Under Different Stars (9 page)

Trey, running beside me, scans me critically before signaling to the others to stop. Sinking to a rock beneath a shady tree, I pant, fighting the urge to double over from the cramp in my side. Sweat is pouring down the sides of my face, not only from the exertion of running through the woods, but also from the heat. It’s tropical here and I’m still used to winter temperatures. Jax tries to hand me a protein bar, but I push it away from me, shaking my head. The smell of it right now is enough to make me gag.

“You have to eat it, Kricket,” Jax says cajolingly, crouching down near me. “It will keep you healthy.”

“It will…make me...hurl,” I pant. “Give me a…second. I might be able…to eat it…once I…catch my breath.” I lean over feeling cold, even when I know that I’m as red as fruit punch. Closing my eyes and opening them, my whole world tilts, making me slip off the rock to the ground. From far away, Trey says my name, but I can’t seem to answer him.

**

Water swirls around me as I open my eyes. I shiver, realizing I’m in Trey’s arms. He’s standing chest deep in crystal blue water with Wayra pacing on the bank only steps away. Clutching Trey closer to me, my cheek remains on his shoulder. Watching a bead of water slip down his powerful neck, I hear Jax say, “She’s waking up.”

Trey, cupping his hand in the water, pours some of it over my hair. It drips down the sides of my face, cooling me. “Let’s get her out. I’ll get the visor and we can check her vitals.”

As Trey wades out of the pond with me in his arms, I try to lift my head from his shoulder. It makes me dizzy so I lay it back. It’s then I notice that I’m only in my bra and underwear. A blush creeps into my cheeks as I hug Trey tighter to me. Wayra meets us on the bank, draping a blanket over us. Trey sits down with me on his lap. He leans against a tree trunk holding me securely to his chest. Peeking at his face, he seems angry as he smoothes my hair back from my face.

Hurrying over with the visor that looks like grandma goggles, Trey sets them on my eyes. Everything is green as I gaze around at the water in front of us. Flashing green lights and readouts occupy the peripherals of the glasses, but the information is running faster than I can possibly read it.

“Ho!” Jax exclaims next to me.

Immediately, Trey’s arms tighten on me as he barks out, “What? How bad is it?”

“Naw, it’s not bad…it’s just…Kricket…” Jax breathes, like he’s in awe. “Look at this brain activity…it’s massive.”

“What do you mean?” Trey asks with relief in his tone.

Jax grins. “She’s lighting everything up. Look at her frontal lobe…it’s off the charts.”

“What does that mean? Is she healthy?” Trey growls.

Jax nods enthusiastically. “She’s healthy! We didn’t fry her with heat stroke, that’s for sure. Or, if we did, she’s got more brain activity than anyone I’ve ever seen to compensate for it,” he replies, sounding seriously geeked about it.

“Those things aren’t broken, are they?” Trey asks speculatively.

“No…here.” Jax pulls them off my face. “Wayra, come here.”

Wayra walks over and Jax puts the glasses on his eyes. “See! He’s normal, well, normal for him. See how it doesn’t light up in these areas?” he points out to Trey.

“Yes.”

“Now watch this,” he says, taking the glasses off of Wayra, he places them back on my face. “See? It’s like Christmas in Chicago with all those lights,” Jax says proudly.

“So that means she’s smart?”

Jax beams. “Yeah, she’s smart! She’s brilliant! There’s no telling what she can do.”

“If she’s so smart, why did she run until she almost popped? Why didn’t she just tell us she needed to rest?” Wayra asks derisively.

“Personality flaw,” Trey replies. “She’s going to show us that she’s not weak.”

“She’s sitting right here,” I murmur, pulling the glasses off my face and handing them to Jax. “Where are my clothes?” I ask, still shaking as I pull the blanket closer to me.

Wayra points to the branch of the tree where my t-shirt and shorts are hanging, dripping wet, from being rinsed off. “Don’t you know that you’re supposed to be slower?” Wayra scolds me, frowning and sounding irritated, like I’ve scared him. “You’re small and you’re female. We’re trained to be fast, so we don’t know when we’re going too fast for you unless you tell us.”

“I’ve trained, too,” I reply, frowning back. “I run up and down stairs for a living. It’s just that it’s hot here.”

