Invited

Thirty-Seven - Wicken

Layla insisted Talia be given her own place. I didn't feel all too comfortable with the idea. Mostly because I saw the death glares Layla gave her when her back was turned. Talia's safety was my responsibility now, and who knew what my new alien boss had up her sleeve. I didn't think she'd kill Talia, but there were plenty of ways to make her miserable.

So I brought Talia home to my apartment. Not sure how this was going to work, but I was determined to figure it all out. After my meeting with Layla, I found Talia shivering and waiting in the hall under Cory's stern gaze. She was about to lose it. Woman was petrified, and she still was even when it was just the two of us.

"I'm not going to hurt you," I said. "I know your boyfriend."

"Right," she said and sat down on the bed. Then she took one look at me and stood up again.

Rolling my eyes, I poured her a glass of water in the kitchen, hoping it would calm her down some. "We're fairly new acquaintances. I don't know if he told you about me, but I'm Wicken. Try to relax, because you're safest here with me. If you go into shock, I'll have to call Medical, and then I don't know what's going to happen."

She took the water from me when I handed it to her and drank about half of the glass. "He mentioned you and your story. I'm...guessing we're...with the other species of aliens he mentioned. The Gorgonzola."

"Gorgachan, but close enough. Yes, you're with them."

"Which means...I'm not going to...see him...again..." And she started to cry. Great. Being sympathetic to crying girls I didn't know always came across as awkward and fake. Her reaction wasn't exactly what I would call hopeful either to my situation. If Timber gave her the impression that I was lost, then he was probably onto something. He had connections.

I got myself a drink and sat at the counter. "Look, if I have things my way, you'll get back to him. Pretty sure that is the ultimate plan – to give you back. His happiness is important to the overall mission or something like that, so don't give up hope just yet." My words felt vain.

"I can't wrap my mind around this now," she whispered. "It's too big. Why did that girl want to kill me? Do you know who she is?"

I shook my head, remembering the blonde with the long curly hair. She seemed familiar, but I didn't have a name to go along with the face. "People are crazy. Don't try to tackle everything at once. Maybe take a break instead. Lie down, get some rest, and later on I'll show you the ropes of the joint."

She laughed. "The joint, prison, a lifetime sentence masked as mercy."

"How poetic," I mumbled and went over to sit on the other side of the bed.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Lying down so I can relax. I'm kind of sore, tired, and pissed off right now. Can't say I'm going to sleep, but given all of the stuff I've done in the past few days, I deserve to kick back. Besides, this is my usual nap time. If you're going to rest, I should do something not too disturbing. Maybe I'll read a book, but I have got to kick back and stretch," I explained, propping up a pillow so I could at least sit up a little while I lounged.

"And you have to do that here?"

I rolled my eyes. "Where else? This is my room, now our room, because I don't think you want to be on your own. I'm not sure if anyone is going to try to hurt you. The only person I can speak for is myself. Layla, the other Gorgachan - you're a tool to them. They don't care much about your well-being. Also, the floor is concrete, and my chairs aren't made for lounging in. Oh, and the bed is huge if you hadn't noticed. Bigger than a king-sized so I shouldn't start spooning with you randomly. Not like I roll around or whatever in the first place. I just lay still, promise."