Chapter 3
I nstead of transporting to my ship, I walked through the trees. Even though the gravity of Earth was stronger than Mars, I enjoyed the extra pull on my muscles. According to the old-timers, Voldera could have been the sister to Earth in almost every way. This reminder should have kept me focused on the reason I had gone on this lone adventure, but Gerri Johnson had not been what I had expected of humans.
Most Volderens who had been to Earth were not impressed with humanity, citing arrogance, selfishness, and laziness. But Gerri?
I had sensed none of that in her. Maybe standoffish, but I could understand. I read their social media chatter about human men and bears, and if the females felt safer with wild animals, it completely explained her hesitation.
Now back at the Sparrow, I ascended the ramp and made my way to the cockpit. A message light blinked on the console and I frowned. I bet I know who that’s from.
Seating myself in the chair, I tapped the screen. The message started with a recording of Baraxen. “I did not give you authorization to visit Earth. You are putting yourself in grave danger. If the US military gets their hands on another one of our ships…” He took a long breath and closed his bright eyes. “You know the consequences. I expect more from you, Drayven. We need you on Mars working on the Perseverence . The countdown clock is ticking. The sooner we can leave, the better. It’s not only humans we should be worried about. We have detected strange signals over the past few days that are not from Earth. You have sixteen hours to get your ass back. Do not make me send Voren. You know how he is. Out.”
The monitor went dark.
I reached up and rubbed one of my horns, the unblemished surface against my fingertip a self-soothing gesture. Even though I looked human thanks to the lifecord, I could still feel my true body.
Sixteen hours. Okay, I can live with that. I glanced at the time on the device, which was synced to Earth time. As long as I get into orbit by two tomorrow afternoon, I should be safe from Brax’s grumpy brother, Voren.
And he has a point. I am risking myself and this ship every moment I stay.
These thoughts did not deter me, though. My people's return hinged on something I needed from Earth, something I instinctively knew Gerri Johnson possessed.
An image of her rose in my mind. Her hair, dark with tight curls, had caught the firelight when she had turned her head, reminding me of some of the early paintings I had seen in our database of what humans called fairies. Do not forget about those lips, either. Plump and full, my thoughts jumbled when she spoke because I could not stop imagining how she would taste.
My dick throbbed and pushed against my pants. When her voice reached my ears, a profound sense of calm had washed over me and something in my head rang, like the distant gong of a bell. I had discovered my destined partner.
Unfortunately, there was nothing I could do about it. Even if she did find me attractive, it did not matter. She had not seen Drayven Naxar the Volderen. Gerri had seen Drayven the human. Our first meeting had been based on a lie, and I did not know how that could be mended.
Stop thinking about it. Take a few hours to rest, then look at it again in the morning.
Nodding, I rose and moved to the small area beside the cockpit, equipped with an area for overnight stays, and laid down, even though I was not sure I could sleep after such an unusual, exciting meeting.
I shut my eyelids.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
The high-pitched squawk of my lifecords alarm pierced through the lovely dream I had been having, which involved me on top of Gerri Johnson and kissing her neck.
“Godsdamn it. Shut up. I am awake,” I said in Volderen.
The lifecord’s alarm turned off.
I glanced through the viewscreen to a glorious sight.
Slanting rays from the sunrise pierced through the gaps between the pine trees, creating beautiful orange and yellow glows. A light scattering of clouds reflected the pink and orange glow of the light, and flocks of birds flew over the treetops.
“So much color in this world.” As much as I longed to explore the park and the city, a deeper urge pulled at me.
Gerri.
I primed the engines of the Sparrow and verified stealth mode was still active, and lifted the ship into the air, pivoting and flying near Gerri’s camp.
Because Volderen crafts were completely undetectable, not even wind stirred the tops of the trees as I hovered in the air.
She sat in the same chair from last night, lifting a spoon to her mouth, obviously eating breakfast from a tiny container. Standing, she walked the container to the trash, set the spoon in a metal bin filled with water, and got into the vehicle that served as her home.
Her way of life mystified me. Volderens cherished a home, however small, but this woman lived without constraint. The idea of having no ties—no oaths—tempted me for a moment. How wonderful to live freely on a planet, to only worry about the small things in life, not an entire civilization and its future, to answer to no one but myself.
Yet, I am oath bound to my people. We have not survived four thousand years to become marooned on another planet, even if it is wondrous.
Our ancestors had watched humans become civilized, sometimes even influencing their progress, yet it was not out of benevolence. Our lineage faced extinction without the key to unlocking our DNA anomalies. We had that now thanks to Voren and Lilly, and we were sworn to complete the mission at whatever cost; Voldera’s salvation and future rested on our shoulders… my shoulders.
