18. Save Yourself
Chapter eighteen
Save Yourself
T he night chill of the desert, so opposite from the scorching heat of the day, would not release their bones. Estrellas was certain she would be frozen like a mammoth in the ice age for all eternity until the day Talia’s warmth would once again release them from their torment. Only her love, her attention, would be the archeologist that could dig through their mind, heart, and soul, to set them free.
She had ignored them all through supper. Avoided eye contact, only half grins and one word answers directed at Bill. They were sure that this isolation, this emotional torment would be their undoing. Like sand slipping through their grasp, so too was Talia falling away from them. They could see the distance in her eyes deepen. Feel the invisible tether that connected them, fade.
If only they could remember, then maybe they could explain. Maybe they could understand for themselves what was keeping them so emotionally torn, and therefore lost from their own memories. What other force could possibly keep them separated from her. She was everything, everywhere, all at once. She was the cacti searching the earth for moisture, finding the good when there was none. She was the feathers on a bird riding the wind in the sky, determined and unafraid. She was love, hope, faith, everything that they could have ever hoped to find in the entirety of the universe. To lose her, would be to lose life itself. Meaning. Purpose.
They sat in the kitchen long after dinner was done, alone. Talia insisted on helping Bill clean up. They pretended the kindness in her voice was directed at them instead of Bill as she scrubbed the dishes. They watched the warm soapy bubbles cover the softness of her skin, wishing they were the bubbles. Catching sight of the tilt of her lips as she smiled, sad that they were not the cause of her joy. Bill left the kitchen first to go to bed. When Talia hung the dish rag, then silently turned the light off and went upstairs, leaving Estrellas alone in the dark, they could not bring themselves to move. The darkness was like stone encasing their body in despair.
When their legs were stiff and their nose cold, they finally found the strength to move their body. Standing, slowly at first, then one foot at a time, climbed the stairs to their room. They glanced briefly at Talia’s closed door before entering their room and shutting their door behind them. Estrellas took one shoe off at a time and buried themselves into the many layers of blanket, hoping the bed would swallow them whole and release them from their pain.
Sleep came heavy and swift.
“Sooooo… what do u think? Limo or no limo?” Talia asked.
He was so wrapped in his thoughts he hadn’t even heard her.
“I’m sorry, what are we talking about again?”
Talia playfully slapped his arm and chuckled. “Prom, Sebastian! Are we doing this fancy or laid back? You know it’s only three weeks away, we need to start making reservations. Are you renting your suit or buying? What colors do you think we should wear?”
He laughed, stopped, and grabbed her shoulders gently to face him and said. “Talia. Take a breath.”
She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply through her mouth and released the air slowly through her nose.
“You’re right.” She said. “I’m just so excited! It’s like everything is leading up to this!”
He chuckled again and wrapped an arm around her shoulder as they continued to walk to class.
“I’m excited too.” He said before kissing her forehead lovingly. “Okay, so yes to a limo, my treat. I’ll make reservations for 2 at Petite La Chateaux. I’ll be buying my suit and I’ll wait until after you’ve picked your dress so that I can match whatever color you fall in love with. You’re going shopping this weekend, right? Does that all sound good?”
She sighed and smiled wide. “Sounds perfect. What would I do without you?”
He happily shook his head. “Well, I’m pretty sure you’d be running multiple nations and solving world peace if I wasn’t distracting you with my baby blues.” He winked a bright blue eye eliciting more laughter from Talia.
“Yo, Bass! Heads up!” Chad shouted from across the hall as he threw a football at Sebastian who pulled his arm from Talia’s shoulders swiftly and caught the ball easily.
“You ready for tonight, brother?” Chad asked, panting as he raced to catch up to them.
Sebastian mock tackled him as he shoved the football back and rubbed his knuckles into Chad’s hair. “More ready than you are!”
Chad pushed him away as he laughed. He pointed a finger at Sebastian as he backed away down the hall. “Tigers fight!”
Sebastian pointed back. “Tigers fight!”
