“Are you…?” he started to ask, before changing his mind. “Just… go back to bed. We’ll have a family discussion about this in the morning when your mother is awake.”
As he stalked away from me, I could see his literally shaking with rage, which made me very anxious about what was to come.
*****
Talia
I was happy when I woke up in the morning, excited to see what was to come, but I could already hear the yelling before I even went down the stairs. I could only pick out a few words, but it was enough to strike a cold terror into my heart. It was enough for me to know that somehow, Ricky and I had been found out.
It was only when I heard him shouting back, defending himself, that I raced down to join him. I was as much a part of this as he was. It wasn’t fair to leave him to tackle it alone.
“Wait…” I cried out. “Wait a moment…”
“I will get to you,” my dad snapped. “Your little tryst has wrecked everything!”
The shouting went on for ages. We had absolutely everything thrown at us that cried, hard. I’d known the aftermath of sleeping with Ricky wasn’t going to be smooth, but I hadn’t quite expected it to get this bad.
“Anyway,” Marie finally said, shooting a glance at my dad. “We made a decision last night. Because of this, we are not going to go through with the wedding. We’re going to break up,” I shot her a knowing look, certain that there was much more to their break up than me and Ricky, but she gave me such an evil glare that I kept it to myself. “Ricky, you and I are going to return to our old home, where we lived before here.”
“In Raymont?” he yelled.
“Why not?” she insisted. “You’ve finished school now. There’s no reason for us to remain.” I could sense that he wanted to look at me, but neither of us was brave enough to follow through on that desire.
“…and Talia,” Dad intervened “You need to go back to boarding school today. I can see that you’ve already packed your bags, and I’ve contacted the school. They are willing to accommodate you now.”
I tried to argue, but he was having none of it. As the rest of the rant continued, I felt my heart fall into my shoes. I’d been so looking forward to the future, not that long ago, now it had been taken away from me. There was no chance for me and Ricky if he was being taken miles away me, and I was being sent back to school.
We would have to break up. Sure, we could keep trying, keep doing the long distance thing, but if we weren’t together, it would never last. We’d only been together a short while, not long enough to have built any solid foundations, and things would only go from bad to worse with us. It could never end up successful – there was just too much stacked against us.
My heart shattered into a million pieces, as I realized that I was losing everything.
*****
Ricky
I insisted on dropping Talia off at the train station. Everyone argued against it, but I was going to do it anyway. Her dad came along too, but he had given us just a short time alone, which I used to kiss her and make all the promises in the world.
“I’ll wait for you,” I insisted. “We’ll be in touch all the time. I’ll come and see you at weekends…”
“No,” she shook her head, with tears in her eyes. “We can’t. It won’t work. We always knew that this was a short term thing.” She was saying things to push me away, hoping that I would agree, just to make things easier for us both. She didn’t mean a word of it, I could tell by her expression, but before I could argue anymore, her dad was back by her side, ushering her on the train. “This is goodbye,” she whispered, as if that was the conclusion to it all.
I waved to her sadly as the train pulled out from the station, knowing that life was never going to be the same for either of us again. But I also knew that I wouldn’t sit back and let her slip through my fingers. As soon as she found out how dedicated I was to her, she would come around too, I just knew it.
We would make this work. We had to. I was in love with Talia and I couldn’t let her go.
*****
Epilogue
Talia
One year later…
The last year had been hard at first, but things were finally settling down now. I felt defeated and destroyed when I had returned to boarding school alone, but Ricky had soon made it clear that he wasn’t letting me go, and his endless pursuit of me had gone on to make me the happiest girl alive.
He’d moved away from his mom almost right away and rented a small apartment near me, starting up his own business running a bike shop. It had been a struggle for him at first, but now he was very successful, and getting better. His reputation had followed him, and people were keen to buy from the bad ass king of the racetrack Ricky – even if he was nothing like that version of himself anymore.
I had tried to resist Ricky at first, to do the right thing, but when it became clear that our parents were never getting back together, I gave in and allowed the both of us to be happy. They had both moved on with other people now, and were very contented about it. They were almost pleased for us too – if not a little scared that it might all go wrong. We’d both been given a warning about our relationship, but that didn’t matter to either of us. We had each other, and that was all that mattered.
We were perfect for one another. We would go the distance, I was confident of that. It didn’t matter what anyone else thought.
I was doing well for myself too – about to start a college education, working towards becoming a doctor. Things were looking up, and life was great.
Most importantly, we had each other, and we had love. It had been complicated, but we got there in the end. Soon I would become his wife, then we would have children. I imagined us with a big brood of smiling kids, in a house with plenty of love.
The future looked very bright indeed.
THE END
Bonus Story 47 of 50
Alien Affair
“Are you ready to make history Melissa?” the tall, beautiful ambassador asked.
“Of course Ambassador Rosanna. Everything is as you requested, it is time,” Melissa responded. She was actually quite nervous. There had never been an Earth Federation ambassador to the Ilona worlds before and it was quite the controversy for some.
