A Soldier in Love (25 page)

“We’re almost there,”
Rina
said breaking Michelle’s thoughts.

“Great,” Michelle replied
as she tried her best to muster up a smile.

To her relief they soon
arrived at
Rina’s
home. She fumbled with the door and
led the way inside.
Rina
showed her to a small
guestroom. Michelle sat her pack down.

“I’ll get you some
things to make your stay more comfortable. I’m sure you want to take a shower,”
Rina
said with a smile.

“Thank you.” Michelle
nodded and looked around the room.

Moments later
Rina
reappeared with an armful of fluffy white towels and
toiletries. Michelle wondered how many showers
Rina
thought she was going to take.

“Thank you,” Michelle
said gently as she took the towels from her arms.

“Do you mind if I go
for a walk? I just need to get some air. I’m… uh, not used to on the ground,
I’ve been in the shuttle for so long,” Michelle questioned her host.

She knew it might come
off as a bit rude but she needed to be alone for a few minutes. If not, she
wasn’t sure how she was going to pretend to be a normal Earth girl.

“I don’t mind at all,”
Rina
said gently to Michelle’s relief.

Michelle headed out the
door.

“Just don’t forget my
house number,”
Rina
called.

 
“I won’t. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

Michelle followed the
winding path that
Rina
had just taken her own back
down to the outdoor basketball courts. She watched from the sidelines as the
children played a game. It was a game of leisure and fun. She looked over the
children. Michelle smiled as joy overwhelmed her. Lately, it felt that all she
did was cry but this time there were no tears; only happiness.

This is why. This is why I went through all of this
so people could have a normal life.

The game finished and
the children began to disperse.

Michelle still stood on
the sideline as the sun began to slowly go down.

“You
wanna
play?” a young boy called out.

She grinned.
“Yeah, sure.”

“I
gotta
go inside,” he pointed to the sky with one hand and then passed the ball to
her. Michelle watched as the other children made their way back on the path as
well.

Michelle slowly dribbled
the ball on the court as she made her way towards the free throw line. She
balanced her weight and steadied herself. She dribbled a few more times before
she lined up her elbows and took a shot. She took a few shots as the ball
bounced off the rim. She didn’t know why but it was soothing. She took a few
more shots before she watched as the ball went through the hoop.

In that moment she felt
normal, she felt as though she was back on Earth.

Michelle felt the cool
wind blow through her hair. She watched as the sun set lower and decided it was
time to make her way back. She set the basketball down on the sidelines and
followed the path back to
Rina’s
house. She couldn’t
escape that without Serik she felt as though she was missing something,
something she couldn’t explain. It was something huge; it was a giant void,
an emptiness
, a lonely pit.

Michelle stepped up to
the house and saw
Rina
on the porch.

“Hey, you’re back,”
Rina
smiled warmly.

Michelle nodded. “Yeah,
sorry I just needed to clear my mind.”

“Understandable, you’ve
been through a lot to get here. Let’s get some dinner,”
Rina
offered.

“Please,” Michelle
replied.

Michelle followed
Rina
back in the house and to the kitchen.

“Babe,”
Rina
called upstairs. “Come down and meet Michelle, the
solider I told you
was
staying with us.”

Michelle heard thudding
footsteps as a large man appeared. He was much darker than both Bock and Serik
but he had the distinctive Baat look.

“Hey, I’m
Dru
,” he said embracing her in a hug.

“Uh, hi.
I’m Michelle,” Michelle replied tentatively hugging
him back.

How could I forget these people really like to hug?

“And I’m Kyle,” a young
boy introduced himself.
 
He quickly
followed
Dru’s
lead and also gave her a hug.

“You guys get out of
here and I’ll make dinner,”
Dru
announced.

“Do you like Baat
food?”
Rina
asked as she shot a look over to
Dru
.

Michelle nodded.

“Really?
Where did you have Baat food?”
Dru
asked.

Michelle shook her
head. “It’s a long story but I look forward to trying your cooking. Thank you
again for having me,” she replied with a small smile.