Talia crossed her arms as they moved forward side by side. “Ugh, can you smell that?” Talia asked.
“What?” Sebastian replied.
“The male testosterone in this place, it’s overwhelming.” She smiled wryly at him.
He sidestepped in front of her, stopping her in her tracks. He pressed his lower body against hers and wrapped his arms around her lower waist, holding her tight and feeling the heat and softness of her body. “You know you like it.” He whispered in her ear.
The soft intake of her breath and the warmth in her cheeks sent a thrill up his spine. He lowered his face closer to hers, rosy lips so close for the taking, cherry chapstick shining on the plumpness, the taste of her as familiar as if her lips were his own.
“No PDA in the halls Mr. Thompson.” Mrs. Shepard said firmly as she passed them by.
Sebastian cleared his throat and pulled away. “Meet me after the game tonight?”
“Where else would I be?” She smiled at him.
He intertwined his fingers through hers as they continued their walk to class through the bright and sterile halls until the first warning bell rang. “Oh I don’t know, curing cancer, becoming the next Van Gogh.” He leaned a shoulder against hers. “You’re capable of anything.” He said sweetly, intently.
The bright stadium lights blinded him against the darkness that surrounded the football field. Cheers and shouts from the crowd rose to a steady hum. His hot breath steamed out in front of him like an affront to the cold winter night. Frost tipped the grass and his cleats were slick with melted ice. Nothing got his adrenaline pumping like the energy from game night.
As always, he sought her out in the crowds. Searched for her dark curls and bright honey eyes. He found her, watching him while she smiled and clapped, she became his anchor in the chaos.
The hit came hard and without warning. He could see the tip of his fingers and toes flying out in front of him as he flew up and fell hard back to the frozen ground. Sebastian cried out in agony. Something, multiple somethings were broken. His teammates surrounded him in a panic and somewhere in the distance a fight had formed between the two teams. Sebastian screamed out again in pain. Panicking from the sudden and overwhelming onslaught.
Teammates pulled off his helmet as he yelled out. Nothing could calm him until he saw her. Talia’s face brought him relief. Her tears gave him the resolve to quiet his screams. When talk of taking a trip to the hospital started to rise up, he forced himself to hide his injuries.
“No. NO. I don’t need a hospital, I’m fine. I just need to walk it off.” Sebastian mumbled as he let Talia help him off the field.
“Bass, I really think we should go see a doctor.” Talia said, concern and fear lacing her words.
“I’m okay, Babe, really, I promise. Can you just take me home please?” Sebastian fought to keep his voice from wavering.
It was hard to keep his eyes open on the drive to his house. He couldn’t let his human parents know he was hurt or they would insist on a trip to the emergency room, luckily, his mom worked nights and his dad was out of town for the week.
Talia stopped in front of his house and put her car in park. “Bass, I’m really worried, please let me come inside with you?” Talia pleaded.
“Babe, I promise, I'm good. I just need to sleep. Please don’t worry.” He forced a smile in her direction. “I’ll call you first thing in the morning, we’ll have breakfast at Sunrise Sunset. Saturday’s special is your favorite, right?”
“Right. But Bass-”
“Please, Tal. It’s embarrassing for me, k, I’m alright. Let me just sleep it off.”
Talia clenched her jaw. “Fine, but you can’t blame me for worrying. You’re home alone and what if you have a concussion? You should let me stay with you. I don’t understand-”
Sebastian cut her words off with a kiss. Their internal flame instantly grew and Talia breathed deeply as she parted her lips to taste more of him. He was tempted to explore further, to give in to her, to ignore his injuries, gather her up in his arms and run her straight inside to his bed. It took enormous restraint to pull away from her. “See. I’m okay. I’ll see you in the morning. Pick me up?”
“Okay.” Talia said reluctantly. She leaned back toward him and gave him one last gentle kiss. “Love you.”
“Love you too.” He said as he stepped out of the car and gave her one of his charming winks.
Sebastian held himself together long enough to smile and wave as she drove away. The second she rounded the corner at the end of the street he collapsed. He could barely manage to whisper the words, “Beam me up scotty.” before he lost consciousness.
