Page 34 of MeK
Iam in my father’s face beforeIrealize it. “Isimply forbid it!Thefemales have no business being in a class such as that, nor do they need to know how to defend themselves.”
“MeK, we both know you are not talking about anyone other thanLacie.Youmight be lying to yourself and possibly to her, but there is no missing the way you look at her.Theway you have been raised is overriding your normally logical mind.Areyou going to stay to protect her or the others?Weboth know that unless she is your true mate, you will never willingly take her to your world, so you have no say over what she does or does not do.Knowledgeis power andLacie, along with the other females, need to know and learn how to take care of themselves.Yes, they are small in size but learning defense tactics gives them a much better chance than not.Thismoon’s location is classified for now, but secrets never stay silent for long.Itis my job to prepare them for anything, andItake that responsibility seriously, male or female.”
“Youhave a huge warrior force,Father.Placepermanent guards here to watch over them.”
“Thatmight happen eventually, but as of now, that is not an option.So, the humans will have to learn how to look after themselves.”Fatherturns away from me to walk toward the construction zone. “Thedwellings and the planting fields seem to be progressing nicely.Allyour hard work is paying off.ANDInotified me that your assembly bot was transferred to your ship just beforeIheaded this way.Thatpiece of machinery will be a valuable asset once planetside.Iknow you are in a hurry to return to your homeworldMeK, but you should take the next rising off to engage with some of the humans and enjoy a day of relaxation along with the rest of us.”
“Iwill consider your words, father, butIhave no time to rest.”
Hepats my shoulder, both of us knowingIwill not willingly interact with anyoneIdo not need to.Iquickly gather up the tools, hooking my hammer onto my main belt, and head towardthe pavilion, only to see that most have already left.Ihear one of the dropships fire up, and somehowIknow the moment it pulls away, thatLacieis on it.
Withher gone,Ino longer need to gather with the others.Makingmyself push away the sudden hollow feeling that seems to have enveloped me,Ihead toward my personal shuttle and the projects that need my attention.
Chapter Sixteen
LACIE
We’vejust gotten backfrom weapons training whenIfind two pieces of scrap material lying on my bunk. “Briar, you have got to be kidding me!Thereis no wayI’mwearing this.Iswear you designed this for a toddler because my junk is hanging out everywhere.Werethey out of fabric or something?”
“Oh, stop it.That’snot any smaller than any other bathing suit.Youare fully covered, just like you asked.Lace, you’re young and beautiful, so you need to show that shit off while you still can.”
“Notall of us are comfortable with our butt cheeks hanging outBriar, unlike you with your perfect bubble butt.Imean, look at this!IfIturn too quickly, my nipples are gonna fall out of this top.”
“Justremember that when tall, dark, and grouchy shows up.Ilove watching the way his runes flash when you’re around.Ican’t imagine how he will light up the world if your boobs fall out!”
“Don’tread too much into that,Briar.He’snot allowed to like me, or anyone else for that matter, unless mommy dearest approves.”
“Whatin the hell are you talking about?He’sa grown-ass man.Oh, and beforeIforget,Imade you a cover-up as well.Youcan leave it on if it makes you more comfortable, but you are wearing that bathing suit.Iwill not be the only hoe on the beach, do you understand me?
“Yesmooommm,Icompletely understand you want me to use my body to further myself in life.Youare really setting the standards for me.”
“Yes, we will simply jump off the bridge together if need be.Ok, enough is enough, you look like someone kicked your dog.There’sa new rule that just went into effect … no frowning on beach days.Whaton earth did that man say to you?”
“Prettymuch that his life and choices are not his own, and that his mother makes most of them.”
“Wow, talk about a momma’s boy, huh?Well, if he’s that stupid, it’s his loss, honey.Youdon’t want a man who can’t stand up for what or who he wants, no matter the adversary.Andhow could you ever trust a man who won’t have your back?AmIright or wrong?Anyway, if he wants to be a pantywaist, then that’s on him.Thereare other fish in the sea.”
“Yeah,Iknow you’re right.I’vetold myself that over and over, but like a dumbass,I’mcrushing hard.Ihave no idea whereIthought it would lead with us being so different and all, butIjust really liked him, growls and all.Itseems like the first momentIlaid eyes on him, all others disappeared.ButIdo believeI’mreaching a little high … he’s a big shot, andI’ma girl from nowhere.”
Quickly,Ifind myself wrapped up inBriar’sarms, andIhave to fight back the sudden tears. “Comeon, today there are noboy problems.Justsunshine or planet shine if we want to be technical, and the beach.”
Untanglingmyself from her,Istill grab one of my old t-shirts and slide on my shorts over the glorified underwearBriarpicked out.Gatheringthe rest of my stuff,I’mdetermined to smile no matter what occurs today.Themoment the dropships arrive,Ihold my breath, my heart hoping that he’ll be standing at the bottom of the ramp like yesterday, … but he isn’t.Itell myself that he had no reason to be here, but my mind and heart seem to be firmly at war right now.
Distracted,Ialmost miss everyone gathering at the edge of the tree line untilBriarlinks her arm in mine, pulling me forward.Myeyes scan the area forMeK, butIknow he isn’t going to participate.It’sagainst his must-work-all-the-time mentality.
“Ican’t wait until you see all the games and thingsKiracame up with.BuK,Owen, andRickyspent most of the evening setting up the area whileIhelped pack towels and other goodies.DaRandKyTgrabbed large rakes and used them to clear debris from the sand.OhLord,I’msorry you missed it but there were muscles everywhere.Itried to catch you in the pavilion before you left to see if you wanted to stay and help, butKirasaid she saw you headed toward the dropship, and several were already gone by then.”
BeforeIcan say anything,Briarhas to let go of my arm for us to walk through the fairy gate, and then we’re on the beach.TosayI’mfloored is an understatement.Thereare large beach towels lying everywhere, umbrellas, coolers …Ifyou ignored the shimmering water and the orange trees, you’d never know we weren’t home.
Kirawaves for everyone to come closer to the tables in front, but when she starts talking, most of us can’t hear her.JustasI’mabout to say something,Ilaugh asDaRpicks her up and places her on his shoulder.Shewaves playfully to all of us whileDaRwalks around like she’s a pet bird on his shoulder.
“Higuys, can you hear me better?”
“Yessss”, sounds all around.
“Awesome!Whenwe discovered this little paradise,IknewIhad to plan something familiar.Amidall the work that needed to be done,Iwas unsure how to convinceDaRand the others to take a day off.However, one thingI’velearned is that the happier a group is, the better things go.Withthat being said,Ipushed for us to have a day of rest, and the beach is the perfect place for that.So, whenDaRannounced giving your new home a name,Iknew that was the perfect reason to hold a celebration, and so, with a little bit of persuasion, here we are.”
Ihave to laugh whenBriaryells out…. “Thanksfor taking another one for the team,Kira.”
