Exiled (17 page)

After getting dressed she called Chev. She seemed relieved to hear from Venus. Before Venus had a chance to say anything, Chev blurted the details.

“Have you heard anything from Michael? Probably not.” Her words came fast and breathy, like she’d just finished running a race. “I talked to him early this morning. He said his mom was killed by a-a creature and that his dad was taking him away—with him. I tried to get more but someone made him hang up. I’m so worried.”

“Chev, I’m sorry. Is there anything I can do?”

“I’m not sure. Oh, I feel so bad for him. His family—they’ve never been the best. Not that he’d tell me much, but I heard rumors. My dad’s sheriff.” She’d spoken the last part like that explained everything. It didn’t, but she kept talking, so Venus wasn’t able to clarify. “I’m gonna ask him if he knows anything when he gets home.” Venus heard Chev sniffle and knew she was crying. Her next words were soft. “Michael told me he loved me last night. I’ve got to find him. I don’t want to lose him, V.” She broke into loud bawling.

“Chev, Chev, it’s going to be okay,” she soothed. Her head reeled at the knowledge. What she’d seen in Chev’s memories had been correct. “He said he loved you?”

She hiccupped. “Yes. Last night was the most amazing of my life, and now . . .” She stopped and blew her nose before continuing, “he’s gone.”

“Wow, that’s amazing, Chev. At least the part where he told you he loved you. I’ll do what I can to help. Whatever you need.” If they were in love and he’d told her so, why wasn’t Venus disconnected from him? Why did she still feel the hold? She clenched at her chest, sensing the power within. The connection that’d formed on the night she entered his mind and searched his memories. Venus had tried, on more than one occasion, to deny it, shake the bond off—believe it wasn’t really there. But like a baby goat tethered to a hitching post, no amount of banging her head would separate them. That could only mean one thing. Michael loved Cheverly, but he wasn’t
in
love. Bah, that seemed ridiculous. Michael was seventeen for cret’s sake. What more did the Gods expect from him?

“Thanks, V . . . Oh, hang on, my dad’s home.”

Venus heard muffled shouting in the background, but couldn’t understand any of what they said. After a moment, Chev came back on the line. “I’ll call you back.” She hung up.

Snapping the phone shut, Venus ran into the living room. The guys were sitting on opposite ends of the long couch, having a heated discussion. The TV was on, but muted. Venus stopped in front of the old-looking thing. “He told her he loved her,” she said, out of breath.

“Yeah, we heard. That’s what we’re discussing.” Dervinias glared at Zaren, full of arrogant self-righteousness. “As I’ve told you both before, saying he loves her isn’t the same as being
in
love. Don’t you get that?” He rubbed his face, visibly annoyed. “I
love
Starbucks coffee with extra cream and three sugars. That doesn’t mean I’m
in
love with it.” He smirked and then continued, “Close, but not quite.”

Zaren growled, “Of course we know that. But what he feels should be enough. She’s done all she can in the amount of time the Gods have given her.” He flung a hand in Venus’s direction. She opened her mouth to speak, but Zaren continued. “I’m going to the Transports. I’ve got to contact Ith and Aetha again. Make them understand.”

Dervinias blew out his breath in irritation. “Fine. Yeah, that’s great. Go and contact your Gods, but while you’re doing that, what about V?”

They both turned to her, as though she were the referee in a heated game of Stavilition, the favored team sport on their planet.

Venus sighed gauging their needs, wishing she had the words that’d make everything better. Make it so Dervinias could go back to his life before they arrived and so Zaren could return to Kelari. Reaching back and setting the phone on the TV, she decided to try.

Twisting her hands together, she said, “Zaren. Dervinias. I’m sorry. The past several days have been awful. You’ve both tried to help me and I appreciate it.” To Zaren, she said, “I think when you go back to the Transports you should take yours and leave. Return to Kelari—”

Zaren interrupted, “No. I’m not leaving Earth without you. I’ll contact the Gods, explain the situation to them and demand they allow you to return.” He smashed a fist on the coffee table. A
Car and Driver
magazine, a novel entitled
PREY
and a large mug of milky coffee shook, as though in fear. “That should be enough. You haven’t done anything wrong! Killing you for crimes you didn’t commit would be reprehensible.”

Venus agreed wholeheartedly, but she wasn’t in charge.

Dervinias growled, hooked a finger into the handle of his coffee mug, lifted it to his lips and slurped.

Venus smirked, “You have something else to add?”

