Starcrossed (41 page)

All I could do was shake my head helplessly as he said the very last words I wanted to hear.
 

“Yes, Princess. The
only
person who can possibly prevent such a calamity . . . is you.”

taigde
(TAG-duh):
research; records

It was a good thing I’d had those twenty hours of drugged sleep, since I was sure I wouldn’t be able to close my eyes all night. I sat cross-legged on my bed staring blankly at the star charts on my wall—what I could see of them by the light of half a moon and my little nightlight—trying to wrap my brain all that had happened this weekend, and especially what I’d learned today.

After the Council took turns lecturing me on how the fate of two worlds was on my shoulders, Allister had driven me to the O’Garas,’ with one last caution to say nothing about the Grentl stuff—which had clearly shaken him badly. Mrs. O didn’t say much when she brought me home, except to give me the details of her story to Aunt Theresa about the impromptu mission trip Molly, Sean and I had supposedly gone on over the weekend.
 

Of course, that hadn’t stopped my aunt from lambasting me the moment Mrs. O’Gara was gone, because I hadn’t called and asked permission first. I’d finally pulled out all the stops, using every ounce of my fledgling persuasive ability to convince her I’d tried repeatedly but couldn’t get through, and that the bus had been about to leave. That had stopped her tirade for the evening, though I doubted I’d heard the last of it. But that was the least of my worries right now.

My number one goal was to find an escape clause for Rigel—and for me. I was already feeling the first twinges of Rigel-deprivation, which meant he was feeling it by now, too. I’d been given the so-called antidote at the Stuarts’ house, but they admitted it might be a day or two before it took effect . . .
if
it took effect.

I’d asked—demanded—whether Rigel was given the antidote as well, but nobody seemed to know for sure. His parents must be in Montana by now, and I wanted to believe they’d make sure he got it—but
was
there even any antidote in Montana? It killed me to think of him suffering again, maybe even worse this time, because of me.
 

Rigel worried about screwing up my life, but look what I’d done to his! If not for me, he’d still be the most popular guy in school, looking at two more fabulous years as quarterback, a full-ride college scholarship at a big-name school, probably an NFL career. It was entirely possible I’d taken that away from him. Permanently.

A sound from my aunt and uncle’s bedroom made me stiffen for a second, thinking Aunt Theresa was getting up to say more awful stuff to me, before realizing it was just Uncle Louie starting to snore.
 

Since it was totally obvious I wasn’t going to fall asleep anytime soon, I turned on my bedside light and pulled out my Martian e-book, grateful it had still been in my backpack, which had been brought back to Jewel with me. Snapping it from pencil-size to tablet, I found the spot where I’d left off in the car—then clenched my teeth against the sudden pain in my chest at that reminder of my brief, idyllic time with Rigel.

If I was going to save him, save both of us, I had to know
everything
I could possibly use to our advantage. Determinedly, I started reading again.

My alarm clock startled me awake, since I didn’t remember falling asleep. I must have at some point, but I’d managed to read well over half the scroll first. I was glad my Rigel-deprivation hadn’t slowed my reading speed yet. If anything, it was still increasing.

I’d taken more notes, though I realized now I could recall everything I’d read perfectly. Still, looking over the notes might help me craft a strategy, once I—
 

Crap. Another glance at the clock said I didn’t have time, though going to school seemed stupidly irrelevant given the stakes I now faced on several fronts. But if I was going to keep my aunt and uncle—and all the other non-
Echtrans
—in the dark, I’d have to at least go through the motions.
 

“So, um, hey,” Molly greeted me at the bus stop. “I see you, ah, got back okay.”

Sean didn’t say anything at all, just regarded me with a half-angry, half-worried frown.

“Yeah.” I hoped they didn’t expect me to act happy about being back. For a little more than twenty-four hours I’d allowed myself to believe my dream of being with Rigel for good had a chance of coming true. Now I’d never see him again unless I convinced the Council to let him go. Which I would. Somehow.
Before
they wiped his memory.

Rather to my surprise, Molly sat next to me on the bus and Sean sat right behind us. The moment we started moving, Sean leaned forward between us and said, “So, nice weekend?”
 

