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The corners of her mouth lifted. It was funny that Brydis, the brightly colored red and gold male, was the calm and patient one between them. If she were judging just by looking at them, she would have believed that to be the temperament of the silver and blue Agor and would have assigned the passionate and energetic nature to Brydis instead. Both, however, possessed a sharp cunningness within their gazes. A trait that their entire species had appeared to share at first glance. Together, Brydis and Agor were probably nothing but trouble. That probably accounted for their presence on the lower decks.
Her smile widened at the observation, and she was forced to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing aloud as she hurried into the elevator. Despite how brief their encounter was, it occurred to her that Brydis and Agor were so very much like the astrological characteristics assigned to their sun’s constellation that they were nearly the embodiment of the sign itself as far as she was concerned. They certainly possessed that contradictory, wily, and energetic—almost flighty—nature of the sign. Agor certainly seemed to roll full speed with wherever his thoughts and instincts took him. She couldn’t imagine how they managed to contain themselves and keep to their disciplined routine within the tight confines of the decks.
As much as everyone was worried about their future—and rightfully so—it was hard to see the Geminidae constrained in such a way, especially on a human ship unsuited for their greater height difference and massive wingspread. It seemed cruel. Especially when anyone with eyes could see that they belonged in open skies.
Or perhaps that was her over-romantic imagination that was inclined to indulge in fantasy. If her father was present, he would have sighed and reminded her that they are people—just as flawed as anyone else—and those with unknown agendas. Not a flock of birds to set free from a cage and admire. She certainly wasn’t ignorant of that, but it didn’t stop her from wistfully imagining Brydis’s fiery wings spread to their full length as he soared across the vibrant skies of Ganymede. The mental picture filled her with a sense of joy. She certainly didn’t want to be returned to Earth, but she would give anything to see that. She was certain that the strange, pearlescent, pale lavender sheen that seemed to dance along his and Agor’s skin would shimmer beautifully beneath the sunlight.
That unique sheen was incredible and made her long to reach out and trace its path with her fingertips. It was only due to a lifetime of practicing self-restraint that she succeeded at keeping her fingers to herself. It was funny, however, that she didn’t recall noticing that coloring on any of the other Geminidae. But then again, she hadn’t exactly been looking closely on the main deck when the aliens boarded, and she hadn’t had the opportunity to see any other aliens since.
The elevator came to a stop and Jill licked her lips as she stepped out onto her level. She looked around her eagerly as she approached the long stretch of the starboard side deck. A very empty deck. She frowned, her brow dropping in confusion. Where were they? This was always where she’d spotted them before. She slowed, disappointment settling in a hard, sour ball within her belly. Perhaps they were no longer stationed on her level. Had they requested a transfer? Maybe they thought she was stalking them now and requested to be stationed on another deck where she wouldn’t be spying on them.
Her shoulders slumped with disappointment, but she squared them once more almost as quickly, walking determinedly toward her destination. Perhaps it was for the best. She didn’t understand her strange pull toward them and the way her eyes always sought them out now. Truth be told, she’d thought of them non-stop ever since she briefly caught a glimpse of them. It was strange. She wasn’t the sort to believe in such strong infatuations at first sight. She’d not even been the sort to fawn over attractive vid stars or athletes like most of her friends in her youth. She didn’t need any unhealthy obsessions when she needed to focus on what was important. With their absence, maybe she would finally be able to work on being able to just forget about them. She had a sinking feeling that, even if she should arrive at her assigned workplace at Mercurium, she would still instinctively search for them for some time yet.
What a depressing thought.
Tucking a curl of hair behind her ear, she stifled a sigh. She really needed to get hold of herself. What exactly did she expect to happen between them anyway? They weren’t even of the same species.
Stop looking for them and just get to your quarters and eat as you planned, she chided herself. Until the captain reports otherwise, you need to be preparing and focusing on your arrival and the new life waiting for you.
Her gaze drifted down to the toe of her shoes, focusing on the steady clip of her tread. Gods, she really hoped that the captain didn’t say otherwise and that Earth and Geminidae would come to a peaceful solution that worked for everyone. She wasn’t just being melodramatic that she had nowhere else to go. She gave up her lease on her apartment and either gave away or sold the majority of her belongings due to luggage constraints on her paid ticket in preparation for the trip to Ganymede. She certainly couldn’t bring herself to impose herself on her family who didn’t have the space or financial means to help her. She’d barely been able to take care of herself in her tiny studio apartment, which was the entire reason she’d jumped at the chance for a life on Ganymede. Her parents had been so happy for her that she was going to be able to get off the planet and away from the rapidly dwindling opportunity to find success there. Losing that would not only put her in a difficult position but would crush her mom and dad.
