by Gillian Zane
“Right, like your Big Bang theory on Earth. But our stories say that the universe is a living creature that split. It is made up of light, but at some point, some of the light became listless and wanted to become mass. The light watched as planets sprung up and formed life, as water spurned living creatures…and they felt want. They wanted to touch, feel, and not watch. They learned how to form their own mass and that is how the first humans came into being.”
“That’s different from our origin stories,” Bobbie said.
“Our energy is so much a part of us, and on so many different planets you find similar looking beings. It is how we explain how different intelligent life that exists on different worlds, in different solar systems look startlingly the same,” Four said in a low voice as Bobbie gaped at him.
“I thought it was a fluke that our worlds are so similar,” Bobbie said.
“No, it’s not a fluke, in fact it’s quite a common look. There are some differences—skin colors, eyes, some have hair, others have none, some have gills and live in the water, but they still have the same shape, the same parts, and most can breed together. It speaks of a common blue print.”
“So, this origin story, how does that hint at what you are experiencing?”
“The first being of light that became Polaridi found that they forced too much of themselves within the confines of a body, so they split after a few rotations. One of our famed originals, a female name Alla, split over one hundred times, and each of her splits became separate beings, but all looked like the original.”
“True clones,” Bobbie said, taking a sip of her drink and reveling at the taste, enjoying the tart flavor. “But wait, I thought only males could split?”
“Now, only males can split. But she was an original. The being of light that started us, and chose to take a female form so she could carry life. Most origin believers use this to explain why there is so little diversity in coloring on our planet, because we all came from the same stock of Polaridi. Other worlds have skin tones in all shades of the rainbow, hair colors, you name it. On our, world each of the domains has their own look, and it’s rumored that each domain was started with an original couple.”
“But I don’t understand how this might explain your situation.”
“Because the story states that the splits didn’t start acting autonomously until she split her third. It’s why the emperors always try to reach three splits, to see if they can form an autonomous clone,” Roc said.
“So maybe it’s not three but four splits,” Bobbie studied the two men across from her. There was something different about them that she couldn’t quite figure out. There was some small difference that set them apart from Roc and Two. Two sat without talking, only eating as if by remote. He was nothing more than an extension of Roc, whereas, Three and Four were looking around. Four scratched at his arm. Three looked down at his hands almost shyly. After a moment, Bobbie figured it out. It was their mannerisms. The corner of Four’s mouth quirked up constantly, as if he was about to break out in a smile. Three couldn’t make eye contact with anyone, almost seeming smaller than the other three. They acted different than the stoic Roc at her side. Only recently had she been immersed in this world of splits and seers, of charges and energy, but she knew Roc and was amazed at what a difference only a small change in personality would do. It was intriguing and she wanted to find out more. Wanted to help them figure out the mystery of this change.
Roc must be truly unique on this planet. The only one of four, and from what he said, the only Polaridi to have a Charge Mate from another planet, and now the only male to have his splits go autonomous. Not only was Bobbie dating an alien, she was dating a Unicorn alien. Was that even right? Were they dating?
According to Roc, they were mated—a forever pair. She was destined to be an Empress. She didn’t want to think about it. They would be dating for right now. The sex was great, he was sweet and protective, and now there were four of him. Four. It had seemed extraordinary at first, but now, as she sat back in her seat and took in the big males around her, it seemed perfectly natural. She enjoyed being around Roc on their ride through the stars, and now she would have a chance to find out what his other selves were like. This could get interesting.
There was a moment of self-doubt when she thought about what she might be giving up. She hadn’t thought about Earth all day, and certainly had given up on asking Roc to return her. He said two years had passed, so that meant if they were to leave today another would be gone. That was only four years. She could pick up where she left off, right? People had reappeared after being missing and moved back into their old lives all the time. Hadn’t she recently read a blog post about a man who went missing in the 90s and was found in Florida with no memory? Or was he on drugs and his family didn’t want anything to do with him? Bobbie couldn’t remember, it had been one of those stories that pops up on Facebook and she might have only scanned the picture captions.
Glancing over at Roc, she took in his strong jaw, and the way he held his shoulders. There was only one way to describe it: regal. She should be intimidated, or scared, especially from the way she had gotten here. The thing was, though, she had come to enjoy being around him in the days it had taken them to get back to his homeworld. Especially when he devoted all of his attention to her. She wasn’t too sure about this life-long Charge Mate thing, or this future Empress gig…but Roc had been right about one thing. What had been holding her to Earth?
Both of Bobbie’s parents passed away a long time ago and she had gone to live with her grandmother. The home her grandmother, whom she called Kiki, provided was a loving home, but in her first year of college she had lost her grandmother to cancer. There had been no other family members, both her parents only children.
In college, she had made a few friends, but none who stood out and held on after marriages, children, and subsequent divorces. The only ones who stuck were Chuck and Viv, and only barely. During college, she had dated one long term boyfriend and that had ended badly, then a few more long terms after college, all of which led to the distrust of the male species. After awhile she stopped trying and that’s how she ended up with Marlin. Most of her attention had been directed at her job, which she hated. What drew her back to Earth? All she could think was she knew what was expected of her on Earth. Here—well, it was an unknown.
