She would kill to know what that conversation was about. Vaelor hadn’t talked to anyone but her since the start of the games. It was sad to admit that she was a little bit jealous.
“So what do you think?” Blaine asked.
She didn’t hear what he was saying. “Sorry, what?”
“I asked if after the games, maybe I can come visit you in San Francisco.”
“Oh. Um. I don’t know. Maybe.”
“No pressure. Do you want another cup of hot laza?”
She learned that the hot laza was a form of coffee that the aliens liked. Mara could only drink half a cup at a time because it was extremely strong.
“I think I’ll go to bed.”
“Sweet dreams.”
She went to the tent and climbed into her bedding. But all she did was stare over at Vaelor’s empty one. This was ridiculous. Despite her tossing and turning, she did eventually go to sleep.
The next morning, she woke up to find that Vaelor either never came back to the tent or he got up early and left her there. She was both frustrated and irritated. Was he ignoring her on purpose? Why did it bother her so much?
She adjusted the temperature on her biosuit and got up for the day. It didn’t take her long to repack her bedding. Vaelor showed up when she was about to take the tent down.
“Go eat by the fire while I pack the tent.”
“Good morning to you too. Thank you, I will.” She stomped off toward the fire.
At least most of the players were still there and she hadn’t slept late. Still, why wouldn’t he come to the tent with her? They shared a moment yesterday. She felt like they were starting to really understand each other.
She took out her food pouch and heated up the contents. She ate quickly, then cleaned up. The other players began to leave. Blaine waved her goodbye. When she stood up and put her pack on, Vaelor was right next to her. He moved so fast and silent that it startled her for a moment. Mara recovered quickly.
“Ready to go?” he asked.
“Yes.”
They left following the same path that the others took. The silence between them was uncomfortable. Someone had to break it.
“Did the Slurchan and Rasilian come into camp last night?” she asked.
“No. The others were discussing it. It wasn’t in the rules that the players had to share the official campsite each night, only that between challenges players were expected to take a twelve hour rest.”
“You seemed to have a lot to talk about with the Lythos and the Sorian,” she commented.
He grunted.
“Do you want to tell me what you discussed?”
“They talked at me, I listened.”
She waited impatiently for him to elaborate, but he didn’t.
“Well, are you going to tell me what they said?”
Vaelor had a hint of a smile. But spoke in a serious tone. “They believe the Slurchan and Rasilian are cheating in the games.”
“How?”
“They didn’t know. Which is why they were trying to get my opinion on the matter.”
