The Apollo Academy

by Kimberly P. Chase

  The moon hung heavy and bright as they spent the next hour flipping, turning, and twisting the aircraft every way imaginable. Aurora pretended she was in aerial combat against some unknown enemy. She hadn’t felt this free in a long time. Neither the attempts on her life nor Zane entered her thoughts. If the plane wasn’t running low on fuel, she would have continued flying for the rest of the night.

  As the wheels touched back down, Aurora knew that everything she’d been avoiding would come roaring back. Sky hopped out first and waited patiently as she climbed down, which was a little tricky because she was still wearing her high heels. She very carefully placed her feet on the metal ladder’s small steps until she finally made it to the ground. When she turned around, she realized Sky was appreciating the view she presented and was smirking at her.

  She teased him, trying to ignore the heat in his eyes. “What, don’t like the shoes?”

  He surprised her by laughing.

  Those dimples were going to get her in trouble.

  “Oh no, I’m very impressed. I don’t know how you walk in them without falling, much less fly an aircraft the way you just did,” Sky said.

  Aurora pushed his shoulder and winked at him. “Well, now you should be doubly impressed. I can walk, dance, and fly in any shoe you put me in.” She wasn’t sure where this flirty banter was coming from, but she liked knowing that Sky was impressed with her. She wanted him to like her. He was fun and laid back tonight, and somehow the flight had relieved the tension between them. Just as he’d predicted, the flight released all of her stress and anger through sweat, adrenaline, and shear exhilaration.

  He looked so good, especially in his flight suit. His hands were on his hips as he towered over her. Even in her heels, she only came to his upper chest. For a moment she let herself imagine him stepping closer and engulfing her in his big arms.

  It was weird that her thoughts strayed in that direction, and she decided she must feel closer to him because of their shared love of flight. She’d never really looked at him in this light because she always assumed something would work out between her and Zane. But after tonight, she felt she saw more of the real Sky, a Sky kind enough to take her flying, giving her a few hours reprieve from the usual drama of her life even on his last night on earth for awhile.

  Sky grabbed her hand. Their earlier banter faded, and his face grew serious. “I had a blast. I’d like to do it again sometime, and not just because you need to be cheered up.”

  Aurora swallowed, her throat dry. “I think I’d like that.” How was she just now starting to realize what a great guy Sky was?

  He tugged her by the hand, pulling her out of the hangar. “Let’s get back to the Academy before someone notices we’re missing.”

  Thankful for the few minutes alone in the locker room to compose herself, Aurora took her time getting out of her flight suit and back into the tight bodiced gown. She stuck her peacock feather in her hair and ran her fingers through it until it was untangled and hanging smoothly down her back once more.

  By the time she finished, Sky had managed to get a hovercar to take them back to the Academy. For some reason she was nervous to be alone with him, even though they’d just spent two hours in a much tighter space. There was something different about it now. As she scooted into the back seat next to him, she felt his body pressed close to hers. Aurora looked up at him in surprise, their faces only inches apart. He gently pushed a piece of hair behind her ear, and instead of immediately letting it go, he held onto it.

  “I’ve wanted to touch your hair for a while now.” He gently stroked a strand.

  Aurora blushed, and Sky took the opportunity to push his hands further into the back of her hair.

  “Why?” she whispered.

  Sky smiled into her eyes. “It’s beautiful. It’s fiery, just like you.” He bent down to brush his lips slowly over hers. They were hesitant, waiting for her reaction.

  At first she couldn’t even move; she was too shocked to do anything. When his lips first touched hers, she felt like she was betraying Zane. But how could she betray someone who made it abundantly clear that he only wanted to be friends? She was so angry that he’d stood her up, and even more angry with herself for obsessing over him. And she couldn’t deny the heat Sky managed to create. Apparently, it didn’t matter whether they were fighting or kissing. He always ignited her emotions, and right now his soft lips were starting a slow, simmering heat inside of her.

