Chapter 8
CHAPTER EIGHT
Evelyn stirred, stretching lazily across the silky sheets.
She arched her back and heard something in her spine crack.
She wasn’t used to the slow gathering of awareness that coming awake naturally brought.
Snapping out of stasis was an instantaneous thing.
There was something deliciously luxurious about waking up slowly.
Then she remembered the day she’d had and the bottom fell out of her stomach. Shame at the naiveté of her actions flooded her, her cheeks heated and tears prickled at the corners of her eyes.
Stupid Evelyn. Idealistic Evelyn. Life isn’t a story you can analyze.
Her dreams had been a recurring loop of some of the worst moments of her life. Fighting with her mother about how her sisters got to train for court with her father, but she was always left out. Sobbing in Aunt Corrie’s arms, explaining her fear that she would never live up to the family name.
She swung herself off the bed and took the few steps to the bathroom door.
From this angle, she noticed a tray with a covered plate sitting just inside the bedroom door.
After a brief trip to the bathroom — all black and white marble tile work and gold fixtures; Lillian must have spent a fortune decking the ship out — she examined the tray.
There was a folded note under the plate. She slid it out to read:
A sweet start for your day. It’s practically tradition. -A
A grin formed on her face. Evelyn lifted the lid off the plate and found a beautiful, fruity fractal of pineapple, placed just so, on the plate.
The tenderness of the act took her a moment to digest. She eased a slice off the plate, trying not to destroy the rest of the carefully balanced pieces.
It was the perfect temperature, ripe and dripping with juice.
She took a bite, and the explosion on her tongue was tropical heaven.
Juice dripping down her chin, Evelyn took the plate to the armchair and plopped down in it.
She alternated between annihilating the fruit and re-reading her note, remembering the taste of sweet pineapple candy on Aiden’s soft lips.
Their brief kiss was a very welcome distraction from the depressing reel of her least favorite memories.
Chewing proved difficult with the idiotic grin that had plastered itself to her face, but she managed to only bite the inside of her cheek once.
Halfway through the plate, she noticed a subtle notification blinking in the lower corner of her view screen.
“L.I.N.D.A., good morning. I think? I seem to have a notification,” she said. She’d been surrounded by curt, efficient medidroids for years, and stunning conversationalists they were not. L.I.N.D.A.’s social programming was lightyears ahead of theirs.
“It is morning, Evelyn. Lillian wanted to inform you that when you are ready to go, Cairn will transport you all to the 14 Andromedae station for supplies. There is a change of clothing in the bottom drawer of the dresser.”
“Thanks, L.I.N.D.A.”
She found a neatly folded stack of clothes just where L.I.N.D.A.
indicated. Breezy linen drawstring pants in a taupe shade that hovered between brown and gray.
A soft, stretchy white tank. A flowy hand-knit cardigan in the softest black wool Evelyn had touched in years, with gleaming mother-of-pearl buttons. Clean, utilitarian underwear.
The pants were a bit too big, but the drawstring took care of that.
She folded the waistband over a few times to stop from tripping over the hem.
The tank was tight, but since there wasn’t a bra in the pile of clothes, that was a bonus feature in her opinion.
She wasn’t especially busty anyway. The cardigan was a snuggly layer of armor.
She realized there were no shoes, so she slid her feet into her fuzzy slippers and headed down the hall to the lobby area to find Lillian.
Or Nannette. Or Cairn. Evelyn hoped to find Aiden waiting for her, but she couldn’t bear the pang she knew she’d feel if he wasn’t around, so she focused on the other folks she knew would be helping her shop.
It was foolish to get too fixated on his attention anyway.
So what if their chemistry was explosive?
She was a weird job complication for him.
Granted, a more manageable one than a hold full of puppies.
The second he dropped her off, he’d be off to smuggle pandas to rich idiots on Taurus 9 for all she knew.
Maybe he left cute, thoughtful breakfasts for all his passengers.
It could be part of the premium services they offered.
She needed to read the Rising Dawn informational pamphlet she’d snagged when she came onboard.
