Starcrossed

Chapter 10c: Nuath

Chapter 10 (part 3)

Nuath (NOO-ath): the underground human colony on Mars

"Hey, just because I've never actually known anyone graell-bonded doesn't mean it's impossible. The stories had to come from somewhere." I could tell she didn't want to argue with me any more, but I could also tell she still didn't believe it.

"Really, Molly, I was completely—" I began, then broke off abruptly as Sean came back into the room. I wondered how much he'd overheard.

"Sorry about that," he said. "Pete Griffin had a bad practice yesterday and wanted some tips, so I— Oops, it's getting late again, M. We don't want your aunt to decide we're a bad influence. She might not let you come back."

Molly and I both looked at the clock and just like my last two times here, I was surprised at how quickly the time had gone. I'd told Aunt Theresa I'd be home by nine and it was five till.

"Thanks. I'd better head." I stuck my history book into my backpack.

"No prob. Walk you home?" He never said it like a come-on. In fact, last time both he and Molly had walked with me. But tonight I felt weird about it because of my conversation with Molly just now.

"Thanks, but I brought an umbrella." I still had Rigel's and held it up as both evidence and talisman.

He shrugged, his smile still casual. "I think the rain's stopped anyway, but I don't mind. You shouldn't be out this late by yourself, rain or not."

Maybe he hadn't meant it that way, but I bristled a little. "I can take care of myself, Sean. Besides, it's only around the corner and this is Jewel, Indiana. Nothing ever happens here."

Not strictly true, since I had almost been killed here just last month, but those guys were long gone. I headed for the door, figuring that would be the end of it, but Sean's jaw jutted out, his smile becoming stubborn.

"C'mon, M, you don't want me to get in trouble, do you? My folks will get on my case if I let you walk home by yourself. What's the big deal?"

I let out my breath with a little huff. "No big deal. Sorry. You can walk with me if you want. I just think it's silly."

"Thanks for humoring me," he said, opening the front door with a wide grin. "See you in a few, Moll," he called over his shoulder to his sister.

"Yeah, bye, Molly. See you tomorrow."

It was colder than it had been when I arrived, but, as Sean had said, no longer raining. Which reminded me. "Hey, you promised to show me more of the stuff your omni does, remember?"

Sean chuckled—he did have a very pleasant chuckle. "So that's why you agreed to let me walk you home, even though I insulted your warrior-woman abilities?"

"Funny. Although I'll have you know I am a green belt in taekwondo."

He grinned down at me. "I consider myself warned. Okay, let's see." He pulled out the tiny device Rigel had said he wasn't even supposed to have here. Remembering that, I felt slightly guilty for asking to see more tricks. But my curiosity was stronger than my guilt, so I kept my mouth shut.

"It does anything your basic iPhone will do—music, video, communication. But I'm guessing you're more interested in its, ah, less mundane apps?"

I nodded, watching intently as he handled the thing.

"Okay, here." He pressed it and the holographic screen popped up like it had before. "Are you cold?"

"Um, maybe a little," I admitted. The temperature had dropped at least ten degrees since I'd put on my rain coat earlier.

He reached for my shoulder, then paused. "May I? Sorry—you act so much like a regular person, it's easy to forget you're the Sovereign."

"I am a regular person. But, um, sure." I resolutely ignored that annoying tingle when he put his hand on my shoulder, watching as he pushed a button on a sub-menu. Suddenly it was like I had my own personal space heater. In seconds, I was even tempted to take off my rain coat.

"Wow," I marveled. "So you never get uncomfortable with this thing, huh?"

Clearly enjoying my reaction, he shook his head. "Personal climate control. Oh, and that vid you saw earlier? Watch this."

He had to take his hand off my shoulder to bring up the new menu. I immediately felt the cold again, but I didn't want to say anything that might sound like I wanted him to touch me. A second later I forgot the cold when a screen several sizes larger than the earlier picture of Mars appeared in mid air.

"I can adjust the screen size pretty much as big as I want, though of course I'd only do that indoors. It'll pick up satellite TV signals, internet video, you name it."

As I watched, a scene from a movie currently playing in theaters flashed across the screen.

"That can't be legal," I commented.

Sean gave a little snort. "If your authorities knew about the omni, do you think movie piracy would be what they'd worry about?"

"Good point." We were already approaching my house and, like that first time, I'd have liked the walk to last longer—though not for any reason Rigel needed to worry about.

"Thanks, Sean," I said the second we reached my driveway, so he wouldn't walk me all the way to the door. "Guess I'll see you at school."

"I'm looking forward to it." There was an odd edge to his voice, but before I could analyze it, he gave a little nod and headed quickly back down the street toward his house.

Rigel's suspicions had me imagining things, I told myself as I went inside. Sean had never done anything that could be remotely construed as making a pass at me—though he probably knew I'd shut him down immediately if he did.

Lying in bed later, I thought back over my conversation with Molly tonight. It still rattled me to learn that the graell was literally the stuff of fairy tales. I'd made up a lot of stories over the years, with my overactive imagination—to include that I was a Martian Princess. While that one turned out to be true, the others, like my invisible pet cheetah and the elaborate plots acted out by my toys, had been completely in my head.

But my bond with Rigel wasn't. Even Shim believed it. Because there was lots of proof, no matter how skeptical Molly was, or how confusing that tingle from Sean might be. Rigel and I both knew for a fact our graell bond was real and that was all that mattered.

Wasn't it?

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