Gemini of Emreiana

by Kristen DaRay

  Kyle reached out and ran his fingers through my hair and cupped my cheek. He was afraid, and he should be. The warmth of his hands kept me from wanting to leave him, but it was the fear he felt that made me realize that I had to keep him safe no matter what the cost.

  "Carson-" he said slowly, but I stopped him there. I felt tears in my eyes.

  "Kyle, I want you to know that I love you…" Could I really go through with it? Could I really break his heart? I felt my heart pound faster. It felt like someone was clenching it. I honestly didn't know if I could make the words escape my lips.

  Kyle started to feel pain. He knew what I was trying to say. I took in a deep breath.

  "We should break up," Kyle said the words that I so desperately could not. My stomach felt sick. Did he really want to break up?

  I nodded my head and tears started to sting my eyes. I blinked and felt them stream my cheek; I turned away.

  "We knew this was going to happen. Things haven't been the same for a month. I think this would be the best." His words hit me like a brick. "I will always love you."

  He stood up from the swing and walked away. As he left, I felt anger coming from him. I was too upset to wonder what made him so angry about our break up. I held no anger at all, just piercing pain that made my heart feel like it was being pricked by thousands of needles and crumbling away.

  Ten minutes, maybe twenty, I sat there alone on the swing in sobs. I kept replaying the conversation over and over again.

  I was going to break up with him, and I couldn't even bring myself to do it. But he could. How could he have just walked away? I clutched the swings metal links in my hand tightly.

  I cried even harder. I didn't even notice when it started to rain. The rain pounded deeper into the soil. Cold, soggy, and shivering, I just cried, allowing the rain to wipe away my old tears so my eyes could release new ones.

  "Carson!" Aaronmon called across the yard. "Carson! You need to come inside!"

  He ran to me. I sat there not even responding. I wanted to die on this swing set. My love for Kyle started here and ended here. I pushed every bit of pain onto him. I wanted him to know how much I loved Kyle and how much I was hurting because I had to leave him, because he left me.

  Aaronmon took off his jacket and wrapped it around me. I stayed quiet on the car ride home. When we arrived, I didn't even pay attention to all the garnix laying flat metal sheets around the house. I didn't care what they were doing.

  I went straight to my bed and sobbed. I clutched my chest. Why did it have to hurt so much?

  When I couldn't cry anymore, I thought back on everything. He was right. Things haven't been the same between us. I was lying to him. I even came close to kissing... I didn't want to think about that. I stared at the ceiling. This is a good thing. Now he is safe. Now, the Bremoir cannot associate him with me. Now, I can leave Earth and not have to worry about leaving him behind. This is all good. I love him enough to do this. I just wished my heart could understand that.

  CHAPTER TEN

  During the night, my dreams recalled the times I had shared with Kyle: our playful childhood memories, the awkward moments as a young teen when we realized we had feelings for one another, and our first kiss during the summer at the club house.

  It was all so beautiful and innocent. The beginning of love always was, wasn't it? As we got older, so did our love for one another. But our love would always remain innocent. Prom night was proof of that.

  "You could tell he loved you," I heard Aaronmon say. He stepped out of the trees surrounding the club house.

  "Why are you in my dream?" I asked, realizing that he was watching in on my memories.

  "I wanted to make sure you slept okay tonight."

  "Then why would you show me this?"

  "I didn't. You were already dreaming. But as I started to watch..." Aaronmon trailed off.

  "Yeah..." I said, watching Kyle hold me in his arms as I rested my head into his chest.

  "But he didn't love me as much as you think. I wasn't even worth fighting for." I faced the woods.

  This memory made me realize, my relationship with Kyle was not perfect. He allowed his father to control him so much.

  Everything started to fade away and melted into a scene in my bathroom. “It was the next day after prom.” I started to tell Aaromnom. “I was still torn by the fact I’d been turned away. I felt abandoned. I felt alone.” I remembered crying in the shower, full of shame. “The idea that he didn't want me, now turned into the idea that he would follow his father’s orders to break up with me. I knew it had to be coming soon. We are so close to graduation," I said as the scene progressed.