She rounded the corner to find Cairn and Veronique having what looked to be cappuccinos and croissants near the bar. Cairn’s face lit up, and he waved with such unbridled enthusiasm that Evelyn couldn’t help but laugh as she waved back and headed toward their table.
“And how did you sleep, lass?” Cairn asked, shoving out a chair with his foot. Evelyn sat down and crossed her legs.
“Like a brick. Which says something about eating three bowls of pasta after about a ninety-year nap.”
“Would you like a coffee, Evelyn? I’m about ready for my second. I can get you some. Breakfast?” Veronique asked, shifting her chair back to get up.
“I had some pineapple earlier, but I’d love a coffee. I can get it if you tell me where to go.”
“Nonsense. I’ll make you something.” She patted Evelyn’s hand as she headed toward the espresso machine at the end of the bar.
“Was the station on 14 And. up and running when you last were around these parts?” Cairn asked, ripping off a chunk of his pastry.
“I think they were settling on the last of the vendors. I’ve never been a big shopper unless it’s a bookstore, so I didn’t give it much attention. I take it the project was successful?”
“Aye. Supplementing the research station with the sales tax from the mega mall has really helped the mission.”
Evelyn fiddled with an abandoned napkin on the table. Attempting to look nonchalant, she asked, “Who’s coming with us? We’re not landing the whole ship in their docking station, are we?”
Veronique returned with two coffees and placed one of them before Evelyn. A perfectly executed leaf was present in the marriage of foam and espresso at the top of the cup.
“I’m going with you,” Veronique said. She reclaimed her seat. “Lillian and Elenor want to shop. Nannette is insisting on coming as a security operative and refuses to shop for herself. And Cairn will pilot the jump ship. So we’ll have a lovely girl’s day.”
“Sounds nice.” Evelyn had tried to inject enough enthusiasm into her voice to cover up her disappointment at the roster, but by the huge grin on Cairn’s face, she was pretty sure she failed.
Nannette had passed out mini blasters to everyone. Evelyn was a little surprised she rated one.
“You’re a royal. You’ve had basic security drilled into you since you were old enough to hold a fork.
You telling me you don’t know how to use that thing?
” Nannette had said, and when Evelyn had said she did technically know how, she moved on to lecturing everyone about solo bathroom breaks and not eating samples in the food court.
Evelyn tucked the micro blaster into the pocket of her pants and sat down to listen to the rest of the safety lecture and gaze out the viewfinder.
Blasters always made her uncomfortable. She knew how to use one, sure, but she’d never fired one outside of a training scenario, and she had hoped she never had to. Evelyn’s current circumstances were making that seem more and more like a pipe dream.
At least blaster technology hasn’t evolved much in the last century.
14 And. was a sprawling, shiny mega-structure.
It looked, to Evelyn’s mind, like an oversized beehive dipped in chrome and outfitted in neon lights.
Store names and restaurant chains from a dozen planets flashed in a loop on the curved screen that covered the middle third of the structure. Could a structure hulk cheerfully?
Cairn maneuvered the jump ship to the docking area and unwrapped his fourth pineapple hard candy of the journey. Evelyn stole one of the wrappers when he wasn’t looking. Surely in a mall this size there had to be a candy store.
“Just send me a message when you’re ready to go, ladies, and I’ll be ‘round to get you in two shakes. And you, pay the toll.” This he said to Veronique, who rolled her eyes before giving him a sloppy kiss goodbye.
Evelyn realized her hand was in Lillian’s as they walked off the ship and into the airlock. She ran the other hand through her hair. Now wasn’t the time to be lost in her own thoughts.
Nannette handed her a black hat with a wide brim. “Here, shove this on. Even if no one is looking yet, it should slow down facial recognition if someone does bother to check camera feeds.”
Evelyn rammed the hat onto her head. She felt like she was dressed for a vaguely goth garden party.
“Where would you like to start, dear?” Lillian asked her. “Clothes? Shoes? Personal care products?”
