10.1
Hytha is a gorgeous planet.
I looked it up once when I was sixteen or seventeen. I was too nervous about the idea before then—to look up the planet where I’d come from before Amerov. I remember sitting in a hotel room on some foreign planet and searching it up on my tablet, scrolling through planet files until I got frustrated with the lack of any memories magically appearing.
I didn’t know the name of the orphanage from where I’d come, so I’d searched all the ones on the planet and scrolled the public info, getting likewise discouraged.
I never let my curiosity get the better of me again.
This place requires access to enter, even with no restrictions. I hover our ship above atmosphere, zoning out at the blinking light on the console as Hytha processes our request. According to the siblings, there won’t be problems getting in. And as promised, I wasn’t asked for identifying information. I’m sure they’ll take note of the number on my ship, but that doesn’t mean much. Most planets aren’t filtering ship numbers to Amerov, especially not a planet like this. It does a lot of commerce, and crime is shockingly low.
Hopefully, that means there won’t be cyborgs around. Not that I’ll be going deep into the cities anyway.
As we left Lex and Abraham’s house, I’d been fine with the idea of this visit, reassured by Zane’s conversation and their apparent desire to meet me even without proof. But the closer I get and the more I think about it, the more I think perhaps we should turn around. Or maybe I’ll just stay in my ship. I live in it, after all, there’s no reason I have to go into the siblings’ house. I don’t really have to interact with their parents very much. We can stay here a few days, perhaps I can work on how to get the viewport fixed, Zane can recover some more, I’ll check out the orphanages in person, and I don’t have to interact.
I don’t have to interact, do I?
“Are you okay?”
I’ve grown accustomed to Anya’s small voice. She’s standing in the door of my bunk room, head cocked, looking more concerned than a kid ever has in my direction.
“Fine, why?”
“You look like I did when I had to do a presentation in class.”
I snort. I hadn’t considered how much schooling the kid is probably missing out on. At least I can’t say most of it is because of me. Amerov did the worse of it. I never got much formal education to begin with, none after I left Amerov. She’s probably ahead of me already.
She sits on the console and reaches up to pet Bat in his little cot. There’s a hiss, but he doesn’t snap at her. At this point, I think he’s being purposefully grumpy. I can tell he likes the cuddles if it comes from the harmless little princess.
“Why are you nervous?”
She’s probably not going to let this go. Zane and Lalia are both in my bunk room, but Yvonne is napping in one of the chairs behind me. Which I’m certain means she’s listening.
“We’re going to meet Zane and Lalia’s parents.”
Anya nods. She knows all this already. “But they’re your parents too?”
“Supposedly. We don’t know yet.”
If I keep saying it over and over again, maybe I won’t freak out.
“You really don’t remember them?”
I shake my head. I’m so used to her questions it’s not much to be honest.
She swings her feet off the console. “That’s sad.”
Her tone isn’t mocking, and I know what she means. She misses her own parents, so I’m certain it’s very sad to her. I’m accustomed to it.
I just hope they’re enough like their son and daughter they won’t freak at my appearance. That would be a fun interaction. I haven’t asked Zane how they’ve described me. I don’t have the stomach to, and I’ll find out soon enough.
“They’ll remember you, right?”
I glance over my shoulder, but Yvonne’s mouth is hanging open, so I doubt she’s faking the nap.
“They’ll remember me when I was a kid, I’m sure. But I don’t look anything like I would’ve back then, so I don’t think that’s going to work.”
Anya frowns.
I tell her, “I’m supposed to be Zane’s twin. If I still looked recognizable I’d look just like him.”
Anya glances into the bunk room with a soft, “Oh.”
Definitely want to stay in the ship.
But I don’t suppose Zane and Lalia will let me. Zane won’t have much say in the matter, but Lalia will try to drag me out, I’m certain. I’m not sure she’s above trying to grab me by my ankles and haul me out. There’s no fear to block her. She’s not strong enough to move me, but she might certainly try. And I take it back: Zane will definitely give me the saddest expression imaginable until I cave.
I cave too easily when it comes to these humans.
It’s difficult to make myself care.
The blinking light shuts off and the message <Access granted> appears on the little screen. Well, I suppose it’s going to be difficult to back out of this when we’re through the atmosphere. I tap my fingers on the controls while Anya looks back and forth between me and the viewport, expectant.
“Are we going?” she whispers conspiratorially.
Happy little gremlin.
I give her a look that’s supposed to say annoyance but doesn’t have as much bite as I’d like. Bat pops his head over to cot to stare out the viewport as I drop us through the atmosphere. The crackling and rattling has Yvonne struggling to get out of her chair, sleepy.
“We here?” She leans against my back, dropping over my shoulders to get a look at the new planet, yawning. I suppose we’re to a point where I shouldn’t shove her off me, but I take her by the arms and seat her in the copilot’s seat anyway. Amusement flickers across her face.
