Alienated (18 page)

“Well, that wasn’t too bad.” She cleared her throat and tried to steady her breathing. “I guess I should reciprocate, Earth-style. It’s only fair.”

“I’m ready,” he said with a cocky grin.

Prickles of anxiety spread through her core, but she couldn’t back out now. She couldn’t let him win again—damn it, she was sick to death of losing. “Let’s sit down.”

“Feeling weak in the knees?”

“Real funny.” But he didn’t know how right he was. “Just do it.”

Aelyx sat cross-legged on the carpet, and she knelt in front of him with her feet tucked beneath her.

“Okay, buddy.” She swallowed hard. “Prepare to have your world rocked.”

Oh God, what was she doing? She’d imagined kissing him a thousand times, but she never thought it would happen. Her heart sprinted, and she was glad he wasn’t taking her pulse anymore. A kiss could change their friendship. What if this made things weird between them? Or worse—what if he didn’t like it? The humiliation might actually kill her.

“I’m waiting…” he said.

“Close your eyes.”

He obeyed, and she took a deep, shaky breath. Summoning all her nerve, she inched forward, close enough to smell his warm, spicy scent. She hesitated, and then Aelyx opened his eyes and gave her a look that would set ice water aflame. This was no game to him. That realization gave her the courage to eliminate the tiny sliver of air between them.

She cupped Aelyx’s face, stroking the smooth skin with her fingers, and brushed her lips lightly back and forth against his. His mouth was every bit as soft as it looked, the sensation hotter than her wildest dreams. She took his bottom lip between hers and sucked it gently, tasting the orangey tea, and then captured it with her teeth to pull his mouth closer.

When he slid the tip of his tongue between her lips, warm tingles danced across her chest. How did he know to do that? He tilted her face to the side to deepen the kiss, teasing and exploring her mouth, sending those warm tingles spreading out in every direction.

She broke away, gasping. “Are you sure you’ve never done this before?”

“Yes.”

Without wasting another second, he curled his hand around the side of her neck and pulled her mouth right back to his with a little too much force.

She pulled away again. “Hold up.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Softer,” she said, “like this.” Then she showed him how lethal a gentle kiss could be.

He caught on quickly, which didn’t surprise her. Like most things in life, he was good at making out, too. The prickly heat intensified with every warm sweep of his tongue. She unclasped his hair, feeling the cool strands between her fingers, and then she slowed things down even further, moving her mouth deliberately, taking her time and focusing on every stolen breath and quiet sigh, cherishing each sensation before it was over.

It felt too good, almost unearthly, and even though his lips never left hers, she felt the kiss
everywhere
. Powerful hands moved to her shoulders, slid down the bare skin of her arms to her thighs, and then tugged her forward.

Heart pounding out of control, she climbed into his lap, straddling his thighs. She wrapped her arms around his neck and claimed his mouth again, feeling his hands on the small of her back pulling her impossibly close. Somewhere in the recesses of her mind she knew things were going too far, but she couldn’t bring herself to care.

In a flash, he rolled her to the floor, knocking the air from her lungs. The weight of his body pressed her into the carpet, and she felt his heart hammering against her chest while his hands roamed the length of her rib cage. No matter how tightly she wrapped herself around him, it wasn’t close enough. He murmured something in another language and reached a hand between them, tearing at the button of her jeans. Instead of pushing his hand away, she arched her lower back to help him with the zipper. But he suddenly bolted upright and knelt above her, panting.

It took a moment to adjust to the shock of their separation. She cleared her throat and propped up on one elbow, fighting for oxygen. “What’s wrong?”

“Listen.” He glanced toward the far end of the house. “I think Eileen’s home.”

The distant groan of the garage door opener proved him right.

“Damn,” she muttered. Of all the days for Mom to come home early.

Aelyx drew a deep, shuddering breath. “My sentiments exactly.”

Cara sat up and scrambled to button her pants. “Hey,” she said, “come here real quick.” She gave him a grin that made it clear what she wanted.

He matched her smile and didn’t hesitate to kiss her one more time while she pressed her fingers against his throat to count the beats. Fifteen seconds later, she multiplied the number by four and had her answer.

“One-forty!” she said. “I beat your high score!”

Aelyx laughed. “How does it feel to defeat me?”

Cara licked her lips and tasted him again. “Pretty sweet. I’ve waited a long time to bring you down.” Instead of releasing his hand, she laced their fingers together and gave a squeeze. “Listen, I don’t want things to be weird between us.”

He returned the squeeze. “Me neither.”

“We’re okay, right?”

