Tales of the Ragoon, Kate's Movie Star (2 page)

"Uh, no, I have one daughter," Carlos
responded.

"And where is she?"

"Huh?  I don't know.  She must be
around her somewhere?" He scratched his head.  "Kate! 
Kate!" he called.  He looked at his boys.  "Have you boys
seen Kate today?" he asked.  The three boys looked at each
other and then shook their heads.

"She must still be at school or maybe over at
a friends house," Carlos said to Jane.  "Who are you? 
Why are you here?  Is this about Kate?"

"My name is Jane Laurence," stated Jane
through gritted teeth.  "And yes, this is about Kate."

Carlos was alarmed now.  He stood
up.  "What's wrong," he demanded.  "Has something
happened to her?"

"Your daughter has been incarcerated at the
Merced Human Rehabilitation Center for five days now," exploded
Jane angrily.  "How is it that you haven't missed your
daughter?"

Carlos was stunned.  "Five days?" he
asked weakly.

"Five days," replied Jane grimly."

“No wonder we never got dinner in a while,”
said one of the boys. “I’m tired of pizza.”

"What did she do?" asked Carlos.

"She traveled without authorization," replied
Jane.

"How long is she in for?" asked Carlos.

Nonplussed, Jane searched for an
answer.  "Well, she was not actually supposed to be
incarcerated at the facility.  She was supposed to call you
and have you bring her home."

"So why didn't she?"

Jane reddened.  "There was a mix
up.  She was taken to a holding area."

"Ah," said Carlos as he nodded.  "So you
people made a mistake."

"That is not the point," responded Jane
crossly.  "You never noticed that your daughter was
missing."

"Si," answered Carlos sadly.  "I have
been busy, and Katey is so independent, but that is no
excuse.  I should have known that something was amiss. 
Can I go now and get her?"

"She will arrive shortly, but she is not
alone.  That is what I have come to discuss with you. 
Along with Kate, you will be getting a house guest. 
Technically Kate has been given to this man.  His name is
Runyon Silverstar."

Carlos turned to his sons. “Why didn’t you
tell me that your sister was missing?” he demanded.

They shrugged. “We thought you knew,” said
the smallest boy.

As Jane was speaking to her father, Kate was
listening in stupefaction to the District Supervisor.

"What?  You're giving me to
someone?  You're giving me to someone that I have never met?"
she asked angrily.

"You have met him," responded the
alien.  "He is right there."

Kate turned to glare at the man sitting on
the other end of the couch, who was nervously drumming his fingers
against his thigh.  He smiled weakly and shrank back. 
Kate turned back to the lizard.

"Why are you doing this?" she demanded. 
"I was just having a night out.  I was only a few miles from
my home.  My Dad doesn't care if I go out.  He probably
didn't even know that I was gone."

"You were fifteen miles from your home, you
did not have your Comprehensive Personal License with you, and you
are right.  Not only did you not have a note from your owner,
your owner did not even know that you were missing, and he has not
been aware of your absence for five days."

That last part stung.  Had her father
not even known that she was missing?  She knew that she was
not a son, and that he considered his sons his pride and joy, but
did she mean that little to her father?

"I'm an American," she responded
bravely.  "I'm a free person and I won't be anyone's
possession.  I'll never understand you barbaric beings."

The alien leaned forward menacingly. 
Kate pressed back against the seat.

"You are lucky that you are not on your way
to the Moon.  Do you understand that?"

It's voice had changed.  There was a
threatening quality to it that Kate had not detected until
now.  Maybe she was just imagining it. Whatever the reason,
Kate swallowed and then nodded.

"When you see my assistant again, you may
thank her that you are still on this planet.  Now get out of
my office.  Someone will be sent to escort you to your
transportation."  The Ragoon waved them away.

The man lifted a hand.  "Before I go,
may I ask if I can get my car back soon?"

Now the alien gave him the same menacing
look.  "Are you speaking of the car that you were driving when
you almost killed me and my assistant and this girl?  At this
moment, it is a large, what do you humans call it, paperweight that
is sitting on a dock in Oakland, waiting to be shipped to
China."

"You crushed a Maserati?" asked the stunned
man.