Jax hands me the canteen and says, “Drink this until it’s gone. You have to be rehydrated.”

“Okay,” I agree, having a hard time holding the canteen because I feel weak. “Sorry. I’m not usually this lame.”

“You should be sorry,” Trey scolds me. “You’re old enough to know when you need to rest. Don’t make us treat you like a child.”

“I’m not a child,” I reply, lifting my chin.

“Then, don’t act like one,” he says with his eyebrows coming together. Looking at Wayra, he orders, “Find us shelter. We have to rest now. We can resume tonight.”

“Yes, sir,” Wayra says, turning and running off.

I sigh. “I’m going to be okay soon, then we can go.” Trey’s jaw just gets tighter as he ignores me. Jax presses the gross protein bar into my hand.

Jax tries to soften Trey’s anger. “She’s looking better, I just can’t figure out what’s wrong with her feet,” Jax says, looking stumped.

“My feet?” I lift my feet so that they’re peeking out from beneath the blanket. They look normal to me, but Jax still has a concerned expression. “There’s nothing wrong with my feet.”

“Uh, your toenails are a stunning shade of pink,” he replies, and at first I think he’s joking, but concern is still there in his eyes.

I struggle to suppress a smile. “Jax, that’s nail polish.” I wiggle my toes demonstratively.

Jax’s eyebrow quirks and it’s accompanied soon after by a crooked smile. His eyes narrow as he gives me a sidelong glance. “What’s nail polish?”

“Paint…for your toes,” I murmur, grinning.

“Why?” he wonders, looking intrigued.

“Uh,” I shrug, “I don’t know…because it’s pretty?” He glances back at my feet again, his brow wrinkling in thought.

“Yes…” he says distractedly. “It does have a certain allure…” he trails off when Trey reaches down and covers my feet with the blanket again, scowling at us both.

“SIR!” Wayra barks, running back to us. “You gotta see this!”

Trey tenses before lifting me in his arms as he stands. “Report.”

“The knob knockers, sir, they’re close and they’re breaking every restriction ever enacted,” Wayra reports, sounding anxious. “They have E-Ones and ALVs. It’s a good thing we stopped here, or we would’ve run right into them.”

“How close are they?”

“Two, maybe three clicks to the north, sir.” He leads us to a sheltered break in the trees. It takes me awhile to see the almost silent, hovering, helicopter-like vehicle skimming the trees on the horizon. It’s followed, not far behind, by a larger, black aircraft that resembles a bullet. Seeing it, my heart pounds in my chest because the black one looks more like a spaceship than a plane. There is nothing like it on Earth that I know of.

Trey speaks softly, “The Alameeda know where we came in and they know where we’re going.”

“They seem willing to risk a global incident by violating airspace to get what they came for,” Jax says, and then everyone turns to stare at me.

“Oh, c’mon!” I grumble, feeling fear course through me. “I can’t be
that
important. Maybe they’re just here to pick up the knob knockers. Here, let me down,” I add wiggling in Trey’s arms.

Trey sets me gently on my feet, but he holds me tightly to his side, making sure I don’t fall down. “Not a very fair fight,” Jax mutters under his breath, looking at Trey. “They gotta know we didn’t bring any real weapons with us. Just the archaic, legal kind.”

Trey rubs my arm absently. “We’ll have to evade for now. I hate running from them.”

“I hate being tortured, so evasion sounds absolutely acceptable to me,” Jax replies.

“WHAT!” I gasp, breathing faster.

Trey shoots Jax a look full of censure. “They won’t torture you, Kricket,” Trey assures me.

“But, they’ll torture you?” I ask as my eyes go wide.

He shrugs. “They may just kill us. They can’t afford to have witnesses.”

I straighten as adrenaline pumps into me. “Right. Okay, let’s go,” I urge them sternly, holding his hand and tugging him back as hard as I can. Glancing at my hand in his, Trey’s eyes move up to my face. “Move it!” I repeat as I grasp his wrist and tug him in the direction away from the ships. “Let’s go!”

“Are you scared?” Trey asks, frowning at me. “I—”

My eyebrows slash together. “You bet your ASS I’m scared, so let’s MOVE before someone gets TORTURED!” I yell at them, tugging harder on Trey’s arm.

