Metamorphosis (The Two Moons of Rehnor, Book 7)

by J. Naomi Ay

  "Let's pick up a bucket of chicken," Auntie suggested and diverted to the nearest KFC. "I just don’t feel like making dinner in all this heat. I did four complete makeovers today and gave a lady the cutest bob, so I'm too tuckered out to begin to cook."

  We got that bucket to go, and while there, I picked up an extra-large cup of sweet iced tea. It settled my stomach a bit and made me feel marginally better, so by the time we flew home, I was ready to eat a whole chicken by myself.

  We parked the wagon and walked in the house, and then, I went upstairs to put my stuff away. I washed my hands and face. I changed my dirty jeans into a clean pair before heading back down to set the table for dinner.

  When I returned downstairs, to my surprise, Uncle Edgar was sitting in the living room with two strange women, who were perched on the good couch. Both ladies were dressed in t-shirts and jeans though they both had beautiful jewelry and lustrous hair.

  Something was awfully odd about them, but I couldn’t say what. For sure, these casual clothes didn't seem to suit them. Aunt Sherrilyn was serving them tea from her very best pot which normally sat in the china cabinet but was never used. RJ was setting out some food on one of Granny's fanciest tray which had been handed down from Granny's granny's granny.

  "These sandwiches are lovely and just hit the spot," the red head said when she took a bite of cucumber and cheese on toast.

  The blonde lady smiled and waved RJ away, refusing the food, but sipping delicately at her tea. Her eyes caught mine and held them for a moment, as if she recognized me, though I didn't know from where.

  "Oh, they're nothing at all," Aunt Sherrilyn protested as RJ came to stand by me next to the stair.

  "They're absolutely delicious," the red continued, "and this tea is delightful. You are so kind to be serving us when we just showed up at your door."

  "Well, if you stay a little longer," Aunt Sherrilyn replied. "You can have some supper. We've got a bucket of fried chicken and all the trimmings. Did you know I'm a beautician? I've got a cosmetology license too. I've got the perfect shade of lipstick to go with your hair."

  "I would love to see it," the red head declared and nudged the blonde. "There's nothing like new makeup to make you feel better. Although, shopping for new shoes or a new purse are almost as good. Don't you think that might be fun? We could get all new makeovers while we're here. We'll go back looking ten years younger. Wouldn't that be nice?"

  "We are really in a hurry," the blonde lady now spoke, and her voice was tired and a little strained. "It's very nice of you to offer, but we don't have the time to spare."

  "So what do you want from us?" Uncle Edgar leaned forward.

  "We're here to pick up that package that Caroline left," the blonde replied. "If you require compensation, I'll make it worth your while."

  "Who do you think they are?" RJ whispered in my ear. "Doesn't the blonde lady look a little familiar?"

  "I don't know," I whispered back. "But, they're taking about Caroline, so hush up and let me hear what they have to say."

  "Caroline's very ill," the blonde lady continued. Strangely, that sent my heart a flutter in my chest. "She asked us to come and retrieve what was left here twenty-four years ago. Do you still have it or have you given it to another sister?"

  "Oh, I have it," Aunt Sherrilyn cried and put her hand upon her heart. "How is my sister? Is the situation grave?"

  "We don't know," the red head replied. "We can only hope and pray for the best, but it is at her request that we bring the package back to her."

  "I know who she is," RJ gasped and pulled down several times on my arm. "I remember where I've seen her! Jo, listen to me."

  "Hush!" I declared and tried to swat her away so I could hear what Uncle Edgar was about to say.

  "We need proof of some kind," he frowned, "We just can't take the word of a couple of stranger ladies. As nice as you seem, we don't know who you are."

  "We're friends of Caroline," the red head replied. "My name is Luci Korelesk. We both work and live in the same…uh…apartment building."

  "And you?" Uncle Edgar pointed at the blonde lady who smiled strangely and raised her eyebrows. She glanced out the window as if her name was written there.

  "But, I know who she is!" RJ again pulled at my arm.

  "Hush up!" I hissed again and pushed her away.

