Page 35 of Hyperspeed
My hands went to my hips, and I pretended to look confused. “Am I? I thought I was Valen Dray.”
Their laughter chimed like music, light and infectious. Even Rev had a reluctant smile creeping onto his face. Before he ruined it with a frown.
“Shouldn’t there be four of you?” Rev’s eyes flicked between the three of them, as if checking he hadn’t miscounted. But he was right; there were only three.
Lyla’s hand shot into the air, waving back and forth like she was desperate to answer his question. Rev nodded once, encouraging her to speak, and Lyla leaned in closer. She didn’t answer right away, just looked into his eyes, losing herself in the voids.
It happens to the best of us, kid.
“He’s coming,” she whispered. “But he’s shy.” She looked over her shoulder, and that was when I noticed the child standing on his own a short distance away.
His pale skin seemed to sparkle, while his black hair shifted with blue, green, and purple hues when moving in the breeze. He looked at the ground, wringing his hands together against his stomach, and a thin tail whipped back and forth behind him, just long enough to dust the blades of grass.
After a few moments of silence, he looked up from the ground, revealing a pair of large black eyes. Eyes that were so similar to the man crouched beside me.
This boy was an Iskari, just like Rev.
Rev rose to his feet and slowly approached the child. Lyla and Vaeri took my hands, while Jeremy held onto Vaeri, and we followed behind, stopping far enough away that he wouldn’t feel surrounded. Rev dropped to one knee, meeting the small Iskari at eye level.
They both seemed shocked, surprised to see another of their kind. It was sweet, but also a little sad. Humans, as a species, dominated the galaxy, so I was one of many. A drop in the ocean of billions of humans.
In comparison, I couldn’t imagine a species so scarce that meeting someone you weren’t related to felt like a once-in-a-lifetime event. And yet here it was, a miracle unfolding in front of me. For Iskari, living life surrounded by those who don’t understand your culture or its nuances must be lonely. Isolating. Feeling like you never belonged . . . always somethingother.
Rev was a novelty in the ASL. The first Iskari ever to take part. Yet he kept to himself at the edge of the group, even though Zylo, an Itharan—one of the more abundant species in the galaxy—always tried to include him. Rev was polite, embracing his teammate’s advice and mentorship, but he seemed to keep Zylo at arm’s length, like he couldn’t quite bring himself to embrace their friendship.
Was Rev lonely?
His soft words pulled me away from the edge of the rabbit hole I risked falling into. “What’s your name?”
The child dropped his eyes once more, intimidated by Rev’s attention. He stared at his battered trainers while his tail curled around his thigh, just like Rev’s did. Was it a comfort thing?
The silence stretched, and I thought he might not answer, but Rev smiled, bigger than I’d ever seen before. It wasn’t the smirk or wry smile he used when riling me up; it was soft, encouraging, and friendly.
Beautiful.
“Korvithan,” the child whispered, and Rev dipped his head in quiet acknowledgement. “My m-mama calls me Korvi.”
Rev tilted his head to one side, like a curious puppy. “My name’s Revvak, but my mum calls me Rev.”
“That’s a nice name.”
“So is yours.” He glanced over his shoulder to where we stood before turning back to the child. “Can we call you Korvi?”
The four of us gave a quick wave, our smiles meant to reassure. Korvi glanced between us and Rev, but he nodded once. It made Rev smile again, which made the markings on Korvi’s skin pulse with molten gold light.
It didn’t matter that the rest of us had no idea what it meant, because Rev and Korvi did.
Rev stood up and held his hand out for Korvi, who took it and held it tight, and when they joined us, Rev introduced him to the group, like we hadn’t heard every word of their exchange.
Almost immediately, Lyla, Vaeri, and Jeremy started yapping a mile a minute, making sure Korvi was included in their conversations. He joined in as much as he could, offering quiet responses here and there. Rev and I watched on until Korvi looked overwhelmed.
I clapped my hands, getting everyone’s attention. “Right, who’s ready to dominate the competition?”
“They’re kids, Kai,” Rev quietly chastised. “It’s not all about winning.”
“But winning is fun!” Vaeri cut in, and the kids nodded so hard I thought their heads might pop off.
“We’re gonna be number one!” Lyla added.