"Into a very small block of metal," the alien
responded with a touch of satisfaction in it's mechanical
voice.  “Now get out.”

In a daze, the man followed Kate out the
door.

Outside of the alien’s office, Kate rounded
on the man.  "I don't care what they say. I am not your
property."

The man held up his hands.  "Hey, I know
that.  I'm just as much of an American as you are."

"And don't try to...to take liberties with my
body," Kate said as her face reddened.

The man snorted, "Take liberties with your
body?  Geeze kid, what century are you from?  Here's some
news.  Girls these days say, 'Don't try anything.’ 
That's if they don't use the F word."

So Kate used the word, after looking around
to make sure that her father wasn't around by some weird unlucky
chance.

The man sighed.  "Look, kid, let's back
up a little.  What's your name?"

Kate scowled.  "My name is Kate Garcia,
and I'm not a kid.  I'm seventeen."  Well, I will be in
about a week, she thought.

"My mistake," the man responded
politely.  "My name is Runyon Silverstar." 

He smiled his trademarked smile and
waited.  Kate gave him an impersonal nod.  He frowned and
waited some more.  She looked bored. He stared at her.

"You don't know who I am, do you?" he
said.

Kate lifted her nose.  "Should I?" she
asked in a saccharin voice.

"I'm a famous movie star," he said
indignantly.  "I was the lead in three movies.  I was up
for a part in 'MacKenzie's Rock!'"

"Never heard of it," sniffed Kate as she
lied.  "Never heard of you, either."  This was the
truth.

"Geeze, where have you been hiding?" Runyon
grumbled.  "Under a rock?"

"So sorry, Your Greatness," responded Kate
sarcastically.

At that moment, a golf cart driven by a
scrunched over lizard, pulled up.

"Get in," it said through its translator.

Kate had to sit close to Runyon.  She
scowled at him when he put his arm on the back of the seat, so that
his arm was behind her.  She leaned forward, so that she
didn't have to contact his arm.  He chuckled which made her
even madder.

The lizard took them to a parking lot. 
Jane and a Ragoon were there, standing next to a van.  Runyon
winced when he saw that the van had a crease on its left side.

"Get in," Jane said. 

Runyon waited politely as Kate climbed into
the back of the van.  Kate sat down on one of the sideways
seats.  Runyon climbed into the van, and he sat down next to
Kate.  Kate moved to the other side of the van.

The drive to Livingston took about twenty
five minutes.  After a few minutes, Kate said to Jane over the
roar of the engine, "The lizard said that I should thank you for
saving me from the Moon."

"It was the District Supervisor. I don't
think that you were in any real danger," replied Jane.  "But
it would be a good idea to check your temper when you speak to
those of them in authority."

They arrived at Kate's home.  Kate's
father was standing on the porch.  The lizard got out and
opened the back door of the van, so that Runyon and Kate could
exit.

"Katey," hollared Carlos as he rushed to
embrace her.

"Hello, Dad," Kate mumbled.  She wanted
to ask him if he really hadn't noticed that she was missing. 
She dreaded his answer.

"Hey, Kate," called her brothers as they
tumbled out of the house.  They hurried to the curb.

"Where have you been, Kate?" asked Matt with
a grin.  "The house is a mess."

Juan and Peter vigorously agreed.  Kate
sighed.

"We have a few things to discuss," said
Jane.  "Let's go into the house."  She glanced
around.  Curious neighbors were gathering across the
street.

They went into the house.  Runyon
noticed Peter staring at him.  He gave the teenager his
trademarked grin.  Peter's jaw dropped.

"I know who you are!" he exclaimed. 
"You're Runyon Silverstar.  Are you Kate's new boyfriend?"

"He's not my boyfriend," snapped Kate. 
"He's...he's..." She paused unable to think of a way to describe
Runyon.

"He's Kate's owner," explained Juan to
Peter.

"He's not my owner!"  Kate denied
angrily, outraged that her brother would even suggest such a
thing.

"Katey," interjected her father.  "Sit
down.  Let's just get through this."

Still muttering angrily, Kate sat down on the
sofa. 

Runyon started to sit next to her, but one
look at her mutinous face caused him to select a nearby chair
instead.  The others sat or stood around, except for the alien
who was slightly stooped over to avoid banging it's head on the
ceiling.