  "My name," the blonde lady started to say.

  "Joanne!" RJ protested which caused everyone in the room to turn and look at me. The blonde lady smiled, and for a moment she didn't look so sad.

  "Luci, I think the package we've been sent to find is standing right there."

  "Where?" The red head asked and looked around. "Caroline said it was some sort of basket."

  "It's not the basket, Luci. It was what was in the basket, and I can see now what it was or rather who. Hello Joanne." She held out her hand. "You look exactly like your mother did, when I met her more than forty years ago."

  "Joanne," my auntie called. "Go say hello to the lady, please."

  I stared at the lady's hand, the huge ring on her wedding finger, the golden bracelets that encircled her wrists and now, I realized who she was too.

  "Caroline's best friend," I whispered and looked to my Aunt. "She turned out to be someone famous, didn't she?"

  Sherrilyn nodded at the lady with her head.

  "She is." RJ bounced up and down, flapping her hands like a couple of flags. "It's her. She's the woman from Seattle who married that evil king."

  "He's not evil!" The red declared and rose to her feet. "He's just misunderstood by all you here in the Alliance."

  "It's alright, Luci." The blonde replied and pulled her friend back down to the couch. "Sometimes he's misunderstood by the rest of us too. Joanne, my name is Katie de Kudisha. Your mom has been my friend since we were your age. We've come to take you to her. Please grab what you need so we can go. We need to get back to Rehnor right away."

  "See!" RJ squealed. "I knew it all along! This is the neatest thing ever, Jo. Can I come too?"

  I was in a state of shock as I stared at everybody looking at me. My mom, Caroline, who had I didn't even know, was dying. My stomach started getting all queasy again. My head began to swim and spin around. I made the only choice I could, considering the circumstances. I raced back up the stairs to the bathroom and puked up my guts.

  Chapter 7

  Taner

  "My husband, Lord Taner will be right back," Caroline was saying as I walked through the door to discover an unknown physician standing by her bed. He looked familiar though I knew it couldn't have been the same, as Dr. Waldman was off in Darius II running a holistic health clinic.

  "Oh there he is now," Caroline cried, her voice sounding cheerful. "Taner, this is Dr. Silverman. He's been referred to my case. Doesn't he remind you of Dr. Jerry? My word, the two of them could just be brothers."

  "Indeed, he does." I held out my hand to shake.

  The doctor looked at it awkwardly and blushed as if embarrassed.

  "Lord Taner," he stuttered. "It's an honor to meet you, sir. I've just arrived from Rozari so pardon me if I don't know all the protocols. Am I supposed to bow to you or kiss your hand or something?"

  "Nothing at all, Doctor. A normal handshake will suffice. Call me, Taner. I don't believe in pretense."

  "Taner, it is, and you can call me, Mike. You can call me Mike too, Lady Caroline, unless you feel more comfortable calling me something else."

  "Is that short for Michael?" Caroline asked. "I prefer to use long names. I never liked to be called Carol, and you can drop that Lady part. All my life I was either Caroline, and if I had a title, it was Nurse. Only because of Taner, I became a Countess and let me tell you, as nice as it's been, it never really has felt like me."

  "I understand," Dr. Silverman said, although I wasn't sure exactly how he could, so I tried to get the conversation back on track, to discuss what Caroline's treatment plan ought to be.

  "I presume you have been called in due to t
he complexity of my wife's case? Do you have another means of therapy that hasn't been tried before?"

  "Well, actually," the doctor said as he started to pace the room. He pushed his glasses up his nose with his finger just as Jerry Waldman would have done.

  "You're just a darling little cutie, Michael," Caroline cried, interrupting the doctor's prognostication. "You remind me so much of Jerry, I could just eat you up. Doesn't he though, Taner honey? He has the same curly grey-brown hair and his glasses slip down his nose in exactly the same way. You're just about the same size, and you've even got that mole on your left cheek. The only thing different about the two of you is the color of your eyes and of course, Dr. Jerry never wore a red bow tie."

  Dr. Silverman blushed again as I studied his light grey eyes. They reminded me of someone else, but I couldn’t put my finger on exactly who.

