Opheliac

by J. F. Jenkins

  Chapter Three

  Another yawn escaped Tait’s lips. Why was she so tired, anyway? She didn’t drink, so there was no firsthand experience to make a judgment off of, but she imagined how she felt to be similar to a hangover. A splitting headache between her eyes, groggy and slow, her body acted as if it hadn’t gotten any sleep over the weekend. Sleep was all she remembered doing. Which didn’t seem right, but her memory was also much more fuzzy than normal.

  Maybe I’m getting sick. She groaned at the possibility. Sick was not acceptable, not with all of the work she had to do for her lead, Alona. A part of the blue tribe, otherwise known as Basatlavan, Alona was like Tait’s soul sister. The young woman had been through much of the same situations Tait had, from family issues to scuzzy ex-boyfriends. She was like the big sister Tait had always dreamed of having. Anything Alona asked of her, Tait had no problems giving. The blue tribe in general, Tait was exceptionally loyal toward. As much as the other Alutran tribes tried to paint the blue tribe as evil, the Basatlavan would be the nation that changed the world—both on Altura and Earth.

  The last thing she wanted to do was take a break from the action, but it was something she might have to ask for. She’d been nonstop for at least two months, training, gathering intelligence, and ensuring the safe delivery of supplies. In the end, she was only human, and resting up was important. The more she missed out on the action, the harder things could get for her tribe. Every leg up they could get, they needed. I want to be useful, but I’m also only one person. I can barely remember my class schedule, let alone what I’m supposed to be doing for the cause. Alona will understand, right? I hope so. Even just one night would be like a miracle.

  Tait gathered her money for lunch, putting away a few of her books back into her locker. When she looked up, she saw Orlando standing over her shoulder. The soft gaze of his blue eyes brought a smile to her lips. When he wanted to be, Orlando could be a sweetheart. There was so much more to him than his “too cool” attitude. The fact that he was smiling ever so subtly at her instead of glowering and glaring meant he was no longer enraged with her for a change. How could she mess things up with him so badly? What had she done to make him so mad in the first place? Man, my brain sucks today. Be cool. Try not to act desperate.

  “Yeah?” she asked, flashing him a smile and batting her eyelashes playfully in an attempt to show him she was still interested, but also not put a lot of pressure on him either. Hopefully, it was obvious she was only joking with him.

  He briefly met her gaze before averting it to the floor. “Lunch?”

  Not the reaction I was hoping for, but he’s still talking to me, so that’s a start. “As in you want to eat with me?” she asked.

  “That was the general idea.”

  She lit up inside; only this time she kept the happy glow to herself instead of letting it flow out of her. “You mean, I’m no longer banned from sitting with you?”

  “A temporary lift, just to see how things go. I think I can forgive you enough to talk more inside school, possibly even outside of it. I kind of miss you.” The way he kicked the ground as he said it was adorable.

  Tait nodded. “Talking would be amazing. Will your fan club mind?”

  He rolled his eyes. “They’ll deal. After all, I am the object of their affection, so whatever I say goes.”

  “Of course.”

  If only she were joking about the fan club. Nia’s fiercely possessive nature tended to keep all of the other girls away from him, but she didn’t seem like much of a threat to Tait’s quest of winning Orlando’s heart back. If he was interested in Nia, he hid it well.

  Every day, Tait watched as different girls vied for his attention. In class, they flirted with him by trying to get him as a part of their group for work, dropping things in front of him, and giggling at his occasional sarcastic commentary. At lunch, one or two would make an attempt to sit with him and then flee when they noticed Nia. The other girl could be intimidating, but she didn’t scare Tait. Respect for Orlando’s wishes was what kept her away from him ever since their breakup. Every so often, the two still hung out away from school, but he made it clear he didn’t want to be seen with her in public or be around her as often as he used to.

  “How’ve you been?” he asked as they walked to the cafeteria.

  She raised an eyebrow. “Fine, why do you ask?”

