Life among the stars feels empty now, devoid of any life, hollow in a way it wasn’t before.
Wrapping my fingers around the rope, I pull and release my wish into the cosmos. I let go, and the bell rings. Its resonant chime rolls out across the field. Its ring is deep, loud, and clear. In response, Leelee squeals delightfully. Her sound of joy is more beautiful than any star glow, warming me from within.
“Ravok…” she begins, her eyes wide and full of twinkling stars as she stares at me with the most incredible look. It sparks a heat in the cold core of my being, one she ignited the moment we crossed paths. “I hope you get what you wished for.”
A soft, rumbling laugh ripples from my chest, but my gut feels hollow knowing I will never get what I want. “Me too, Leelee.”
Leelee shivers, rubbing her arms as if cold, then suggests we return to the cabin.
Hand-in-hand, we turn to head back towards her vehicle. As we take the first step, I hear a voice exclaim, “It’s him! He’s here!”
As I turn to look towards the voice, before I can process the words, another loud, firm voice bellows, “Freeze!”
We halt. Pivoting simultaneously, we find the man from the other night – the one that had worried Leelee so – sprinting toward us, brandishing a weapon. His face is a tight mask of determination and fear. A feeling of protective anger clouds my vision, but my grip around Leelee’s hand remains firm.
“Oh my god, they’ve found us,” Leelee gasps. “Run, Ravok. Run!”
We turn and sprint for Leelee’s vehicle. I hear several voices calling out behind us, but we don’t look back. We just run.
I throw myself into the vehicle’s passenger seat as Leelee gets behind the wheel and starts the engine. She revs the engine, jerking the car out of the parking spot. The tires squeal against the pavement as they bite for grip. Leelee quickly turns the car around and races back towards the cabin.
I look into the mirror on the outside of the car and watch as the man with the weapon bounds down the road after us. His face is contorted with anger and determination as he sprints after us. I would feel relief since he can’t possibly hope to catch up to us on foot, but he does not appear to be alone. Two otherhumans, a burly man and a slender woman, race out of the field and leap into a parked vehicle. I see the car’s headlights light up as the car starts.
We race along the town’s main street, which is thankfully empty of pedestrians at this time of night.
As we turn the corner that will lead out of town at breakneck speed, I spot Koko standing on the sidewalk. Our eyes meet and hold as she stares back at me. It is almost as if time freezes for that moment. I can see steady determination and some other unnamed emotion dancing in her eyes. I cannot discern what it is, but it seems like a mixture of approval, apprehension, and – is that happiness? She appears unaffected by the chaos unfolding on the street before her. Leelee takes the sharp turn, causing me to slide across my seat, and I lose sight of the enigmatic female.
I turn my gaze back to the road behind us as I hear tires screeching and a loud horn blaring. Koko is standing in the middle of the road with bright headlights highlighting her. She raises an apologetic hand to the car honking its horn at her. The car starts to veer around her, the man at the steering wheel yelling at her, when a truck pulls in front of the vehicle, blocking their path. I spot Anton, the owner of the hardware store, behind the wheel. He starts berating the people chasing us, refusing to move.
“Koko and Anton just bought us a small head start,” I inform Leelee.
Leelee has left the headlights off on the car and the tight swerving curves of the road seem almost dangerous as we speed home in the dark. However, Leelee takes them with ease.
Still breathing hard from our sprint, Leelee manages to talk between gasps of air. “Ravok,” she pants, trying to regain her normal breath, “I’ll… drop… you off… at the edge of the… woods.” Her shaken hazel eyes meet mine, filled with determination.
“Then you can get to the cabin through the woods, and I’ll drive off. I’ll keep them distracted,” she explains, gesturing vaguely towards the road ahead, “We are less than a mile away from home. While I distract them, you get the ship out of the garage and hide it in the woods. Find somewhere safe to stash it.”
She glances at the road behind us, which is thankfully dark and empty.
“Then, if I can I’ll ditch these guys. Meet me at the gazebo down by the lake in the morning,” she whispers, her gaze cutting to mine for a second before returning to the darkened road before us.
“If I can’t shake them off, I want you to find my Aunt Zizi. I’ll give you my phone and get you the coordinates for her house. She’ll help you. Just tell her I sent you.”
“Leelee.”
“Then we’ll find a way to finish fixing your ship. Whatever happens, we’ll make sure those assholes don’t find you.”
“Leelee.” Something in my tone must get through to her because she falls silent. “My ship is operational. It’s already fixed.”
“Wait. What?” She glances over at me, confusion reflecting in her gaze.
“My ship has been fully operational for the last few days,” I confess. “I should have left when I had the chance, but I wanted to spend more time with you. I’m sorry that my selfishness has put you in danger.”
“I’m not,” Leelee states firmly. “I’m not sorry. These extra days have meant more to me than you can imagine. I’m glad we had this time together. I regret nothing. The danger… it was worth it. Well, it will be once we get you out of here.”
Relief washes over me, but before I can react, she adds, “Okay, if the ship is functional, that changes things. Instead ofyou running off into the woods, I’ll take you directly to your ship, and you can escape.”
At her words, I can only silently stare at her, my heart thundering inside my chest. A sense of certainty fills me up. Once I leave this planet, I will never see my Leelee again.