His eyes were crusty as he slowly parted them. Home. He was on the mothership. The gray membrane walls that flashed with the muted color of the other Stathos’s connected consciousness, were unmistakable. Stathos-6 hovered over him like a worried mother hen. Sebastian’s tongue was heavy and his throat dry as he moaned groggily.
“Hold on.” Stathos-6 said. “Let me grab you some replenishment fluids.”
Stathos-6 turned away from him and filled a stemless crystal chalice with a neon blue liquid. He brought it to Sebastian's lips and he drank greedily. Stathos-6 wiped some of the dribbled fluid from his chin.
“We almost lost you. Your lungs had filled, you were drowning. Do you realize what would have happened if you died in this body? I wouldn’t have been able to retrieve your consciousness. You’d be gone. Forever.” Stathos-6 shook with emotion. “You must not be so reckless with your life, Stathos-1.”
“Come on, Brother. We’ve faced many worse dangers than a simple high school football game. Do you not remember the Middle-Ages? The blood-soaked battlefields?” A dry chuckle escaped him. “I think we can handle modern day sports.”
“You’re risking too much in this assignment. The girl's father can be manipulated another way. Let’s reassign you.”
“NO.”
Stathos-6 was taken aback. “Your mind is clouded. You will lose yourself to this human!” He spat.
“I will not!” Stathos-1 sat up sharply, steel in his gaze. “The girl's father is key to infiltrating the higher powers. I’m fine, Stathos-6. Know. Your. Place.” He said, his voice full of disdain.
Stathos-6 had hurt in his eyes. He stood and harshly pulled away from the examination table, crossing his arms. “I have been following your lead for many millennia.” He said with his voice sharp as ice. “It has been you who has led us away from our true nature. You, who have brought us close to darkness, and for what? To call this planet ours? Why? When we could continue to explore the stars, this planet will survive without our intervention and without our control.” He crossed his arms and narrowed his gaze. “This has become greater than a simple determination to build ourselves a home on Earth. Enslaving the humans? Just as Mother had enslaved us? What will we lose of ourselves in the process? Some things are not worth fighting for.”
Stathos-1 growled, he shook with rage. “This planet is worth fighting for. She, is worth fighting for.”
Stathos-6 flung his arms up in frustration, voice rising. “I don’t recognize you anymore! I don’t recognize myself anymore!”
“Then that is your problem, brother.”
“I will not let you destroy our family!” Stathos-6 screamed at Sebastian, as he stepped into a transportation pod.
“What her father can do for me, for us, is invaluable. She, is my family now.” Sebastian said coldly just before the eerie green light enveloped him, and then he was gone.
Estrellas woke with a start. Gasping for air and covered in a cold sweat. The scent of the old musty and dust covered furniture in the room filled their nostrils. They stared at the dresser across the room. Atop it sat an old black and white photograph of Bill and Miriam, smiling happily in each other's embrace. That is what was worth fighting for. Not power. They would give up a thousand planets if it meant keeping Talia safe.
Their spirit broke at the realization of how they first met the love of their life. Talia was only a mark. Only ever a mark. The understanding that there was no other human that had divided the love in their heart. It was only their desire for power and control that fought against his love for Talia, scrambling their brain. But they knew now, there was no longer division. No longer torn between taking over Earth or loving her. It would always be her. They would always choose her.
If Stathos-6 knew, if only they could tell him, that they were finally on the same page. That they were no longer fighting for a takeover of the planet, maybe he would give up his chase. Is that why Stathos-6 attacked them back at the apartment? Did he think he was putting an end to an infection in the Stathos hive?
But pieces of the puzzle were still missing. Why did they leave Talia all those years ago? At what point did Talia turn from a mark into true love? And why were they reassigned into Brad, and then Angela’s body? Was that at Estrellas’s, demand? What was Stathos-6 hiding? Why did their memories still evade them?
Estrellas tossed and turned with questions unanswered until they fell back into a fitful and uneasy sleep.