  “Curiosity? Icebreaker? Last I heard, it was the polite way to start a conversation.” He rolled his eyes, his trademark move. At first it annoyed her to no end; after a while, she realized all of the things it said about him without him actually having to say the words out loud. Like how vulnerable and lonely he was, how he wanted to be those things. Whether he would admit to it or not, she knew he was pushing everyone away from him. The big mystery was why.

  Tait peered at him, trying to keep her body language as light and inviting as possible. “Right, but when have you ever been so…formal?”

  “Maybe I’m struggling with finding the right way to say what I want to.”

  She raised both of her eyebrows, trying to get a read on what that could possibly mean. Orlando hardly ever struggled with saying whatever was on his mind. Something was definitely going on, and she hoped he wasn’t about to break some bad news.

  He exhaled. “I’m still not sure you understand the seriousness of what you did to me in the fall.”

  I would if I could remember it. “Is that it, or is there a but attached to your statement?”

  “There’s a but. I realized it wasn’t right of me to get so mad just because you don’t understand. I called myself broken for a reason. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a girlfriend, let alone a friend, and I should be more relaxed about people not being able to drop their life just because I asked them to.” He wouldn’t look at her.

  There were few times he acted as though he were troubled. For whatever reason, he couldn’t open up, so when he took the time to do it with her, she knew she had to take it seriously. The way he chewed on his lower lip and refused to look at her was a clear sign that he was a lot more upset than he let on. Orlando didn’t show a lot of emotions. When he did, it meant a lot to her, like he actually trusted her. She never should have broken his faith in her to begin with.

  Tait could only nod as she tried desperately to remember what happened between them. Her mind was blank, like someone had torn a hole through her memory. She could remember before their fight well enough, and then the fight itself, but not the cause. Putting together the pieces wasn’t hard, given his choice of words. She must have blown him off big time.

  “You wouldn’t have asked if it wasn’t important,” she said at last.

  “Yes, but I need to trust you. You wouldn’t ‘no call, no show’ unless you had a good reason.” He sighed. “The point is, I forgive you for it. These past few months have been hard. I…miss you, but I said that already I think.”

  “I miss you too.”

  “I’d like to…spend more time you again.”

  She couldn’t hold back her smile. “I’d like that too.”

  “I figure we could see how it all goes. One step at a time. It’s been difficult, being away from you. I didn’t expect to fall hard and fast. But that’s what happens when I trust people. I end up doing it a little too much. Now you’re gone and it’s like…part of me is missing along with you.” He held so much sadness in his gaze. She’d never seen him so sad before, and he’d shared a lot of heartache with her when they had been together. He’d certainly suffered through a lot worse than a high school breakup. If only she could kiss him and reassure him it would be okay. There was no way he’d allow it, though. Not yet, and definitely not in front of everyone. Even when they had been together, he didn’t like PDA beyond hand holding.

  Patience, this is a huge step. Your perseverance is paying off. “We can hang. Go for a walk? It’s starting to get nice again.”

  “When I feel up to it, I could brave the outdoors.”

  “Are you si
ck?” She frowned. He didn’t look it. Sure, he was pale, but not to the point where she thought she had to worry. Despite his lack of sun, Orlando still had a relatively normal skin tone.

  Orlando also frowned. “I was mugged, remember? Missing for, like, three days in a ditch outside of town. I’m not completely recovered from it.”

  “Right, sorry, I didn’t realize.” How could I forget about that? I only worried myself to death every night he was gone. I’m literally losing my mind.

  Orlando’s peculiar disappearance came flooding back into her memory. Being pulled out of class to hear the bad news, her demanding from Alona if she was behind the whole thing, crying in her brother’s arms as she blamed herself over Orlando being gone. The experience had been traumatic. I thought he was taken or hurt by an Alturan tribe. If he’s going to get involved in the war, it needs to be on my team. There are a lot of dangerous people in the war. Alona’s ex, Chihuahua Man, his mysterious sidekick, the Doctor. She shook her head, pushing those thoughts aside.