“Give me a few minutes
and it’ll be ready,”
Dru
called out as he began to
clamor around the kitchen.

Rina
motioned for Michelle to sit at the table. Michelle
sat down and relaxed, suddenly aware of how tired she was. It had been a long
draining day.

“What was it like being
in the Earth Army?” Kyle asked wide eyed as he climbed onto the chair next to
hers.

“A lot of pushups and
running,” Michelle replied with a wink.

“Oh, I’m a really fast
runner!” he exclaimed.

Michelle smiled.
“Yeah?
Tell me more.”

It was midday on Sora.
The warm sunshine shined down and a slight breeze blew. She was dressed down in
something besides her uniform. Her long hair freely flowed down her back. She
looked happy and relaxed. She looked beautiful.

Michelle’s sweet laughter
filled his ears. He held her in his arms as they sat on the bay. They looked
over the blue water. It had a peaceful and calming effect.

“The water on Earth, it
was blue?” Serik asked.

Michelle nodded. “It
was much like this actually.”

“I bet your planet was
beautiful,” he mused.

“Parts of it were,” she
said with a shrug.

“I know this isn’t the
same…” he started.
 

Michelle’s expression
suddenly changed. “What is it you have to tell me? Why did you bring me out
here?”

“I’m Cabaka,” he blurted
out without control. It was as though something else had possessed him to
speak; he hadn’t been in control of his own body. He gasped realizing the words
he had just spoken.

Her expression froze
before turning into one of complete disgust. It was the same look that he had
gotten his entire life. It was a look of hate, disgust, and betrayal.

“Michelle?” he tried. It
was no use. He had lost her.

His breathing became
labored and heavy. Abruptly, his eyes opened. It had been just a dream, but it
was also a reality. He would have to tell her, he couldn’t keep this up. She
would hate him.

Serik tossed and turned
but he just couldn’t get back to sleep. The dream had felt real. He shuddered
at the thought of her hating him.
Hate
,
he railed himself. He hated being without her. Every time he closed his eyes he
could see her beautiful face. He reached out for her but then quickly realized
she was not there.
Why would she be?

He grumbled and tried
to shake it off yet his mind still raced.

Should I really leave her after I take this
luvoxko
in? Should I say goodbye? Should I ask her to stay
with me? Should I tell her?

He
hungered for her in such a way that left him ravenous. He couldn’t sleep he
couldn’t eat, Hell he couldn’t even think straight. He wanted her more than he
had ever wanted anything in his entire existence.

He
closed his eyes again but sleep did not come.
 
He wondered if maybe he had waited his entire life for this female who
made him feel loved. She gave him everything he needed, love, acceptance, and
affection. She understood. He knew he loved her. He had ever since he first
laid eyes on her. The love grew as he became closer and closer to her.

But how did love happen anyway?
he
pondered. He supposed
it didn’t happen, but instead it just moved in swiftly and took its place
whether you protested it or not. It was unyielding to what the brain knew as
best. Worst of all he craved it more and more. He craved her more and more. He
sighed and fully stretched out on the body. He longed for her body to be next
to his.
 

Nonsense you survived your entire life without her
you can survive again. She will never accept you,
he sharply reminded himself.

But he wondered if he
really could survive without her. Michelle was his life. She was his everything.
He shut his eyes and finally sleep came back to take him away again for the
night.

Michelle had fallen
asleep without Serik next to her for the first time in a very long time. She
had thought it would be difficult task but as soon as she shut her eyes, sleep
overtook her. The next morning when she woke up, she felt empty. She lay in bed
for a few minutes not wanting to face the day. She finally summoned the courage
and strength to get up and take a shower.

She showered and brushed
her teeth. She wondered back to her room to see
Rina
perched on her bed like a cat, waiting on her.

“So, now that the boys
are gone I thought maybe you could tell me who that hunky Baat guy was who
dropped you off,”
Rina
grinned.

“Where did they go?” Michelle
asked as she wished
Rina
would quit asking about Serik.
Her heart ached every time she did.