“Then let us proceed,” she said.
Melissa nodded and gestured to the guards who immediately lowered the ramp on the ship.
The music started playing and they began their walk down to the parade grounds. It was laid out between the new federation buildings and the entrance to the Ilona capital city of Papier. The red carpet was lined with the human dignitaries in attendance and led to the Ilona dignitaries on the other side of the field. There were garlands of roses on the human side with a brighter garland of Ilona flowers that were a vibrant purple with white veins sparkling throughout. Melissa had noticed that everything about the Ilona were bright and very festive appearing in comparison to her people. In contrast it was a slow, stately pace that the ambassador set. She wanted to give everyone a chance to look them over. It was an important moment, and Melissa could only be proud of her beautiful boss.
Rosanna was over six feet tall and athletically built with a regal bearing that suited her position. She was dressed in the traditional flowing red silk robes that were cut in a way to give glimpses of the standard white under suit all government staff wore. Her brown hair was up in braids that wrapped her head and ended in a bun at the nape of her neck. In comparison, Melissa was dressed in the drabber style of an ambassadorial assistant.
Of course her five foot four height seemed to match her importance. She wore a waist length green velvet blouse that held snuggly at the top of her hips with baggy green silk pants that were a low waist cut. Due to her lower rank her hair was left to flow freely, with a red headband to keep it out of her eyes. Only important officials and dignitaries were allowed to wear their hair up in a show of status. Her own figure was more voluptuous, but growing up in the government compounds it was
considered the less desirable figure when compared to the preferred build of the ambassador. Melissa was a well-trained assistant and accepted her position and the honor it bestowed on herself and her name.
They met King Remole of Ilona in the middle of the field. Then the procession began moving towards the Ilona Arches of Entry. Passing through those would mark the first time any humans had gone to stay in an Ilona community. Melissa felt her breath quicken with the solemnity of the moment, but the moment was ruined by a popping sound. Then she heard a hum followed by an explosion that rocked the parade grounds, and she staggered forward tackling her boss to the ground. Weapons fire broke out over their heads and she heard the hum of blasters and recognized the popping she had initially heard as old style projectile weapons. Screams filled the air as Melissa pushed herself up to get a look at what was happening around her.
The ambassador’s bodyguards were ringing them, and quickly tried to get them up and moving.
“Let’s go, were sitting ducks out here, move!” shouted Captain Lancer. Melissa helped Rosanna struggle to her feet.
“Come on boss, let’s go!”
The ambassador seemed stunned that such an attack was taking place.
“This is the quickest route, come on, the Ilona Arches are the closest cover!” the captain shouted getting everyone on their feet. The Ilona king and his people were being herded around them towards the safety of the Arch. Over her shoulder Melissa could see flames rising from the buildings around them and bodies lying unmoving on the ground. She forced herself to stay focused and ignore the scream of fear she felt building inside as Rosanna leaned against her, running with the bodyguards. As the shadow of the giant marble arches covered them there was a bright flash of light and an explosion. Melissa screamed as the light blinded her and a pain shot through her left arm and hip as she fell. A sudden shock shot through her head and she knew no more.
*****
“I have to go. I have to see the ambassador, please,” Melissa told the woman.
“The ambassador was more damaged than you were in the attack. The prognosis is good, but she is in a restorative sleep field and you cannot see her at this moment. This time is for you to get better,” she was told for the second time. Melissa grimaced in frustration. She was not feeling too badly all things considered.
Her left arm was wrapped in a stiff fabric of some kind. It had been fractured and was painful to move. Her head ached lightly, and reaching up she could feel the hair above her ear had been shaved and a bandage was covering the wound. Her left hip was sore, but other than that she was feeling fine.
“Then can you fill me in on what happened? I need to report back to my people,” she tried, pushing herself into a more upright position on the bed. The woman helped her get settled and stacked pillows behind her. She studied her as she worked. The Ilona race was different from humans in many ways. One was that the women were more noticeable for their brightly colored hair and eyes.
Nurse Kolly was a beautiful woman with amazingly purple hair that fell down her back and ended in pink streaks. Melissa knew it was a natural color and her bright, cotton candy pink eyes were equally startling. The Ilona people were also more permissive than humans in many ways and her clothes were evidence of that. Kolly wore a snug white top that barely covered her large breasts with matching snug shorts. Suspenders went up over her shoulders and had an emblem that, based on Melissa’s studies, denoted healing. Kolly smiled at her and offered her some water.
“Your guards are in constant communication with your government so you should not worry about that. The master healer will be in shortly and he will be releasing you to good health. Trust me Assistant Mac, you will be allowed to see the ambassador as soon as it is possible to do so. We believe in stress free healing, so trust me when I say all your wants will be seen to in an effort to promote your rejuvenation,” the woman said.