As he set the red glass mug on the table, he said, “According to the Gods, V must complete her goal or be destroyed. It’s
their
way or death.” He paused and took another sip. “Or worse—Helker.” Venus noticed a hint of smugness in his words that filtered onto his face. “It’s the dumbest damned thing I ever heard, but there you go,” he continued.

“No! No! No! I won’t accept that. I’ll make them change their minds.”

“I’m grateful you want to try. Go,” Venus whispered, biting her bottom lip. She knew Dervinias spoke the truth—either she help Michael or suffer the consequences. But she also wanted Zaren to make his attempt, if for no other reason than so Zaren would come away with a clearer understanding. Perhaps accept the way things were. Maybe he’d even leave and return home, as she wanted him too. And who knew, maybe he could convince the Gods to change their minds. If anyone could, she’d bet on Zaren.

Nodding, she continued, “I’d like to know what more the Gods expect. He said he loved her. That’s likely all he’s got, especially given the circumstances. I know he means it. He does love her.” Venus moved to an oversized purple beanbag and slouched into it. Crossing the boot with the arrow in it over her knee, she watched it float around. The arrow still glowed, but it had dulled significantly. “I don’t get it.”

“Neither do I, which is why I’m going. Immediately!” Zaren walked over and stood in front of her. “I should be back in a day. You know I’ll hurry.” Turning to Dervinias, he continued, “You’ll watch out for her while I’m gone, right?”

Dervinias threw up his hands. “Of course. If you have to do this, you’d better leave sooner rather than later.”

“Agreed.” Zaren stuck his hands out. Venus grabbed hold and he pulled her upright, their bodies touching, toe to toe, though she had to look up to see his face. He caressed her cheek with the back of a hand. “Wait for me, all right? Don’t do anything . . . unwise. I’ll be back.”

She leaned into his hand. “Fabu.”

Venus had consigned herself to waiting for Zaren. She didn’t think her body could handle much more anyway. Since it was Sunday, Dervinias had made plans with friends. Venus promised him she’d stay in the house and he took off.

“So much for watching out for me,” she muttered, though she was happy to see him go. Some
Venus
time sounded great. And she didn’t need looking after.

Alone for the first time in days, she plopped onto the couch and turned on the TV. After flicking through the channels, she settled on a
Mork and Mindy
marathon. The main character, Mork, was an alien doof. Much different from any kelarian she’d ever met. Different from any humans, too. The episode running was about Mork being pregnant. “
I’m preggers. I’ve got a bun in the oven.
” Ridiculous. And hilarious. She couldn’t stop herself from giggling. “
Oooh. Eeeen. I just felt a sharp pain. What does it mean?
The doctor replied, “
It means you’re in labor and I’m playing singles
.” It hurt to laugh, but she let herself anyway. She’d seen a couple of the episodes in Earth Studies and thoroughly enjoyed them.

Next to her sat a bowl full of popcorn. She’d popped it in the microwave. Grabbing a couple of the funky-shaped kernels, she set them on her tongue. After chewing and swallowing, she made a face. Venus decided it smelled way better than it tasted. The loose, yellow bits were hard and annoying.

About half way through the second show, Michael called.

“Venus? Hi, it’s Michael.” He sounded tired. Stressed out. Full of grief.

“Hey Michael. It’s nice to hear from you.” Grabbing the remote, she muted the TV. She was thrilled to hear from him, but curious why he’d called her. “What’s up?” She tried to keep her voice light. But what she really wanted to do was ask how he was.

“Would you like to get together? Hang out.” She heard a strange quality in his voice like his words were rehearsed.

“Sure, Michael.” Venus waited, crossing her legs. The heel of her boot caught her attention.
Thump. Thump
. Then a pause.
Thump. Thump
. She wanted to scream at him, “Fall in love already. I’m going to die.” She didn’t.

He cleared his throat. “Do you remember where we first met?”

Did she remember? He’d slapped her with her first kiss. How could she forget? “Sure, I think so. Why?”

“I thought we’d take a hike and talk.”

How odd.

But his voice had created a pulling in her chest, like her heart was one end of a magnet. Her body wanted him near, longed for his touch. She remembered the way his lips brushed hers, and her skin grew hot.

Don’t go. Stay away,
her mind shouted.

His calling meant danger. But she wanted to see him. Shutting off the TV, she said, “Yeah, Ie sad like that. Um, I don’t have a way to get there though.” Maybe she could ask Chev for a ride. That might be for the best anyway, the three of them together. Although Chev might think it was weird he’d invited Venus to hang out. What was going through his head?

“No problem. I’ll come get you.” He paused and blew out a ragged breath. “Where do you live?”

Venus gave him Dervinias’s address.

