CHAPTER 4
“It’s not like you to come in through the front entrance,” they say, not blocking my path, but also not giving me enough space to freely walk past.
“It was quicker, and I’m just popping in for something.”
“What did the Trulavian want?”
My skin goes cold, and I hold myself as still as possible so I don’t flinch, and when I turn back to them, I don’t answer the question. Instead, I ask… “Are you spying on me?”
“No. But when someone grabs one of my employees before they can come in through the door they normally do… I have questions.”
“We had an argument about fish.”
“Fish?”
“Yes. We met at the aquarium a while ago, and he was determined to prove that Trulavian fish are better.”
“Trulavian fish are illegal on this station. If he had any, you need to let the station administrator know.”
“He didn’t. And I still don’t think they’re better.”
I wonder if they know I’m lying. It feels like something they should be able to tell, but I don’t actually know.
“Anything else?” I ask, and when they don’t respond after a few moments, I say, “Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow then.”
“Jade?”
I look back at them and wait. “I don’t know why you’re lying to me and I won’t ask again, as long as you promise you’re safe.”
“I promise.” As long as they don’t make me promise Anne’s safe, it isn’t a lie.
A thought hits me. “Hey. Do any other Sovians come to the booth?”
“Yes, one.”
“When is he scheduled?”
“Tomorrow morning.”
“Okay, thanks.”
“Just one more thing.”
I don’t like the way my heart is racing. “Yeah?”
“Feather isn’t on station for a few weeks. Would you like me to have Kicker accompany you around the station?”
I can’t imagine having someone dogging my heels every minute.
“No, I’m totally fine.” I can hear the strain in my voice. I know they do too.
“If you say so.”
They disappear, and I exhale as slowly and as quietly as I can before I walk through the halls. Phantom told me what I came in to find out, and there’s only one more thing to do.
The Trulavian doesn’t know I spend most nights with them, which means that he doesn’t follow me to their place…
I take the long way out of Phantoms, coming back out into the public corridors as far away from the Trulavian’s cafe as possible and then, I wind my way through the corridors to get back to their place without going into the public areas again unless I absolutely have to.
Exploring the station was more useful than I had planned.
When I get back to their place, I’m certain the Trulavian can’t know I’m here… or who’s inside.
Ferrok stands in front of the view port drinking a glass of something that looks like carrot juice, and when he turns to me, his beak clicks on the straw twice before he asks, “What’s wrong?”
“Why does someone want a piece of you?”
Mooralan comes out of the room I so recently left, half naked and drying himself off from a shower. “We are going to need a bit of context.”
“On my way to meet up with Anne, a Trulavian grabbed me—”
“What do you mean they grabbed you?”
“Right before I was going to go into one of the back entrances to Phantoms, he grabbed me by the arm and dragged me away.
“At first, I thought it was a misunderstanding or something, but he was the same guy who started talking to me at the aquarium a few weeks ago and then, he told me he had Anne.”
“He kidnapped her?”
“And to get her back, I have to bring him a piece of you.” I pull out the vial, waiving it as I talk. “Blood is preferred, but he was willing to take just about any genetic material.”
They share a glance and then Ferrok holds out his hand. “Give me the vial.”
I let him take it, but, “There’s another Sovian scheduled in the booth tomorrow. I’m going to—”
Ferrok bites his forearm, and rusty brown blood flows into the vial as Mooralan curses, disappearing into the bathroom and coming back out with a bandage as the vial fills.
“Here.”
“Just like that?”
“If your sister is in danger, my blood is a small price to pay to get her back.”