Her lips tightened as her fingers anxiously squeezed the strap of her backpack where they gripped it. She couldn’t afford to lose it, but she also hated the idea of the Geminidae being sent away… or, more specifically, Agor and Brydis, if she were completely honest with herself.
Groaning softly to herself, she swiped a hand over her face in exasperation, her eyes lifting again as it dragged down from her eyes to her mouth, just in time to smother her startled scream when the shadow nearest to her moved unexpectedly.
It moved forward with a swift grace, darker shadows fanning around it as it came toward the light. A glint of pale metal caught the light—making her heart race at the implications of what sort of weapon it could be—and Agor emerged from the shadows with a cheerful smile. Jill’s breath exploded from her in a strained laugh that had him peering down at her curiously.
“Jill? Is all well? Did you bring some food? I scented something quite tasty from over there,” he nodded to a spot deeper within the shadows where the lighting was poorer that time of the day.
“I’m fine, but you scared the hell out of me.” She shook her head, adopting a sterner look, though it took effort to restrain her smile as she shook her finger at him as he grinned down at her like a mischievous boy. “Don’t do that again. What is with you and just rushing forward unannounced?”
His expression shifted from excitement to one that she couldn’t call anything less than sheepish mollification. “I apologize. You’re right. Brydis has warned me many times that I’m too impetuous and rush into things without thinking them through. It’s a bad excuse, but I’m just overwhelmed with delight the moment I catch sight of you that common sense doesn’t kick in quite fast enough.”
Jill chuckled despite herself. “Delight… and your stomach perhaps, since food was the very next thing you asked about after inquiring after me.”
Agor’s wings shrugged, the silver and sapphire feathers rustling with the movement. “Perhaps a little,” he admitted cheerfully, his gaze now pinned with interest on her bag. “Your human food has a far more appealing scent to it than our miserable rations.”
She glanced down at her bag in surprise. “Seriously? I mean, it’s not bad, but it's nothing like my grandmother and mother’s cooking. It’s kind of bland, honestly.”
She wasn’t about to admit that she ate it in her quarters solely because she had to make it a bit more edible with her precious spices that took up over half of her luggage space. Her mother had been more than happy helping her acquire the bulk quantities of chili, paprika, cumin, garlic, and a number of other spices that were nearly always used in her daily fare.
He gave her an incredulous look and fished out a wrapped packet from the small pack attached to the side of his belt and held it out to her. The small feathers on his brow ruffled up, and she had the impression that he was lifting his brows challengingly at her.
“Perhaps you would like to try for the sake of comparison and give me your opinion on it.”
She stared at the packet and hesitated. There was a chance that whatever he had wasn’t safe for human consumption, but he stood there waiting so patiently that she didn’t feel right about refusing. Turning away an offer of food was the highest of insults in her family.
“It’s safe,” he promptly assured her, as if reading her mind. “Our scientists compared biological data and discovered that our nutritional requirements are very similar. None of our foods should give you a bad reaction, nor should any of yours affect us negatively.” His head cocked. “If you wish to try it, that is. You do not have to.” He glanced down at it with a pained expression. “I would not blame you. It does not have much to recommend it.”
Her heart melted a little at his demonstrative insecurity. It was hard to believe such a big male could feel so uncomfortable over such a small thing as an offer of food. For some reason that was comforting and brought back memories of offering food to her peers only for it to be rejected with looks of disgust.
“No, no, I want to,” she replied quickly, her heartwarming at the sudden smile that brightened his expression.
She was definitely too easy.
Reaching forward, she folded back the edge of the dull, silvery package to reveal something pale and meaty wrapped in what she could almost mistake for some kind of bread. It had only a faint nutty smell that made her grimace, but surely it couldn’t be as bad as he was making it out to be. Pinching the corner, it ripped away effortlessly, and she brought the morsel toward her. As it came closer to her face, there was a very faint fish-like scent underlying the nutty odor. The smell vaguely reminded her of her childhood best friend’s tuna and rye sandwiches, and Jill barely repressed a shudder of revulsion. She gamely brought it to her lips and took a bite.
A pasty, fishy flavor filled her mouth. The wrap might have looked a bit like a flatbread, but it possessed neither texture nor the heavenly flavor of it. It quickly turned to mush in her mouth and the pale meat flaked on her tongue with a faint sour, pickled flavor with none of the bite to redeem it. She gagged a little but swallowed it down as she hurriedly dug out one of her own containers of food from her pack and shoved it at him. It was meant to be something for her midday meal tomorrow, but she couldn’t bear the thought of leaving him withthatto eat, especially when he didn’t seem to care for it any more than she did if his own grimace at it was any indication. No one deserved to be punished like that.
