A Wider Sky: Beyond Eclipse Series
by Talyis Bagley Ellison
Copyright first edition 2013, 2015
Chapter 12
"I am glad we can still be friends," Gaelen said as soon as we reached the sunny quad. "And I still want to see if there is something more than friends too." I blushed hard which was too enticing for him, he leaned in and kissed my forehead. "But we will take it slow, Kiowa. I am serious. If your soul doesn't write me on itself, I want you to tell me right away."
It dawned on me. He was afraid that my soul was going to reject him. Oh my beautiful, cocky angel, if only he knew my soul could chose anyone it wanted. I knew at that moment, I hadn't learned my lesson not to cast the meat of my heart as bait. I had all but given up on finding love. Maybe I had already and that's why I was so ready to jump to into an ocean of sharks - a Y'vori king shark.
"Okay," I took a cleanse breath of air to settle my nerves that were tightly strung.
He grabbed my arm twirling my body to his in a tight squeeze. "I still want you to accompany me to the Festivities."
Oh yeah, about that... I can't go because I am human.
"I'll think about it. I was thinking of taking advantage of the time off and going to..."
I shut my mouth. What if it's sacrilege to say you were doing something else during the festivities. Like working on Christmas or Sunday or not saluting a solider during Veteran's Day.
"I usually spend it with my parents. We have a tradition and," I clenched my teeth in a nervous apologetic smile, "To be honest, I am a little homesick and miss my mom."
It was the truth. I did miss my mom. I was hoping that I could visit my colony after I spent some time with Maddie and Ben.
Gaelen's bushy browns arched, calling my bullshit. "Why would you pass on the chance to spend it with people your own age? Good little mouse. I don't think you know what it is like to spend the festivities away from your parents and the old traditions. It will be fun Kiowa."
"I'll think about it, Gaelen."
Before I could make up another excuse, Gaelen embraced me causing me to squeak like a mouse. We both started to laugh so hard.
"My little mouse is always thinking away in her little secret hole," his voice dripped with sensuality. I blushed watching the students walk past us and gave knowing looks. "I'll make it worth your while this weekend. I promise."
I started to reconsider. Why did Ben and Maddie insist on me coming to their home this weekend? I was a grown woman capable of making my own decisions. I could stay here if I wanted to. By now I was more than clever at adverting danger in The Realm. As long as I was with Gaelen and I didn't break any rules what is the worst that could happen. I could lip synch to any strange old anthems. Over the semester, I learnt most of the patriotic songs, even the one I first heard at Sebol's party - which was terrifying in translation. We had learned the main anthem to Eclipse in grade school. All I wanted was to stay with Gaelen at that moment - and every minute next.
Gaelen and I decided to cuddle in his room while watching a film on his tablet. It was nice being in his room for a change. He had to have one of the largest rooms on campus. His room was filled with cozy furniture and didn't seem as sterile as mine. He also didn't have the standard twin size bed that only allowed us to lay on our sides. His room was the perfect college bachelor pad. With a flash of heat, I flushed thinking of all the women he most likely brought to his dorm room to share his cozy bed.
Those women were now ghosts, he ignored, his mind was set on me. He pulled me down to him with a bit of tug of war. But once I gave in, we laid down on the soft down comforter of his queen size bed. I envied him. It was like laying on a cloud. He shushed me - "Stop thinking you'll scurry away from me again." I didn't say anything.
But my heart was pounding like a tribal drums. Just being so close, it was so intimate just being in his room with no distractions. This was new territory for me. In the colony, Matthais snuck me into a broom-closet at the school to implore that we play show in tell. He initiated and asked me to show him my breast. Which I did and then he asked me if I wanted to see him, which I did. But out first experimentation was so rushed and immature compared to this.
This was nice. I finally realized the complete satisfaction snuggling into Gaelen neck was. Just feeling the warmth of his naked chest against my skin. My fingers absently traced his tattoo which he quickly removed my hand from touching.
You could tell when most of the students finished their day classes because of the immediate energy shift on campus. But today, students were not studying or procrastinating in the same old fashion. There were more people milling about passing around candy, drinks and always moving. The holiday and class break nearing the end of the week had people already beginning their celebrations. The banging of drums started outside Gaelen's dorm room; but inside, we were on another isolated planet.
Gaelen smiled at me with the same calm satisfaction that made me feel safe. I loved how his strong arms squeezed me now and then as he ignored the commotion outside. I jumped out of my skin as his is dorm room burst open. A group of college students wearing strange colorful red and gold outfits with thousands of sequences piled into the room and started to dance around pounding on little drums, chanting.
"Go away humans. Go away." A tall lanky guy started to open Gaelen's cupboards shifting things around. The jarring group bounced up in down in a stand-still march while chanting as and the leader pounded a tiny little drum.
When the cacophony of noise finally ended to a dead silence. Gaelen tipped he head with a flourishing wave of his hand. They waited for his response which He replied, Thank you Brothers of the Eclipse. Oh my, he really was a king. He was regal even though he never moved from laying in bed, holding me close.
The drumming began again as everyone cheered. "No humans around here." Gaelen chuckled and then turned to me and smirked, "Just a bunch of old horny lovers."
"No problem," the lanky kid wagged his eyebrow in approval at Gaelen taking the clue.
"Thank you." Gaelen said as the group filed out of the room.
I could hear the drum began banging again as the troop when to the next dorm room. Again,we were alone.
"When I was a kid, I was so afraid of humans. I worried the Parade of Mummers was too far away to reach Siberia," Gaelen teased. "Don't tease me. My big brothers told me horror stories about humans wanting to kill little princes like me. But I think they were more afraid of my defect being found out and that was a true horror story." he sighed heavily like he was used to the feeling of being trapped growing up as much as I had.
I scrunched my eyebrows together. I couldn't grasp the whole story behind his heavy demeanor. I heard the group cheer louder through the wall followed by the same shooting and chanting for humans to go away. Then I realized that they were warding off humans as if we were spirits to haunt the aliens. I started to worry. If this one incidence of the festivities that I would see? Or, was this just the tip of the ice burg of the Y'vori's traditions in celebration for the strange festivities. I started to second guess my plan to stay.
"Me too," I started to spin a web. "My mom always told me that we were safe. We were far away from the colonies, so the Mummers only swooped by for custom sake," I half lied.
In fact it was the opposite. My mom assured me The Realm was full of aliens that destroyed everything and they were too far away from the colonies. I was terrified of Aliens and now I lay in bed, making out with one. I kissed their king while the campus became a large party of aliens. I trapped in seduction with their king while the festivities revels rang loud, celebrating the anniversary of Eclipse, the day when my human world was torn apart.
"Oh come on. Are you going to tell me you didn't believe in Santa Clause too?" Gaelen tapped my nose playfully.
"No, I didn't believe in Santa. My mother told me the truth. There were no Santa Clauses. I didn't have to worry about humans coming to get me because they lived far away in colonies. She said humans didn't even know anything about The Realm," more truth than fiction.
