Selena
About a week had passed since we had left the asteroid base. Every day, we were one day closer to Destima. Kaede had kept to himself on the bridge during the day, claiming his instincts told him to make sure no one was following us until we were in the safety of our galaxy and had rendezvoused with his sisters.
The Oetsae crew had decided to maximize their speed boost while outside the galaxy. Once we arrived, we would be escorted, so we wouldn’t be able to proceed at full speed anymore. The escort ships would be older models, slower than theAbysseven without its special speed boost.
I was happy to leave Kaede on the bridge since that gave me time to reflect on my life and socialize with my ambassadors in the galley. Kaede and I shared every meal, and at night, he joined my bed, wrapping me in his arms as I met Zirene in the dreamscape.
Today, Tori was teaching me an Earth game calledbeer pong. To circumvent the lack of cheap alcohol on the ship, we used drinks that tasted strange and could only be consumed in small doses. While worrying about my mates was taking a toll on me, drinking wasn’t how I wanted to handle my daily stress.
I was about to throw the mini drone we used as a ball at my remaining glasses when a familiar presence pressed against my mental shields.
Gasping, I dropped my ball.
The brush could only mean one thing: Someone was trying to break through my mental shields, even while Vowels protected my mind.
“Selena, are you okay?” Tori asked, her voice laced with concern. “Did something happen?”
“I need to find Kaede.” I waved, leaving her calling my name behind me as I dashed toward the bridge.
Someone was reaching out for me, and it wasn’t my nestmates.
The bridge doors slid open too slowly. I burst through the entryway and Kaede jerked in my direction, teleporting closer as soon as he read my expression.
“What’s the matter, Selena?” He scanned my body, his slitted eyes searching for something he couldn’t find. “Why are you in such a rush?”
Vowels materialized in all his golden glow beside me, addressing both of us.
“Oeta is requesting communication.”
The room dinged as violet YUO fabricated next to the vidscreens along the far wall. “Agent B, A, N, EZ, and Q are all requesting contact, do we accept?”
“Yes, accept,” Kaede ordered YUO. “They are family.”
Turning his attention to my golden Oetsae, he nodded. “Euouae, tell Oeta that Selena and I will reach out to her later. I need to speak with my sisters and rejoin the family network. She will understand what that means.”
Almost instantly, the light pressure upon my head lifted.
“She asks me to relay that she will be waiting for you both to contact her.”
“Thank you, Vowels.” I sighed. I was relieved that Oeta was reaching out instead of Xenak, though I wouldn’t put it past him to try something again even if his brother were on theAbyss.
Kaede grabbed my hand and led me to his commander chair and sat down, pulling me along with him. Just as his arms wrapped around my waist, the large 300-degree display in front lit up, revealing four vidscreens filled with the faces of his sisters—Bryeca, Aunya, Nyx, and Zesha.
I gasped when Q poked his head into B’s window and grinned. “Hey, Selena! Like your new haircut!”
“Would you stop it?” B hissed. “I told you to not joke around like that.”
“Selena knows I’m only kidding.” He frowned, sitting in the empty chair beside her as he kicked his feet onto the dashboard. I could only recognize him by his voice because he was covered in fluffy down feathers, looking like a rainbow puff ball beneath his black robe. So my murky memories of Q being plucked and tied up had been real. He had been the one screaming in pain during my drugged haze.
“Why are you here?” I asked, surprised to see him among Kaede’s sisters. “You aren’t a member of the Fab Five.”
“I am now.” He smirked and turned his attention to the male behind me. “Hey, Kaede, guess what.”
“What?” he grumbled.
“I’m fucking your sister and there’s nothing you can do about it.” He chuckled, his laughter sounding like little bells. “Z already gave us his blessing and approved of me joining the Fab Five as B’s partner. You have a brother now!”
“Does that make us siblings, too?” I teased, eager to give his siblings the news now that Zirene had accepted my bond to Kaede.
