Find Your Light (Light Within book 2)

One

Will anyone understand me when I say "I'm not alone but I'm lonely"? I suppose not. All I've ever wanted is someone to stay close to, to breathe in their scent and think "I'm the luckiest person ever".

Normally, that person would be your mother or father. Not in my case, though. My parents have never really, truly cared for me. Of course, they never openly admitted it, but no one can hide a deep loathing for someone, even from a child. By the age of seven, I already knew I was not wanted.

It's always been my little brother. Sheri shining star. Their Sako.

Now, I'm alone, even more than before.

But I still have one person to hang on to.

Cleo. The warrior. She's strong , confident, anything you'd want your best friend to be. Of course, she has her bad attitude and her distrust in most people, but she's still Cleo.

At first, we were the same, no one to run to, so we could only run to each other.

Not anymore.

Now she has President Rokin of Delta, who claims to have known her parents very well before they died. We're now heading for Delta to find out more about this guy. She now has one last hope. One last person she might be able to hold on to. A person who knew her parents. I'm alone again.

Blue barges into my room, letting all the military noise in from the corridor. I let him jump up onto my bed as the door automatically closes behind him.

'What is it, boy?' I ask, wishing I had a telepathic connection with him like Cleo.

In response, he tugs at the sleeve of my suit. Cleo probably needs me.

'Tell her I cant right now, 'kay?' I say. I need a break from all the Advisor stress.

Blue stares at me with those big yellow eyes. Man, I wish I could tell what he's thinking.

'Blue, boy, Cleo can take care of herself, she's older than me. Just tell her I'm taking a break.'

The Dragon hesitates, then slowly drags his tail out the door.

I restrain myself from calling him back to keep me company. I close my eyes again, just to have to open them once more when someone knocks on my door. I sit up, groaning. Can't I get a second of peace and quiet?

'C'm in!' I call.

Blue trots in again, followed by Cleo. 'Hey Laika.' Says my friend.

'Cleo, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be making sure we don't hit a moon or something?' I raise an eyebrow at her.

'I put Galaxy on auto-pilot. I'm crossing my fingers for her to not fly us into another asteroid field, Goddess forbid.' Explains Cleo, sitting down at my desk and turning the chair round to face me. 'I needed a break too, and Blue told me to come keep you company.'

I shoot Blue a look, and he bounces off down the hall, probably to the cafeteria. Damn the Dragon. I should have known not to reject Cleo's request to join her on the bridge. Of course he would go report my loneliness to his soul's other half.

There's an awkward pause. 'Why don't I make you an Earth-style smoothie?' I say.

'What? Okay then...' Cleo looks kinda surprised. Was she expecting me to spill all my baggage onto her?

I lead Cleo to the cafeteria where Blue's hiding behind the counter like a scared chicken. As soon as he sees me, he leaps off to the door and races down the hall to wherever he wants to hide next. I swear, that Dragon!

Me and Cleo stand there for a second. I cant remember what I told her I would do.

'Laika?' Says Cleo. 'You said you would make me an earth-style smoothie.'

'What—. Oh, yeah!' I go round the cafeteria, searching for different fruits that look and smell like the ones you would use for a smoothie back on Earth and shove them in a blender with something that looks like a cross between milk, yoghurt and cream. I mix it all together and serve it into two bowls. I stick my finger into mine to see if it's good enough and surprise myself with a pang of homesickness, it tastes so familiar.

I absent-mindedly hand Cleo her bowl and a spoon-like thing. She takes a spoonful and her eyes light up. She makes a pleased noise. 'This stuff is amazing! You've got to teach me how to make it sometime!' She squeals, hoovering the rest of her smoothie up in less than ten seconds while I'm still starting mine. How in the name of the Lord did she not just get brain-freeze?

The more smoothie I drink, the more I think of Earth. I put my bowl down on the counter. 'You can have the rest of mine, I'm not hungry.' I say.

Cleo looks at me as I leave, confused. I curse. Why am I not as open as she is?

When I get back to my room, I dig through the drawer full of Serolian clothes until I find the jacket I was wearing the day Cleo came to Earth. I stick my hand in the the pocket and find my earphones along with my phone. I know hoping music works in space. I'm about to find out, I guess. I put the earphones in and scroll through the songs I have downloaded. I tap on one of them and lie on my bed.

It works.

I listen to more than half of my playlist, then pause it. I'm tearing up. Why am I so homesick? I'm finally free of my forced marriage, I don't have to worry about being accused of something Sako did... I don't understand.

***

In wake up to the sound of the landing countdown. We've arrived on planet Delta.

'Laika? You coming?' comes Cleo's voice from the door. My eyes are still closed.

'Yeah...' I call back groggily. I pull out my earphones and put them away in my drawer.

'What's that? Asks Cleo, coming in and spotting me at it.

'For listening to music. They were in my pocket when I left Earth.' I say shortly.

'Huh.'

'Yeah.' I walk past her towards the hanger. She follows me, Blue at her side.

'Hey, Laika?' She asks.

'Mhmm?' I lean against the wall of the corridor.

'D'you want to visitor Earth one last time?'

That takes me by surprise.

'What?'

'I mean it. After the meeting with the President, we'll go over for a visit. If you want to, that is.'

I throw my arms around her. 'Yes!'

She hugs me back, grinning. 'You're welcome.'

She pulls me onto Blue and he runs at top speed out of the ALLIANCE. He lets us get off in the palace courtyard, and me and Cleo make ourselves look slightly more presentable than we are by straightening out our suits. Then, we make our walk up the flowered path and into the ornate marble palace. We get to the meeting room with the help of various maids working around the place. Just as we arrive at the doors of the room, we take a few more seconds to make ourselves look like we've come straight out of a beauty contest. Then, Cleo knocks on the big double doors and pushes them open.

The president is alone aside from a dark red beast with yellow scar-like markings over it's orange eyes. A Dragon. I look up at the face of the President to find two exactly the same markings over his eyes. He's a Serolian.