Her truck backed out of its spot, then rumbled through the park and out the gates. Ten minutes later, she reached the outskirts of a little city, which my readout confirmed was Barkley. She pulled into a slanted parking spot in front of a building with a For Sale sign in the window.
I contacted the interface, directing my ship to land in a nearby field.
Once I confirmed stealth mode and my projected image remained that of a human male, I left and strode toward the road she had traversed. The walk, though only about ten minutes, invigorated me.
This air. It is clean, with no smell of filtration or iron dust.
Why had I not visited Earth sooner? My life had been consumed with learning from my elders and designing and maintaining our fleet. No wonder I yearned for beauty and inspiration. The outer husk of a Volderen must be supported from the inside, and that starts with the heart and mind.
As I came upon the building I had seen from the air, I slowed.
Gerri, standing a few steps up on a ladder with an apron filled with paintbrushes tied around her waist, gracefully moved her hand across the red bricks, creating an outline of a flower.
Honk-honk-honk!
I jumped, turning to face the loud noise.
An enormous truck— and eighteen-wheeler if I remember my Earth lessons correctly —swerved into the other lane of traffic to avoid hitting me.
“Get off the road, you stupid jackass,” yelled a heavily bearded man through his open window.
Realizing my blunder, I hastily dashed to the parking area, my heart beating double time.
“Drayven? What…what are you doing here?” Gerri’s firm, sultry voice pulled me out of my shock. “Were you standing in the middle of the road?”
Oh Gods. This is not how I planned to reintroduce myself.
I swiveled and met her gaze, unable to form a coherent thought. Her eyes, a rich mahogany, lasered me with intense focus.
“Uh.” I reached upward and touched a horn. “I-I decided to visit this city called Barkley.”
“At seven o’clock in the morning?” She tucked the paintbrush she held behind her ear. “You aren’t following me, are you?” Her gaze narrowed and her mouth tightened.
Lying had never been my strength. “No. Well, perhaps.” How do I get out of this?
She descended the two rungs of the ladder to the ground, pivoted toward me, and put her hands on her hips. Her stare changed from curious to guarded. “Why?”
I extended my hand. “Please. I am not what you would call a caper. I just needed to see you again.”
“It’s called being a creeper .” Her lips flattened to the point of invisibility. “And that’s just not good enough. Saying you wanted to see me again after last night, when it was you who stumbled on my camp, is giving me major stalker vibes.” She scanned the area behind me. “I’m about this close—” She held her fingers near each other. “—to screaming my damn head off.”
“I do not wish you any harm, Gerri. Honestly, I am perplexed myself. There is something here, in my chest, telling me I need you, and perhaps you need me.” My cheeks burned. I had never spoken this openly about my feelings to anyone. “Now, I understand coming here was a mistake.” Sighing, I turned and started walking back toward the field, mentally scolding myself for not being more discreet, for even going on this wild chase instead of staying on Mars, overseeing the next phase of the multigenerational ship.
She cleared her throat. “Drayven, do you still want to learn how to paint?”
I froze. “Yes.”
“Then get over here before I change my mind.”
Without another word, I reversed my course and trotted back, afraid she would change her mind.
She pointed to the area where she’d been painting. “Stand there and we’ll start the trees. The new owner wants this mural to reflect the wilderness of the area, so I’ll start you on straight lines and we’ll go from there.”
I moved to the front of the blank wall.
She bent, popped the top off a can much larger than last night’s beer, and poured brown paint into a red plastic cup, then handed it to me. “As tall as you are, you won’t need the ladder. Dip the brush like this.” She pushed a brush into her own cup, then turned and touched the wall. “Use a light touch at the top, this will keep the tips pointy, then steadily apply more pressure as you drag it straight down, forming the thicker part of the trunk.”
My mind reeled at how quickly the situation had changed. Maybe she senses it, too, that we are meant to be together. Realizing I still stood in shock, I mimicked her movements, then touched the brush to bricks. Paint dribbled down, so I chased it with the bristles.
Once I reached the foundation, I stood and gave my tree a quick view.
It is horrible. Where her line started thin and broadened to the ground, mine looked like a squiggly snake.
She snickered. “Well, it’s a start. Here. Let me show you what I mean.” Stepping next to me, she grasped my fingers. “Let’s try another one, but without so much force.”
This close, she smelled wonderful, yet I did not have a name for it. Though I was aware of many things about humans from reading their books and internet, I had never smelled their world, except for the things others brought from scouting missions. Her fingers on my wrist caused tiny shocks of pleasure to course through my nerves.
With firm pressure, she pulled my wrist downward. “This is the amount of force you should use, and don’t pause. It’s just one continuous line straight down. Most pine trunks are relatively straight.”
