Chapter 2 Anomaly
ANOMALY
When Rin saw Kit’s face in the swarm of people, she practically ran to him. Relief filled her at the sight of her best friend.
He hugged her, and she wrapped her arms around his waist, holding tightly.
"Thank you for being here." Her words were muffled against the stiff material of his pilot’s uniform.
Kit’s hand soothed over her back. She had to strain to hear him over the chatter of the crowd. "Always, sprite."
He released her, and she stepped back, noticing the bouquet of Nightfell roses clutched in his hand.
"For me?" She inclined her head to the bouquet of pointed-petaled flowers, wrapped with a strand of black velvet around the stems.
The dark purple and black roses had always reminded Rin of Kit’s last name—now hers, too.
Though her memories were foggy, Rin recalled that when they were kids, she used to pick Nightfell roses that grew on the outskirts of the playground at their school, crushing the petals and scattering them around him.
Now that the Admittance Ceremony and speeches were over, the lights were on, and she could count every freckle that was scattered across Kit’s nose as he stood before her.
He extended the Nightfell roses. "Just don’t crush the petals again. I don’t want my uniform to be stained."
She took the flowers from him, inhaling the thick jasmine-like scent. "Thank you."
Rin knew it was hard for him to be here, but he had done it anyway.
"Only the best for you." Kit leaned forward to be heard as the family nearby loudly congratulated a young man who stood proudly in their midst. "So tell me, where does the newest trainee of the Alpha Team want to go to celebrate?"
"Where are Sabine and Talor?" she asked, trying not to sound disappointed.
Kit sighed. "On a research trip. Off-planet this time. I don’t know when they’ll be back.
" His tone was apathetic, but Rin knew better.
Kit had a strange relationship with his parents.
They pushed him to be the greatest, and Rin saw the effects of that firsthand.
He worked so hard for their validation, but the best they could do was the occasional text or call.
She didn’t even know the last time she had heard them tell him, I love you.
It wasn’t quite as bad for Rin. She had a distant relationship with Talor, but at least Sabine tried to step in as a mother figure to her. She could never replace Rin’s real mother, but she wasn’t so bad if Rin pretended she was a distant aunt.
"Oh." Rin tried to shove down the sting. "Right. I just hope they’re safe."
Kit hummed noncommittally, eyes narrowing as he looked out into the crowd.
A hush fell over the people around them just before an imposing presence stepped into sight.
The President of the Hunter’s Guild—shaking hands with the trainees, clapping them on the shoulder, and posing for photographs.
And he was making his way right toward her.
"Vesperin Blackfall," said President Shin. He was even larger up close, the grey at his temples more prominent, too. His eyes were slanted and hard, and he had a few lines around his mouth and forehead from age. But muscles strained against his Hunter’s uniform, testament to his dedication. He held out a hand for her to shake.
Rin took his hand. "President Shin, sir."
"It’s a pleasure to meet the adopted daughter of Talor and Sabine Blackfall. I’ve heard much about you." Cold assessment flickered in the President’s eyes.
She hid her grimace with a smile. Who hadn’t heard of her in the circle of higher-ups? She was a commodity amongst them.
The girl who should have died.
He released her hand, eyes settling on Kit, who stood vigilantly at her side.
"Kiton Blackfall." President Shin clapped Kit on the shoulder. "It’s good to see you again. Though, it’s a shame it’s not in a Hunter’s uniform instead of one from the Fleet," he joked.
Kit didn’t smile. "President Shin." He placed a hand on Rin’s shoulder.
The President scanned the crowd. "Tell me, are your parents here? It’s been a few months since I’ve been able to catch up with them."
Kit opened his mouth. Rin quickly interjected before he could get her in trouble. It didn’t seem to register with Kit that this man could easily make her life hell if he wished.
"No, sir," said Rin. "They’re currently not on planet."
"Shame," the President commented. Someone called out nearby, stealing his attention.
He met each of their eyes and inclined his head.
"Kiton, Vesperin." He turned to leave, but at the last second, met her eyes once more. Something flickered across them, snuffed out too quickly for her to pinpoint, but it shivered over her skin unpleasantly. "I expect great things from you, Vesperin. I’m sure you will make Alpha Team and the Hunter’s Guild proud. "
The praise didn’t sit well with her. "Of course, sir," she forced herself to say.
President Shin nodded, just once, and then turned to leave.
