“What? No. You cannot leave! You just got back.”
“I need to help my family. My mom and my brothers are back on Earth working themselves to death for me. I can’t stay here and live the ideal life knowing what they have done to get me here. I’d never be able to live with myself.” I haven’t been able to bring myself to call them yet. I’m still processing what happened. But I know the longer I wait to call them, the more pissed they are going to be.
“You can bring them here! Aro can find a home and jobs for them!” she pleads.
“Iappreciate the offer, but Elowen, we don’t have any money to get them here. They are barely making it as it is.”
“I know it’s expensive. I’m sure we can figure it out.” Her unbridled optimism rubs me the wrong way. I’m tired and not in the mood to explain my family’s financial situation.
“Elowen, you have lived a very privileged life. You have traveled all over the universe and never known the struggle of survival on Earth.” I make sure to be gentle with my tone. She’s still my best friend, but I don’t think she’ll ever fully understand what my life was before we came here.
“I know life is rough out there. I know people struggle,” she says, tears welling up in her eyes. “I’m not naive.”
I grab her hands and pull her toward me. “It’s different when you’ve lived it.”
That’s enough said. I don’t want to punish her for not knowing what it’s like to grow up like I did. I muster up a smile and redirect the conversation.
“It’s time for me to get a grown-up job. I’ve gotten my education, and now I’ve had my big adventure. Now it’s my turn to help them out.” Their generosity and sacrifice have fueled me all this time. A small part of me feels obligated to give back, but mostly I just love and miss them so damn much. I want them to have a beautiful life. One that isn’t only work and exploitation.
“You don’t have to do this on your own. We can help,” Elowen pleads with me.
“We’ll figure it out. Let’s talk about something else. Anything else,” I tell her and force a smile. I don’t want her to take on my burdens.
“Are you going to the signing ceremony today?” she asks, bringing the conversation back to Tai.
“Yeah, I’m going to meet him there.” Another complicated topic, and my tone conveys my mixed feelings about it.
“What? You don’t want him to re-enlist?”
"After everything, he's still trying to prove he's good. The serviceis how he's chosen to do that. I understand it. Someday he'll realize the job was never the point."
I can do my thing while Tai stays in the military. I’ll get back to the genetics lab and figure out how I’m going to raise enough money for the foundation, and someday I’ll make my dream come true.
SIXTY-ONE
Tai
There was a time when my unit was all that mattered to me. I lived for these guys. Now they are an obstacle, standing between me and the door I’m waiting for Bri to step through. The seats in the large briefing room have filled up in a blur at the edges of my vision. She’s got to come.
My plan doesn’t work if she doesn’t show up.
We haven’t had a chance to talk about anything other than my injuries since I woke up yesterday. The recovery has been brutal. The blaster fire I hardly felt in my battleform is crippling now. The neurolink to my new arm fires off randomly as it calibrates. Bri’s been doting on me and neglecting everything else since we arrived. It took a while to convince her that I’m fine, and to go see Elowen today.
In truth, I needed time to get my shit together. I wanted to speak with Aro before the ceremony and make sure we were on the same page with my plans. Not that I needed his approval, because I’ve made up my mind. I am determined to follow through with my plan.
Finally, I see a pale pink ponytail slip into the room. She’sobscured by taller, bluer, and broader bodies. She peeks around for an empty seat when her eyes land on me. They light up, and my breath catches in my chest. I never dreamed I would be so lucky to have her look at me like that. It’s more than I ever thought I deserved.
I weave my way through the crowd toward her as Aro and Commander Rialto take the stage.
“Take your seats. We’re going to begin,” Aro announces with more authority than usual, showing off in front of Elowen.
At the front of the room, a large group of new recruits stand in a line, along with a few re-enlisting. I look over the excited faces of all the new recruits, and the memory of my first day flashes in my head. I didn’t look like these Tilaks, all eager and excited for service. I was angry and resentful.
Rather than pushing the thought out of my mind, I observe it with kinder, more forgiving eyes. I’ve dwelled on all of that long enough. It’s time for the next phase of my life. I’m never going to fully let go of what happened, but now it’s time to use my past as fuel to make things better for others. This is something I’ve learned from Bri.
By the time I reach Bri, she has a confused look in her eyes.
“Come with me,” I whisper. A ripple of electricity radiates from my hand when I set it on her lower back to guide her out of the crowded room.
