Curious as to why Ember would say that, the words slip out before I think about it.
“Why would you need to be careful, little one?”
“Sometimes when I gets too cited, my fingers gets hot. Here me shows you. It’s yots of fun to make hot, but you no can touch cause your skin will get a big o’l bubble and mommy says dem hurts bad.”
Before I can blink, her eyes flash a bright red, and her entire arm starts transforming into something else. I actually lean back and glance up for a second, wondering if anyone else is seeing this.
“Tada, ain’t dem pwetty?”
The entire right side of her body is lined in bright red scales; it looks like she’s been cut in half; one side sweet, the other deadly.
“Baby, you’re beautiful either way. Is it safe for you to do that? When I was little and I’d make a face, people would tease me that it was gonna get stuck like that. You may not want to tempt fate.”
“My daddy is wike dis all da time. Him can’t snap back and forth yike me. I’m special. Maybe dat’s how daddy got stuck … me go ask him.”
The next thing you know, she’s running around the couches and out the door yelling, “DADDY!” at the top of her lungs.
“Lord, that child … Destiny, will you tell ViN she’s trying to find him?”
“Yes Mistress, I am already on it.”
“Sorry about that, Edie. When something hits Ami’s mind, she’s like a tornado in a trailer park.”
“Ember, I have a feeling your story and how that little ball of fire came to be is a unique one.
“All of our stories are as each one of us comes from a planet that said none of these worlds existed. Now we’re faced withunknowns and consequences that no one could have made up, and I couldn’t be happier … go figure. I hear that a young man risked his life to follow you here. Isn’t that romantic? It’s all the girls and I have been able to talk about.”
I look away from her, pasting a fake smile on my face as I have no idea how to answer that question. Thankfully, laughter across the room has us all looking up as Kristen and Mandy talk among themselves until they see us looking their way.
“Hey, I am just trying to figure out if her hottie mate has a brother. You all go on with your bad selves. I’m doing research over here.”
Tracy blurts out what the rest of us are thinking. “Lord help the world that allows Kristen free rein … that girl will find a way to repopulate the entire human race all on her own!”
Kristen sticks her tongue out and everyone laughs. Ginger comes over and plops down next to me with what looks like a plate of chips. She hands me one and we both lean back, watching everyone else. Tracy and Rylie are putting on each other’s makeup while discussing the medical devices and advancements available on the ship. Laura and Qwin are holding a holo pad between them, talking about clothes. Everyone seems to have settled down, anxiously awaiting the arrival to our new world.
“Ginger, have they let you talk to your husband yet?”
“No, something is still blocking the signal, but Destiny was able to contact someone called ANDI. I think it’s another ship, but the way they talk to each other, I’m not entirely sure. Anyway, he sent me some recorded feeds of Ricky on this new planet, where he seems to be a guard. I’ve watched them a dozen times. My mind wants to believe he’s alive and well, but until I hear hisvoice and hold him in my arms, I’m scared to trust any of this is real. So many times, I’ve wished I’d fought them harder when they separated us into separate pods.”
“You are blessed to have even had him in the first place.”
“Oh, I know that and seldom in one’s life are people given second chances. If we make it through this part of this journey in one piece and I get to tell him I love him one more time, I’ll never take that for granted ever again. We won’t ever be able to make up for the days we’ve missed, but that was yesterday, and I pray we are still young enough to have lots of tomorrows. Is it true one of the Ruk males jumped on this ship?”
“Yeah, I can’t believe he would do something so foolish.”
“He’s a guy, what do you expect?”
“We both laugh, but then she turns to me with a serious look on her face.”
“Edie, I don’t know you or your history. I only know my own, and I know I screwed up so many times with Ricky because of my insecurities and self-doubt. The male mind is nowhere near as complicated as we girls make it out to be. Don’t let a world that no longer exists and its old ways dictate your tomorrows. This guy willingly left his home, his family, and faced death for a chance to be near you. There must be more to it than we humans can comprehend. Change and forgiveness are hard, but sometimes they're necessary to move forward.
I’ve spent the last few hours simply watching the other girls in here with us. Ember also has markings on her skin. I originally thought they were tattoos, but they move. The scales on Rylie’s face and the colors in her hair match LeX’s. Now look at Mandy. I thought she was wearing a choker, but that’s a collar, similar towhat Ruby and Rowan had, but theirs spread down their chest, clear to their hootch. Their ways are not the same as ours, and all the proof you need is right in front of you.”
“Wonder why the girls are marked?”
“Let’s ask. Hey, all girls with an alien spouse, we have a question.”
Qwin is the first to turn toward us. She always seems to be the leader of the humans on board. “Ask away.”