“Cool, I’ll see you in about ten minutes.” He hung up.

“Cret.” She wheezed as she rushed into the bathroom. At the mirror, she checked her teeth for popcorn kernels and decided to brush them. Then she went into her bedroom and changed into a long-sleeved, red shirt and her heaviest coat. The weather had turned chillier, and the air felt thick, heavy with moisture, like it would snow any moment. Venus figured it’d be even colder in the mountains. There wasn’t enough time to braid her hair so she left it down. Because of her irritating cough, she also put a bunch of tissues in her pocket.

A nagging worry sat on her heart. She didn’t have a way to communicate with Zaren. Even if he could read her mind, she had no idea what he’d say. Well, she had an inkling. He’d say it was a bad decision—unwise. But since he wasn’t there, she went with what she wanted. Dervinias wasn’t around either. He’d be gone all day. At the last second, Venus wrote a note and left it on the kitchen table, telling them where she’d gone and with whom.

When Michael arrived, a hitch caught in her throat. He looked miserable. Dark circles hung like blackened moons under his eyes. His mother’s death had taken a toll on him.

“Hi. You ready?”

“I am,” Venus answered.

She couldn’t help studying him, searching for some hint of what he was thinking. In spite of everything, he looked gorgeous.

His eyes. Today they were chocolate brown with flecks of green and gold around the edges. His hair kept falling over his eyebrows, touching his long lashes. He’d flip his head every few minutes, trying to move it.

He had on a light blue denim jacket with what looked like lamb’s wool lining the inside. His navy shirt buttoned down the front and he wore a white t-shirt under it. Jeans and black boots completed the outfit.

He looked perfect.

Get a hold of yourself, princess
, she berated, trying to think like Zaren.

They walked to his car in silence. After she’d settled into the car and Michael pulled away from the curb, Venus asked, “What’s up?”

He tapped the steering wheel with his thumbs and his left leg jiggled. He seemed nervous.

“My mom died,” he blurted.

“When,” she returned. The horror surrounding him seeped into her skin. His pain was thick, palpable.

“L ast night,” he whispered. “She was . . . murdered.”

She blinked. Had there been an accusing edge to his words?

“Murdered? Michael, I’m so sorry.” Tears fell onto her cheeks. “Do they know who did it?” Venus wiped her face with the back of her hand. Of course Chev had already told her that and more, but hearing it from him . . . Venus was heartbroken. Poor Michael.

He looked over at her, his face masked. “They’ve pretty good idea. Hopefully they’ll have the criminal in custody soon.”

She placed a hand over his. “Well that’s a relief. I hope whoever did it suffers.”

He cringed at her touch. She pulled away, self-conscious, and clasped her hands in her lap.

“I’m glad you feel that way. I agree.”

The radio played a song by the Effronics. Venus loved Earth music from the 80’s. The voice of Sammy Lemmon sang:

“
The gurgling wind has come again

Venus listened, an overwhelming urge to run consumed her. It was impossible to escape, so she settled on grabbing hold of the dash. It didn’t help. The feeling persisted.

Michael looked over, his expression unreadable.

She gave him a half smile and nodded. Sickness spread through her abdomen. Her senses were on edge, too. She had the feeling he really hadn’t asked her to go for a drive so that they could talk about his mom. There was more to it. He wanted something from her. Closure?

“Why are we headed up to the spot we met?”

Sammy Lemmon sang:

“
Baby, talk to me

His face tightened at her question. She watched him grind his teeth.

“It’ll be a nice place to talk.”

“Okay.” Her heart beat fast and the wheeze returned. She cleared her throat to make it stop. But that produced a cough. Grabbing a tissue from her pocket, she covered her mouth. There’d be blood again.

Apprehension stretched over his face. “What’s really wrong with you?”

Could she reveal the truth—blurt out: “Michael I’m from another planet and this world’s air is killing me.” No. Now wasn’t the time. He wasn’t ready.

“I’m not sure,” she pulled her hair over to one side and weaved it into a long braid. As she unbraided her hair, Michael pulled off to the side of the road. They were close to the spot where she’d first met him.
Up the hill less than a mile
.

He put the car in park, turned it off and then faced her, but said nothing. Waiting. Maybe mulling over what he wanted to say. Finally, he said, “Those things you said to my mother the other day . . .” His mouth went tight, lips pressed together into a fine line.

She remembered the ruthless way she’d yelled at his mother. Most of the words blurred together. Venus had been angry. But she knew she’d threatened her. Telling her she’d wish she were dead. Oh no!

