"This is ridiculous," Remi spat.
He and Anniel watched images projected within a glowing orb toward the front left corner of Anniel's living room. Alluna sat at a glossy white table that slid out from one of the walls. Anniel had set out one of her fuchsia and metal chairs so Alluna could sit comfortably and taste the array of food Zak had sent up for her.
A holographic projection of Anniel sat next to her with a big smile. She was supposed to ask the hologram what everything was, but she felt strange talking to something she knew was a projected computer image.
"Is everything to your liking?" holo-Annie asked brightly.
Alluna toyed with a plump fruit called strawberry
"It would be better if Zak were here with me," Alluna muttered turning her head to stare out the thick glass wall that held back space.
Where did he go? Was he leaving her? Perhaps she shouldn't have told him of the sleeping dragon in mama's dungeon. What if he tried to rescue the beast and mama found him? Mama would trap him and the others.
With a sigh, she looked down at her pendant. How strange he couldn't see it. None of them could from what Alluna could tell. They didn't even think it was strange.
"Eat more, Alluna."
The deep voice startled her. She looked up into sapphire eyes. Zak occupied the place holo-Anniel had before.
With a squeal of joy, she jumped into his lap, throwing her arms around his neck. Alluna took a deep breath, sighed, and then stiffened.
Something wasn't right.
"Hey, no fooling around with the hologram," Remi laughed.
Alluna leaned back to look into Zak's smiling face...only it really wasn't Zak. The body beneath hers felt like a vibrating form. Alluna was sure if she pressed hard enough she could push her fingers right through him.
With a horrified gasp, she scrambled away. Holo-Zak just looked at her, his dimples bracketing his grin.
"Th-that's creepy," she whispered with a shiver.
"Alluna, come over here a sec," Anniel beckoned.
Grateful for the excuse, Alluna backed away from the smiling hologram to where Anniel and Remi were.
"Have you ever seen this person?" Anniel asked.
Alluna peered into the wavering orb. There were five strange beings sitting at a semicircular table speaking amongst themselves. She recognized the blue skin coloring of one of the males and an orange-skinned female sat next to him. Next to her was another creature. Alluna couldn't tell if it was male or female. Its head was large with big muddy-colored bulbous eyes and wavering tentacles where its mouth should be. Next to that was a reptilian looking creature and next to that one was another being that looked like an overgrown cat.
"The screen behind them, Alluna. That's the Northern king of Arboria," Remi pointed. "Have you ever seen him before?"
Without even looking, Alluna knew her answer. She never left the tower room and the only people she ever saw had been from far, and they were the peasants from the nearby village. Still, her curiosity made her study the regal man on the monitor behind the aliens. He sat on an intricately carved chair and had a wreath of golden leaves around his bald head. His skin was very dark and his eyes blazed like hammered gold. Zak was muscular, but this man was so large, he barely had a neck and Alluna doubted he could lower his arms much from the muscles bulging out from his sides. Leather pants and soft looking shoes covered him from the waist down leaving his torso almost bare. Over his chest, he wore a metal shield held up by leather straps.
Alluna shook her head. "I've never seen him before."
"He claims to be your father." Remi told her.
Alluna frowned. Father—it was one of the new words she'd learned about. She tilted her head to the side staring at the regal man on the monitor. He had contributed genetic material for her conception? Where had he been all her life? She felt confused, and her head began to throb.
"It's getting late," Remi sighed.
"Well, we didn't find anything out, but I guess Dev, Zak and Seth will fill us in on what's going on down in the hangar."
"I'm going down there. Rowie's escort should be here any minute. Need to see my girl."
Alluna watched as Remi disappeared in his usual flashy fashion.
"You barely touched anything, Alluna," Anniel smiled turning back to the glowing orb. With one finger, she turned the orb and the images changed.
"Where's Zak? I want him. Is he going to abandon me?"
"Why would you say that, cutie?" Anniel frowned.
Alluna turned away, wringing her fingers. "He's so... I'm...I just..."
"Hey," Anniel's arms going around her shoulders had Alluna gazing up into her pretty face. "He's just a guy." She smirked. "Okay, a big hunky guy, but he's real. He was helping Remi get Rowie back by supplanting one of the Teus brothers." Anniel rolled her eyes. "It's a long story, cutie. He's an overnight success, but he hasn't changed from the sweet Zak we all know and love."
Sweet? Alluna found Zak intense, bossy, passionate...but sweet?
"I guess you need to get to know him a little better," Anniel sighed as if reading her mind. "Zak is a push-over. He deems himself this big tough Dom, but if you know how to push his buttons the right way, you'll have him wrapped around your finger like this." Anniel snapped her own fingers with an evil grin.
"Push his buttons?"
Anniel laughed out and tugged Alluna toward the couch. "Girlfriend, me and you need to have a real heart to heart. Some serious girl talk, if you know what I mean."
Alluna plopped down on the couch next to Anniel. The girl folded her long legs underneath her and with a wave of her hand had a bowl of brown congealed mush floating over to them.
"Nothing like chocolate ice cream for this occasion. Have some."
She pushed a spoonful into Alluna's mouth. It was sweet and very cold, but Alluna found she liked the taste and smooth consistency against her tongue.
"Zak was a big slut before you came along," she sighed with a frown. "I'm not going to try to cover things up. He'd go out with the guys, and he was the only one who always brought back an array of females with him to the space station. He was never satisfied with just one."
Alluna gulped, her eyes going round. She knew it. Zak would never be satisfied by her. Alluna bit her lip and lowered her eyes, reluctant to allow Anniel bear witness to her shame.
Anniel's finger beneath her chin had her looking back up. "Until you came along." Anniel frowned. "When he came back from the tour, I felt a change in him. He became more aggressive during training sessions, he was quiet during meals, and if it weren't for Seth's insistence, I think he wouldn't have gone out to strip clubs anymore." She muttered something under her breath about how disappointed she was with Seth, but Alluna thought about what she'd said about the clubs.
"S-strip clubs. They are where humanoids go to see others remove their clothing and dance."
Anniel tilted her head to the side. "That's right. Rem said you've never been out of your tower room...never so much as saw others."
"I saw mama,"
and the vampire, and the dragon.
Anniel pursed her lips. "You've missed out on allot. Rowie's coming home today. Seth and Devon want us to keep training, but afterwards, maybe later on in the evening, we'll all go out to our favorite hang-out to celebrate Rowie's integration back into the family."
Alluna looked down at the simple white tunic Anniel had given her to wear. She was so much smaller than Anniel.
"Have you and Zak ever kissed?'
Anniel's smiled waned. She let out a puff of breath. "Alluna, we all love each other. Some people find our love immoral...at least the way we love each other. I've shared kisses with Zak, as well as with Remi and Devon. Let me show you something."
Alluna watched Anniel rise and walk to a built in shelf unit by the console where the orb with the images glowed. She took a small, clear, crystal and walked back to Alluna. Placing the crystal orb in her palm, she tapped it three times and an image unfolded before them.
Anniel and Rowie seemed much younger. They laughed and ran toward the gleaming lake in the enviro-level of the space station, tearing their clothes off as they neared the shimmering waters. Both girls dived in, resurfacing with a gasp.
"Oh, yeah," Anniel moaned, smoothing her hair back. "After all that training, this is heaven."
"What happened to Devon today?" Rowie said shaking her dark hair back from her face.
Anniel rolled her eyes. "I think he had a fight with the mega-bitch."
Rowie frowned. "Between you and me, I really can't stand Lillique."
Anniel snorted. "You and everyone else."
