Page 2 of Kranow (Brides of the Mylos #4)
Marley tried hard to let go of her resentment. It was hard, though as each day passed she found the focus of her resentment shifting. Instead of being aimed at Torval and the other Mylos, she found herself angry at herself and with the members of the Human Right who ’ d fed her what she ’ d wanted to hear for their own gains. Looking back, she saw she ’ d set herself up long before her sister ’ s actual match came to be.
If she had to pinpoint a moment in time, the turning point for her had probably come the day her sister came home excited over scoring the scholarship funds. She remembered her anger at Maya taking such a risk without having discussing it with her first. What if she ’ d been matched? Marley and her family would have known nothing until Maya had been whisked away. Things had gotten smoothed over after a few days, after all, Maya hadn ’ t been matched. Then, she logged into her social media accounts and saw a meme. “ She thought she was in the clear. Then they came for her anyway and she was made to marry an alien halfway across the galaxy, ” it read, showing the rear view of a bride wearing a gown and facing a sea of stars.
She ’ d had to know if it was true, and clicked to open the original post. It took her to a group page, where she was able to message with members of the group. They told her that those wishing to renew the scholarship were placed in something called the Groom program. This was basically a matching service where the profiles of potential brides were kept to match with Mylos not serving in the Fleet and that the profiles were kept until a match was either made or the Bride was past child-bearing age. With millions of Mylos, odds were more than good that they ’ d be matched. The whole scholarship lottery was a sham!
When she ’ d told her sister about how the Mylos were just biding their time in order to gain Earth ’ s co-operation, Maya had laughed at her. She ’ d known about the other program and said if a perfect match was found, who cared? That it would take the guesswork out of the whole dating thing, weed out all the ‘ losers ’ for her. Her flippant attitude had been too much to bear. Marley spent more and more time in the group, finally exchanging Skype numbers with several members. When she ’ d applied for teaching jobs around the country offering bonuses or higher than average pay and was offered the job in Hawaii, she ’ d taken it. She and Maya were no longer on speaking terms thanks to Maya refusing to see what the Mylos were doing. Then, of course, Maya had applied for funding again, to help pay for her Master ’ s and been ran through the Groom Program ’ s database. Her parents had tried to speak to her, but as soon as she heard Maya ’ s name, she ’ d hung up.
Now she found she ’ d missed family outings as Maya and her mate spent time together with them, going out to dinner and such before returning to their temporary berth within the Fleet. She ’ d also missed the hastily put together wedding and her hate had kept her from speaking to her family and hearing the news about her nephew, Kentel. She ’ d been too busy believing that she ’ d lost her job at the charter school because the Mylos were destabilizing the economy like her new friends claimed. The fact was, the school had closed for reasons completely unrelated to the Mylos, a combination of poorly spent school funds and low enrollment numbers. Unwilling to accept these facts at face value, her renewed fury had propelled her into showing up to more protests and finally, to hiring two men to kidnap a Mylos bride before her wedding ceremony. Two more complete and utter morons I couldn ’ t have found anywhere. Plus, talk about being a complete and utter bitch. I didn ’ t stop to think about Melissa, Junrig, and their kids personally at all. I just wanted to make a statement. I missed my sister ’ s wedding and the birth of my nephew. I disrupted lives and frightened scores of others. I suck.
In fact, the more she thought on it, the more she hated herself. After twelve weeks of glowering and giving the therapist noncommittal answers, Marley finally broke. She confessed it all, owning her poor decisions and the emotions that used as provocation for them. The therapist assured her that recognizing her guilt was a step towards healing from it and making amends. Marley wasn ’ t sure that anyone except Maya was willing to accept an apology. “ All you can do is try, ” the therapist, a blue skinned bride from Klevos Three, said.
But where to start? Well, Maya and Torval, first, obviously, as I live with them. Then to Melissa and Junrig, I guess. I suppose I should give a formal apology to the Bride Fleet as well.
She pondered what to say all the way back Maya ’ s home. “ You ’ ve been quiet, ” Maya said to her. “ I know it ’ s really different here and it ’ s a strain having to go out accompanied at all time, with where you ’ re allowed to go and who you ’ re allowed to see restricted, but it ’ s better than the alternative. ”
She glanced at her twin. “ It ’ s not that. I ’ ve just been thinking about something my therapist and I discussed. ”
“ Well, just remember that she ’ s there to help you. ”
“ I know, ” Marley gave her sister a tight smile. “ She ’ s definitely helped me understand a few things. I just have things that I have to do on my own. She can guide me, but she can ’ t do them. ”
“ Right, ” Maya said, though she looked unsure about what they were actually talking about. “ Well, if you need someone else to listen, you know where to find me. ”
“ Thanks, sis. ” Marley headed into her room. When Torval returns from work, I ’ ll make my move. She ’ d gone to her appointment an hour after she and Maya had lunch and returned two hours later. That left roughly an hour before the time Torval normally arrived home. The wait felt interminable. She picked up the data pad Maya had given her. It was locked so all she could do was read on it and with all the time on her hands, she ’ d made good use of the books available. Today though, not even Terry Prachett ’ s witty prose could keep her attention.
A soak in the bath should help me calm my nerves. I can have a bath and put on something nice, but casual, so they can see I ’ ve made an effort and not just casually spouting what I think they want to hear. She just hoped that they actually did want to hear what she had to say, as well as believe in the sincerity of her words.