by S. E. Weir
Phina shook her head, then nodded. “Sometimes, but it is rare.”
She wanted to forget about it and just enjoy the day, so they moved on, though it took Alina a while to calm down. Finally, after retrieving snacks and drinks, Alina moved on to some surprising news of her own.
“I have made a decision!” She sat on the arm of the couch facing Phina, holding a half-empty glass of Coke in one hand while her other hand fluttered as she talked. Phina faced her friend with one leg tucked underneath her. She couldn’t help teasing Alina a little.
“You’re going to marry Maxim.”
“Yes. No. What?” Alina looked flustered for the first time that day, her glass of Coke drooping to spill before Phina rescued it by reaching out and pushing it back up.
“You seemed enamored with him.” Phina shrugged apologetically as she moved back. “It made me wonder what’s going on in your head. He is rather on the old side compared to us, and I don’t want you to get hurt.”
Though Alina looked irritated, that last part deflated her, and she sighed. “I know you don’t. But age shouldn’t mean that much when you love someone!” She perked back up as she continued. “So, while I might love to answer your question with yes, that’s not my announcement.”
Phina thought it was a little sudden to be using the word love, but she waved her hand to indicate she was listening. She would have to talk to Maxim about this later. One word of encouragement from him, and Alina would be flinging herself into his arms.
“I’ve decided to go into fashion!” Alina smiled with excitement, but her posture seemed nervous as her hands fluttered.
“Brilliant!” Phina grinned to think about her friend’s future. Alina had always been amazing at choosing fashionable clothing, so this would be a great avenue.
“Really?” Alina squealed, pushing to her feet and pulling her arms tight to her body in excitement. Phina moved just in time to catch the again forgotten Coke before it spilled. Don’t want to waste that. The Empress took Coke very seriously. She put it on the nearby table and gave Alina a huge hug.
“Really,” Phina assured her. “You are awesome at putting together outfits and figuring out what looks the best on other people. It’s about time for you to do it officially and get paid for it.”
Alina giggled and gave Phina another hug, then danced around the room in excitement. When a dance beat came on the speakers in the room, Alina looked surprised but went with it, grinning and throwing herself into the music. Phina watched her friend for a moment, thinking this was the best birthday she had in a long time.
“Thanks, ADAM.” Phina subvocalized.
>>You’re welcome, Phina. Would it help if I gave her the name and contact information of one of the designers on the station?<<
“Alina would love that and probably be your friend for life. Thank you!”
>>You’re welcome. Go dance with her. I almost wish I could dance with you two.<<
“You don’t have a way to dance where you are in the nethersphere?”
>>Nethersphere?<<
“Wherever your consciousness dwells? The station is a big place, and I don’t really know all of what it is you do, so I figured I would just make up a word for it.”
>>Ah, I see. And I’m not certain. I haven’t really tried before.<<
“You should try it. Dancing is definitely a must.”
Taking her own advice, she began moving her body to the beat of an old song that said everything was all right and to just dance. Dancing with Alina as ADAM made occasional comments and suggestions and her rare laugh when Alina pulled her in to dance around the room with her was the most fun she’d had recently.
After their impromptu dance party, Phina changed into her workout clothes and walked with Alina to the room where Maxim would train her. Afterward, they would head back to Phina’s quarters for her birthday dinner. This time when they went through security, she had the appropriate official documentation to show she was allowed to be there. The guards didn’t blink an eye about Alina joining her, either—quite a difference from last time, when she felt like they would get caught at any moment.
As they entered the smaller workout room reserved for them, Maxim turned to greet her briefly before lighting up when he saw Alina. It didn’t take a genius to see they were interested in each other. The two gave little waves of greeting, then Alina sat down on a bench against the wall to watch, and Maxim turned back to scrutinize Phina as she approached.
Phina stopped a few feet away and stared at him. At this point, she didn’t care if his Wechselbalg self saw it as a challenge. She needed answers, both for herself and for the state of her best friend’s heart. She could see a mutual attachment forming and was concerned. She knew very little about this man and hadn’t had a chance to hack his files yet, given other more pressing issues in the Empire keeping her attention. Not to mention her nervousness about starting a new school. From past experience, she knew there would only be so much his facts and files could tell her about him.
She held up a finger. “I just have one question.”
Pausing, she thought about it and then held up two. “No, one question with two parts, and then an additional question.”
Maxim stood watching her with his arms crossed and his head tilted just enough that he could watch both Phina and Alina with a flick of his eyes. Flick. Hmm… The man was either extremely situationally aware, or he had it just as bad for Alina as she did for him.
“Go on.”
She narrowed her eyes when she heard the amusement in his voice. She wanted to be taken seriously, for fudge's sake.
“What made you chase me down in that empty hallway when I first met you?”
He focused on her and seemed to consider his words carefully before speaking. “I am a Guardian, along with my friends Drk-vaen and Ryan Wagner as seconds. When we are not deployed, I usually help train new Guardians or Marines.” He paused before continuing. “That day, I was requested to meet and train a person who not only isn’t a Guardian or a Marine but is also a young female with no combat experience at all.” He raised his eyebrows. “Tell me, in my position, what would you have done?”
