The Lunar Chronicles: Cresswell's Adventures

Chapter Six

Kai stood at the end of the ramp looking formal, hands behind his back, chin up, though excitement lit up his eyes.

"Welcome back, Cress and Thorne! How were France and London?"

"It was great. We met up with Scarlet and Wolf and sat on top of the Eiffel Tower, watching a marvelous sunset, wishing we didn't have to go the see the one and only emperor."

Kai rolled his eyes. "A bit overly dramatic, don't you think?"

Cress's eyes wandered around until she landed on the palace behind Kai. She recalled how she had broken into the control room, Wolf guarding her, as she disabled the security network and temporarily shut down the cameras. She gave Cinder a chance to execute her plan, which was to kidnap the emperor and include him in the plan for the revolution on Luna. And it worked.

It was one of her proudest moments.

"So," Kai said, scratching his neck, "how's Cinder?" Cress could hear the longing laced in Kai's voice, attempting to mask it with nonchalance. But she knew better.

"Your queen is ruling a bunch of mind-manipulating people, attempting to get rid of the monarchy they've known for centuries, and trying to restore order, all thanks to her evil aunt. So yeah, she's doing extraordinary," Thorne remarked.

"Stars, could you go five minutes without being sarcastic?"

"What he means to say is, Cinder is doing pretty great. She's pretty self-confident and everyone seems to be supporting her, so everything's well." Cress shook her head at Thorne, exasperated. "Thorne, please. Don't forget who you're talking to and what he did for you."

"Thank you, Cress." Kai glared at Thorne, though his voice sounded relieved about the news of the cyborg.

He shrugged. "Never stopped me before."'

"It's a wonder how Cress can deal with you on the Rampion."

"I have my ways."

The two men stood, Kai looking annoyed, and Thorne looking smug.

"Kai, why don't you show us your palace? I'm sure Thorne and I would enjoy it very much." Cress nudged Thorne.

"Fine then. I was blind last time I came here anyways," Thorne replied gruffly. "And when Dr. Erland-" He paused, unsure of whether he should mention what had happened then. About Dr. Erland.

About Cress's father.

The last time she'd seen him, he had caught the mutated letumosis, and he talked to her from behind a one-way viewing mirror. And he looked pitiful. Pitiful and regretful. The man who helped Cinder escape from prison and become a world-famous fugitive on the run, the man who was now dying behind the wall of glass.

Cress had been so shocked to see her father for the first - and last - time in her life. He told her how much he regretted sending her away to be killed as a shell, how he wished he could have had more time to get to know her. But he was too late.

Cress felt her emotions swimming around in her chest as she shut her eyes, sucking in deep breaths. She didn't know why the thought of her father filled her with sorrow and anguish. If only he was still alive.

She felt Thorne's hands settle on her shoulders. "Cress?" His voice was tinged with worry. "I didn't mean to mention him. Let's go inside and tour the palace like you said, okay?"

Cress opened her eyes again and looked first at Thorne, his brows furrowed with concern, then at Kai behind him, giving her a melancholy smile.

"Maybe you two should rest a little bit before I show you around," the emperor said.

She nodded, her voice wavering. "Yeah, that'd be good."

***

The door creaked open, and she heard footsteps approaching her from behind. She dropped her hands from her head and looked up from the chair from where she was sitting. For the past hour, she'd been crying. She cried for the father and mother she never had, who were both dead now; she cried for the family she never had, for never being loved in her life for the long solitary years spent in space. It was like being on the satellite again, only this time she knew she'd never see either of her parents again.

After a while, she just stared out the window into the garden, which always seemed to calm her nerves. Maybe she'd take a walk down there later.

"Cress?" She heard Thorne gulp and turned around to face him. "I'm really sorry, Cress, to mention him like that."

He slowly walked over and sat in the chair across from her. He took both her hands in his and held her gaze, his eyes rueful.

Cress gave a weak smile. "I should probably try not to be so sensitive. I just.." she trailed off, looking blankly at the garden again. "I just wish I had a chance to meet him properly, to get to know him, even though he did what he did. He was still my dad, you know?"

"I understand. My father wasn't exactly the best dad ever, either. I know how much you miss him, even if you hardly ever knew him."

Cress wiped her tears away and sniffled. She knew how red her eyes must've looked. "I'm sorry, Captain. I just need to get over it and move on."

"The thing is, those kind of feelings are hard to get over." Thorne stood up, pulling her up too, and wrapped his arms around her. She sighed, grateful for the blanket of security it provided. "Let's go walk to the garden. It'll help take your mind off of it."

"That's exactly what I was going to do." Thorne's lips curled up into that one-sided grin Cress had first fallen in love with, and he led her to the gardens.

They sat on a bench in front of a fish pond, Cress watching the fish dance beneath the surface, their scales glistening, as Kai strode up to them. "How are you, Cress?"

"Feeling better, thank you." She leaned her head on Thorne's arm as she swung her legs back and forth, since they were too short to reach the ground.

Glancing up at Kai, she was surprised to see what she thought was envy in his eyes, but he quickly blinked it away. "Would you like to see the New Beijing market where it all happened? Apparently there's a plaque where her booth used to be. I haven't seen it myself yet."

Thorne scoffed. "You mean where you first met Cinder and realized your destinies were intertwined? No thanks. Save it for when she comes back."

Kai threw his hands up in the air. "There goes your sarcasm again. It was a valid question. Do you guys want to see it or not?"

Cress hopped up eagerly. "I would like to see it! I need to lighten up my mood a little bit anyways."

Kai smirked at Thorne. "Guess we got our answer now."

"Whatever she says, goes," Thorne retorted.

Cress stretched her arms. "Yeah, sure. Whatever I say, goes. How come I've never heard you say that before?"

"Maybe because all your decisions are ones I want to do, too?" Thorne stood up, plucking a freshly bloomed blossom off the lowest branch and tucking it behind her right ear. "This pink looks good on you."

Cress laughed, taking another blossom and reaching up to nestle it behind his ear. "Looks better on you."