stirring things up. He will sink to any depths to get his way.”

  “What do you mean?” Evie asked. Ishk might be set in his views about females, but she never thought he would do anything illegal to get his own way. But that was what Celia was hinting at, surely.

  “Evie! This one looks in good shape and it’s close to the showers that have already been renovated.” Vanessa waved to them.

  “Come on, forget I said anything,” Celia said and they went over to the building opposite, to join the others.

  Vanessa was right; it was the most suitable. The four women, plus Okil, spent the day cleaning and making it habitable. As the afternoon wore on, another space cruiser arrived. For one moment she thought it was Ishk, but then she realised it was only Marin coming to collect the others. Although he had brought a new bed with him, for Evie.

  “Thank you, Marin.”

  “You need something clean to sleep on. I thought it would be better than anything you would find here.” He looked around. “But you have done a great job in making this look like a home.”

  Elissa linked arms with him and stood admiring their work. “We’ve enjoyed it. Tomorrow we can start clearing another room or two. Perhaps you can persuade Lytril to allow Evie some other furniture.”

  “I think there is some already being made. Okil, do you know anything about it?”

  “Yes. I plan to pick up more over the next few days; I don’t think anyone thought the breeding house would be occupied so quickly and there was concern the furniture would be wasted. You’ll be moving to Grenvet before too long,” he reminded her.

  “I don’t mind it here.”

  “It’s like a prison. Grenvet is beautiful,” Vanessa said.

  “But I’ll be even more alone. At least here you can visit often.” She tried to fight off the sudden loneliness. They were all about to leave, and she would be entirely on her own.

  Elissa went inside the cruiser. “Here, I made you this. Marin warmed it before he came. It’s still good to eat. And here are some fresh fruit and vegetables; they can all be eaten raw.”

  She passed them to Evie, who took in a deep, hungry breath. “That smells wonderful. Thank you, Elissa.”

  “You are welcome, Evie.” Elissa hugged her goodbye, and then the others said farewell too.

  “We’ll be back first thing. Then we can get started on making this a proper home for you, Evie. I think you are right. Stay close to us, for now. Perhaps soon there will be others to go with you to Grenvet.”

  “Maybe,” she said, but as they left and the gates shut behind them, she doubted it.

  Chapter Twenty-Five – Ishk

  The violet sky was tinged with purples and blues as the suns set over the horizon. He drove home, intending to go into his garden and catch up on all the weeding he had missed while on Earth. It was time to return to normal.

  Instead, he found himself standing in his bedroom, trying to catch a scent of her hair. The shampoo she used reminded him of warm summer days when he would lie in the fields, surrounded by wild flowers, and look at the clouds skimming overhead. Next to him, his father would point and say something absurd about the shapes of the clouds, and they would play the game where you make the shapes into something they were not.

  At this moment, he was trying to make his life back into something it was not. Like it or hate it, he had to admit he was different now. Whether he stayed different was perhaps his choice. Over time the effect Evie had on him would fade; he could block it from his mind, in the same way he had blocked the love for his father from his mind. It was easier to forget, easier to think that his species were better off without love. That the loss of one parent was bad enough and the death of two, two people you had loved your whole life, would destroy the children of Karal.

  He had watched it, more clearly than most, as the fathers died; he had watched the mourning and then the way each had taken control of their emotions, just as they had been taught. It made Karal an easier place to live. But what if the death of two parents made that self-control harder to sustain, what if they lived in permanent colour?

  Ishk looked down at his hands; he was living in semi-permanent colour now. He could hide it from his face, but not from the rest of his body, not without great concentration and control.

  Evie had done this to him, one female. In only three days. What of their species, if the females lived with them all the time. Fights? War?

  No, they had plenty of land and the Karal only bred one child. They would not fight.

  Going to the window that looked out over his garden, he thought of the sim, he thought of its words, how the mothers would once have lived and worked alongside their mates. The way they lived now was wrong; this was not how it was supposed to be.

  Was that the truth? Was there even a truth anymore?

  No. There was just the now and a decision to make. Did he want to explore his feelings for Evie, or did he want to walk away from her forever?

  His hands flashed red, a deep crimson as though his blood pumped so near to the surface it could be seen. It had been so easy to say the females should stay in the breeding house. It had been so right. Now it was his belief that it was wrong. Scientific data backed this up.

  He, Ishk, member of the Hier Council had made a mistake.

  “I, Ishk, of the Hier Council, made a mistake,” he said out loud to his garden.

  Leaning forward, he rested his heated forehead on the cool glass. “I made a mis
take.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six – Evie

  Evie went into her house, which still seemed like an absurd thought, and set the food out, ready to eat.

  But her appetite had vanished. Instead she felt a bubble of laughter rising inside her. What the hell was she doing?

  Only days ago she was trying to keep herself safe and out of harm’s way on Earth. Now she was on an alien planet, eating alien food with an alien child inside her. The laughter bubbled over and she had to sit down on the side of her new bed and let it flow.

  This must be a dream. Sometime in the night she had been drugged and now she was hallucinating. She bet if she tried really hard she could break out of this drug-induced reality and find herself sucking a man’s cock, or getting raped. Was that what the incident with Ishk was, her being raped by some guy whilst her mind pretended it was an alien?

  The laughter faded, she went outside to look up at the violet sky. It was darkening, the dual suns setting. Two suns, wasn’t that the most ridiculous thing she had ever seen. How could they be real?

  Evie felt the laughter change to panic. The walls of her prison were closing in on her. There were ghosts here, she was sure of it, ghosts of the other females who had been imprisoned here. That thought made her want to wake up, but how was she supposed to break through this drug-fuelled haze?

  She began to cry, deep sobs. “Wake up. Wake up, Evie.” What was happening to her body while she was experiencing this wonderful world?

  Sinking to her knees, she repeated over and over to herself, “Wake up, Evie, wake up.”

  “Evie?”

  She looked up. In front of her stood the figment of her imagination who had brought her here. “Let me go, Ishk. Please let me wake up and go home.”

  He came to her. “Evie, what’s wrong? Are you unwell?”

  “I want to wake up.”

  “You are awake.” He brushed her hair back from her face and then pressed his lips to her forehead. “I’m sorry you are here, but you are awake, it is real.”