Phina nodded slowly. “I would have been curious and tried to find out more.”
Maxim nodded. “Which is what I did. I wanted to find out how you would react and what you would do when you weren’t expecting an attack.”
“And what did you find out?”
He smiled faintly. “You definitely suck at combat.”
Phina rolled her eyes and groaned. “Really? I wouldn’t have known that if you weren’t here to point it out, thanks.” When Maxim merely raised an eyebrow, she moved on. “For the second part, why did you follow me to Alina’s place instead of making the appointment and leaving?”
“It follows what I already explained. I have never had a request like this before. I saw you needed space, and I wanted to figure out more of who you are and what makes you tick. You had to be…well, special in some way for the powers that be to make such an unusual request.”
Phina felt uneasy again, thinking about all these important people knowing about her. And her, special? She put it away for another time and made a face at the man. “Did you figure out everything you needed to know?”
He smiled mysteriously. “Not yet, but I will.”
She gave him her signature smirk. “Well, that’s not creepy at all, but fair enough.” She adjusted her stance slightly so Alina was directly over her shoulder. No chance Alina could see her ask, even if she was trying. “And the second question is, what are your intentions toward Alina?”
His face turned wary. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Lie.”
She stood calmly, looking him in the eye. He looked surprised that she would call him on it and froze in place before he lightly sighed. “Fine. She’s a nice girl, but she’s still young. I would find it inappropriate to act on what is clearly an infatuation she will grow out of.”
Nodding slowl
y, she considered that. “While she’s my best friend and I’ll find some way to hurt you if you take advantage of her,” she gave him her best fierce stare so he knew she was serious, “I think you sell Alina short in thinking that way.”
He resumed his stoic expression from earlier. “I’ll take that under advisement.”
She shrugged and decided to move on. Other people’s love lives weren’t of interest anyway, and Alina was legally an adult now, so she could do what she liked. “What are you teaching me today?”
Phina didn’t think she made up the look of relief in his eyes as Maxim answered. “I thought I would tailor some fighting styles to take advantage of your flexibility and speed. With these moves, you can take down bigger opponents, which you will need with your size.” Phina glanced down at her average height and build, then up at the tall, broad, and muscular man in front of her. Well, he did have a point. “Today you will begin learning the first style, which we will build on. Have you ever heard of an Earth fighting style called Sambo?”
Phina narrowed her eyes slightly as she crossed her arms. “That sounds like a snake.”
Maxim smiled mysteriously. “Not a bad comparison. Now, for the first move, you stand this way…”
Chapter Four
QBBS Meredith Reynolds, Secluded Hallways
Phina’s body shook with anger. Her aunt’s reaction had never been this bad before. She stopped to close her eyes and concentrated on breathing in and out. Just breathe. Just breathe. Finally, she stopped shaking, but the anger remained. Phina continued walking, then sped up to run from one hallway to the next, always making sure she stayed in corridors people weren’t visiting at this time of day.
Now that her body was occupied, her mind began to clear. Last night had been wonderful; she enjoyed learning how to fight a lot more than she thought she would. Then she had a small but fun birthday party with Alina and her aunt and received a few thoughtful presents. She had fallen asleep with positive thoughts.
The trouble started that morning after Phina returned from her early training session with Maxim. She’d showered and had just left her room, on the way out for the day, when Aunt Faith stopped her with a big smile like she had a secret she couldn’t contain any longer.
That should have been her first clue.
“Sweetie, could I talk to you?”
“Sure, Aunt Faith.”
They entered the living room and sat down. Her aunt immediately got back up and began pacing. As she watched this play back in her head, Phina realized for the first time that she got her impulse to move when she had things on her mind from her aunt. Not the first startling revelation of the day by far, but still worthy of note.
Her Aunt Faith stopped and folded her hands in front of her, squeezing them together in her excitement. “Phina, I’ve taken a new job!” She smiled, her brown eyes shining with happiness, clearly inviting Phina to be excited with her.
“That’s great, Aunt Faith!”
That proved all the encouragement her aunt needed for the rest to come tumbling out. “Isn’t it wonderful? It’s on a brand-new space station, so new it doesn’t even have a name yet, just a number! I’ll have my own lab with brand new equipment. I’ll even have a new research partner so I can continue my work. We’ll have an apartment even bigger than this one. Your room will be bigger, too, with a really large closet! I’ve seen all the pictures, and it’s really amazing. They are even building a new college on the space station and a whole new shopping area, so whether you want to go to school or get a job, you can do whatever you want. Isn’t it fabulous?”
That explanation smashed her expectations.
Though her aunt grew more animated as she talked, Phina’s smile dimmed and then disappeared. Yesterday had been so easy that she felt blindsided, but she really should have known. Aunt Faith noticed Phina’s frown and narrowed her eyes disapprovingly. “Phina, why aren’t you happy? This is an amazing opportunity!”
Phina slowly rose to her feet and smiled carefully at her aunt. “It is an amazing opportunity, Aunt Faith. For you. I’m very happy that you’ve found a great job you will enjoy.”