  "I like bow ties," he replied. "Especially red ones that are really wide and bright."

  "I like them too," Caroline agreed. "They make me feel like you are my birthday present. You're all wrapped up with a bright red bow and what you're bringing me is surely a gift."

  "Let's get back to your diagnosis," I declared, clearing my throat. Unlike my wife, Dr. Silverman elicited no such adoration in me. "And, what we're going to do in terms of treatment. I hope, Dr. Michael, you've got more encouragement for us."

  "I have some ideas about alternative treatments but I can't say that any will really work." He sat down in the rolling chair and scooted to the bedside, smiling at Caroline's pale face.

  She smiled back and even gave a gleeful little laugh. "I feel thirty years younger just looking at you."

  "Continue doctor," I urged and paced the room myself, hoping he had more to offer than just his looks and sense of humor.

  "Unfortunately, with Caroline's type of tumor, our options aren't really great. We want to make her comfortable and increase her strength so she'll have the energy she needs to fight the good fight. With all that in mind, I'm going to offer something totally outlandish. Are you ready for a wild suggestion?"

  "I'm ready for anything," Caroline said with a sigh. "I just want to get out of this bed. I want to walk on my feet, feed myself, and use the potty again. I'm tired of all these tubes and needles and bags. I just want to be a person instead of a patient."

  The doctor nodded and folded his hands, making a prism with his fingers. He pressed his nose into them and thought for a brief time.

  "Alright." He pushed his glasses up his nose. "I'd like to take you someplace to try something else. It's very far away so we'll have to take a spaceplane. It's untested and unverified, but I'm pretty sure it's safe. In any case, your insurance probably won't cover it."

  "Price doesn't matter," I said. "I have all the money we need to pay. Untested and unverified concerns me though."

  Walking back to the window, I gazed out at the unceasingly dreadful, pouring rain.

  "I don't have any other options left." Caroline's voice grew tired from this conversation. "I trust you, Michael, though we've only just met. There's something about you that makes me feel almost joy. Where are we going and how quickly can we leave?"

  "Hold on!" I cried. "We're not going to leap off in another direction. This SdK hospital is the best in the entire galaxy."

  "Well, that's the point, though," Michael replied, making a prism of his hands again. "We need to leave this galaxy and try a new course of action altogether." Caroline and I waited while he seemed to prepare his words. He cleared his throat a couple of times and scratched the bald spot on the back of his head. "We need to go to Omega Centauri, the third planet in the system of Alpha Tau Omega. There's a mineral spring there that's like the fabled fountain of youth."

  "Mineral water?" I scoffed.

  "Will I need to drink it or bathe in it?"

  "Either or both," Michael replied. "You'll do what seems right at that time."

  "Do we all need to go?" I was extremely doubtful of this cure. "If it's so miraculous, why hasn't any one else tried it before?"

  "Like I said, it's very far away." Dr. Michael stood up to retrieve Caroline's chart. "And traveling to Omega Centauri isn't the easiest thing to do. I will need to go with you, of course, to monitor the treatment and you should come, Lord Taner, after all, Caroline is your wife."

  "I want Katie and Luci to come," Caroline cried. "They're my very best friends. They'll help me get better. I just know they will want to be there."

  "Have you got a spaceplane we can use?" The Doctor made some notes on Caroline's chart. "We should leave right away, within the next day or two at the very latest."

  "The ladies are returning with the package you requested. We can ask Zork to take us all as he knows Omega Centauri. It's not an Imperial Spaceplane." I apologized to the doctor. "It's really just an old freighter. Safe, but a bit run down."

  "You can't commission an SdK plane?" he asked. "Aren't you good friends with the Emperor?"

  "Well, I used to be," I coughed. "But I'd rather not discuss that now."

  "Now Taner," Caroline scolded.

  "No," I snapped. "Please Doctor, let's not upset my wife with this. There's no need to involve the Emperor in any of our business. The quickest and easiest choice is to rely on my old friend, Zork. We'll just join everyone at the spacebase. Do you think that will work for you?"

