by Stella Sky
“You did right, my son,” my father said as I reported to him as soon as I landed on Kelon.
“Thank you, father,” I said.
“You had to return that female even if she is the one you want to mate with. She is too much of an important person on Earth. What you did was for the good of the Draqua. You will see that in time. We cannot have the humans knowing about us at this time.”
“Yes, I do see that, father,” I said as I stood there.
“But why did you show up in a different ship, son? Was there a problem?” he asked as he handed me a glass of lana juice in celebration of my successful mission.
“We were shot down,” I said.
“What?! Why did you not say this first? Why did you not report it as soon as it happened over transmissions?” my father said panicked.
“The shot knocked out my communications on the ship. It was as if the shooter was going after it on purpose. As though the shooter knew exactly where it was on my ship. I could not send a transmission before we crashed. Once I found a ship to continue my journey, I found it best not to send a transmission. If the shooter was still out there, they could intercept the message and come after me again. I thought it was best the shooter and whoever the shooter is working with thought I was dead.”
“That is wise, son. I should have never let you go without an escort. Who could have known that you were on a mission? It was only decided the night before that you were leaving. That is not enough time for the information to travel to our enemies on other planets,” my father said.
“Yes, I thought the same thing, father. That is why I think this shooter was not from another planet. I think it was a Draqua,” I said.
“What?! A Draqua shooting at our own prince?” he said.
“Yes. I was so convinced of it that I almost thought I would return to a civil war in progress,” I said shooting down the lana juice.
“Do you mean you think it was the opposition?” he asked.” No, they are not a violate group. They only like to argue their point, and that is all.”
“No, I don’t think that, father. I think the group has evolved to violence. You don’t see the contempt that is thrown upon me by those in the opposition parties. They look at me with hate in their eyes, and hatred leads to violence.”
“No, that can’t be,” he said in denial.
“Think about it. What better way to get the message across that Draqua should not be mating with humans and that hybrids should not be in the Draqua race? Shooting down a hybrid that has a human mate is the perfect way to mark all those items off the list in one shot. It makes a massive statement. Not to mention the hybrid is the prince. It goes to show that the opposition is going against the crown. It has all the markings of starting a civil war,” I said.
“It is possible that you are right. I will keep an extra eye out and send my eyes and ears out into the village to gather information for me,” he said as he gave me a big hug. “I am happy that you are safe. I do not want to lose you, son. Because of that and this danger that you have come across, I am going to appoint a personal guard to you,” he said. “Guards!”
“No, father, that is not necessary,” I said.
“Yes, it is very necessary. Someone shot you down, and you believe it is a Draqua; that is enough to know that they will not stop there. They will fly to your window and kill you in your sleep,” he said.
Two guards entered the chambers. I gestured for them to leave, “It was a mistake. Please carry on,” I said. They walked out the door and closed it behind them.
“Look, father, if you want me to have guards then at least let me use those that I trust. I will get Baca and Jix to guard me,” I said.
“Very well,” he said.” Guards!” he shouted again.
The guards came back in. “Go and find Baca and Jix, the hybrids, and bring them to me. Tell them their prince wishes to see them.” The guards nodded and left.
“There, now sit and wait. You will not be unguarded for a second,” he said. I sighed. I knew there was no use in fighting this. I poured myself more lana juice and then another. An hour later, Baca and Jix showed up, and the king gave them his orders. They were now my guards.
“We honorably accept,” they said. Then we flew to my hut. We sat around drinking lana juice, and I told them about being shot down. But they knew that I was more melancholy about something else.
“Maybe you should have a turn with your women, Sarah and Michelle,” Jix said. “I’m tired of hearing about this other human already.”
“Yes, that is a great idea. I will go fetch them now,” Baca said.
“No! That is not necessary. I don’t want them. I just need some sleep. Will you keep watch while I lay and get some rest? I have not slept since I left Kelon for the mission.”
“Yes of course. We will keep watch and patrol. No one is getting in here tonight. I will even fetch the food myself so that it is not poisoned,” Jix laughed.
“I will take fresh fish when I wake,” I laughed. Then I moved to my bed and laid down. The first image that came to mind when I closed my eyes was Melody. She was crying and being sad on the ship as I held her in that last goodbye. Shit, how would I ever get any sleep?
BROTHER FISHY 500
The next morning I met for a council meeting with my brother and my father.
“Why would you think it is one of our own Draqua? It must have been a space thief,” my brother Greia said.
“Because I have my suspicions. My intuition. And I think I am right about it,” I said annoyed.