The acid in his tone made me glance at him in surprise. He was looking more angry than worried now.

“A busy one, for sure,” I answered carefully, since we were surrounded by other students.

“Yeah, us, too,” he practically growled. “You’re welcome.” He sat back against his seat with a thump and didn’t say a word for the rest of the trip to school.

I looked curiously at Molly, but she just shrugged, not looking much happier than Sean did. I wanted to ask exactly what had happened while I was gone, but this wasn’t the place, especially since Bri and Deb would be getting on at the next stop. Besides, I didn’t have the brain space to worry about it right now. I lapsed back into planning and worrying about Rigel.

His absence from school worried everyone not in the know. I overheard a couple of football players wondering if he was sick again, but didn’t bother to reassure them. He probably was by now.

Ms. Harrigan didn’t act worried. If anything she looked smug, though that might have been my imagination. Just as well she didn’t say anything to me, since I’d have been rude and probably sent to the office. In Science, I couldn’t tell whether Mr. Gilliland knew or not, since he always stared at me like that. I didn’t really care.
 

I was a little surprised when Sean and Molly both showed up to walk me to lunch, after the way they’d acted on the bus. It’s not like they had to keep me from spending time with Rigel now.
 

“How are you feeling?” Molly asked as we walked.
 

I shot her a sour look. “Lousy. How do you think?”

She bit her lip. “So it’s . . . not working?”

“Takes a day or two, Moll. That’s what they said Saturday,” Sean reminded her.

Though I wouldn’t admit it, I did feel a little better than last night, unlike the last time Rigel and I were apart. No nausea and just the slightest headache. Oddly, my lack of physical symptoms upset me more. It should hurt to be apart. That’s how our bond was supposed to work.
 

Again, I wondered whether they’d given Rigel the antidote yet. If they had, if it really worked on both of us, would his parents try at all to get us back together? Why would they? I tried to fight down my panic at that thought.

To distract myself, I asked, “So, what
did
you guys do this weekend? What did you mean on the bus?”

“You don’t know?” Molly sounded genuinely surprised.

“Should I?”

“Duh,” Sean replied, still clearly pissed. “We spent all day Saturday and half of Sunday fixing up some old lady’s trailer just outside of Kokomo, like Mum told your aunt.”

I looked at Molly for verification. “You did? I thought that was totally made up.”

“It sort of was, but we had to make it look good in case your aunt checked it out. So Mum called the church and got the name and address of somebody on the list for assistance and carted us up there. I even used your name so the woman would say I was you if anyone asked.” She flexed her shoulders, like they were sore.

“What all did you do?”

Sean grimaced. “Fixed her steps and painted them, then fixed and painted the lattice around the bottom of the trailer, to keep animals out. Stuff like that. I had to leave Saturday practice early. Hope Coach won’t make me do laps around the gym.”

“Oh. Sorry. I didn’t know.”

He shrugged, but his expression softened. “We were all really worried about you, you know, even apart from the political stuff. I’m glad you’re back. And safe.”

Though I knew he meant well, I stiffened. “I was safe the whole time. I was with Rigel.”

The softness instantly disappeared. “You both must realize now how stupid that was. How dangerous. What was he thinking? What were you? What if—”

“Sean,” Molly cautioned him. He’d been getting a little loud and people were starting to glance our way. “Not here.”

“Right.” He shot a sideways look at me and ducked his head. “Sorry. Out of line. But you have no idea how scared I—we—were.”

His earnestness touched me in spite of myself, but before I could think of any way to respond, Deb and Bri joined us in the lunch line, so we obviously had to change the subject.

“You don’t think Rigel will be sick for long, do you?” Bri suddenly asked me as we reached our table.
 

I looked up, startled. “What? Why?” I hadn’t denied it when she’d assumed in English he was sick, but I hadn’t confirmed it, either. I hoped her words weren’t a bad omen.

“The winter formal next week, silly! You guys are going, right?” Then, without waiting for me to answer, “How about you, Sean? Have you asked anybody to the dance yet?”

