Chapter 10
Peony
Fed, clean, and clothed in a shapeless dress that was probably a big alien shirt, Peony should have been ready to drop onto one of the bunks and sleep for the next year or so.
Hattie and Holly certainly wasted no time in doing just that, both of them shutting themselves into their quarters with a happy, relieved good night.
Alanna had wondered off after taking a shower, probably to get lost in her thoughts.
Scarlet looked torn between exploring and resting herself, but fatigue eventually won out.
Peony bit her lip, staring at the open door to the small room that she could claim for her own, the three bunks open and waiting for her to rest. They didn't have pillows, sheets, or blankets.
The surface of the thin mattress was a plastic kind of fake leather, like a hospital bed, for easier cleaning.
There were privacy screens that could be closed and buttons whose purpose she didn't recognize.
But she didn't want to sleep.
She was keyed up and restless. She knew without needing to do it that, even if she tried to lay down, she wouldn't be able to even close her eyes.
Partly because she was scared that she'd open them and find the dino-lizard aliens looking down on her again.
Or maybe she'd find herself in a new and worse situation.
But more than anything, she didn't want to be alone.
She had been locked up with the other girls for days already, she didn't know how many. Even just standing, by herself, in the hall with only a sliding door between her and them was making her uneasy.
But she didn't want to crawl into the last bunk with any of them, not if she already knew she wouldn't sleep. She also wasn't sure where Alanna had gone off to, but she had a feeling that the dreamy girl would prefer to have some time to herself. She couldn't begrudge her the privacy.
She knew where she wanted to go. She wasn't sure why she was standing there, arms around her stomach, convincing herself of why she should.
The ship wasn't small – definitely bigger than the average sized house – and it appeared that the halls created a circle so the rooms could all be reached by walking in a single direction.
The doors had all been opened and left that way.
In a few places, as she walked past, Peony could see the dark blue blood of the ratchi, but she didn't see any bodies.
Somehow, she was absolutely certain that they weren't on the ship anymore.
If they were still a problem, there was no doubt in her mind that Atem wouldn't have left them alone.
Whether the doors were open to show them that there was no one hidden around the corner or to allow them to see what was beyond, she didn't know. Either way, she found herself comforted by the unfamiliar but brightly lit and empty chambers.
The doors leading into the bridge were also held open. She had to climb a couple steps into the room, her eyes quickly moving around to take in everything. She was one of the few humans who ever got to see inside a spaceship. How could that not be awesome?
Four different panels covered in buttons and levers she didn't recognize formed a half circle around the central captain's seat. One of them was dark and looked like a large rock had been dropped on it, but the others all had writing she didn’t recognize across their screens.
There was a larger screen at the front instead of a cool window looking out into sparkling outer space.
It was just a monitor that showed a bunch of green lines on a graph, moving constantly, a series of characters that could have been numbers or letters, she couldn't tell, and what appeared to be a radar screen.
Kind of disappointing, but still cool.
She turned from the incomprehensible screen to look over at the captain's chair-
A short scream was immediately swallowed when she clapped her hands over her mouth. Her heart pounded fearfully because she hadn't immediately recognized Atem.
It was definitely him, but his skin was no longer the slate gray of the ship. Instead, it was the pale, faded red of the plastic leather of the seat. His skin, his hair, and his pants were all the same red. His eyes remained unchanged, though much brighter compared to his new skin tone.
Reacting to her fear, Atem was up immediately, claws bared, looking around for danger. The moment he stood, stepping away from the chair, his skin began changing. It wasn't immediate, it took a few seconds, but Peony watched, fascinated, as his skin turned gray again.
He was camouflaging!
His hair and skin both changed, though his eye color never did.
A moment later, a light at the waistband of his pants blinked white once, twice, then his pants changed color as well.
It wasn't the same gradual fade. Instead, they transformed from the waistband to the feet, like water running down the fabric, until they matched his skin color.
He was camouflaged, and his clothes were designed to change with him.
The tension faded as Atem found no threat, though he kept looking around even as he stepped towards her, a question she couldn't translate on his lips.