  As it turned out, he’d just been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Because he had so much money, he made for an easy target to rob. All of the kids at Lunar Falls knew he was rich, same with the kids from Morningtide. His family name was fairly well-known amongst the wealthy, in general. All someone had to do was a little research. And she knew for a fact that he preferred to use cash when he paid for anything so he kept a decent amount of it in his wallet at all times. He needed to take better care of himself and keep safe.

  “Are you okay?” Orlando asked.

  Tait nodded, forcing a smile. “Yes, sorry. You look healthy. Didn’t realize a walk would hurt so much.”

  “My stamina is low, that’s all. It’s not like I’m crippled for life, so don’t start freaking out on me. I’m fine.” He snorted. “Trust me, I want to get out of the house.”

  “Something going on? You usually like to hole yourself up as much as possible.”

  “My parents are home.” He shrugged as if it were a normal, everyday thing. It wasn’t. From what she knew, his parents were only home once or twice a year, if that, for brief visits at a time. Once upon a time, he’d told her how they liked to give false promises about coming home again to see him, but never followed through on their word. The family dynamics of his household were complicated, to say the least. Having his parents home again must have been stressful for everyone there.

  She nervously reached for his hand, not caring that they had just entered the lunch line and all of their peers could see them. Her heart ached for him. “Do you need a rescue?”

  “I can handle it.” He didn’t pull away from her, so that was a plus.

  “Tell me if you can’t.”

  “Yeah, fine.” Orlando let go of her to grab a lunch tray. “How fast do you think news of us getting back together will spread through the school?”

  “We’re back together?”

  He shrugged, and didn’t answer. “Gossip.”

  “Yes, people like to do it.”

  “That’s all.”

  “Right.” She couldn’t help but be disappointed, but they did say one step at a time.

  They made their way through the lunch line, neither one saying a word to the other. Outside of sweet-talking the lunch ladies for extra tater tots, Orlando was uncharacteristically quiet. She’d been expecting more commentary, a snide remark, something more than “That’s all.”

  Orlando tended to bring food from home, so she knew he was making a sacrifice just to spend time with her. That had to mean something, right? Funny, I can remember those details, but not what I ate yesterday. Did my brain turn into Swiss cheese? Maybe I should talk to Alona about it. She has good brain exercises for focus, so maybe she’ll have some tips for memory loss. She frowned. Or I need more sleep, or a vacation.

  Tait walked to the back table near the corner where Orlando liked to sit. Fan club or not, he had no qualms with telling people he wanted to be alone as often as possible. He liked to eat up the loner bad-boy reputation he brought over from Morningtide. After all, he was expelled from there for beating up one of the jocks. It was a story she still had to hear more about. All he would tell her was that the guy deserved what he got. Orlando didn’t strike her as the violent type, but of course she’d only known him for a few months.

  A few things about him were obvious, though, and him wanting his space was one of them. Even when they dated, he didn’t sit with anyone but her or her brother. He tried to once, and she could tell how irritated he’d been with the forced social interaction. Her friends were not his kind of people, apparently. Or he doesn’t want to get close to anyone for other reasons.

  It wasn’t like her friends were vapid, shallow, or boring. They were nice, for the most part. A couple of girls who claimed to care about her feelings had been spotted making a move on Orlando ever since they got back from winter break. Perhaps he could see all of that. He is kind of an old soul. No wonder he won’t hang out with anyone but me, Payton, and Nia. Not like she’s a prime example of humanity, because I’m pretty sure she’s nuts. Something about her makes her worthy of his time, though, so I should respect that. Nia didn’t enter the picture until after the breakup, so Tait’s firsthand experience with her was limited to a lot of glares and rude comments.

  Speaking of…Tait watched Nia stalk over.

  “Are you serious? This? Again?” Nia glared at her, like usual.

  Yeah, she hates my guts. Sitting up, Tait raised her gaze to meet Nia’s. “What? He can’t have other female friends?”

  “Sure, but I’m not convinced you’re one of them,” Nia snapped. She turned on her heel and stomped away, not even bothering to attempt making nice and getting to know Tait.