  We watched that day I went to his house. His father, as always, was unhappy to see me, but I didn't care. We watched as I found Kyle in his room. I wanted to talk. I wanted to know why. But I never did learn why. Instead, Kyle was tense. He said he and his father had just had a fight. When I asked what was wrong. He told me not to worry about it.

  "I couldn't bring up prom night and make him more upset. I couldn't comfort him either because he wouldn't let me in. But I knew, somehow, deep down it had to do with me. I figured Kyle didn't make love to me that night because he was going to allow his father to win. I never wanted to admit it until now, but our relationship was going to be over anyway."

  The scene faded away. I stood in a room with just Aaronmon.

  "I shouldn't have intruded on your personal memories." He stepped closer.

  "I'm not in a mood to care anyway." I shrugged.

  "But still, you shared something with me. I feel like I should share something with you." Aaronmon stood next to me as colors started appearing around us.

  "No one else has seen this." Aaronmon smiled at me.

  The colors faded into a lake surrounded by a beautiful wooded area. Nightens, light blue and white flowers on Emréiana, covered the forest floor and crept up the side of the trees.

  There, a four or five-year old boy with hazel eyes chased a blond little girl. She looked like she was around eight or nine. A young man and woman watched them as they held hands.

  The little boy laughed while his feet pattered, chasing her. The man called out to them, in Emréian, that it was time to go home. The little girl stopped and laughed. She said they would have to catch them first. She then grabbed the little boy’s hand, and they ran out into the meadow. While the image faded, I could still hear the children’s laughter, and the dad's laughter as he started to chase them.

  I knew Aaromnom was the little boy. I knew that was his family. It was a simple but sweet memory. I looked up at him. It was funny how in a memonai I couldn't read his feelings, but I could see a glint in his eyes that told me this memory was very special to him.

  "This is the last memory I have of my family." Aaronmon smiled weakly. "They died a few hours later during the attack that sent you here to Earth. It hurts thinking about it, but I am still so glad I have these memories."

  I nodded and understood. I almost forgot he had a life outside of being a garnix, but I had never thought to ask about it. I was glad he shared his memory with me.

  The next day school was closed. I knew my mother would be here tomorrow, so I decided to study the Emréian language on Aaronmon's abula.

  Slowly, I was becoming fluent with the basics: colors, numbers, minor descriptions, greetings, and all that. I wished I could learn it all in one day, but I felt confident I was learning at a good pace.

  "Dai(Hey/Hello)." I heard Aaronmon behind me. I turned around to face him as he stood in my door way.

  "How are the studies?" he asked.

  "Olmia(okay/good)," I said with a feeling of accomplishment.

  "I brought you something," he said, sitting on the bed next to me.

  "What's that?" I felt my heart flutter when I could smell his cologne. Stop it!

  "Well you’re using my abula a lot. I figured it would be nice for you to have your own," he said, then pulled out another abula identical to his. "I programmed
it to be mainly in English. I also wanted to show you some other uses for it."

  "It can do more?" I asked, laying his on the bed and reaching out for my own abula.

  "Yeah. If you want to know what a particular item is and you don't know. Go to this polta. I guess on Earth the similar word would be APP. Then, you can hold your abula in front of it, capture it like a photo, and it will instantly tell you about it in Emréian or English."

  "That's cool." I tried it out on my chair. First, Emréian symbols came up. I still hadn’t learned the written form of words, just the pronunciations. Then, underneath the Emréian, it came up in English. It read sitting device.

  "Really? Sitting device?" I raised an eye brow.

  "Well, that is what the Emréian literally translates it to."

  I put the abula down. "Thanks."

  "Welcome," he said. Then he cleared his throat.

  Paws jumped up on the bed and rubbed his body along Aaronmon's side. I could tell that he really liked Aaronmon. I smiled.

  "There was something else that I wanted to bring up to you."

  "Yeah?"

  "Well, two days ago was the third Hurmon moon of the amona. We typically use that day to celebrate any Emréians who have gained abilities. That is when we get our nilva... tattoo."

