Chapter 23
One Year Later
Nova
Every seat in the theatre was filled and there were some standing against the wall in the very back. The front rows were filled with all the Decanted children they’d rescued last year. Happy, excited faces were visible throughout the place.
Nova couldn’t believe it had finally happened.
She and the Tiema family had worked hard to make the theatre and performance a reality.
If she was honest, it was Melee who turned out to be brilliant at organization.
With an almost unlimited budget from the Hissa, Melee and the cubs had brought more of their family over from their homeworld and refurbished a large, empty, and badly neglected building.
After the work was done, the extended Tiema family had settled in to be part of the production as techs and characters. No one talked about them leaving. None of them wanted to go back to their overcrowded and resource-poor homeworld.
The Hissa accepted them as permanent residents in the way the Hissa were quick to adopt just about any species. It seemed that the Hissa’s hunger for community wasn’t sated yet.
If someone had asked her what the future would look like before Miran and his team bought her, she would've described still being on the Delight and working show after show and celebrating the tiny pleasure of getting a full night's sleep or a sweet treat left behind by a patron.
Now she had a large extended family made up of the Tiema family, Hissa, other Decanted women, and many children. It was more than she’d even ever dreamed of.
“Nova, I really think I should stomp twice, not once.”
Nova turned to see Miran standing behind her.
He was wearing his bright and colorful costume.
Melee and Hashor had designed all the costumes but made sure to keep the traditional Hissa scoop neck style.
The large neckline of the shirt showed the tattoos circling Miran’s neck and extending over his shoulders.
A perfect copy of her mating marks.
She’d never get tired of looking at them. When she’d seen the fresh tats, she’d had to fight the urge to touch them. It wasn’t until that moment that she understood why Miran was always staring at her neck. The visible marks were reassuring in an unexplainable, visceral way.
“Stick to one stomp for this performance,” Nova said, pulling him further backstage. “You can improvise at later performances.”
Miran had one small part where he played an angry customer in a comedic skit. He’d resisted at first, but finally agreed to the part when he found out that he’d be on stage for less than two minutes. Then rehearsals had started, and he’d fallen in love with the whole process.
Nova was sure he’d play a major part in the next production.
“Are you sure?” he asked. “I want to do my best, and I think two stomps would convey my character's anger better.”
He was fidgeting with the front of his shirt. She grabbed his hands and lifted on her toes to give him a quick, reassuring kiss.
“You’re going to be great,” she said. “And don’t even worry if something goes wrong because something always goes wrong during a performance.”
He pulled his hand free and wrapped his arms around her to hug her close. “You’ve said that before, but I don’t want to be the one that fails.”
His hold on her loosened enough for her to slip out. She patted his chest reassuringly.
“There’s no failure in the theatre,” she argued. “The great thing is that no matter what happens on that stage, it will be entertaining. That’s the important part.”
“I didn’t think this would matter so much to me,” he admitted.
“It doesn’t matter what the craft is, we want others to appreciate it too,” she said, and pointed a thumb over her shoulder at the audience waiting beyond. “They’re going to love it, I promise!”
He looked past her through the one-way curtain at the crowd beyond. His eyes widened with terror. “Everyone’s here.”
Stifling a laugh, Nova pulled him away from the curtain and further backstage. “Focus on your lines and movements,” she said.
The area was busy with actors and techs checking on props, sets, and confirming with each other on cues. It was the type of controlled chaos she was used to, but Miran looked more shellshocked than before.
Moving him around, she pressed him into a small, dark alcove out of the way of everyone else. Jumping up, she grabbed him around the neck and wrapped her legs around his waist. He automatically grabbed her under the ass and around her back to help support her.
Pressing her lips to his, she slipped her tongue into his mouth the moment he opened to her. He let out a little moan, and his arms tightened around her.
The kiss was meant to comfort him, but she was soon lost in the intimate embrace. The movement and sounds around them faded. She would never get tired of kissing or touching Miran.
“Nova, Miran!” Melee’s amused voice pulled them apart. “It’s time.”
Laughing, she dropped from Miran’s hold and turned to face the stage. Miran pulled her close and held her as they watched the first act take the stage in a burst of acrobatic motion.
The rest of the night went well with only a few missed cues, a forgotten line, and one fall. None of that mattered because the entire building was filled with laughter and joy.
Just like her life.