Jax smiles despite my fear. “We’re wagering now?” Jax asks. “What’s an ass and how many fardrooms do you think it’s worth?” Ignoring Jax, I pull on Trey’s hand again.

“They don’t know where we are yet, Kricket,” Trey assures me gently. “We’ll find shelter and stay down. Tonight, when it’s dark, we’ll change our trajectory and travel toward the Comantre territory,” he explains in a soothing tone. “They won’t expect it, because they don’t know that we’ve seen them.”

I stop tugging on his arm; it’s futile anyway, I haven’t managed to move him at all. “Okay,” I nod with my grip easing on his hand a little. “Can we find that shelter now? And can we go this way?” I point away from the terrifying ships.

“Yes,” Trey replies as he takes my hand in his. His grip is tight enough to be reassuring. To my relief, he allows me to lead him away as the Alameeda ships continue their search for us.

CHAPTER 8

WHAT’S IT GONNA TAKE

Trey scoops me up in his arms again, carrying me back to the small pond to collect their gear and my clothes. As I shrug back into what’s left of my jeans, Wayra says, “You’ll have to explain those pink garments to us later, Kricket.” Blushing, I pull my damp t-shirt on over my head.

I look around at the trees anxiously, feeling as if Kyon is going to jump out at us at any second. When I meet Wayra’s unwavering stare, I reply, “Wayra, if we get out of this alive, I’ll give them to you.”

“Promise?” he asks me, looking excited.

“Yeah, I pinky swear,” I reply with sarcasm, holding up my little finger to him.

“Excellent!” he breathes. Looking away from Wayra, Jax and Trey are both frowning at me.

“What?” I ask, feeling jumpy. “You want them, too?”

“Can you walk?” Trey asks, holding his hand out for me to take.

“Yes,” I say with a worried frown, taking it immediately.

“You haven’t eaten your protein bar,” Jax scolds, pointing to it in my other hand.

“Are you serious? Kyon, Forester, and Lecto are probably out there somewhere and you’re worried about my protein bar?”

“Yes,” Jax gives me a stubborn nod.

I open my mouth and shove the entire thing in it, chewing it quickly. “Hop-py?”

“Yes, now we can go.” Jax extends his hand, offering me a mint leaf. I snatch it from him, chewing faster so I can pop it in my mouth.

Moving west, we’re careful to remain under the thick canopy of branches. It’s creepy how quiet the aircrafts are. No rotors propel the helicopter, or as they call it, the “E-One.” It hums and is creating a rustling of branches that has quieted the wildlife around us. As it slinks along, the E-One makes sweeping passes, missing us by what I consider fractions, but the distance doesn’t seem to be concerning either Trey or Jax.

When I notice that Wayra is no longer with us, I panic and pause. “Where’s Wayra?”

“He’s right behind us covering our tracks,” Trey answers calmly, squeezing my hand reassuringly. He smiles at me with a puzzled expression, causing my heart to pick up a little more. He’s probably the most attractive person I’ve ever met and I’m starting to find the way he makes me feel when he smiles irritating.

“Okay,” I fumble nervously.

“Are you worried?” Trey asks.

“Uh—yeah,” I reply with a hint of sarcasm because “worried” is an understatement.

Trey’s eyes soften. “Why? I said that the Alameeda wouldn’t torture you.” Trey squeezes my hand lightly. It’s meant to be reassuring.

“Yes, I heard you say that.” I scan the sky above us to see if I can locate the E-One.

“Do you believe me?” Trey asks.

“You’re telling the truth.”

He gives me a sidelong-look. “That’s an odd thing to say. How do you know I’m telling the truth?”

I shrug. “I just know.” I lower my eyes from his as I drop my chin.

“Well, if you just know, then you can stop worrying.”

“Right,” I mutter and suppress the impulse to roll my eyes. “Just because you
think
they won’t torture me, doesn’t mean they won’t. So for now, I’m safer with you.”

Trey pauses and frowns. “Why do you think they’d torture you?”

“I met Kyon. I know the look,” I reply, not sure why I’m being so honest with him.

“What look?” His jaw grows perceptibly tighter.

My eyes shy away from his. “The look of someone who sees me as a means to an end.”

“Have you encountered that look often?” he asks in a quiet way. His expression is unreadable.

“Often enough.”

“And I don’t have that look?”