On this world, there were so many possibilities. She had only been here for a moment and already there was a mystery that needed to be solved, a mystery that revolved around four beings that were oh so delicious, and willing to bring her pleasure if she only asked.
“It’s more than the four split,” Roc said, bringing her back to reality. “This didn’t begin until we found you, Bobbie. If it was because we split into four, this would have happened two decades ago.”
“You think it’s about me?” She had been caught mid-sip and spit a little bit out. There must be something alcoholic in the drink, because she was feeling a bit slippery around the edges and her thoughts were coming loose and fast.
“It could be, about the spark we share,” Roc said.
“Do you think our charges have changed? Do you think that’s why they’re more autonomous? That would mean my charge wouldn’t match theirs?” Bobbie pointed to the men across from her.
“There’s one way to find out.” Four stood, making Roc get to his feet as well. He stepped forward to block Bobbie in an odd display of jealousy. She pushed him away roughly, but barely managed to jostle him.
“Stop it, Roc,” she giggled and slapped a hand over her mouth at the sound. “What’s in this drink?” No one answered her; they were all glaring at each other. All except Two who was still eating his food like a robot.
“If he’s not me, I don’t want him touching you.” His hand fell protectively on Bobbie’s shoulder.
“Can’t you feel them? Aren’t they still a part of you, Roc?” Bobbie said softly.
“We can feel him,” Four said.
“Yes,�
�� Roc said grudgingly.
“Then let me do this.” She sidestepped the big man and crossed the floor to Four. He was staring at her in anticipation, his eyes never leaving hers as she sashayed over to him. She couldn’t read anything from his look, but she felt powerful, holding all four of the men in check by her actions. She was the only one that moved. All of them stood stock still, four pairs of eyes on her. She might have swayed her hips a little more than usual, she might have smiled a little bigger. While she hadn’t chosen this path, it was growing on her.
Bobbie held her hand out; Four didn’t move. She stepped closer, until she could almost touch him, but still she held back. She might be imagining it, but she thought she could feel it. It was ready, like an electrical current waiting to find a ground. She held her breath and broke that last fraction of an inch, laying her hand on his cheek.
Sparks flew across her hand and down her arm. They were a bright blue color. Similar sparks traveled along Four’s neck and across his chest. Bobbie gasped and Four’s hand jerked up, holding her in place. He trailed his fingers up to her neck, their eyes locked. Bobbie had been kissed by Roc, a kiss that had changed her life and set her world upside down. She knew that Four would change everything again. She knew it would be different and wanted to find out just how different. He wasn’t Roc, he was something new, but he had the same face, the same body. There were slight differences, the hair, the way he held himself, and that slight uptick of his mouth, instead of the frown that Roc had perfected. She wanted to see if his kiss would burn differently than Roc’s.
She was jerked back against a hard chest. Roc had intervened. She turned her head to the side and saw the scar peeking from underneath a white shirt. It was Two. Was Roc trying to see if he could still control him, or had Two taken it into his own hands?
“Roc?” She said in a low, questioning voice.
“Yes. I have to figure this out, I can’t watch you with him. I want to tear his head off and it’s my own head. I don’t understand this.”
“Our charges match as well, it’s still…” she said and he spun her around.
“I need to figure this out, Bobbie. I only just found you, and this feels like I have to share you.”
“You’re the one that took me off my planet, Roc, with the intention that I was supposed to be with four men.” He tried to interrupt and she held her hand up to stop him, making him frown. “Yes, I know they were all a part of you, and I get that, but in my world four guys are four guys…so excuse me if it’s taking me a little bit to digest this as well. And now that we’ve finally gotten here and are sitting with all four of you, you act jealous when it’s not quite what you expected.”
“I am not good with change,” Roc said, his frown still firmly in place.
“You seem to be pretty well adapted to me, and I’m a big change.” Bobbie pursed her lips and put her hands on her hips.
“You had been prophesied on my birth. All my life I’ve known about you. You are the final piece to my puzzle. You are not change, Bobbie, you are my fate,” Roc said and his forehead furrowed when he saw Bobbie’s cheeks go red in anger.
“Nice to know I could have been anyone, you asshat.” She slapped at his hand that tried to grab hers. Nothing like a bit of male chauvinism to set a girl back on her path.
21
Something to think about
Roc nodded at her outburst, knowing this would probably aggravate her more, but was unsure exactly what the problem was. She threw her hands up in the air and he winced. Obviously, a wrong move on his part.
“We discussed this earlier. You have exceeded my expectations, Bobbie, you are perfect, the perfect match for me,” he tried to fix the situation.
“I need to take a shower or something. I’ve had a little too much testosterone for one week.”
“Our bodies do not process that particular hormone,” Three spoke up and Bobbie waved her hands to stop him, her face was still flushed in aggravation, and Roc wanted to say something to make this better.
“I will show you to the bathing room and how to use it,” Roc’s quaternary manifestation said. He was standing off to the side, regarding her with a slight smile on his face, and it took everything in Roc’s self-control to not throttle the thing, whatever it was.