“Mm-hmm.” Words failed me. I wanted her to continue touching me. I wanted to paint a thousand tress with her fingers on my wrist. I wanted to show my true self to her, to hear her voice in my ear for the rest of my life.
She motioned me to bend down with her.
When we both squatted, she glanced over her shoulder at me. “You can blend the drips horizontally to make them part of the ground.”
I nodded, smearing the runaway paint with my brush.
“You know, I have no idea why I’m giving you lessons, but for some reason, you inspire trust.” Her lips quirked into a smile.
“Do you believe in fate?” My words were soft.
She frowned, then stood, putting her brush inside a cup of water sitting near the ladder and wiping her hands onto her apron. “Fate, destiny, free will. I don’t know what I believe in, but I believe everything happens for a reason.”
I mimicked her movements with my brush then faced her. “What if I said we are…soulmates. Would you think I am crazy?”
Gerri shrugged. “I’ve heard crazier stuff. Besides, who am I to judge? Most people think I’m crazy for being alone and not owning a house.”
So, she did not balk at the soulmate question. Interesting.
“It is rare in my culture, but when one’s mate is found, the bond is undeniable. It pulls at a person’s very being, driving them to do anything for that person.”
“I’m not really that kind of woman, Drayven.” She gave an apologetic smile. “I’m a one-and-done, leave-them-before-the-morning kind of gal.”
Slowly, giving her time to anticipate my movement, I lifted a finger toward her face.
She did not pull back.
Gently, I placed my hand against her cheek. “Who are you running from?”
Under my touch, I could sense her muscles shifting, stiffening. She knocked my arm away. “I’m not running from anyone .” Her tone lowered. “Not anymore.”
I opened my mouth to speak, but something hit the pavement with a metallic ping.
She and I both followed the sound.
“Godsdamn it all,” I whispered. The ugly lifecord lay on the asphalt, its dark metal absorbing the sun’s rays.
Pure dread settled into the pit of my stomach.
Gerri let out a gasp, her attention moving up my body to land on my face.
Inside, I yearned to run away, knowing my human projection no longer showed. Instead of a man, she saw a purple-skinned Volderen with black horns jutting on either side of his forehead, sharp white teeth, and a forked tongue.
“What in the fuck are you?” She stumbled backward, the whites of her eyes so pale against her skin.
“Wait, please wait.” The scent of acrid fear poured from her body. “Do not leave. I am still Drayven. This is my true form. That bracelet is what we call a lifecord. It does many things, including allowing us to visit your planet incognito.” Unbridled panic overwhelmed me. If she goes to the human police, if anyone drives by and sees me, XVU will descend on this town in a heartbeat. The Xeno Vigilance Unit, a secret branch of the Air Force, had been after my kind for decades, ever since one of our craft crashed in Roswell in 1947 and they could not extract or understand our technology.
“Stay away from me. Jesus Christ.” Her voice shook, but she managed to stand. Sweat beaded on her brow.
Despite my desire to touch her, to calm her, I did not step forward. I did not want to make a terrible situation worse.
“Gerri, I am sorry for…this.” I extended my hands, nodding down to my body. “I came here looking for inspiration, and instead I found you.”
She pressed her back against the brick wall, splaying her hands against the surface. Every muscle in her body seemed tense, ready for flight. For a moment, she closed her eyes and shook her head, as if I were a nightmare she could not escape.
“I never intended to cause you pain. I will not bother you any longer.” With an aching pang in my heart, I turned to the wooded area on the other side of the road.
“You lied to me. You let me believe you’re someone you’re not,” she whispered.
I froze. The morning sun glimmered over the trees lining the field; the golden rays bathing my body in warmth. “If I had revealed myself when we first met, would you have accepted the truth of what I am?”
A few birds called from the branches. In the air, my nose detected green plants, like the ones in the hydroponics lab on Mars. The sounds and smells of life on this planet threatened to overload my senses. I had come to Earth looking for beauty, and I had found it, but at what cost?
Gerri’s breathing leveled, but she remained still.
I gave her another few seconds to answer my question, yet only her silence answered.
“Goodbye, Gerri Johnson. You are the first human I have ever met on Earth, and I intend to remember you until my dying breath. For your safety, you should not mention me to anyone, especially the police or military. I would not see you harmed.”
More silence.
What did I expect? That she would accept me as I am and rush into my arms? No. I am no better than a monster according to her people, even though they are the ones who do monstrous things.
Only birdsong twittered from the trees.
I have lost her.
Unable to bear her silence any longer, I dashed toward my stealthed Sparrow. My mission had been to visit Earth for new ideas, and somehow, I’d gotten distracted. I would do what I had set out to do and return to my kin. Hopefully, with a clearer idea of how to create a better ship experience for our journey home.
And a way to forget about the woman who captured my heart.