“
Dru
took Kyle to school then he’s off to work,”
Rina
replied. “I got you some clothes to wear while you’re here. We hit the jackpot with
a shipment that came in from Earth. I think we got practically a whole
department store, clothes, makeup, perfume, the good stuff too. Try these on
and see if they fit. If not, I’ll go look again.”

Michelle looked down at
the jeans and long black sleeve shirt
Rina
had
brought her. She hated to admit it but in the short time
Rina
had known her she knew her style very well. It was simple and plain.

“Get changed and come
on downstairs and I’ll get you some breakfast,”
Rina
offered.

“Sure,” Michelle
smiled. She was becoming increasingly grateful for her host’s generosity.

Michelle slipped off
her uniform and put on the jeans and t-shirt. She chuckled a little when she
realized that
Rina
had also left her a pair of
stiletto high heels.

Yeah, I’ll just keep my army boots.

Michelle laced up her
boots and headed downstairs. She felt strange in her civilian clothes. She
realized how they showed her form. She couldn’t hide behind anything in her
current attire. Michelle shifted her weight uncomfortably. She felt exposed
without her uniform. Without the Earth Army, she would have to face the fact
that she was now a regular Earth woman again. She looked to
Rina
as she entered the kitchen.
Rina
was the vision of
beauty. Her hair was neatly placed on her head, she had a flawless application
of makeup on, and she was very well dressed. Michelle had never been good at
those sorts of things. Amy had always helped her if she needed to be dressed up
for something. She felt out of place. She felt odd. It was like being back on Earth
all over again.

“So, where in the US
are you from?”
Rina
asked as she poured Michelle a
bowl of cereal.

“I’m from Utah,”
Michelle replied.

“Ah, OK. I wasn’t too
far away. I lived in California. Oh, we don’t have cows here on Sora. Well, not
yet maybe we can get a dairy farm started soon but for now no milk. I have
something from Baat that kind of tastes like almond milk,”
Rina
offered.

“Of course, that’s
fine. Thank you again for letting me
stay
with you. I
guess I’d be on the street without you,” Michelle replied.

“Or at Ethan’s.
He has quite the crush on you, you know?”
Rina
chuckled.

Michelle shook her head
and smiled. It was true he had even come back to check on her. It didn’t seem
right to her to have male attention. It was still a new and foreign concept. Michelle
took several bites of food as
Rina
set down at the
table with her.

“
Rina
,
I went to Kano and no one could tell me what was happening on Earth,” Michelle
began in a soft, more serious tone.

“They probably didn’t
know. Our planet doesn’t concern them much, well, except for our women. Did you
know we are like supermodels out there? Who would have guessed it? Plus, that’s
out in the middle of nowhere. What were you doing out there?”
Rina
replied in almost a single breath.

Rina
reminded Michelle of a whirlwind. She slowly
processed everything she said before replying, “I was with Serik… It’s not
important.
Rina
, what is the current state of the Earth
wars?”

Rina
shook her head as her eyes grew dark. “I’m sorry
Michelle. I hate to be the one to have to tell you all of this…”

“Tell me,” Michelle
pleaded as her green eyes met
Rina’s
saddened brown
ones.

“Earth… Earth got
taken,”
Rina
stammered.

Michelle’s heart sank.
She wanted to scream but she held it together. For some reason it wasn’t
shocking news she had known it was going to happen. She listened closely to
Rina’s
words as she continued.

“Most everyone that
could, well, they left for other planets in the end. Sora is probably the
planet with the most resemblance to Earth,”
Rina
offered.

“Then why didn’t the Cabaka
just take this one?” Michelle questioned bitterly.

Rina
shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know.”

Michelle sighed and
relaxed into the chair. “
Rina
, there are a lot of
things I don’t know any more.”

“Does that include that
Baat guy who dropped you off?”
Rina
questioned.

Michelle nodded.

“How did you end up
with him?”
Rina
questioned.

“He saved this
soldier’s life,” Michelle replied as she nervously folded her hands in her lap.
“I’m afraid he won’t come back for me. All this time, I think I was just a
burden to him.”