  "So, what will mine be?"

  "Well, that is actually what I came up here for. I thought that you should decide what it should be named and what the symbol should be. Then, maybe tonight we can have Philocalundra do it for you."

  "You mean, I’m going to get a tattoo?"

  "Well, it’s the best way to identify those with abilities. Plus, it is a tradition."

  "Can I not think about it first?" I asked, rubbing the back of my neck. I tensed up a little bit.

  "Yeah. Is there something wrong?" He narrowed his eyes softly.

  "I um..." I started feel slightly embarrassed. "I have a fear of needles."

  "Oh. Well, this is more like a laser." Aaronmon smiled as my eyes widened. "Don't worry. You don't have to do it if you don't want to. There are a few Emréians who don't like people knowing what they are." Aaronmon left the room.

  After lunch, I decided to go to the shelter. I spent time taking the dogs out on a walk and cleaning out the animal's cages. Phil waited for me out in the main room. Of course, he couldn't communicate with anyone, because he had to take his glasses off. Luckily, no one asked any questions.

  While we were out on the town, everyone was talking about another animal attack in Alice. Three men had gone hunting and all of them were found dead. They looked like something had been feasting on them. Their bodies were gashed and almost unrecognizable.

  I shivered. I knew it was the Bremoir, a Borain warrior. I had to get off the planet soon. Guilt riddled me as I thought about the recent deaths.

  When we got back in the car, Phil put his glasses back on. "Have you thought about what you want for your nilva to be?"

  "I'm still thinking about it."

  Phil nodded.

  "There was another attack." My voice was quiet.

  "We know," Phil said. "That's why we are trying our best to get you off Earth. But it is more difficult now that the humans are aware of beings on their planet."

  "Yeah, and all this time everyone thought the government had some secret organization that held all the secrets to the universe," I said sarcastically.

  Phil looked a little confused. Of course, he wouldn't understand the reference.

  That night there was a big feast. Everyone was not only preparing for the arrival of the Krea, but also celebrating me receiving my nilva.

  Music played in the house, and Trish and Phil danced together. I found myself outside on the tree stump facing the woods, looking up at the stars.

  "You shouldn't be out here alone." Aaronmon sat next to me.

  "Yeah, I know." I looked at my hands.

  "You don't have to get your nilva today if you haven't thought of anything." Aaronmon nudged me.

  "No, actually, I think I know what I want," I said, looking up into the sky.

  Aaronmon waited for me to answer.

  "I want something from home. Emréiana is in the Gemini constellation, so I think I want the Gemini symbol."

  "So does that mean you are a Gemini?"

  "Well earth would say my zodiac is a Cancer, but Gemini is fitting for what I want." I smiled.

  Aaronmon smiled and leaned his shoulder into mine.

  "Well, we better steal Phil away from your Aunt."

  I turned around and smiled at the sight of Trish smiling and dancing. My aunt was a naturally happy person, but it was a happiness I had never seen from her.

  "Can my aunt bond again?" I asked Aaronmon as we headed back towards the house.

  "Well, yeah. Right now, her previous bond has worn away. I mean, she still loves your uncle, and she still craves his bonding connection. But a new bond can always come into place."

  "Good," I said with a smile.

  When we got to the house, everyone gathered around to hear what symbol I had decided on. Of course, Aaronmon and Trish had to translate for me. Then, I got on the computer in my room and found the Gemini symbol to show Phil.

  When I got downstairs, there was a chair prepared and everyone gathered around it. Phil stood behind the chair holding a metal pen. It didn't look like a typical tattoo pen. Instead, it was fat with a big silver ball at the tip. It almost reminded me of the metal balls at the end of lip gloss.

  "Are you sure that thing is safe." I gulped.

  Aaronmon walked over and patted the seat. "Come on. Don't be shy."

  "I think I changed my mind." I bit my lip, still examining the pen.

  "Abou chanou rae." Trish smiled to the rest of the garnix. The only word I understood was rae, and it meant she or her.