“Only okay?” he teased. “I think we just proved that we’re quite gifted.”

“Oh, totally.” She pointed back and forth between them. “The world’s not ready for our talent.”
Also, I think I’m falling
in love with you.

While her heart rushed, Cara reminded herself that Aelyx wasn’t here to stay, and she should probably try pulling back a little. But as she watched him smooth the wrinkles from his sweater and resecure his hair, she realized it was much, much too late for that.

A
elyx reached out and quickly silenced his alarm before it woke Cara or her parents. Seconds later, his com-sphere buzzed to announce his scheduled check-in with Syrine and Eron, and he stumbled out of bed toward the dresser to retrieve it. While rifling through the top drawer, he noticed his mug of tea from yesterday, still half filled and resting beside his mirror. An automatic grin curved his lips when he whispered “Elire” and set the sphere on his nightstand.

“What are you smiling at?” Instead of two fingers, Syrine greeted him with folded arms and a scowl.

Aelyx stretched and yawned, feigning innocence. “Nothing. Where’s Eron?” Usually his image appeared in tandem with Syrine’s.

“In China with his
brother
,” she sneered.

“You know what I mean.”

“He won’t join the conversation.” Her brows lowered. “Not while I’m part of it.”

Aelyx had a good idea what had caused the argument between his roommates, but he asked anyway. “What happened?”

Syrine rolled her eyes, something he’d never seen her do until she came to Earth. “He’s punishing me because I won’t uproot my
sh’alear
. He’s completely lost his mind.” Then she tipped her head and studied him. “You didn’t uproot yours, right? Eron said you promised to consider it.”

“No,” he said. “Nothing’s changed.” Which was a lie. Yesterday had changed everything.

Reflexively, his gaze darted to the wall that separated him from Cara. She trusted him; all the while, he was destroying any hope of a future between their worlds. Maybe Eron was right. Maybe Aelyx should uproot his
sh’alear
. He honestly didn’t know anymore. In eighteen years, he’d never felt so conflicted, his thoughts always circling back to the same basic question: would mankind harm the future of L’eihr more than help it?

“That wasn’t a very convincing
no
,” Syrine said. “Please tell me that flame-haired dolt isn’t draining your wits.”

Aelyx’s spine went rigid, and he ordered, “Watch your tongue!”

Syrine’s mouth dropped into an oval. “Why? Because I implied you could be swayed by a human, or because I insulted yours?”

“Cara’s not a dolt. She’s brilliant and compassionate and—”

“Bleeding Mother.” Syrine gasped and pointed an accusing finger at him. “You want to
fash
her!”

Aelyx couldn’t deny the statement, so he ignored it. “We’re friends. She’s loyal and I trust her.”

Syrine didn’t seem to like that. “Just how much do you trust her?”

“Enough to tell her about the
iphal
.”

At his words, Syrine’s face went slack. Her eyes widened and she gaped like a dying fish. It took three tries for her to force out the words, and then Aelyx wished she’d remained mute. “You idiot! What if she puts it on her blog? The whole world will know in an instant, then The Way will punish us all!”

“Cara would never do that. She promised.”

“I don’t trust her!” Syrine shouted. “And the fact that you told her something so sensitive proves you can’t be trusted, either!”

“You don’t know Cara like I do. She’s—”

“This is treason!”

“Don’t be ridicu—”

“You’ve betrayed us!”

Before he had a chance to defend himself, Syrine shut down her sphere. He tried reaching her several times, but she refused to answer.

Spectacular. Syrine wasn’t speaking to him, and Eron wasn’t speaking to her. They were fostering more drama than the humans at Midtown High. Since arriving on this planet, they’d slowly come to embody the same traits that had always repulsed them. The Elders had hoped to restore their own emotions by living among humans, but for the clones, who didn’t suffer the same malaise, would they transform into what they hated most?

Just then, his sphere summoned him with a distinct frequency that indicated the ambassador had finally received his message. Aelyx took a deep breath and attempted to slow his pulse before whispering his passkey.

Stepha’s image flickered to life on the bedside table. He barely lifted two fingers, as if he couldn’t spare the energy to complete the gesture. “How can I help you, brother?”

“I’ve discovered a problem with the water,” Aelyx said. “Each time I collect a sample, I find plant life reproducing at an unnatural rate.”

“That’s not possible,” Stepha informed him. “I think you mean
Eron
has found plant contaminants in his samples.”

Aelyx was confused. The ambassador didn’t seem shocked by the anomaly, only that Aelyx had discovered it instead of Eron. “Actually, both our findings are similar. Syrine confirmed it as well.”