“I could practically
feel the love he has for you radiating off of him. I know he will come back,”
Rina
said swiftly grabbing Michelle’s hand and squeezing
it.

Michelle shook her head
as she tried to hide the sadness in her eyes. “No, I don’t think so.”

Michelle felt empty.
She had truly lost everything. She had lost Serik.

“Don’t worry after the
party tonight, I’ll make sure he comes back to you,”
Rina
grinned.

Michelle furrowed her
brow. “What do you mean?”

“Oh, you’ll see.”

“
Rina
, even if he came back to me how could I possibly be
normal? With everything I’ve been through just how? How could I be good to
him?” Michelle sighed.
                                                      

“You
don’t have to be normal, just good,”
Rina
smiled.

***

Serik took the pack of
luvoxko
to the trader. He watched as he made the
intergalactic currency transfer to his account.

“This should complete
our transaction, trader. Thank you,” the man replied.

Serik continued forward
at a steady pace. He was tired,
no,
more than tired he
was exhausted. He had been up all of the previous night thinking of Michelle,
missing her, wanting her. He shook his head and tried to concentrate at the
task at hand. He had to go back to normal. Serik wondered if life could ever be
normal after Michelle. He knew it would be impossible to forget her and so it
seemed it would be impossible to move on without her.

He stopped when he
realized there was a temple in the area. He figured the Baat must have created
it during one of their explorations on Sora. Although it had been many years
since he had stepped foot inside one, he decided he would stop at the temple
and speak to a priest. Maybe a priest could offer a soul cleansing to help him
let Michelle go. He entered the large doors and stepped into the dimly lit
chapel area.

“My son, you came to
see me,” a hoarse voice called out. The small priest moved closer with a lamp.

“
Ahh
,
well,” Serik began feeling a bit out of place. He tried to remember his last
temple visit.

“Love matters trouble
you,” the priest said matter-of-factly.

He nodded as he
followed the priest to a secluded sanctuary. The many dim candles were the only
source of light.

“They do but as you
know I am both light and dark,” Serik replied.

“You are both light and
dark for a reason. God created as you as both light and dark to go between the
worlds, to gain understanding,” he replied. “She is also light and dark.”

“But not the same as
me,” Serik grumbled and shook his head.

“To her, your coloring
makes no difference. Humans are different,” the priest offered.

“It will make a
difference when I tell her my father was Cabaka. That my father raped my mother
and a product of both good and evil was born. I am half of what she hates. I am
what she was sent to kill.”

“But she did not. You
are lucky you have found her. She will bring you balance,” the priest said. “Go
back to her and ask. Ask her what she wants.”

“I… I don’t know,” Serik
faltered for words.

“Tell her what you are,”
the priest said firmly.

“What if she rejects me?”
Serik said with a look of shame in his eyes.

“Why would she? She
loves you,” the priest laughed.

***

The priest’s words
taunted Serik as he made his way back. He wondered if the priest was playing a
sick joke on him. As he walked he thought of her, she was the only thing on his
mind. He remembered when the first days, those days when she would curl up on
the couch unable to speak because she was in so much pain. He shuddered at the
thought of the state he found her in. The days when she first withdrew from the
memory fog, he had hoped and he had prayed that she would live. Sometimes he
would feel selfish for doing so. There were many nights she would wake up
crying. Her body would shake with the intensity of her sobbing.

“Why, Serik? Why was I
left?” she would ask.

He never knew what to
say but he knew how she felt. She felt lost and she felt alone. Those were two
very familiar feelings to him before she had come along. He wanted to say she
was left because he needed her, he loved her but he never did. He just held
her. He knew it could never be. He had allowed himself to grow closer and
closer to her because he just couldn’t stay away. She was irresistible. He
sighed he wished he was holding her now, just being near to her would ease his
aching heart. The priest’s words taunted him again as he continued forward. Perhaps
it was a cruel punishment for him to tell her the truth, but he would soon
cleanse his soul of his wrongdoing.