  She parted her lips and invited him to kiss her deeper. The feel of his tongue as he slowly brushed it inside her mouth was exotic, and a small moan escaped her lips. That seemed to excite him even more, and he boldly deepened their kiss. The kiss was like every other experience she’d had with Sky. Demanding. Intense. Bruising. They made out like they were going to war, their lips caught in a desperate battle against one another.

  A roaring fire spread across Aurora’s chest and quickly swelled to more sensitive areas. She pushed herself against him, and he took it as an invitation to pull her onto his lap, causing Aurora’s dress to push up around her legs as she straddled him. Their kisses became frantic, wild things as they both ached to cool the fire lit within. Aurora had never been kissed like this.

  Sky’s hand slowly moved from her hair, down her neck, to the swell of her chest. When he caressed her nipple from the outside of her dress, Aurora whimpered. His finger continued to slowly circle her breast, until she couldn’t stand it anymore. On instinct, she pressed herself closer to Sky, her hips moving against him.

  Completely lost in the moment, Aurora unbuttoned Sky’s shirt until he lay bare before her. Slowly she ran her hands over his rock-hard chest, down his six-pack, and lightly over the V just above his pants. Aurora trailed a finger over his pant button, wondering what it would be like to follow it all the way down.

  Sky groaned, gripping Aurora’s waist tighter. Pulling her toward him, he reached around to undo her top. Aurora shivered as Sky tried to unzip her dress, but before he managed, the car came to a stop and Aurora came to her senses.

  She grabbed hold of Sky’s hand, stopping him before they went any farther. She wasn’t ready for that. Ever since she met Zane, she’d always imagined he’d be her first. And this with Sky was too soon.

  Aurora wasn’t sure what she was thinking. She liked this version of Sky, but she couldn’t forget most of the time he was a dick. Aurora, embarrassed by her position on Sky’s lap and his obvious enjoyment, pulled back. Before she completely removed herself, Sky grabbed her, holding her in place as he stared into her eyes. She knew he saw her eyes widen, yet she still let out a needy whimper.

  Sky was so big compared to her. He was strong and could probably force her to do anything with just the slightest pressure. And why did that make the situation that much hotter? She lightly touched her lips, still feeling the sting of their frantic kissing. Her lips would be sore tomorrow.

  “Don’t pull away.” Sky’s husky voice broke the silence. She felt the deep vibrations of his voice rumbling in his chest.

  Aurora rested her head on his shoulder. She was so confused. Only a few hours ago she’d been pining for a guy she couldn’t seem to have. Zane with his pent-up emotions had left her hanging tonight while Sky, on the other hand, never held anything back.

  Zane was the only guy she’d thought about for the past few months, and here she was in the arms of another man. But he’d made his feelings perfectly clear. And she liked how Sky made her feel. Even when he was yelling at her, he still ignited things within her.

  “Sky, I had a blast tonight,” she finally admitted. “Even when you’re a complete asshole, I know you mean well.”

  Sky carefully placed his head against hers. “I know I’ve been tough on you, but I wanted to make sure you took training seriously and were the best you could be.” He paused and Aurora placed one of her hands on his chest, wanting to feel his words when he spoke. “I wasn’t expecting to like you, but the more you yelled at me, the more that changed. And then I t
hought you were with Zane.”

  Aurora sighed and buried her head further into Sky’s neck. “Yeah, well, Zane sorta stood me up tonight.” Aurora felt Sky nod his head. He began rubbing her back, comforting her.

  “Zane does care about you. He’s driven himself ragged trying to keep you safe.”

  “Why are you telling me this?” She felt the heat of her own breath brush against his neck.

  “I guess I just want you to be happy.” He pulled her back so they were looking at each other. “Listen, there’s something I have to tell you—”

  Aurora never got to hear what Sky was going to say.

  The door to the hovercar flew open.

  ZANE

  Where was she? Zane walked onto the dance floor, pushing his way through the crowd of moving bodies, trying to find Aurora. He knew he was late, but he never thought she’d actually leave the dance without waiting for him.

  Zane stopped in the middle of the dance floor and enlarged the screen on his techiwatch, trying to hail Aurora. His screen remained blank.

  He tried Akemi. A few minutes later his friend’s face appeared on the screen.

  “Zane, where are you?”