Peony's eyes were wide as she reached out a trembling hand for him. He paused, watching as her fingers cautiously touched his chest. Understanding seemed to dawn and he smirked, one fang winking in the light as she stared in wonder at his newly gray flesh.
His skin wasn't smooth like hers. It was a bit rough, but not in a way that was uncomfortable.
She found herself wanting to stroke his chest, to rub her face along it.
She didn't know if that was because the texture was so fascinating, or because the hard muscles beneath it were calling to her. They both seemed to be true.
He said something, his low voice rumbling through his chest, into her fingers. Before she could pull away, he covered her hand with his. Pressing it down. She could feel the pumping of his heart, and, to her surprise, there were three separate thuds instead of the two she expected.
“Sorry,” she breathed, smiling weakly. “I was just surprised. I didn't expect you to change colors.”
He lowered her hand and held it up, using it as a platform.
He put the back of his hand on her palm, and, within a few seconds, his palm and fingers began to change.
It only went up to his wrist, stopping where the tips of her fingers did.
The rest of his hand, however, gradually brightened and changed into her own skin color.
“That's incredible!” She gasped, amazed.
He couldn't know her words, but he chuckled, understanding the tone. He turned his hand over, clasping her palm to palm. His hand was the same color of her skin, but within seconds of facing the back of his hand away from her flesh, it changed back to slate gray.
“I have so many questions I can't even ask,” she grumbled, still grinning even though she was frustrated. She beamed back up at him. “I haven't thanked you yet either.”
He smiled at her, unaware of what she was saying, but he seemed happy for her to just to be there. All three of his slash-like eyes were focused wholly on her.
Peony lost track of the seconds as they stared at each other.
It wasn't awkward or weird. The unease and restlessness she had felt in the hall by herself was completely gone now.
She licked her lips, wondering what he would taste like.
How it would feel to run her tongue along his strangely textured skin.
Judging by the way his eyes, all three of them, followed the movement, she thought he might let her.
Clearing her throat, chuckling nervously, she pulled her hand away. He let her only reluctantly.
What was she thinking? She couldn't just go throwing herself at the guy.
Setting aside that they couldn't communicate for her to even ask if it was okay or if he already had a special lady friend, or whatever, in his life, she wasn't even sure if sex with an alien would be okay.
It wasn't wrong or anything, but it was definitely weird.
Right?
“Erm, so, where are we going?” She asked and nearly smacked herself when all he did was cock his head at her question. Of course, he didn't understand.
“Where?” She asked more simply, like that would help. But she pointed at the screen, wondering if it was anything like pointing at the windshield of a car. She waved her finger between them in a circle before gesturing forward again. “Where?”
He frowned, and she could see him trying to work out her intention. It took her a few more tries, and pointing to the captain's chair and the consoles, before understanding finally dawned.
“Ah. Turv,” he said. Then again, slowly, pointing ahead. “Tu-rv.”
“Turv,” she mimicked.
“Turv, vas. Atem, Peony. Turv,” he pointed again ahead.
“Vas...” she repeated with a frown. “Is that, like, yes? Or... no?”
Her confusion was met with a mild frustration. She couldn't even nod or shake her head to indicate which one was which as she had no idea if their nonverbal communication would translate. For all she knew, bobbing her head would indicate she was hungry.
A thoughtful look came over Atem's face for a moment before he grinned. He put a hand to his chest and patted it. “Atem? Vas.” He patted himself again. “Peony? Tor.”
Peony started to smile, getting it. She patted her chest. “Peony?”
“Vas.” He beamed, pleased.
She patted his chest. “Peony?”
“Tor,” he said with mock seriousness.
“Atem? Vas?” She patted him again, mostly because she wanted to touch him. Stars above, his muscles were so solid and hot.
He put his hand over hers, holding it to his chest again, his voice lowering as he agreed with far more of a seductive growl than really necessary, “Vas.”
A nervous, completely unsexy, chuckle slipped past her lips, but he only grinned, stepping in closer to her. The look in his eyes needed no translation.
“Peony,” he purred her name like it was some forbidden delight.
“I must be insane,” she mumbled, though her tone wasn't discouraging.