"Kate, I know that this is hard for you,"
began Jane.  "But according to the Ragoon, temporarily at
least, you do belong to Runyon.  This situation will be in
place for one year, after which, it will be reviewed.  Also,
you are forbidden to leave the city limits of Livingston without
permission from the Ragoon.  Neither Runyon or your father can
overrule this.  I'm sorry, Kate, but that's the way it
is."

"So what if I ignore this stupid rule," spat
out Kate.  "What are they going to do?  Send me to the
Moon?"

"Possibly," was Jane's calm answer. 

Kate subsided.  Now she remembered her
conversation with the District Superintendent.  Perhaps it had
not been joking.

Jane turned to Runyon.  "Runyon, you are
responsible for Kate.  For the next year, you will live in
this house.  You will see to it that Kate does not get into
any further trouble.  A modest amount of funds will be
released from your bank account each month for you to live
on.  In addition, you may withdraw up to ten thousand dollars
so that you can purchase a car."

"Ten thousand dollars!" moaned Runyon. 
"What the hell kind of car can you buy with only ten thousand
dollars?"

"Try a used car," suggested Jane who looked
unsympathetic.

"So I’ve been sentenced to a year in
purgatory," growled Runyon.  "Anything else, I ought to
know?"

"A couple of things," answered Jane. 
"First, you are under the same restriction as Kate.  You may
not leave the city limits of Livingston without permission from the
Ragoon.  Second and probably more important, you should know
that, in a way, you belong to Kate."

"What?" said Runyon and Kate
simultaneously.

"At the end of the year, the Ragoon are going
to ask for a report from Kate on your attitude and behavior. 
This report will largely determine what the dispensation of your
case will be.  So you see, in a way, Kate is your parole
officer.  You belong to Kate for the next year.  Try not
to upset her."

Kate and Runyon turned and stared at each
other. Jane excused herself, returned to the van and left.

“Well, this sucks,” said Runyon.

“Big time,” agreed Kate gloomily.

“Uh...I’m kinda hungry, Kate,” said
Peter.

Kate looked at Peter who was looking back at
her hopefully. She sighed.

“Yeah, okay,” she said. She got up and went
into the kitchen.

“Aw, Geeze,” she moaned when she saw the
shape it was in. Grumpily she began cleaning five day’s worth of
messy males.

Runyon was about to follow when Kate’s father
said, “Runyon.”

Runyon gave him a polite inquisitive smile,
but he began to drum his fingers against his thigh. The man did not
smile back.

“Runyon,” the man repeated. “That’s your
name? Runyon Silverstar?”

“That’s me,” replied Runyon agreeably.

“The Ragoon have given Kate to you.” There
was still no smile.

“Not my idea,” answered Runyon defensively.
“Nothing I could do about it.”

“And now you’re going to be living here for
the next year.”

“Not my idea, either. Nothing I can do about
it."

“Just remember. She’s MY daughter.”

“Of course.”

Carlos gave him an intense look for another
moment, and then, satisfied that Runyon had gotten his message; he
got up and wandered off.

Runyon considered how the rest of the year
was likely to be. He shuddered. He got up and went into the
kitchen. Kate had cleared off enough space to begin cooking dinner.
Her brothers waited impatiently at the table.

Runyon was feeling a little hungry himself.
He hung around feeling awkward until Kate set the table and served
the food. Runyon looked down blankly at the Hamburger Helper and
the sliced lettuce. Kate’s brothers and father dug in without
ceremony.

Runyon stared at the food for a moment and
then took a tentative bite. He groaned to himself. This is it, he
thought? He looked at the others. No one seemed to think that there
was anything wrong with this meal. No one seemed to find it
lacking. Stifling a sigh, he began to eat.

Kate kept her eyes down and with determined
effort ate the overly salty food. She was trying hard to avoid
showing how embarrassed she was that she was serving a guest such a
low rent meal. But what did he expect? It’s not like she had had
the time to prepare a connoisseur’s delight. Still, she wished that
her father had restocked the refrigerator while she was gone. Some
sliced tomatoes would have been nice. Some grated Swiss cheese
would have made this dish a little more palatable.