She swallowed. "That was… weird. I didn’t know you had met President Shin before." She met Kit’s eyes pointedly.
Kit looked away from her. "Kind of hard not to with my parents as the founders of Blackfall Industries." He took her hand. "The rich and influential have a habit of running in the same circles." His voice was tinged with bitterness.
Rin knew, but had never seen the product of his last name being displayed so evidently. Sabine and Talor preferred to keep her out of the limelight—she would worry it was because they were somehow ashamed, but she knew that wasn’t true. Sometimes, she wondered if they loved her more than Kit…
Rin stared after the President as he walked through the crowd. He didn’t seem to give any of the other recruits the same treatment he gave her. Just a tight-lipped smile for the cameras and a stilted handshake before he moved on to the next group of families.
What if…
The elation that had carried her through the evening turned sour.
What if it wasn’t because of her Stella that she had been accepted into the Alpha Team, but Sabine and Talor’s influence—a favor, a name, or a lie?
The sizzle of smoke on the large grill set in the middle of their table made Rin’s mouth water. Kit used tongs to press a thin slice of raw meat onto the grill, searing it. Her stomach grumbled.
Across the table from her, Kit arched a brow. "I thought I told you to eat before the Admittance Ceremony?"
He had, but of course, she hadn’t listened. Nerves had turned her stomach into knots. Kit pushed up the sleeves of his white button-down; he had shrugged off his Fleet jacket and left it in the car—people tended to gawk.
"Oops." Rin smiled impishly, growing distracted by the clatter of dishes and sounds of chatter.
Her skintight black dress rode up on her thighs as she shifted on the booth, swirling a glass of red wine in her hand as she stared at Kit.
The dress had tiny black straps, crisscrossing over her back and leaving her arms free.
She wore a silver necklace, the many earrings in her ears chosen to match perfectly.
She took a delicate sip of her wine, loving the mellow buzz it gave her, but this evening called for something a bit stronger.
She raised a hand, flagging a nearby waiter. "Four shots of Caltan Fizzers, please."
The waiter nodded and left for the large bar in the middle of the steakhouse, lined with sleek black countertops and glass shelves filled with colorful alcohol.
A slice of meat was placed on the plate before her. She looked up, watching as Kit added a few spoonfuls of rice to her plate and drizzled it with her favorite smoke-flavored hot sauce.
He shook his head, the elegant lighting turning his light brown eyes deep with shadows. "Caltan Fizzers… Really, Rin? Do you want to end this night with your head in a toilet?"
She huffed playfully, holding a hand over her chest in feigned indignation.
"That was one time." But she still had never forgotten it—when she was sixteen and had no worries; when she used to sneak out and ride her quiet electric scooter to Kit’s house and throw rocks at his window so he would wake up and sneak out with her.
"We were trouble," she commented, melancholic.
Kit scoffed. "You were trouble. I was just trying to keep you out of it."
The waiter returned with a tray filled with the four shots she had ordered. She thanked him quietly before he left.
Her eyes grew wide as she lifted the small shot glass to her face and grimaced as she inhaled. "Damn, that’s stronger than I remember."
The neon orange liquor burned her nose. Like citrus, laced with battery acid.
It was a delicacy of the planet it hailed from, Caltan, where the skies were clouded with smog and many blood orange moons hung in the sky, turning everything amber and yellow.
Made from the Caltan orange, a small fruit that bore a striking resemblance to Earth oranges, except that when the peel was laid out to dry, it had hallucinogenic effects when consumed.
She may have tried it a time or two when she was younger.
She slid one of the glasses across the tabletop to Kit. "Bottoms up." She tipped her own glass back, downing it all in a swallow.
It burned her throat and warmed her stomach.
She shook her head to dispel the fizzing sensation, quickly grabbing the peel that was wedged in the rim of the glass—modified to be muted compared to a straight Caltan orange peel.
She ran the salt-encrusted, dried peel across her tongue.
Immediately, her limbs buzzed with a soft weightlessness.
The colors in the steakhouse were turning prettier, as if the chandeliers above were enchanted.
Rin set the empty shot glass down with a clink, Kit copying the motion.
She stared at him, ignoring the untouched food on her plate. "Your freckles are so… pretty."
Kit’s mouth popped open, hands pausing as he reached for a glass of water near his elbow. "Don’t tell me you’re that much of a lightweight."