“No. You’re indifferent; that makes you safer. You have no need to lie to me.”

“How do you know that?” he asks while holding back a tree branch for me as we move on.

I bite my lower lip before I reply absently. “You’ve always been honest with me.” I watch the sky. “You don’t want anything from me except my cooperation so you can do your job and get rid of me. You don’t even care if I know it. That makes you very different from Kyon. The first thing that Kyon did when we met was lie.”

“Sir, check this out,” Jax says ahead of us. Peering into a dark cave, it’s partially shrouded by winding vines and vegetation.

Dropping his gear, Trey rummages through his bag, pulling out a small case. He flips it open and quickly assembles a wicked-looking crossbow with metal tipped projectiles that resemble notched, elongated spikes. He extracts a very sexy pair of sunglasses from the case. As he puts them on, he orders, “Wait here.”

“You’re wearing sunglasses into a dark cave?” I ask with a skeptical expression.

“They’re night-vision.”

“Why didn’t you use those in the cave on Earth?” I ask, thinking the headlamps are ridiculous if you have
tres
chic night vision.

“Because there are very specific rules for using our technology while on Earth.” He hoists the crossbow up.

“Do you always follow the rules?”

“Yes.”

“Ugh, you’re a boy scout.”

“I’m not a boy. I’m an adult.”

“Good for you. Where are you going, old man?” I ask, not at all sure why I feel so anxious about him leaving me.

“I’m going to investigate this cave—make sure the only saer in it is you,” he replies, and Jax laughs.

“Good luck, don’t get eaten—or do, whichever,” I reply sarcastically, but my heart is pounding in my chest because he’s going in there alone. Trey smirks before walking cautiously into the cave. Jax efficiently assembles his crossbow, raising it quickly and aiming it as Wayra steps through the break in the trees.

“It’s me,” Wayra says in a low tone, watching Jax lower the weapon.

“Did they shadow you?”

“My shadow didn’t even shadow me.”

“Crystal,” Jax says, tossing the crossbow to Wayra. He rummages through his bag again, coming up with two pairs of sunglasses and handing one to me.

“Where’s my crossbow?”

“What?” Jax smiles his crooked smile.

“My weapon?”

“You want a recurve?” he asks, while assembling another crossbow.

“Crossbow, recurve, whatever you call it. Do I get a weapon?”

“No,” Jax replies, smiling at Wayra and nodding toward me, like he thinks I’m adorable.

“Why not?” I put my hands on my hips.

“I can think of a few reasons: you’re a female, you’re not trained to use it, you’re our ward, I don’t want to be shot, and if you end up killing Kyon, we’ll be laughed out of the Cavars,” Jax replies, grinning.

“What does my being a female have anything to do with it?”

“You’re small and weak,” he replies, like he’s never heard of the feminist movement.

My mouth hangs open for a moment before I snap it shut. “I’m not small,” I say between my teeth.

“You’re tiny,” Jax counters.

“Runt,” Wayra agrees.

“I’m five foot ten.”

“See, you’re not even a link,” Jax states.

“What’s a link?” I ask, closing my eyes and rubbing my forehead.

“About six feet,” he replies. “Don’t get me wrong, it’s polar to be a female your size—absolutely polar—”

“Positively polar,” Wayra agrees.

“Polar?” I growl.

“Attractive…alluring…” Jax says, thinking.

“Sexy?” I ask, feeling heat in my cheeks.

Nodding adamantly, Wayra agrees, “Sexy. Polar.”

Continuing to assemble his weapon, Jax smiles. “But you’re deceptively strong. It must be because you’re used to more gravity. Your muscles are stronger. You can run farther with more endurance than the average female on Ethar.”

“Is that it?” Wayra asks Jax. “I was wondering. She was keeping up with us for so long, I couldn’t figure it out.”

“If I promise not to shoot you, will you give me a recurve?” I ask again, getting back to them arming me so I can defend myself.

“No,” they both say in unison.

“Clear,” Trey says, emerging from the mouth of the cave, startling me. “Gather the gear.” Looking at me, Trey says, “Good, you have glasses. Let’s go.” Grasping me by the elbow, he leads me deep into the cave to a rounded out cavern where he instructs Wayra and Jax to drop the gear.