“Yeah, that was some nap you took.”
“Uh huh.”
Lalia joins us, arms folded, expression more even than usual. I can’t read the emotions there. I wonder if she’s trying to hide something or is just calm. Wouldn’t know the feeling. She puts her hand on my shoulder. It’s a small enough gesture I don’t shove her off.
“How’s Zane?”
“Still crashed.”
It’s taken us a few days to get here. Thanks to Lex’s generosity and the supplies we stocked up on, I’m less worried about him, but the constant concern won’t leave my chest. The last time I was wandering around so worried about someone’s injuries, I’d just rescued Bat off Amerov. Bat, who’s been constantly attached to Zane even still. I’m mildly surprised to even see him in his usual cot and not staring at the side of the human’s face.
“You wanna fly?” I ask Lalia.
I know she’s not going to crash my ship—that whole thing on the jungle planet where I tracked her down was a fluke—and she knows where she’s going. Might as well let her take us there.
She takes my place in the captain’s chair while I pop my head into check on Zane. Still sleeping, just as Lalia said. We could probably leave the bandages off his face by this point, but I’m overly worried about the burns and their easy ability to get infected. Better safe than sorry.
I touch the damaged implants on my temple. They’re hurting less and less, but still look horrific. Worse than my usual appearance. We’re here to stay with Zane and Lalia’s parents, and I look even more a horror than usual. I consider covering up the worse of it with a few bandages though they’re long past needing them. Somehow, that’s too much for my pride. All these humans would know what I’m doing.
I don’t care what their parents think of me, I tell myself, and refuse to think on it anymore.
The atmosphere has burned off when I finally mope back into the hull. Much like the last planet, this one is an emerald greed, swirled with much more blue as oceans and lakes dapple the surface. Puffy, white clouds swirl the area. It’s a larger planet than Amerov, though that isn’t saying much. I wonder vaguely about the size in comparison to Neyla Ve but can’t remember what I learned about the royal planet.
“Aaron, will you settle down, we’re not heading into a war zone.” Lalia swats me lightly on the leg as I pass.
Not a war zone for you.
This is all going to be normal for them. Well, normal as it can be bringing your supposedly long-lost brother back who doesn’t remember a thing and looks like he might murder you all in your sleep.
Yvonne is giving me those sympathetic eyes again, which I know isn’t meant in a pitying or cruel way, but I hate looking at them anyway. I’ve had plenty of time to think on this flight, and the sibling’s parents isn’t the only thing I’ve been stewing on. None of this feels normal or even correct, the princess’s affection for me in particular. I force myself to lean against the side of the console and not bounce about the ship’s cabin until it gives Lalia an aneurism.
We pass a city. It’s nothing spectacular, a pretty advanced planet with dots of hovercraft traversing the streets. It’s more populated than the last few places we’ve been, but fairly unimpressive after Amethyst. A few more small cities zip by, but there are large swaths of land with rolling hills and gentle forests. The trees here are a particularly deep shade of green, even to my eyes. Grasses are a mixture of green and golden. The skies are clear and vast. What a lovely place.
I’m sure I wouldn’t loved growing up here.
I shake off the thought. It isn’t worth considering. I came from this planet, that much is clear even in my Amerov records, but it doesn’t mean I would’ve liked it here. All depends on which story is true. Where I would’ve grown up. I’ve already considered I would’ve loved growing up with Zane and Lalia as my brother and sister. I’m never going to mention such a thing to them, but I can admit it to myself.
It’s been so deathly quiet in here for so long I’m a bit startled when Yvonne says, “It’s lovely here. What do your parents do?”
“There’s a pretty large industry for glass here. The sand over all this planet is perfect for it. Mom actually worked one of the harvesters for a long time and Dad worked in processing and records and such. They have a low schedule now, only part of the year since they’re worked with the company so long.”
Wholesome. A nice, normal family. Some oddball kids, sure. But it’s strange how all this could happen to some people who would otherwise never be likely to draw the attention of anyone, let alone Amerov. Let alone Captain.
We’re pretty far out in the middle of nowhere when Lalia finally slows the ship into a descent. Small communities are sprinkled about, so they have some neighbors out here, but not many, and not very close. It’s a relief. We all have bounties, likely including my ship tough I couldn’t find it on the listing. The less a chance someone comes over and gets nosey, the better.
Lalia brings us down in a section of clearing between the trees. Before we landed, I got a glimpse of a small canyon within walking distance, not nearly close enough to here to warrant nervousness about parking the ship, but I make a mental note to walk around and check it out. A good excuse to get away from everyone.
“Here we are,” Lalia says, and I can feel her eyes on me. “Home sweet home.”