“Oh, you mean you’re stupid mind power has told you that it is a Draqua. I don’t think your mind powers are as strong as you think they are, brother,” he said.
“No, I did not say that. I gave the reasons for why I think it is the opposition,” I said. “Now what are we going to do about it? If we don’t seek out those that are leading this group into violence, then it will be too late when we finally do take action!”
“Yes, maybe you are right. I have had my little birds gathering information amongst the villagers, and there are those that feel the opposition is growing bolder,” my father said.
“No, that is idle gossip. Do not believe that, father. The opposition is harmless,” my brother said. “There beliefs are not without warning. It is not natural to breed with the human females, so they are only concerned with the future of the Draqua, as anyone would be,” Greia said.
“Your brother is born of mixing with human. Don’t you forget that. He would not be here if it wasn’t for that,” my father said.
“You are taking great sides with this opposition, brother,” I said to him eyeing him suspiciously.
“They are still Draqua. I take into account the needs and wants of all Draqua, not just those that believe what you believe. I will be great king because of it. I cannot decide that one group is wrong and the other is right. I have to understand where both sides are coming from,” he said.
“Yes, yes, that is correct. You are right, Greia,” my father said.
My brother grew an arrogant smirk on his face and thrust his chest out as he boasted that father was siding with him.
“We should not take any action on this opposition group. Let us just keep an eye out for them. For now, Cylo, keep your guard with you,” my father said.
“Guard? What guard?” my brother asked.
“I have Cylo keeping a guard with him for now, until we can find out who shot him down,” my father said.
“That is not necessary. No one is after him, and I am sure that it was a space thief that shot down his ship. His ship is shiny and brand new. What space thief would not try to get their hands on it when it crossed paths with it?” Greia said.
“Yes, but space thieves hardly ever shoot on what they want to collect as bounty. What is the point in going after a ship you want to steal if you are going to shoot it down? Then there is no more ship, now is there?” I said looking at my brother. He was silent.
“What about Veiras
?” I asked.
“Veiras?!” My brother shouted. “What about him? He is old and harmless,” he said.
“Yes, Veiras, his name has come up a few times in my reports,” my father said.
“For what? He is just an old Draqua,” Greia said.
“No, he is not. He was once an advisor to my father. My father fired him because they did not see eye to eye on a lot of things my father thought were very important,” my father said.
“He was an advisor to grandfather? I did not know that,” I said.
“Yes, an old advisor. Then he retired and went to live on Cuama Reef. He has been there since,” my brother said.
“Yes, that is right. But I have noticed a lot of elder Draqua have also migrated there as well over the years,” my father said.
“Yes, away from the noise of the village. I see why the old Draqua would want to retire there,” my brother said.
I thought it was odd that he was sticking up for this Veiras more and more with each inquiry that my father and I made.
“I think he is the leader of the opposition,” I said as I stood in front of my brother and crossed my arms in front of my chest. I stood solid in front of him, not letting him walk away. I watched the reaction of his face. There was a flicker of something. I did not know what it was, but he wasn’t speaking the whole truth. Then he recovered and went back into his laid-back, nonchalant tone. He picked up fruit from the table and bit into it. “Veiras is no leader. I do not think the opposition has a leader at all. It is merely a set of beliefs that some Draqua have and others don’t,” Greia said.
“Why do you think he is the leader of the opposition, my son?” my father said. Greia sighed, annoyed that my father wasn’t dropping it.
“Because he has isolated himself in an area where he can build strength in numbers for his cause. He does not like the crown, I am sure because grandfather fired him from a high position where he was allowed to live in luxury. I have met Veiras many times, and there is a lot of bitterness there,” I said.
“And because of that you hold him accountable for being the leader of a violent group?” my brother said.
“Yes,” I said.
“These are all good thoughts. I will have a special team look into it. Now speak of this to no one. You are both dismissed to your duties,” my father said.
My brother shifted and was off before my father could even finish his sentence.
“He’s in a rush,” I said as I walked out on the veranda and watched him fly. He was flying in the direction of Cuama Reef. I did not bother mentioning this to father. Perhaps there was nothing to worry about. But I would keep an eye on the situation. I had too. If I did not occupy my mind with something, then I would think of her and I could not think of her. I had to let go. I had to let time bury any memory of her, but that was easier said than done.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
MELODY REEVES
“What do you think caused your fall, Ms. Reeves? Where do you think you fell to give you this amnesia?” the reporter asked.
Cameras flash flashed all around me as I sat behind a table with the Santa Barbara police chief answering the questions of the media circus that had shown up there since I was found.
