Page 19

ALICE

The first day and night went by quickly. My new room was cozy, and best of all, I had it all to myself. It was a luxury I had taken for granted on Earth, but I would never do so again. Sleeping with candles was a little bit weird, just like having to carry one to go to the toilet, but at least there was a toilet and not a chamber pot. There was even a bathtub. No shower, though.

I told myself I would get used to this medieval living, and if not, Silla kept assuring me that I could go to Pandrax anytime I wanted to. She even promised to put in a good word for me with the Empress. The Empress! Heather. Who also happened to be a human. Whatever I decided to do, wherever I went, things were looking up for me.

That night, sleep wasn't far when I closed my eyes, reliving the day, especially how happy the smiths had been after I fixed their forge. That had been something else, too. It had been a very long time since I had actually seen the happiness my talents could bring people.

The one thorn in my side was that after I fixed the damn forge, I turned to beam at Xyrek. But there was no Xyrek. I had only known him for what, a week? Two? Yet, somehow, he had managed to embed himself into my mind so deeply that I wanted nothing more than to share that moment with him.

The moment his name crossed my mind, all sleepiness left me. I was wide awake. Damn him. I wondered what he was doing right then and hoped he was as sleepless as I was. Petty? Yeah, probably.

I pulled out the comm and started watching some of the streams he had downloaded for me. That had been such a sweet gesture. I sighed until I realized that I was acting like a teenager in the eighties whose crush made her a mix tape.

Damn him!

To make matters worse, he commed me. We didn't talk about anything deep, but it was enough to make me realize how deeply he was already ingrained in me and how much I wished we were in the same room. I even missed his huffing and puffing when he tried to get comfortable on that stupid beanbag chair.

* * *

I woke groggily the next morning, wondering what time I had finally fallen asleep. The room was getting lighter, not by artificial lighting, but by an actual sun, whose rays were filtering through the curtains that I had only partially closed last night. I stared at the uneven walls; they would take some getting used to. They were pretty in their own right, but strange. Like living inside a cave, which I supposed I was. Silla had explained to me that the building— I'm using the term lightly—was, in fact, made up of a root, but not a root from a tree, but a rock. They called them rootrocks. They grew, too! It was amazing and strange, like so many other things.

Silla had also advised me to keep the comm hidden. These kinds of technological gadgets were frowned upon on Astrionis. She told me to think of Astrionis like an Amish outpost, except that they didn't live like this because of a God they believed in, well, partially, but mostly, it was a reminder to all Pandraxians to remember where they came from and never forget their traditions.

This, too, was a strange concept, but hey, I wasn't one to criticize. The food was good. I had a warm bed and a room to myself. I liked Silla, and it looked like I was going to like my new job as well. What more could a girl want? Silla was the epitome of a main character; she was forceful, adventurous, and always ready. I was all too happy to be her little sidekick. She told me about the other human women she had met who had become Soulweb mates of Space Guardians and how they couldn't be separated without physical pain, and I was glad, once again, not to be the star in this show. I didn't need to be. Sure, there were some moments of envy when I saw Silla with Garth, all lovey-dovey. It would be nice to have that someday. And maybe then I could be a main character in my own story.

Xyrek's image popped up in front of my face, and I groaned.

Really, Alice ?

I got dressed in one of the flowing medieval dresses Silla gave me last night; yeah, these, most of all, would need some getting used to. Silla said I could wear pants when and if my job demanded, but she advised me to stick to dresses at all other times.

It was a long hike down a lot of stairs. So many, I gave up counting after a hundred, already dreading having to go back up there tonight or, God forbid, the possibility of having forgotten something in my room.

Loud voices and laughter greeted me. The great hall was packed with humans and Pandraxians enjoying breakfast together. Just like in medieval times, Silla and Garth sat at the head of the table like a lord and a lady, which I supposed they were. It was already in Garth's title, Lord Protector.

Silla waved me over, and reluctantly, I walked to her side, well aware of the stares from the others as they undoubtedly wondered who I was and why I was standing in such high favor. I spied Josie, of all people, urgently whispering to two other humans I hadn't seen before. Great. I contemplated finding out if she was staying here, and if she was, I probably should ask Silla to send me to Rottvan. The idea of colonizing a new world appealed to me. There would be hundreds of things that needed an engineer.

"Good morning," Silla greeted me when I reached her side.

"Good morning," I replied, taking the seat she indicated next to her, which had been occupied by another woman, who graciously smiled at me and found a new seat further down.

"We wanted to talk to you," Silla indicated to her husband, who studied me.

"You're the one who fixed the forge?" He asked.

"I'm not sure about fixed; it still needs a new bellows, but for now, it will do," I answered truthfully.

"I'm very impressed. Silla told me you are an engineer." The word sounded strange coming from him. The Pandraxians probably had a different title for my job. I nodded, since I didn't think he required an elaborate answer or my resume. "We are in the middle of building a new colony, Rottvan. Did you hear about it?"

It seemed like he had read my mind when I walked in. "I have. Actually, I was just thinking of it this morning. You'll probably need a lot of engineers there?"

"We would hate to lose you here," Silla said, placing her palm on my arm to show me how much she hated the idea, which warmed my heart. She was a good person. "But we really need good engineers there. So much needs to be done."

"When do I leave?" I asked, beaming.

"Well, you just got here—" Silla started, but Garth interrupted her.

"Actually, a ship is leaving tomorrow. But if that is too early, another will depart in two weeks."

Will Xyrek find me there ? I hated that thought, but it was the first to pop into my head.

Xyrek is already gone to wherever he was going, Alice. Deal with it .

"I can go tomorrow," I heard myself say. The further away I was from Xyrek, the less I would think about him—hopefully. Talking to him over the comm was nice and all, and I wouldn't have minded keeping him as a friend, but the universe was so much bigger than Earth, and I had no idea if I would ever get to see him again. It wasn't good for me to get attached to him now; I needed to stand on my own two feet and prove that I could make it out here. By myself.

"You don't have to," Silla's eyes bored into mine.

"It's okay, I want to," I assured her.

"Good, you'll be my new chief engineer," Garth held out his hand to me, and I shook it. Silla looked all proud, and I was sure the handshake thing was something she taught him.

"I'll get things packed for you. You need so many things. Nothing is being produced on Rottvan yet. I'm afraid it's still very much an outpost," Silla fretted.

"It will be okay." I smiled at her. I was sure of it.

That night, Xyrek commed me again, and we talked about Rottvan, but I never got a chance to tell him that I would be leaving for it the next day. He didn't seem too thrilled about me going there, but the more I thought about it, the more it appealed to me. Soon, he would be out of comm reach anyway, and I would have to let go of the crutch he was becoming to me. No, crutch wasn't the right word. He was becoming more than that. If I wasn't careful, I would fall for that alien—I was well on my way, already.