Her aunt scowled. “What do you mean, ‘for me?’ You’re coming with me!”
Phina felt a tiredness that had nothing to do with how well she had slept last night. “No, Aunt Faith. I’m staying here and going to the Diplomatic Institute. I told you about this yesterday, remember? I’m joining the Diplomatic Corps.”
Eyes popping out of her face, her aunt scoffed. “You weren’t actually serious about that, Phina? What a joke! You think you could go through the Diplomatic Institute when you couldn’t even pass the test for the Etheric Academy? What are you going to do, sleep your way through to pass your classes? I raised you better than that! After all, I did what I had to to be a parent to you after my brother and your mother passed away, and you throw this joke in my face when we finally have the opportunity to get out of this small apartment and into a decent place?”
Phina knew the woman didn’t care about her wishes. Before her parents and Uncle Simon had died, her aunt had been fun and happy, and Phina had enjoyed spending time with her. When Aunt Faith took care of her while her parents were gone on assignments, her life was an extension of that. Everything had changed for them both after the battle on Karillia. Phina had just turned eleven and celebrated her birthday with her mom and dad before they left.
Phina now realized that since they’d heard the news about their family seven years ago, Aunt Faith had only ever done what she wanted or thought was right, regardless of what anyone else said. After years of suppressing her emotions to try to get along with the only parent figure she had left, Phina felt anger well up that she found difficult to control. She clenched her hands into fists and began to tremble.
Due to the effort to suppress her emotions, Phina could barely speak above a whisper to get the words out. “I’m sorry, Aunt. I’m going to the Diplomatic Institute. I’m staying here.”
Her aunt’s face turned red and furious. “Seraphina Grace Waters, you ungrateful little brat! You won’t even have a place to live after I leave. How many times have I…”
Phina stood there, still trembling with her suppressed anger as she listened to her aunt list every way she had helped Phina over the years and every way Phina had failed to live up to her aunt’s expectations and her perceived potential. How it reflected on her aunt and who she was, and what everyone had expected of her niece.
“Really, Seraphina, I’m one of the top scientists in the Empire, working on understanding the nanocytes themselves so we can do even more with them. I told everyone you were sure to get top marks on your entrance exam into the Etheric Academy! Do you know how embarrassed I was when you not only failed the exam but also got Bs in all your classes? You will never understand how hard my life is…”
When the woman finally wound down and moved on to all the ways she wished Phina had been different and how much easier Aunt Faith’s life would have been if she had tried even a little harder, Phina was done. She couldn’t and didn’t want to hear anymore, interrupting her aunt in mid-sentence.
“Aunt Faith, I am following what I believe is the right path for me, and as fun as it sounds on that station, my place is here in the Diplomatic Institute. I’m sorry if this decision brings you pain, but I can’t do anything else.”
Her aunt’s face had grown puffy and red from her anger, with the blood rushing to her cheeks. She glared at Phina. “You mean you won’t.”
Phina’s spine stiffened. This moment felt like a turning point. She could buckle under to what her aunt wanted and apologize, or she could hold firm even if it broke what relationship she and her aunt had. Even knowing the potential consequences, she just couldn’t buckle. Not anymore. The rest of her life was too important.
“Fine, then. I can’t, and I won’t. I do still wish you to be happy.”
With a small head bow, she left and closed the door behind her with fingers trembling so badly she fumbled wit
h the latch. She had quickly moved away, hoping to reach an empty corridor as soon as possible.
Now, she stopped running and stood still, her chest heaving with the emotions she had forced herself to suppress while confronting her aunt. She didn’t even know what was running through her aside from anger, but she couldn’t stop the tears leaking from her eyes.
She had lived with an authority figure she constantly walked on eggshells with for half her life, never knowing which aunt she would experience at any given moment. Phina resolved to stand firm in her decision. Even if her aunt made her miserable for it, she couldn’t toe the line anymore. She had to break free and stand on her own.
After wiping away the tears, she slid her tablet out of her pocket, grateful for her habit of always keeping it close. Though she spelled a few words wrong due to her scattered thoughts and still-trembling fingers, she was able to send a message to Anna Elizabeth.
Told Aunt yestrday- seemed happy. Changed her mind todey. It was really bad. She’s lesving for new job and wanted me to go. Said I wouldn’t have a place to live here. I’m stil staying.
QBBS Meredith Reynolds, Anna Elizabeth’s Office
Her old friend walked in, eyes blazing with anger. “What has that damned woman done now?”
Anna jerked up from watching her screen. “ADAM told you?”
“Meredith did.” He scowled at the ceiling.
“I prefer not to spy on my friends, DS. I told you that.”
“I’m not spying on her to get my rocks off, ADAM!”
Anna frowned as she tapped her fingers on her desk. “Why are we, as you say, spying on her, then? You never told me, just waved your hand and said, ‘Make it so.’”
“A classic!” He grinned at her impersonation, but it seemed strained.
She shook her head with a small smile. “You and your movies. Have you forgotten that I’m your boss?”
