Chapter 30
Banjo
Today is it. The day I’m returning to Earth.
Normally, I’m a pretty sunny person. I always try to find the silver lining in every situation. Not today.
Today, I’m a disaster.
And here I thought yesterday was going to be the worst day of my life.
We’d had “the talk.” Tavryn finally agreed he would come and get me once my album is recorded.
He’d given me a card with a weird number on it and said I could use it to call him.
Unfortunately, it’ll only work if he’s in range, and he won’t be in range again until he comes back to pick me up. In three months.
Somehow, I’m supposed to spend three entire months away from Tavryn.
Maybe more, if he can’t get through the UFO’s shields easily or if my album and publicity tour take longer than I’m expecting.
Really, there’s no telling how long we might be apart.
No matter how much I tell myself it’s the right thing to do, it doesn’t feel right.
I don’t want to go. I don’t want to leave Tavryn and the life we’ve built over the past ten months.
But no matter how hard we both tried, we couldn't find another option. It’s either abandon my family or abandon Tavryn.
I can’t stomach the thought of doing either, so this is what we decided.
It’s not a perfect plan. It may not work. But it’s all we have.
That doesn’t mean I have to like it.
I’m in bed with the blanket pulled over my head, pretending the rest of the world doesn’t exist. Tavryn got up a while back.
I can hear him in the kitchen, getting together a breakfast I already know I’ll feel too sick to eat, let alone enjoy.
I should get up. Hiding isn’t going to fix anything, and the last thing I want to do is waste the few hours Tavryn and I have left together.
I throw the blankets off me, freezing when I hear a sniffle coming from the kitchen area.
Tavryn has been trying so hard to act like this isn’t bothering him, but the hurt is starting to peek through.
Warm saliva fills my mouth as my stomach heaves.
The thought of leaving Tavryn, alone and heartbroken, makes me want to vomit.
When the time comes, I’m seriously not sure I’ll be able to do it.
“Banjo?”
I jump when Stells speaks. It doesn’t echo around the room like it normally does. Instead, it’s like she’s speaking directly into my head. Stells? I think, wondering if she can hear me.
When there’s no response, I say it out loud instead, trying to keep my voice down. “Stells?”
“Ah, good, you can hear me. It took me longer than I predicted to hack your translator chip, but of course, I managed it,” Stells says. Before I can reply, she continues. “If you were able to speak with your family, would you feel more comfortable staying here with us?”
I perk up at that. Speak to Mamaw and Viola? “I thought we couldn’t get on the human internet.” That’s what Tavryn told me, at least.
“We’re not supposed to have access to what the humans call the internet,” Stells corrects.
She sounds smug, as always. Did she pick that up from years of talking to Tavryn, or was she naturally this sassy?
“But we do. Or, more importantly, I do, at least now that we’re in range.
I believe I can finally connect you to your sister. ”
I’m so shocked I nearly miss an important part of this conversation. “Wait, Stells—you want me to stay?” I accidentally say the last words a little too loud, catching Tavryn’s attention. I offer him an apologetic smile, pointing to my ear. “Stells is talkin’ to me.”
Tavryn frowns. The expression is so normal that it unknots something in me. “About what?” he asks, coming over to sit on the bed with me.
Stells sighs loudly over the main intercom.
“Since the two of you have been completely incompetent when it comes to finding a solution for Banjo’s problem, I took it upon myself to come up with one,” she informs us.
“Because unlike the two of you, I don’t get distracted by a constant need for sexual gratification. ”
There’s a brief pause. “And to answer your question, Banjo, yes. I do enjoy your company. Plus, the captain’s demeanor has improved by eighty-seven percent since the two of you began engaging in regular sexual activity.”
Tavryn blushes, his cheeks turning nice and purple. I’m too excited to be embarrassed. “Stells, are you saying you found something?” he asks, pulling her back on track. Hope burns in my chest no matter how much I know I should smother it.
“Not exactly,” Stells admits. That flame of hope goes out in an instant. “But I do think you should speak with your family. They’ve been coping without you for ten months, Banjo. They may be doing better than you expect.”
Huh. I guess I’d never really thought about that. It isn’t like Viola and Mamaw knew I was coming back. Have they really just moved on with their lives?
The idea doesn’t hurt quite as much as I thought it would.
It doesn’t matter. I’m their family. If I have an opportunity to help them, to make their lives easier, I have to take it, even if they wouldn’t know any different. That’s how family works.