Melissa sighed and sipped the water. It was fresh and clear and exactly what she needed. Looking herself over she decided she would also need to get some clothes. She had a reputation to uphold and she looked horrible. Her blouse and pants had been removed so she was just in the standard white body suit. It was dirt stained and the sleeve and leg had been cut off of her so they could work on her injuries. Melissa turned her head so she could see her reflection on the side of the medical equipment, and grimaced. Her hair was a tangled mess and her usual bright green eyes were dull with fatigue and stress. She was about to take another shot at information when the door on the other side of the room opened and she stiffened, trying to finger comb her hair. The king of Ilona strode up to her bedside. The nurse bowed in surprise and backed away.
The king was generally a jolly looking Ilona, typical of his race. He had flaming amber hair in a long ponytail. His face was round and his eyes were a bright blue. He wore a red vest and what she thought of as a skirt, or kilt, representative of his royal line. He was not smiling now however, and had a concerned expression on his face.
“Your Majesty, you honor me with your visit,” she said lowering her head per protocol.
“Thank you Melissa Mac, but it is Ilona that was honored when you and your ambassador came to us in trust. It is our shame that such a thing could happen on Ilona soil. We are doing everything we can to take care of the situation. How are you feeling my dear? Have your needs been seen to?” he asked.
Melissa nodded, “Excellently Your Grace. I could not ask for better care. I am just concerned for my people and what happened.”
He nodded in understanding. Melissa then noticed the captain of the ambassadorial guard was standing just inside the door. He met her eyes and nodded. He had a wrap on his arm and his leg as well.
“I am here to inform you of what happened and reassure you of all we are doing. When we are through you will be free to go to the home we have arranged for you and yours. It is equipped with communication gear for your use in speaking with your government. We also have assigned liaisons to your person so anything you need that may have been overlooked will be quickly taken care of. As for what happened…” he hesitated. It appeared like he was trying to decide how to tell her.
“Separatists, Your Grace?” Melissa asked softly. He looked grieved.
“Yes, somehow the separatist group calling themselves Earth Only managed to get through the security. It is doubly sad that an Ilona group, Ilona First, struck at the same time. Our shame is double because of this and I wish you to know we will spare no expense or effort in finding the culprits and bringing them to justice. Your Captain Lancer has assured me your government is taking the same stand,” he gestured back to Lancer and he came forward. He was limping and looked exhausted.
“Yes, it is a shame for us as well and we wish to redress the hurts done and begin our relationship with your people again,” he said formally.
Captain Lancer was a tough looking man. He was a career soldier and Melissa knew he was agonizing over this as much as she ever could. It was his people who had been attacked.
“How many did we lose Captain?” she asked. It was the question she had not wanted to think about. He grimaced a brief second and then his face went blank.
“Half of our troops were killed in the attack. Half of those remaining are in serious condition Assistant Mac,” he answered and Melissa closed her eyes and fought back the urge to cry out. Melissa had not known the men and woman well; they had always just been around. Now she was feeling the loss and her own shame that she had never bothered to get to know those people. The people who put their lives on the line for her. She took a deep breath to steady herself and opened her eyes.
“And your people, King Remole?” she asked.
His dusky skin paled slightly.
“A similar number was lost and injured. It is unheard of in the history of my people. We are grieving and restoring ourselves for the tasks ahead. Your government has been amazing in their concern and their strength. They honor us. They have told me they wish to keep the Embassy opened and not to gi
ve into separatist pressure. It is a brave and important step. We wish you to know we agree and will do our best for the alliance. They understand the situation here and are awaiting your call once you are settled. I will leave you now and Captain Lancer can escort you to your new home. Be well, Assistant Melissa Mac,” he told her with a bow, and turning quickly he exited before she could frame an appropriate response. Melissa saw the nurse leave after him. The formal expression on Lancer’s face dropped to one of anger and concern.
“The king was correct. The Earth Federation wants us to continue our mission so we are to go to the new residence as soon as you are ready. I have our security on alert as do the Ilona. I will be working with them in the investigation and they truly are being completely open and willing to allow us to take part in the hunt for the separatists. Theirs and ours,” he said grimly.
Things were moving way too fast for Melissa, but she knew it was not time for her to grieve, not yet. So she swung her legs off the bed and the captain helped her stand. She was surprised she had the energy to do so and was actually feeling better just moving around.
“I brought some clothes earlier while you were out. I knew you would want them,” he told her and gestured to a familiar suitcase behind her bed. She had not noticed it before.
“Thank you Captain. The king did not say when I can see the ambassador,” she said absently as she began going through her case. She found some clothes and Lancer turned his back to give her privacy to dress.
“No he didn’t. I have seen her through a glass wall. She is in a chamber and no one can go in. The air and energy used, they say, cannot be contaminated. The home office doctors assured me it is standard Ilona treatment and were enthusiastic about how well the healing techniques work. I am not concerned. They say she should be whole and hearty in about three days. When you speak to the federation they are more than likely going to advise you to make sure everything is ready for Ambassador Torrance and to begin whatever your duties would normally be. Since my people will be on alert, however, I will keep you informed of any changes in the investigation,” Lancer finished.
Pregnant to an Alien King Box Set Page 177