  The doctor shrugged and put away Caroline's chart. "I'm an easy going guy. I can travel any which way you want. Just ring me and tell me when, and I'll return to sign Caroline out. I've got a few more patients to visit today, so if you don't mind, I'll be taking my leave."

  "Thank you, Michael," Caroline called and blew him a kiss from her hand.

  "Thank you, Doctor," I called, as well.

  "My pleasure," he replied with a wink. "I'll be seeing you both really soon." He tweaked his bowtie and pushed his glasses up his nose and then whistled a little tune as he exited the room.

  "What a sweet man!" Caroline cried, and then closed her eyes to take a nap. "I trust him entirely, Taner. Y'all just do as he says and everything will work out fine."

  "I will, my love." I kissed her forehead and then went out into the hall to ring Zork.

  Chapter 8

  Joanne

  "I can't believe this," RJ gasped as we set our bags down in the tiny little cabin at the back of the freightplane. "We're really going to Rehnor and traveling with the Empress."

  "I don't believe this," I replied and laid down on my cot. "If she was really who you say she is, then shouldn't we be traveling in Imperial style? One of us is getting taken for a ride, and I'm not sure exactly to where."

  "Oh Jo." RJ scoffed, spinning around in a circle, her braids following her. "Didn't you pay attention when Lady Luci explained?"

  "It still doesn't make any sense," I protested.

  "Well, if nothing else, at least you'll get to see your mom."

  I couldn't respond as I didn't know what to say. I wasn't sure I wanted to see the woman who had abandoned me when I was just an infant. She had been incarcerated right after I was born and had been a drug addict, which made me a drug baby. It was Aunt Sherrilyn who cared for me no matter how many nights I screamed with tremors. It was Uncle Edgar who walked the floors holding me in his arms.

  Ten years ago when Caroline was released, she had called me a few times. She sent me presents and some money, but I had just cut her off. I didn’t care that she was famous or married to an earl, and I wasn't sure now if I cared that she was really sick.

  "I'm making us some breakfast, girls." Lady Luci poked her head through our cabin door. "Would you like a bite to eat perhaps?"

  "Sure." RJ stopped her spin. "I can help if you need it."

  "That would be lovely, RJ. Thank you. I'm just whipping up some eggs, pancakes and hash brown potatoes."

  "What about some grits?" RJ asked as she followed Luci down the hall.

  "I haven't a clue what a grit is. If you want to make it, go right ahead. I'm sure Captain Zork would like to eat it. I su
spect that man would eat anything put in front of his face."

  "Are you coming, Jo?" RJ called over her shoulder.

  "No, thanks. I think I'll nap for a little while. Just call me when it's ready because I'm getting mighty hungry."

  About an hour later, RJ came to wake me up, so I followed her to the galley where Lady Luci was putting out a spread of breakfast food. Captain Zork joined us at the table followed by the Empress, who insisted we call her Katie even though that seemed downright odd. Apparently, Captain Zork was still in the dark about who she was.

  We all sat down. RJ and I said grace as we always did at home. Luci smiled awkwardly while Captain Zork poured himself some coffee.

  "Who's flying this ship?" RJ asked since we all were there eating.

  "Andy," Captain Zork explained. "As long as he behaves himself, we'll be alright while we eat. Are you going to take the com, Goldie? Do you want first or second shift?"

  "I'll take first," Katie replied. "You can spot me in a few hours."

  "I should have known you were the kind of girl who'd like to be on top."

  "That's alright, Zork. I don't mean to make you feel emasculated. I'd be happy to go to bed now. You can just tell me when you're ready for me."

  "I'm always ready for you, baby. I've been waiting for you for forty years."

  "Zork!" A deep voice echoed across the room. "When are you going to learn that enough is enough?"

  "Shut up, Andy," Zork yelled back and smiled at all of us women. "I've got four ladies aboard, so I'm just having a little fun. You keep your attention on the navigation."

  "Let's eat," Luci declared and loudly, set down a platter of eggs right in front of the frowning Katie. It clanged against the table, and the eggs practically flew off.