In a rare display of emotion, Stepha’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “You’re certain?”

“Absolutely. I repeated the analysis three times because I didn’t believe the original results.”

“Interesting,” Stepha said, sounding anything but interested. “This means the contamination is more widespread than we thought.”

“So humans are aware?” If so, why hadn’t Aelyx heard of this before?

“Not the general population. This is a closely guarded secret, so keep your findings private.” When Aelyx nodded, Stepha continued in his sleepy monotone. “The World Trade Organization requested our assistance last year. Human scientists rushed to begin experimenting with our nanotechnology without exploring the possible consequences, and they’ve tainted some of the water supply with growth particles.”

“What kind of growth particles?”

“They’d hoped to create a fertilizer to foster crop growth in harsh climates. Their intentions were pure, if naive. The nanoparticles seeped into underground rivers and eventually the Pacific Ocean, causing an explosion in plant growth.”

“But if the water in Midtown is infected, that means…” Aelyx turned on the light and grabbed his World Studies textbook, then flipped to the world map in the back. “The particles have reached the Atlantic Ocean and the Saint Lawrence River.”

Stepha nodded in confirmation. “It’s not yet at the chronic stage, but it is increasing exponentially. Within a decade, we estimate the contamination of all water supplies and the destruction of most aquatic life-forms.”

“But that would mean…” Aelyx hated to say it aloud.

“Eventually, Earth will lose the ability to sustain life at all.”

Aelyx could easily imagine the chain reaction that would end the planet. It took surprisingly little to destroy an ecosystem. Thickening plant life would block sunlight and deoxygenize the water, and once the chemical makeup changed, it was only a matter of time before the water became unfit for consumption. Rainfall wouldn’t generate enough to support all of Earth’s life-forms, and humans would die painfully, battling for whatever drops remained.

“But we can correct the problem,” Aelyx said. Ironically, a relative of the
sh’alear
he’d planted would neutralize the growth particles, halting their reproduction.

“Yes, and we will.” Stepha’s next words nearly stopped Aelyx’s heart. “If we approve the alliance.”

“If?” Aelyx asked, hoping he’d misunderstood the ambassador. “That sounds conditional.”

“Remember when I told you humans and L’eihrs will both benefit when our societies merge? I was referring to this.”

Aelyx’s whole body flashed hot and suddenly cold. Sacred Mother. The alliance—the one he and his peers had intentionally sabotaged—was the key to Earth’s survival?

“The Way would allow humans to perish?” It couldn’t be true. “Once they learn what’s happening, wars will erupt. Millions of innocents will die, long before the planet does.”

With all the emotion of a stone, Stepha answered, “If we cannot coexist peacefully, they aren’t worth saving.”

Lifting his fingers in an abrupt farewell greeting, Aelyx shut down his sphere and swallowed against the bile rising in his throat.

Oh, gods, what had he done? Bill, Eileen, little Ashley, and Cara—his Elire. He’d sentenced them to a horrific death.

With trembling fingers, he lifted the sphere to his lips and summoned Eron and Syrine, praying they’d answer the call and uproot their
sh’alear
seedlings at once. There had to be a way to undo the damage they’d caused. Any other outcome was unthinkable.

Cara’s screeching alarm clock ripped her into consciousness, but instead of slapping the snooze button, she bounced out of bed and reached for the ceiling, rising onto her toes to stretch. Sweeping aside her lace curtain, she gazed through the frosty window at the forest in the distance, where steady rain fell in sheets and a bluster of wind tossed slick, wet leaves through the air. She twirled in place and smiled. What a beautiful morning.

Holding two fingers against her lips, she sighed, remembering how incredible Aelyx’s mouth had felt against hers yesterday…and wondering when he’d kiss her again. They hadn’t exactly talked about it, but she was pretty sure they were a couple now.

After dressing in her warmest sweater and jeans, she practically skipped into the kitchen and sat beside Dad at the table. “Oh, chocolate chip pancakes!” She heaped three onto her plate and drizzled them with melted peanut butter.

“You’re in a good mood today.” Mom smiled over the top of her coffee mug.

“Yeah, guess I am.”

Dad glanced up from the newspaper and grinned to himself. “Think Satan wants to borrow my snowblower?” When nobody laughed, he added, “Get it? Hell’s frozen over.”

“The only thing worse than a bad joke,” Cara said, “is having it explained.”

With a grunt and a shrug, he went back to reading.