  Her loss. Somehow she’d win the girl over, if only to make Orlando’s life easier.

  He chuckled. “She’s a good guard dog. I’ve trained her well. Gotta make sure she gets treats for trying.”

  “Gee, thanks.” Tait pouted, stung a lot more than she let on. He wants her to be mean to me? Didn’t he just say he was going to forgive me and work on moving forward?

  When he grabbed her hand, the negative feelings faded—slightly. “She’s only reacting so strongly because she knows how badly I got hurt. Eventually she’ll come around.”

  “Got it.” Though she would prefer he not be friends with Nia at all. Something about the girl rubbed her the wrong way. No, not something, a lot of things. Over all of the years she’d known Nia through school, she’d only seen the girl be rude, selfish, and morbid. How could any of those things be healthy for him to be around?

  Orlando kept hold of her hand, giving it a squeeze. The warmth of his grasp calmed her. “Relax, she’s not my type.”

  “Not worried. Just don’t like her.”

  He rolled his eyes. “She’s different, and that doesn’t have to be a bad thing.”

  “Different doesn’t bother me, but she does.”

  “So then you are jealous,” he said with a small smirk. He let go of her so he could start eating.

  She started to dig into her own lunch. “There is nothing to be jealous of. I know you’re not interested in her, and I’m confident that I’m a lot better-looking than her too.”

  “Ah, your cocky side is coming out. Yes, I definitely missed that.” He was teasing her, but she knew he was also telling her the truth too. Orlando exuded confidence, so it made sense he would be interested in someone with the same quality.

  Shrugging innocently, Tait dipped one of her tots into some ketchup. The truth was, she wasn’t as sure of herself as she pretended. Nia could be cute when she tried. She definitely had the petite curvy thing going for her. Guys liked that, and the dark come-hither bedroom eyes. Nia’s spunk made her interesting, and since she dressed like Orlando and held his interest, they obviously had some things in common. But he’s attracted to me. I know he thinks I’m better-looking. I just need to remember that. He’s picking me, not her, and I’m sure he’s had a lot of opportunities to reboun
d with her if he wanted to. Still, I don’t trust her. The girl is bad news. Tait wished she could explain her issues with Nia better. Something else was nagging on the back of her mind. If only I could remember.

  Chapter Four

  Waiting for his charges to finish with school was always the longest part of Alan’s day. Most of his comrades on his ship had duties to perform—chores, maintenance, data entry, and other seemingly trivial things. Duties Alan used to have to perform himself, and then some. Slowly, he was working his way up the ranks, and those duties were no longer his responsibility. The tasks he was given for the ship were incognito from most of the crew, and while he enjoyed having the privacy and freedom to come and go as he saw fit for those jobs, he also did not like the lack of direction. That was the price he paid for taking on the role he’d been given by his superior officer, Sir Orioltogorthan.

  After all, his supervising officer hated his guts. Everyone knew as much, so if Sir Oriol acted as though Alan were important to the operation, the man’s image would be tarnished. And yet, Alan was being used for special work, heading personal projects, and essentially spying on Earth for the man. His ability to teleport at will helped the cause greatly. The more things he could do on the side, the more credibility he could gain with Sir Oriol. With his superior’s trust, he might be able to climb the ranks on the ship for all to see instead of just in private. Glory didn’t matter much to Alan, but having some more respect would be nice. In the end, he just wanted to be useful above all else. The downside to not being given tasks and orders was that he had to find ways to pass the time while he had to wait to get back to his work.

  Some days, he spent his free time searching his ship for information, leads, and anything to occupy himself with. Most of his shipmates liked to pretend he was invisible, however, and they definitely did not want his help with their jobs in case he somehow managed to botch it and stain their reputation. Alan was not clumsy, by any means, so the assumption was more than a little insulting. He did his chores diligently and effectively when he had them. In the past, he complained about having to do such menial tasks. Now, he missed being able to fill up his time with them. Given the nature of his assignment, he just couldn’t commit to doing everyday chores of that nature. When he didn’t have to wait for his charges or data to come in, he was busy.