  “I’m at the dance. Where are you? Is Aurora with you?” Zane began making his way off the dance floor and almost ran into a crowd of reporters. He quickly skirted out of their way but not before he heard the questions they were asking an older man in the corner.

  “Mr. Titon, are you aware your daughter was stood up?” Someone said in that annoying, provoking voice all reporters seemed to master.

  Zane stopped when he spotted the all too familiar reporter and the man she was talking to, Collin Titon. You’ve got to be kidding me! If there weren’t so many people around, he’d probably punch that fucker in the face. There were so many things wrong with this situation. Did he know about him? That Zane’s DNA had been altered? And how in the world did the reporter know Zane was running late? Better yet, why was this news?

  “Zane!” Kaylana’s face replaced Akemi’s on the screen. “You’ve got to listen to me—”

  “Hold on.” Zane made his way outside. He pushed thoughts of Collin Titon and his own issues away. He would come up with a plan for that later.

  “Okay, I can hear you. Where’s Aurora?”

  “I don’t know,” Kaylana yelled. “She was supposed to come back to our room. But she’s not here.” Tears streamed down Kaylana’s face. “Do you think she’s okay?”

  “Why did you leave her alone?” Zane knew his voice sounded cold.

  Kaylana rolled her eyes. “Maybe because she was mortified at being stood up and wanted to be by herself!”

  “I’ll find her. Stay there and wait. She might come back.” Zane snapped the screen closed. It’s not like it was his fault he had to deal with his own major issues. Why Titon Technologies? If only he had left with Akemi for the dance. It would have saved him from finding out that they were behind his genetic alteration. Who knew what would have happened between him and Aurora if he had only kept running down the hallway, ignoring Dr. Stevenson?

  None of that mattered. He needed to find Aurora. Zane still couldn’t get his mind wrapped around it. Sky was apparently an illegitimate son of Henry Dagan.

  Where would she go? The Apollo 1 launch pad?

  Zane turned his attention to the sleek black hovercar idling in front of the Academy’s entrance. He just knew she was in there.

  Zane ran down the motorized steps and yanked the hovercar’s door open. He practically pulled the thing off its hinges, but he didn’t look to see if it held.

  Aurora, dressed in a beautiful green gown with her hair falling down her back, was positioned on Sky’s lap. Zane glared at the hand that rested on Aurora’s flushed cheek.

  Aurora jumped off Sky’s lap, adjusting her long gown around her.

  Giving him an open path to Sky.

  Before Zane even knew what he was doing, he was inside the hovercar, trying to drag Sky out.

  Sky was so un-prepared for his attack that Zane somehow managed to pull him stumbling out of the car. Before Sky could get his bearings, Zane punched him in the jaw.

  The thunderous sound of his fist hitting Sky’s chin was the only indication that Zane had hit his mark. The pain in his hand didn’t even register.

  “What is wrong with you?” Aurora yelled, trying to maneuver out of the car in her long dress.

  He ignored her, focusing on Sky’s widened eyes.

  Sky rubbed his jaw. “Zane, I’m not fighting you over Aurora. She’s a big girl and can make her own decisions.”

  Zane clenched his fists, remembering the real reason he should be pissed.

  “What is wrong with you? You’re the one who stood me up! And said you just wanted to be friends.” Aurora stood with her hands on her hips.

  Zane glared at Sky. “That’s not why I’m here, Aurora. I just thought you should know that Sky is actually a Dagan, but maybe that’s okay with you. You two certainly looked cozy.” Zane snapped his mouth shut. What was wrong with him?

  Sky’s body tensed as he tried to explain. “I had nothing to do with it, I swear.”

  “Dagan?” Aurora’s eyes were so wide that she almost looked like a beautiful cartoon character. “What’s your whole name, Sky?”

  “Skyller Dagan, though I obviously don’t go by that.” Sky’s shoulders slumped and his mouth opened, but Aurora didn’t give him a chance to speak again. Zane silently watched the drama unfold, unsure of how his life had gotten so complicated. He always thought life at the Academy would be so much easier: food, shelter, a chance to prove himself better than an unknown. But that was before his past caught up with him and his life intertwined with Aurora’s. For better or worse, he was connected to her—it was some sort of sick fate that the first person he loved was also the key to unlocking his past.