“I hope you know, I had nothing to do with your mother’s death. Sure, I was mad when I spoke to her, but I’d never hurt her.” The fear she’d been experiencing increased.

He turned away, facing the steering wheel. Venus watched his jaw working, grinding away whatever he wasn’t saying. He blinked, as though he were trying not to cry. His face hardened. Venus had no idea if he heard her or not.

“Michael—”

“So, how’s your shin?” he asked.

She sighed. “Better, thanks.” Venus looked away and began to re-braid her hair. She focused on her hands, trying to figure out what to do. He was angry, but she needed him to understand she hadn’t done this. It felt like she was being framed again. Why was this happening to her?

“What about the stuff you knew about my mother? And me?” He glared, but appeared curious, too. He wanted answers. “And what’s the deal with your blood? The color.”

“I can’t . . .” She trailed off, placing her hands back in her lap. How could she explain herself? He must have an idea of her differences, which had to be why he asked the questions. She chewed on her bottom lip, ignoring the pain in her body.

“Yeah?” He watched her, eyes guarded, but still full of interest. Then he shook his head. “You wanna take a walk?”

She did. The car left her claustrophobic. “Sure.”

They opened the car doors and climbed out. Freezing air stung her cheeks. The smell of pine trees and frozen dirt filled the air. Above them, the sky looked heavy, burdened with moisture. A snowflake fell on her nose. She brushed it away, but another fell in almost the same spot. Raising her face skyward, she tried to breathe it in. Another flake hit her cheek, melted. The beautiful snow left her breathless. It didn’t snow in Alayeah. At the top of Hathinia’s Peak, the snow never melted, but she hadn’t ever been.

Venus looked over to see how Michael reacted to the snow. He frowned, his body stiff. Stifling a sigh, she went to stand next to him. Together, they started up the mountain. He walked fast. She tried to keep his pace, but the higher altitude wasn’t making it easy. And she started to fall behind.

He looked back, “You coming?” The set of his jaw had slackened a bit, but tension still radiated. Sorrow, too. Snow clung to his hair, melted, and more took its place.

Venus worked to speed up, but it wasn’t possible. “Yes.” A tight tickle, evidence a cough was coming, filled her lungs. She grabbed a clean tissue from her pocket and covered her mouth.

“I’m not sure I can make it. Can we stop here a second and rest?”

He appeared anxious to move on, but he walked back to her. When he stopped, he crossed his arms over his chest. “Of course.”

Venus searched the surrounding area and found what she wanted, a large speckled boulder, off to the left of the trail. A thin layer of snow dusted the top. She went over, brushed it off. “So cold,” she whispered and sat, watching the fluffy sheet fall from the sky. Flakes kept catching on her eye lashes. She blinked them away.

“I’m going to walk up a ways. Be right back.” Michael pushed his hands deep into his pockets and continued up the trail.

“Okay,” she nodded, but he wasn’t paying attention. Obviously, his mind was elsewhere, most likely on his mother. She hurt for him. Ached. Venus wanted to take away his pain. If she could’ve brought his mother back, she would’ve. Probably having a parent, even one so mean, was better than nothing. She didn’t know. Her parents, though always busy, were kind. She knew they loved her. But what could she do for Michael? What did he want? An urgency to leave raced through her stomach and pressed against her chest.

But she couldn’t run. Her lungs, skin . . . her entire being felt exhausted. She wasn’t going anywhere for a few minutes. The idea of taking another step seemed incomprehensible. So she remained on the rock, watching the snow envelop her.

Light diminished as the darkening sky deepened. The pine trees turned from green to white.
It really is beautiful
. She wanted to fully enjoy the moment, but sadness and fear forced away any other emotion. The invisible weight, Earth’s atmosphere, compelled her to breathe in shallow spurts, which brought on the scratchiness in her lungs. When Michael finally reappeared, she felt relieved. It was time to go. She needed rest.

“Hey, maybe you should’ve asked Cheverly to come with you instead of me. Sorry, but I don’t think I can go all the way up to the stream.” Venus tucked her hands in her pockets.

He shrugged. “It’s fine. We can sit here and talk, if you like.” He made his way over, brushed off a spot on the rock and sat next to her. Hands in his lap. Head down.

“You want to tell me about it?” She placed a hand over his. He flinched; pulling away like she’d hurt him or had a contagious disease. No, it was more like he knew she . . . wasn’t human. He seemed afraid of her. “Michael, I’d be glad—”

But she wasn’t able to finish. A clothed sack went over her head. And large, rough hands pulled her backward off the rock. Venus tried to scream, but started coughing. She heard noises all around her, including shouting and a constant beeping.