“I don’t know. I can’t remember,” I said to the reporter. This was becoming my answer to almost every question, and I congratulated myself and how perfect of an excuse it was: amnesia.
“How was Ms. Reeves found, Chief?” another reporter asked.
“Around three in the afternoon yesterday my office got a call from the Sunshine Vineyard that Melody Reeves had wandered into their winery asking for help. She wanted to use the Draqua. We went right out to the winery as fast as we could while my department also called her father, President Reeves.”
“And she knew who she was then?” the reporter asked.
“Yes, she knew exactly who she was, but she did not know where she was. She thought she was still in Los Angeles. We think that after the fall she faced in Los Angeles on the Pacific Palisades Trails, she got lost on the trails. She then found a public transit or such and got on and ended up in Santa Barbara.”
“And what triggered her memory?” the reporter asked.
“The doctor that has reviewed Ms. Reeves says that it could be anything, such as another fall, or it could have just worn off and been a temporary amnesia,” the chief said.
This circus went on for another twenty minutes until it was over. But that was just the news conference. There were still plenty of news vans and reporters parked outside of every building that I was at. It was exactly like a circus moving from one spot to another. I just wanted to get back to my place and take a bath and sleep for a long time. But I knew that was not in my future anytime soon. There was a lot of reports to fill out and questions to answer.
“Air Force One is landing at the airport,” the chief told me.
“Thank you, Chief,” I said. I took a deep breath. My father was on his way to me. This was not going to be fun. I waited in the posh hotel room that with Secret Service detail outside my door. I looked down at the crowd below, and I was glad to be up very high. I laughed, “Cylo would like to hear that,” I said to myself. I felt sad that I was thinking about him.
“Baby! Oh, my baby girl!” my father shouted as he walked into the hotel room. He was alone while his entourage waited outside.
“Hello, father,” I said as he gave me a big hug.
“Jesus you gave us a scare. I will never let you out of my sight again. That is it; you are moving into the White House,” he said hugging me tightly.
“No, no, that is not necessary. You know I don’t like politics,” I said.
“It does not matter. You are not in a good place. At least come for a month while I know that you aren’t going to lapse into amnesia again. It can happen, you know? I have the best minds telling me this,” he said.
“Father, I just fell and hit my head. It’s nothing to worry about. I am fine,” I said. “I can’t believe all of this media nonsense that has been going on. I wasn’t missing, I was just not remembering,” I said annoyed.
“I am going to double your detail then,” he said.
“Fine, as long as I don’t have to move into the White House,” I said.
“Agreed,” he said.
“You know, what if I ever wanted to go off the grid for a while? If I wanted to escape all this and go live in Alaska or something, do some writing. I wouldn’t be able to without a search party going out for me,” I said.
“Well, no, that would not happen because you would tell me that you’re going off grid and I would know that you are just out there finding yourself. I would know that you are just writing and exploring, not missing,” he said.
“Noted,” I said.
“Come here,” he said hugging me again. We hugged, and I was happy to see him again. I had not been gone very long, but when I was gone, I thought I would never see him again. Now I was able to see him again, and it felt good. I wondered if I did stay on Kelon, would I be able to come back to Earth on a yearly basis in order to see my father? That would keep them from thinking I am missing, I thought.
“So now. Let’s get you into a hot bath and get some food into you. Go take a bath, and I am going to order room service,” he said. I laughed at him.
“All right, dad.
“What do you want? Pizza, burgers, mashed potatoes?” he asked, listing all my favorite foods.
“How about all of it?” I said, suddenly wanting to indulge. I moved into the bathroom and closed the door behind me. It was nice to have some peace. I ran the hot bath, and a flash of the bathtub in my hut on Kelon sped before my eyes. It made me sad.
The next week after the circus had finally calmed down, I found myself back at my home in Los Angeles. My detail had doubled, but other than that, everything sort of went back to normal. People still stared at me in public, but they always had.
I stayed home a lot, not ready to venture out and hear the whispers of people
saying that I had been kidnapped or something, or lost my mind. So I stayed in, and I wrote. I wrote about my experiences, but I knew that I could never tell anyone. I was writing this for me and my memory.
Ping!
I looked at my Draqua. It was a text message. “We are coming to you for brunch today,” Sally’s text message said.
I had seen Sally and Gloria once since I had been back and Gloria never stopped apologizing that she had recommended the Pacific Palisades Trail at all. She cried a lot, and I assured her it could have happened on any trail. We had a sweet reunion, but a short one: my father’s orders. But now they were coming over for brunch instead of me going to a restaurant. I still was not ready to go out in the public eye.
