AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Tiago had his arm wrapped around Alexis’s slim shoulders as the fancy hovercar rushed them past the orchard and back to the winding path that led to the beach where he had entered the Center.
Fields of wildflowers blurred as they traveled, and Alexis let her head fall back as she laughed.
Tiago liked riding in fast cars, too. They had a lot in common.
Not everything,the little voice in the back of his head reminded him.Not the most important thing.
He ignored the voice and pressed his lips to the top of the little Terran’s head. She smelled like sunlight on a field of flowers.
“Where do you think we’re going?” she asked.
“Maybe back to the beach?” he guessed.
“But look how we’re dressed,” she noted.
He glanced down at his jeans and t-shirt and her cute dress.
“Doesn’t seem like we’re going swimming,” he agreed, frowning.
She laughed again and he smiled down at her, glad she was feeling lighthearted.
He needed to take a page from her book. She was living in the moment, not dreading the end of the week. He should be doing the same.
So serious, his mother would tell him, when she caught him looking out the window, thinking about the past and the future.
He was serious. But was that such a bad thing?
“Here we are,” Oberon said.
The hovercar slowed and Tiago found himself staring at a massive beach house above a stretch of frothy water smashing into black lava cliffs.
Though it could only be late morning, a rainstorm made the setting dark as night.
“Whoa,” Alexis murmured.
The house itself was a towering oblong rectangle of glass, half-suspended over the side of the cliffs. The warm light pouring from it juxtaposed the cold metal and glass, making it feel more like an ultramodern lighthouse than the setting for a horror holo. Barely.
The hovercar rose to the top of the cliff and then lowered itself onto the gravel parking area. As soon as the doors slid open, they were greeted by the thumping bass of the music inside.
“A party,” Alexis said, sounding surprised.
“Something like that,” Oberon allowed.
She shrugged and then looked back to Tiago, as if for permission.
He felt that twinge in his chest again, but he simply nodded.
She flew up the stairs to the front door, through the rain with an effortless grace. He found himself watching instead of following.
“Come on,” she said when she reached the top, waving for him to join.
He jogged after her, cool rain pelting him until it dripped from the tips of his hair.
When he reached the top, she placed her palm on the sensor.
The door swung open to reveal a high-ceilinged, open space. The floor looked like marble, but the small tiles were lighting up, seemingly at random, in a rainbow of different colors.
A small crowd of people leaned against the glass walls, holding an array of colorful beverages. Tiago recognized a few of them, and realized they must work for the Center. Were they all taking a morning off to have a party? Maybe it was someone’s birthday.