Cara licked a smudge of chocolate from the corner of her mouth. “Can I borrow the car today, Mom? We’ll get soaked if we walk—”

“Hmph,” Dad interrupted. “When I was a boy—”

“Yeah, yeah,” Cara interrupted back. “You walked to school naked in the snow or something. So can I?”

“I’m leading story time at the library.” Mom grabbed another pancake and rolled it up like a burrito. “How about I drop you off instead?”

Abruptly, Dad plunked his mug on the table and folded the newspaper in half. “Listen to this.” His cheeks darkened as he read aloud, “In response to Cara Sweeney’s proposed L’awareness Day and the nearly unanimous defeat of the Senate bill known as the L’eihr Expulsion Act, HALO leader Isaac Richards has called for an international protest, asking HALO members to assemble in Manhattan, Midtown, Bordeaux, and Lanzhou to demand the revocation of L’eihr visas and end the cultural exchange. ‘They’re poisoning our water and killing our crops,’ Richards said. ‘What’s next, our children?’”

“Great,” Cara said around the food in her mouth. “Just what we need—more crazycake protesters. Why’re they surprised the bill failed? The president would give her right boob for this alliance.”

“Pepper!” Mom snorted, gently smacking Cara’s arm.

“You know she would,” Cara argued. “Probably the left one, too. And an ovary.”

“Well,” Dad said, “it says here the senator from Arizona’s already writing another bill just like it.”

Mom pointed her rolled-up pancake at him. “Does it say how many people are coming or where they plan to march?”

“No.” Dad continued to scan the article. “I’ll bet we get a few thousand, probably more.” He paused for a moment and took Mom’s hand. “I wouldn’t worry. The military’s not gonna let anything happen to Aelyx. I’m sure they’ll send extra troops.”

Mom nodded in agreement and glanced at Cara. “Why don’t you see if Aelyx is finished with breakfast? We should go soon.”

“Breakfast? I thought he was getting dressed.”

“He wanted to eat in his room today.” Mom shimmied into her coat. “I think he overslept.”

Just as Cara stood, Aelyx strode in wearing his jacket. He kept his eyes locked on a copy of
Advanced Biomaterials
while slinging his book bag over one shoulder. When they loaded into the car, he took the front passenger seat instead of sitting in the back with her, then read his book silently for the duration of the ride. After a quick “thank you” to her mother, he jogged ahead of her into the school while Cara ran to catch up.

“You okay?” She tried to lean against him while they walked to homeroom, but he veered off to the side.

“I’m fine.”

“Then why won’t you look at me?” Grabbing his sleeve, she stopped him in the middle of the crowded hall. “Are you mad? You know, about yesterday?”

Aelyx heaved a sigh and finally turned to face her, but he wouldn’t meet her eyes. “I’m not angry.”

“So we’re all right?”

“Yes,
Cah
-ra. Why wouldn’t we be?”

Not Elire. Cara. All the air disappeared from her lungs. She knew a brush-off when she saw one. That sick, swelling feeling returned, the one she’d felt when Tori stabbed her in the back, but even though tears stung her eyelids, she forced them away. She would
not
cry over this. Not while he was watching.

Instead of embarrassing herself any further, she turned on her heel and gave him the space he obviously wanted.

Several hours later, after mindlessly scanning her Dartmouth application for the fifth time, Cara gave up and tried to get a head start on tomorrow’s math assignment. When she couldn’t focus on that, either, she opened her copy of
Jane Eyre
, hoping to escape thoughts of Aelyx. But no matter what she did, she couldn’t quit fixating on him.

With a sigh, Cara glanced around the classroom. Most of the students hunched dutifully over the same history exam she’d finished half an hour ago. The clock on the wall read 11:37, just three minutes later than the last time she’d checked. The day felt so long without Aelyx to distract her. Sliding her gaze to the side, she watched him pretend to read his biomaterials textbook. Although he appeared thoroughly absorbed, he hadn’t turned a page in ten minutes.

When the bell finally rang, she asked Blake to escort her to the computer lab and then take Aelyx to the cafeteria. She needed to update her blog and, quite frankly, she couldn’t take any more of the silent treatment.

“We’ll stay with you,” Aelyx insisted. “I’m not hungry anyway.”

“Then maybe you should hang out in the library,” she retorted. “And
read
.”

In true rejectionist fashion, he ignored her, following along with Blake until she reached the lab and settled at the end of a vacant row. “Pull up a chair.”
If you can stand to get
that close.
“I need a random fact for Trivial Wednesday.” He sat at the same workstation but kept twelve inches between them and leaned away like she smelled bad. “How do L’eihrs say good-bye?”