Taking out a bedroll, Trey hands it to me, saying, “Here, try to get some sleep. We’re staying here until it gets dark. Then, we’ll head west.” I nod, spreading out the blanket. Lying down on the hard ground, every little sound makes my eyes fly open. When Wayra comes back from his patrol to report that the E-One and ALV have headed north, I see them all visibly relax. My eyes droop then, and even though I’m freaked, I’m also completely exhausted, so I sleep.

**

Waking up, Jax smiles at me from across the small fire, asking, “Kricket, are you hungry?”

I sit, stretching my sore muscles. “I’m starving,” I admit.

Jax hands me a wrapped package. It’s another small pie, but this one tastes like eggs. “It’s quiche,” he says, helpfully.

“It’s good. Thanks,” I murmur, taking another bite. Trey watches me eat. “How long did I sleep?”

“About six parts-and before you ask, a part is roughly an hour,” Trey replies. “But, we still have a few parts before we can leave.”

“Okay.” I finish my food. “Any sign of the knob knockers?” I see Trey cringe, while Wayra smothers a laugh.

“Kricket, ‘knob knockers’ is not proper language for a young female, such as yourself,” Trey says, sounding old. “And no, they continued north.”

I grin at Trey. “You don’t think my saying ‘knob knockers’ is
polar
?” I ask, hearing Jax and Wayra crack up.

“No, I don’t,” Trey replies, looking sourly at Wayra, who suddenly finds the ceiling interesting. “I think you’ll fit in better if you refrain from using those kinds of words.”

“Who said I want to fit in—or that I even
can
fit in?”

“Why wouldn’t you fit in?” Both Jax and Wayra look down because they
know
I won’t fit in.

“Because I’m a realist and this is
my
life you’re playing with, Cavar,” I reply. “You think you’re delivering me home. I disagree.”

“You can fit in, you just have to try,” Trey insists.

“How do you propose I do that? Are you going to teach me etiquette?” I laugh.

“Yes. Why not?” he responds, staring back at me like he has just agreed to a dare.

Smiling at him, I ask, “What makes you think I’m uncouth?”

“I didn’t accuse you of being uncouth, just easily influenced by others.” He glares at Wayra, who looks unrepentant.

“Okay, this should kill an hour—uh a part,” I amend. “Where would you like to begin teaching me to be a proper Rafe citizen?”

“Let’s start with salutations,” he says, standing up and offering me his hand to help me up. Ignoring it, I rise on my own, facing him. “How would you greet someone?”

“Depends. Are you a friend, an acquaintance, a business associate, a teacher, a family member, or a boyfriend?” I ask.

“A boyfriend,” Wayra says.

Trey scowls at him, and then he turns to me and answers, “In a formal situation.”

I hold out my hand to him. When he doesn’t take it, I take his hand in mine, shaking it firmly, saying, “Hello, Trey, it’s very nice to meet you.”

Jax mimics me, taking Wayra’s hand and saying, “Wayra, it’s very nice to meet you.”

Wayra pushes Jax away, saying, “Get off.” Then he shivers, like his skin is crawling.

“What’s wrong?”

“He touched me,” Wayra says, frowning.

“So?”

“So, he’s going to get hurt if he does it again,” Wayra replies and Jax grins.

“You don’t shake hands?”

“No,” Trey says. “Males rarely touch each other.”

“Really?”

“And females rarely touch males that they don’t know or that aren’t a part of their family,” he adds, making me feel awkward all of a sudden.
I’ve been holding his hand all day
, I think, feeling stupid.

“Okay, so touching is bad. What do I do?” I ask, letting go of his hand.

“If we are peers, then you incline your head, like a nod, but pause for a moment before you lift your head,” he demonstrates.

I try to suppress a giggle, mimicking him. He sees it and grins, asking, “What?”

“It’s just the opposite of the hood greeting. In the hood, you lift your chin up and say, ‘sup,’” I explain. “Do I say anything when I incline my head?”

“‘Greetings,’ is standard. If you know my name, you may say it.”

“Ah, just like Kyon, but he touched me,” I murmur. Trey frowns at my words. “How do you greet someone who’s not a peer?”

With his eyebrows still together, he answers, “If you’re greeting royalty, then you drop to one knee and incline your head, bringing your right arm up to your shoulder.” He demonstrates, looking extremely elegant and poised.