Clearly caught off guard, Sean shook his head. “Um, not yet. Who are you guys going with?”

Bri gave him such a flirtatious smile it was all I could do not to roll my eyes. “Depends on who asks me.”

They bantered back and forth, then Deb and Molly joined in. The whole scene suddenly struck me as surreal. How could everybody act so . . .
normal
when Rigel was in prison facing who knew what, while super-advanced, non-human aliens might be preparing to wipe us all out of existence? Not that any of them knew that last part, but still.

Pretending to be interested in my friends’ conversation, I focused on the first of those problems, determined to have Rigel back in Jewel by the end of the week. Finally, halfway through History, I hatched the beginnings of a plan. In Health class, I worked out more details while the teacher droned on about STDs. I was impatient now for school to end so I could get home to my scroll to double check a few things.

When I finally headed to the bus, I was startled to see Sean waiting by the curb. I knew he had basketball practice, so I hurried when he motioned me over.

“M, I should have told you this earlier, sorry,” he murmured so no one else could hear. “But, well, I was still pissed at Stuart for going along with that dumb running-away thing.”

“Told me what?” His worried expression put all my nerves on high alert.

He looked over my shoulder at my waiting friends, then back at me, pain and apology in his eyes. “Something my uncle said after you left our house last night. Not only does it sound like there’s no way Stuart is getting that antidote thing, he hinted that some folks in Montana might . . . take matters into their own hands. About his sentence, I mean.”

I stared at him, stricken, feeling all the blood leave my face. “What do you mean? They might . . . lynch him or something?” I remembered what we’d studied in History about the Ku Klux Klan. “He might not even get a trial?”

Sean shrugged, looking more miserable than ever. “I’m not sure. I asked, but he didn’t really answer, just looked . . . smug. I . . . thought you should know. I may not like Stuart much, but—”

“Thanks, Sean,” I said with an effort, fighting the panic that threatened to choke me. “I . . . I appreciate you telling me. Really.”
 

With a quick nod, he loped off to practice and I climbed onto the bus. When Deb asked me what was wrong, I just shook my head and pretended to listen to Bri’s plans for a shopping trip.

Once home, I had a bunch of chores to catch up on after being gone all weekend, which was frustrating since now I
really
needed to finish working out my plan. Fast as I tried to work, Aunt Theresa got home before I was done and kept me downstairs to help with dinner and then do the dishes.
 

Finally, claiming I was still tired from all my “work” over the weekend, I escaped to my bedroom, where I immediately pulled out my scroll and my notes. First I reread a few things I remembered from before, then used the index to double check the wording on a couple of statutes.
 

My homework went completely undone, but that was the absolute least of my worries. By eleven o’clock, I thought my plan was solid. It was gutsy, but
should
work, since I had Nuathan law and precedent on my side. The only problem was, once I convened the Council there would be no going back.

I’d originally planned to go to the O’Garas’ after school tomorrow and ask Allister to convene them, but after what Sean told me this afternoon, I was afraid to wait that long. Some of the Council might head back to wherever they lived, and any delay might give those people in Montana a chance do something awful to Rigel before I could act.

I put my ear to my bedroom door and listened until Uncle Louie was snoring good and loud, then I tiptoed downstairs to the kitchen, picked up the phone and dialed Rigel’s land line. Late as it was, I wasn’t surprised when it rang four times before Shim answered.
 

“Hello?” He sounded tired but also cautious, though I was sure caller ID told him who was calling.

“Shim, it’s M. How quickly can you reconvene the Council? It’s important.”

“Ah, one moment, Excellency.” There was a long pause, during which I could hear voices in the background. I hoped that was a good sign. Then, “Everyone is still in Jewel, though three members have early flights out of Indianapolis tomorrow. Perhaps next week we could—”

“No. It has to be before anyone leaves. Either right now, tonight, or they can cancel their flights and we’ll do it tomorrow. No later.”

There was another hushed conference at the other end of the line, then Shim said, “Very well, Princess. Shall I have Allister pick you up on his way here? He is at the O’Garas’ tonight.”