“I definitely wanna talk to ‘em,” I say, glancing over at Tavryn to make sure that’s okay. He nods. “Plus, we gotta make arrangements, right? For me to get…” Oh, I feel like I’m going to vomit again. I barely manage to get the word out. “Home.” It’s not home. It’ll probably never be home again.
“Perfect. I can set the call up on the living room screen. It seems like the most convenient for you both.” The TV flickers on as she finishes.
I run over to the couch, hopping over the back so I don’t miss the start of the call.
It takes a few minutes to connect, but then suddenly, I’m staring at Viola, and she’s staring right back at me.
“Banjo?!” Viola shrieks, the image bobbing as she jumps up and down. “Mamaw swore you’d be deader than a doornail by now, but look at you! You’re lookin’ great, bubba!”
I laugh, rubbing the back of my neck. “Hey, sissy. You look good too, of course.” It’s true. Her hair is curled the way she does it when she’s happy and actually has time to spend on it. “How’s Mamaw doin’?”
“Oh, she’s doin’ good, she’s doin’ good. You know what she always says.” We both say the next part together. “I ain’t dead yet!”
I laugh so hard I double over. It’s good to talk to her again. To see her and know she’s alright. Mamaw too.
“For real though, how y’all been doin’?” I ask, my laughter quickly fading.
“How are we doin’? How are you doin’? You’re the one that’s all the way up there ‘n space!” Viola reminds me. “Don’t think I ain’t noticed that alien lurkin’ in the background.”
I turn to see Tavryn hovering behind me just out of frame. I don’t think I’ve ever actually seen him look so nervous before. He’s always confident, especially around other people.
“Oh, that’s Tav!” I explain, grinning at him before turning back to look at Viola.
“He kind of rescued me. I helped ‘im find this other human he was lookin’ for and, well, it’s kind of a long story.
Do you wanna meet ‘im?” I pause for a moment.
“Oh, and they ain’t called aliens up here. They’re called otherworlders.”
“Otherworlders? Ain’t never heard that one. I’ll ‘member that for the next time I’m talkin’ to one,” Viola replies. “But, yeah, duh I want to meet ‘im! I ain’t never met a real life ali—otherworlder before! Bring ‘im on over here.”
I motion for Tavryn to come join me on the couch. He must not understand the gesture, because he doesn’t move.
“Tav, c’mon, I want you to meet Viola.” He lets out a heavy sigh before finally coming over and sitting next to me on the couch.
He has to sit close to fit in the frame.
Butterflies erupt in my stomach when our thighs press together.
I never even dreamed this moment would happen. “Tav, this is Viola. Viola, Tav.”
“She can’t understand me, darling,” Tavryn reminds me with a soft little smile. I laugh.
“Oh, yeah, right,” I say, turning my attention back to Viola. “So, uh, Tav don’t speak no English. I’ve got this translator thing that lets me ‘n’ ‘im talk, but you ain’t gonna be able to understand ‘im.”
Viola moves the screen closer to her face, and she studies us so intently I sit up a little straighter. But all she says is, “Hm.”
Huh. Not sure what that’s all about. “Anyway, Tav is gon’ bring me back to Earth.” I swallow thickly, trying not to look over at Tav as I continue. “Today.”
That gets Viola’s attention. “What?!” She looks between the two of us. “Why? I thought—wait, are y’all not a thing?”
My ears burn. I don’t know what to say. We are a thing, I guess. Or we have been. “I’m comin’ home so I can record my album and get the money.”
I don’t know why she sounds so surprised. I told her I’d do everything I could to come back. She knows we need that money as much as I do.
“Oh, that.” Viola waves her hand dismissively. “You ain’t gotta worry about none of that, bubba. Unless you just don’t wanna stay up there. But you and your otherworlder friend seem mighty cozy.”
“What do you mean, I ain’t gotta worry about it?” I repeat with a huff. “Y’all come into some money or somethin’?” My eyes widen as Viola grins at me. “Did Mamaw finally rob the liquor store?”
Viola laughs, shaking her head. “Nah, Banjo, it ain’t nothin’ like that,” she promises me. “You know that law they passed that sends humans up to space? REAL-ET or whatever?”
I nod, even though I had no idea what it was called. Tavryn leans forward, ears twitching. Right, he can understand Viola, even though she can’t understand him.
“Well, it turns out there’s some sorta clause in there that says somethin’ about what happens if the person who gets drafted is the sole provider for their household,” Viola explains. “As soon as everyone found out you were leavin’ without gettin’ that prize money, a lawyer called Mamaw.”