What was once part of Roc, but now another man, another man to be jealous and protective of, met his eyes and tapped his forehead trying to convey something. Like he knew what Roc was thinking. That action only made Roc’s scowl deepen. Kill the interloper, he thought and hoped that he heard that as well.
“No. Is there another female around here somewhere? Someone with similar parts and pieces as me? You know, someone who can show me the girly ropes?” She didn’t want him. Roc flinched as her gaze landed on him, and she watched as her eyes softened in regret of her quick words. At least that was something.
“I will fetch Nia,” the other autonomous Roc said and hurried off.
“Since I am not needed, I will go handle some things,” Roc didn’t stop to think about what was happening, what could happen—he strode out of the room, leaving his Charge Mate with two unknowns. He was still there though, still in the piece of him that remained part of him. He would be able to watch over things, but right now with only two parts of him left, he couldn’t focus all of his attention on the churning emotions roiling around in his brain.
Roc left his wing and headed to the common gardens at the center of the palace. It was one of his favorite places and he found it centered him. He sat on one of the many reclining spots within the garden and dropped his head into his hands. Putting all of his concentration into what was going on back in his wing, he realized if he focused, he could follow the movements of his tertiary and quaternary manifestations as well, he just couldn’t take control of them. They were truly autonomous. It was like he could read their minds, look through their eyes, but do nothing but watch.
This development could greatly change his future. He didn’t know what kind of men they had become. They were truly autonomous, which meant they could make their own decisions. Would their wants and needs align with his? Would their actions benefit his visions of the future and how this realm should be run under his eventual reign? Could he trust them to make decisions, attend meetings? He would be restricted to only two bodies, when he had become used to multi-tasking between four. He felt crippled and restricted. What if he had to travel again? Could he trust them to make the trip for him, or better yet, could he trust them to stay behind and make decisions in his absence?
For the first time in Roc’s long life, he felt like he had no idea what was going on.
Roc didn’t stop and wait for a reaction, he turned and left the room quickly. Two went in another direction, leaving Bobbie alone with Four.
“We are conflicted,” he said and ran a hand over his face. Bobbie again was struck by how different he acted than Roc. She was also now starting to think of him as a completely separate man. Maybe Roc was doing the same, which was why he had gotten so upset. She wouldn’t have liked to see him with another female, even if she looked just like her. In fact, it might make things worse if they shared the same face.
“Are you still connected with Roc?”
“Yes, but it’s not like before. I feel him, I know what he is doing, but it’s separate, he cannot control me.” His shoulders slumped. “He finds my presence an intrusion. He thinks I am wrong.” Bobbie saw the pain in Four’s eyes and wanted to comfort him, but when she stepped forward he shook his head in the negative.
The sound of a door opening and the rat-a-tat sound of clicking heels over the marble-like floor had Bobbie turning to face the newcomer. She had requested they get her another female to help her out, but she wasn’t quite sure she was ready to meet another alien.
Three rounded the turn and came into the room with a small female behind him. She was tiny, almost child-like and Bobbie wondered how old she was.
“Bobbie, this is Nia, she runs the household for the Emperor.
She’ll show you around the living quarters.” Three made a gesture to Four and they both left the room. Nia’s eyebrow raised and she watched them walk out of the room.
“Good day, Bobbie,” Nia bowed her head slightly. Now that Bobbie had a better view of her, she could see that this woman was not a child, but an older woman. There were fine lines around her eyes and mouth. Her hair was so dark it was almost blue, and her skin was the same bronze color as Roc’s skin. Her eyes the only difference in coloring, and they were more amber than green. She glided over the floor on tiny feet and stood next to Bobbie, her head not even reaching Bobbie’s shoulders.
“Hello, Nia.” Bobbie held her hand out and Nia looked at it in puzzlement. “Uh, how we greet each other on my world.”
“Oh, pardon me.” Nia placed her hand, open palm against Bobbie’s, but didn’t close it. Bobbie squeezed and shook it slightly, causing Nia to frown again.
“Can you show me how to freshen up?” Bobbie asked.
“Freshen up?” Nia asked.
“Clean.”
“Yes, yes, of course.” Bobbie had let Roc clean her on the ship, letting him press all the buttons. She had only managed to use the toilet, but hadn’t figured out the shower room on her own. Her hair was leaning to the greasy side again, and she was sure there was a slight smell about her that she had picked up in the medical tube.
Nia led Bobbie down a hall and opened a door to a large room. A counter lined the far wall and a glass-like room was nestled in the corner.
“I shall have this bathroom stocked with essentials, ma’am, anything you wish,” Nia said.
“I don’t know how to use anything, or what is used on this planet,” Bobbie confessed and Nia gave her a surprised look. Bobbie didn’t understand why it would surprise this woman. She was from a different planet, she had to know that.
“I will have a finishing docent come to instruct you on the accoutrements. We do not have a female royal, so she will have to be recruited, it might take some time,” Nia said. “I am sure you would like to clean now, though.” She went to the wall near the small glass-like room and waved her hand in front of a panel that had a slightly different opacity than the rest of the wall.
