AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Cedra
I refused to let her out of my sight. Call me paranoid, but I couldn’t risk it. The panic of the past twenty-four hours lay thick under my skin like a disease that could flare up at any moment if I didn’t carefully medicate it with the sight of Twyla in my life.
That was how she ended up losing the battle with sleep in Ana’s little bopper, curled into a tight little ball with her head lolling to one side. The rest of us were gathered around the panels, trying to salvage what was left of the old one so we’d have spares if the new panel went on the fritz. Nothing went to waste on our little Star.
The new panel had come in over a hundred parts, and we’d split ourselves up to figure out the manual for each section. Needless to say, the task required a lot of brain power and coordination—both of which I seemed to be short on after two days without rest.
“Hey, lovergirl,” Ana called out, making everyone turn to look at me. This was the third time she’d caught me staring at Twyla instead of focusing on the task at hand. “I could use your help over here.”
“Sorry,” I murmured, jogging over to her. She was several feet aboveground, fixing up the scaffolding.
“Don’t apologize. If I had someone like Twyla, I wouldn’t be able to keep my eyes off her either.”
Ana reached down to give me a hand up and I hopped up next to her, holding the metal steady as she hooked the pieces together and secured them with a screwdriver.
“I’m going to make it permanent, Ana. I can’t wait any longer,” I said as we secured one row and moved up. “Will you help me?”
“Help you what? You know when you say things out of the blue like that, I usually have to guess at the context.”
“Will you vouch for Twyla with the Council for residency on our Star?”
“Oh, right. Of course, without a doubt. I’ll put in a call tomorrow. When they hear where we got the money for this panel, I’m sure they’ll sign over the residency certificate in a heartbeat.”
Ana grasped my shoulder in a show of comfort, and I breathed a little easier.
I steered the solar cart into an empty lot behind a vehicle I didn’t recognize, flicking the brakes on with my finger.
“Would you teach me how to drive one of these someday?” Twyla asked, fussing with the folds of her white dress.
When I’d asked her to be my date to the Solstice Feast two days ago, she’d been ecstatic. Until she realized she only had two days to put together an outfit that would be “just perfect.”
I’d tried to explain to her that this wasn’t a grand celebration, just a gathering of communities in a homey, comfortable way. With the decorative tents that lined the streets with food and games, it was more structured than our usual bonfire Feasts, but it wasn’t anything to fuss over—I never wore anything fancy.
“I don’t care,” she’d said with her head buried in one of the large old boxes in the service room. “It’s my first Solstice here, so I’m going to make us matching outfits, even if I have to work overnight.”
She’d pulled out a digital measure, pointing it at me like a blaster.
“Now stand still so I can measure you.”
I almost smiled at the memory, now tucked away among the thousand others of her I cherished.
Twyla looped her arm in mine as we walked towards the square, now twinkling with strings of little lights.
It was almost dusk, the last of the sunlight melting away into a dark overhead canvas. I breathed in the night air of my Star, now mingled with the scent of the woman I loved beyond anything I could ever imagine.
It was the first time in years I was excited to be at Solstice, and I think it showed on my face. More than a handful of people waved to us even before we came upon any of the stalls in the main square.
“Hey, guys!” we heard someone shout from a distance. “Hey, guys, wait up!”
It was Austy, gesturing wildly for us to wait as she jogged towards us.
“I like her,” Twyla commented as we stood, a smile on her lips. “She’s such a goofball.”
I couldn’t think of a more perfect way to describe my neighbor and friend.
“Oh, hey. Hey, guys.”
Austy came to a stop in front of us, grabbing her knees as she panted, her good navy cap balancing precariously on her head. She was wearing a matching button-down shirt and trousers that fit her perfectly. They looked brand-new, as though she’d just taken them out of their packaging. They smelled new, too.