  All the garnix started to stomp their feet. It began softly, then started to pick up, getting louder. They were cheering me on!

  I took a deep breath and walked over to the seat.

  "Don't worry. I'll do well," Phil said as naturally as he could.

  "Yeah," I said with a nervous laugh.

  I sat down and closed my eyes. Silence fell over the room.

  I was surprised by the sound of the pen when it turned on. It didn't buzz like the ones here on earth. Instead, it sounded like the high pitched sound of a Polaroid camera.

  "Hold still," Phil said.

  I knew that meant he was about to start. My body tensed up. I tilted my head down so he could get a good look at my neck. Then, I felt the metal hit the skin on the back of my neck. It was warm like a hot summer day. It became warmer and slightly burned, but just enough to bear.

  The metal smoothly ran up and down my neck. I thought it would take a long time; most tattoos take a while. But after five minutes, Phil released the pen and said, "It's done."

  I lifted my head and noticed everyone staring at me.

  "How does it look?" I asked.

  "Wonderful!" Aunt Trish said clapping her hands together.

  The rest of the garnix started to cheer, most saying words that I still had yet to hear, like "Roha!" and "Gatha". I made a mental note to look up the words later. At that moment, I wanted to go check out my nilva. I went to the bathroom and tried to look at the back of my neck. I found it difficult, so I grabbed a mirror from the drawer and used it to reflect the mirror in the bathroom.

  The symbol flowed into curves forming a roman numeral two, the symbol of the Gemini. There was no going back. I would always be the Gemini of Emréiana.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  I found myself in the privacy of Trish's garden. I hadn’t had more than a minute to myself when Aaronmon came out to meet me.

  "Go away," I told him as I picked one of Trish's daisies.

  "I can't. I'm your garnix," He said, putting his hands in his pockets and rocking on his feet. "Terishin is coming back from meeting with the queen."

  I felt my stomach tighten.

  "Is my mother coming back with her?" I
asked.

  Aaronmon nodded. Then I noticed that the other garnix were securing the area more thoroughly. Even Phil didn't seem to notice me when he walked past.

  "Carson!" Aunt Trish rushed through the back door.

  "Is she here?" I felt my heart pound against my chest.

  "No,” she said. I felt my heart stop. "But she is on her way. Now, I have been contemplating this for the longest time, but I want you to meet her the right way. I want to prepare you to look like an Emréian when she sees you."

  "You mean I have to wear Emréian clothes?"

  "That is if you want to..." I could feel Aunt Trish's disappointment.

  Two hours later, I was looking at myself in the mirror. I truly felt like I was going to a costume party, but still, it was a beautiful outfit. My chest was covered by silver armor that hung low on my back. My waist was covered by a long, silvery blue skirt with a split on the left leg. My hair fell loose and natural, allowing the wavy curls to caress my back. My face was highlighted with a soft shimmer, and my eyelids were softly lined with a brown shadow. I bit my lip, giving them a soft pink color. I was given flat slippers that matched the dress. Typically, Emréians didn't wear shoes inside; they put on slippers before walking outside.

  We heard a knock at the door. Aunt Trish opened it slightly, allowing no one to see me.

  "She's here." I could hear Aaronmon's voice on the other side.

  "Okay, we will be right down," Aunt Trish said before shutting the door.

  "Are you ready?" She turned to me.

  I nodded slightly. I took in a few deep breaths, trying to calm my racing heart.

  "I'm going to go ahead and go down. Come out when you are ready."

  "Okay," I said.

  I took one more minute to look at myself in the mirror. I hardly recognized myself. I wondered how she would perceive me. I wondered if I looked beautiful to other Emréians. After taking a few more breaths, I decided that I was ready.

  I opened the door and mentally started to prepare myself. I looked down the stairs. I could hear everyone talking, waiting. After a short breath, I began to make my way down the stair case. Many times since I had found out my mother was alive, I had wondered what this day would be like. I was frightened. I caught Aaron's eye as I made it half way down the stairs. I felt my cheeks give a warm pink glow.