  AURORA

  Aurora took slow, steady breaths, trying not to explode.

  They didn’t work.

  “So this is why you’ve been so hard on me? Because I’m the daughter of your father’s biggest enemy?” Aurora looked back at the car and waved her hands. “Was that all some sort of joke? You didn’t mean any of it, did you? Were you actually trying to kill me or just get me kicked out?” Aurora tried not to sound hurt, but she wasn’t sure she was pulling it off.

  “I had nothing to do with your accidents. Every word out of my mouth has been the truth,” Sky gritted out. He crossed his arms, his triceps flexing in tension.

  “Aurora, he’s a Dagan. The techspider is a Frontier Solution’s product.” Zane said, making Aurora realize he was witnessing this entire event. She should have cared, but she couldn’t find it anywhere in her.

  “My last name is not Dagan. I was never allowed to have that name because my father didn’t want anyone knowing about me. Not that I ever wanted it anyway.” Sky kicked something on the ground. “Wow, Zane. And I actually thought we were becoming friends. If this is how you want to play, then let’s play.” Sky rolled his eyes, glancing from Zane to her. “Aurora, there’s something Zane isn’t telling you either. You’re precious Zane has been keeping secrets from you too. He’s an— “

  “Enough!” Aurora yelled. “I’m well aware that you’re both keeping secrets. And I will not be involved in some sort of Titon-Dagan drama.” She hiked up the bottom of her dress, choosing to walk up the stairs instead of taking the moving ones. Aurora needed to let off steam somehow. She was sick of everyone around her hiding things. Aurora already knew Zane was keeping things from her, and it stung that he still didn’t trust her. But she wouldn’t have Sky force his hand.

  Sky grabbed Aurora’s shoulder as she walked past him, but she pulled away from his touch. “Listen, I swear I’d never hurt you.” Sky tried to smile, showing her that half dimple. “Everything I’ve said is true.”

  Aurora didn’t want to believe that anyone was able to dupe her so completely. “Prove you had nothing to do with my accidents. You have to know something.”


  “I was going to tell you everything in the car.” Sky looked at his feet as he paced across the step he was standing on. “I think Hailen is the one placing the techspiders—”

  “We already suspected that, but why?” Aurora asked. They kept circling around the same suspects, but never finding any proof.

  “Hailen confronted me about who I was the day of the neutral buoyancy training. She hinted that she was close to my half-brother, Rowan.”

  “Then why didn’t you say anything? I talked to you that night.” Zane ran up the two steps separating them, his fists clenched together.

  “I couldn’t say anything. Hailen blackmailed me. If I had said anything to anyone about my suspicions, she would have exposed my heritage and found a way to blame the attacks on me.” Sky glanced at Aurora but quickly averted his gaze.

  “That’s no excuse.” Zane stepped forward, his muscles twitching. It looked like he was just waiting for a reason to punch Sky again.

  Sky turned to face Aurora, his eyes imploring hers. “Would you have believed me, or Hailen once you heard my real name?”

  Aurora sighed. She honestly didn’t know what she would have thought. “I guess we’ll never know now, will we?” Aurora glanced at Zane, realizing she wasn’t even upset with him for standing her up anymore. “If Hailen planted the techspiders, then we’ll find more in her room. Can you get me a copy of the ventilation system?”

  “Are you actually going to listen to him?” Zane jerked his thumb toward Sky.

  “Yeah, I am.” Aurora looked directly at Zane as she said it. She needed him to know that he could trust her too.

  Zane nodded, looking down.

  Sky tried to reach out to Aurora, but she backed away, putting her closer to Zane. She wasn’t stupid. She wasn’t completely sure she should trust Sky, but she’d give him a chance to prove himself. “Sky, I’m going to take your word for now. If what you believe is true, then Hailen is the one that needs to go. Once she’s gone, Rowan won’t have access to me anymore. And if you did have something to do with this, I should be safe when you’re on the Moon.”