“Shoes,” Evelyn said, glancing at her fuzzy slippers. “If we start anywhere else, these are going to be completely trashed by the end of the day.”
“Sensible choice, and one after my own heart,” Elenor said. “I have my eye on a new pair of sandals, myself.”
They trooped through the mall, Evelyn allowing herself to be guided by the other women as they clearly knew the terrain. Nannette smacked a sample of some sweet smelling pastry out of Veronique’s hand as they passed a bakery.
“It’s like you don’t even listen to the safety lectures,” Nannette said as she scowled at Veronique.
“I don’t,” Veronique said with the most elegant shoulder shrug Evelyn had ever seen. “Also, I’m willing to be poisoned for pastry.”
Hours later, they were loaded down with bags. Evelyn couldn’t remember enjoying a shopping trip more.
Shopping as a princess with one’s minders was a torturous experience.
She could never trust anyone to give her their honest opinion on whether the pants she tried on highlighted her butt or not.
Evelyn had always wanted to get in and out of stores as quickly as possible.
Shopping on Earth had been a solitary expedition, but still nowhere near enjoyable.
Purely tactical strikes made efficiently.
“Shoes, clothes, underthings, toiletries — we have the basics covered. Anything else you fancy, dear, or shall we head back?” Elenor asked, swinging a bag containing lotion and conditioner carelessly at her side. She scanned the crowd, her sharp eyes not betraying her casual gait.
“The only thing we haven’t found is a diamond and platinum encrusted blaster,” Nannette complained. “Your efficiency is unrivaled.”
“Not true,” Veronique said, giving Evelyn a nudge. “We haven’t gone to any of the sex stores. I’d bet after a hundred years without an orgasm you’d want to snag a vibrator.”
The memory of Aiden’s shiver-inducing touch popped unbidden into her head, and Evelyn felt her cheeks coloring.
“I think I’ll manage. Honestly, this is more than I imagined we’d be grabbing when we left the ship.
” A storefront to the left of the aisle caught Evelyn’s eye, a gilded tower of confectionery.
Chocolate, caramel, exquisite painted truffles, and delicate sugar spun into light as air clouds.
Mystic Morsels was written in gold script over the doorway.
“Do they carry anything pineapple flavored? I wanted to get Cairn a ‘thank you for driving my escape ship’ present,” Evelyn asked.
Veronique laughed. “Oh, he’s absolutely addicted to mass produced pineapple hard candy. You’ll have better luck in the bulk shop two levels down. Aiden loves their salted caramels, though.” This last was delivered with a smile entirely too knowing for Evelyn’s comfort.
“Is that so? I suppose he also deserves a thank you, too. All of you do.”
“Kiddo, it’s no trouble at all. It’s sort of a relief to be transporting someone responsible enough to tend to their own bodily needs,” Lillian said.
“Agreed. I’m charging triple the next time someone even mentions the word canine,” Elenor agreed. She rubbed Evelyn’s arm. “This is strange for all of us but it has been anything but a burden, dear. Now, quick sugar detour, then back to the Dawn.”
Evelyn entered the candy store blinking back tears, color raising in her cheeks. She felt oppressively hot and took her hat off to fan herself for just a moment before Nannette could catch her and scold her.
She hadn’t felt this supported since she was a child, learning about Tanalian politics with her Aunt Corrie.
Her honorary aunt always made Evelyn feel seen in a way no one else had.
She had no doubt that her family loved her, but she didn’t think they really knew her at all.
They certainly didn’t see her. Her parents were busy with matters of state, her sisters were busy being groomed to take the throne.
With Corrie, Evelyn never felt like an extra that production wasn’t sure they could actually continue to keep on the payroll.
She could just exist in her aunt’s company.
That was how she felt around these women, hell, around the Dawn’s whole crew. They didn’t expect her to be anything other than who she was, and it was a dangerously seductive feeling.
Because who Evelyn was and what she was were two very different things, two warring identities that had been in conflict her entire life. She had the feeling that discord was about to blow up in her face any day now, and she would give anything she could to protect them all from the shrapnel.