Page 19 of All or Nothing
Home Away from Home
JOSS
USUALLY Iwasn’t the most social person, but when Xollen got weird and ran off to his room I decided it was a good time to hang out with the girls.
With so little to do on the shuttle, we’d wound up watching alotof holos in the two days we’d been flying through space on the way to Billieu. I’d shown the others the amazing holo I’d seen with Xollen,‘Til I Die, though no one was as into it as I was. Uraka fell asleep on Djelani’s shoulder immediately, and by the midway point Djelani was just as passed out, her cheek smooshed into the top of Uraka’s head. Wren and Ghena had been a little more into it, but I was the only one moved to tears by the ending.
“It is a nice holo,” Wren had intoned in her deep, flat voice. “But I took many issues with the logic of it. Why do they not simply leave? Why let themselves be torn apart from each other?”
“Um, yeah I thought that as well,” Ghena had added, smiling gratefully at Wren. The two of them had formed a close bond, though I didn’t think there was anything romantic happening there like there was between Djelani and Uraka. They were both quiet and soft-spoken, and whenever I dragged myself away from Xollen to hang out in here the two of them were usually talking quietly in the corner.
Today when I walked into the rec room, Ghena was seated cross-legged on the floor in front of Wren, who was carefully braiding Ghena’s shoulder-length auburn hair back into french-braided pigtails.
“How’s it going, ladies?” I asked as I joined Uraka and Djelani on the one couch. There was really only room for two on the narrow seat, but with Djelani curled up in Uraka’s lap I was able to squeeze in.
“I am well, though bored out of my skull,” Uraka told me, idly scratching behind Djelani’s ears. “These have been the longest two and a half days of my life, I think.” She chuckled, a hard edge entering her three golden eyes. “And I was once held as a prisoner of war for over a month.”
I gasped, covering my mouth with my hand. “Oh my god, seriously?! I’m so sorry.”
Uraka shrugged, her arm tightening around Djelani’s shoulder. “Eh, it was many years ago now. And I was able to unleash Veldar’s wrath upon thosevrakaashaad.They paid for their crimes." Djelani, purring softly, rubbed her cheek against Uraka’s face in a very catlike gesture that made me smile.
“Man, Uraka, you are an absolute badass. I wish I could be half as tough and cool as you,” I told her.
She waved a hand dismissively. “Bah. Everyone should be who they are. You are a good and kind person, little Joss. You are patient and fair. These are things that I wish I could be.”
“And you’re brave,” Ghena interjected. “You weren’t going to just let those—those bad aliens hurt us. You’re more badass than you think.”
My eyes burned with unshed tears. “Thanks, Ghena. You guys are the best.” I sniffled, smiling at all of them. “If I had to get abducted by slavers I’m glad I at least got kidnapped with such a great group of people.”
It still didn’t feel totally real, that I’d been abducted by aliens, almost sold into slavery, and rescued by a different alien hottie all in the space of what was probably just a couple of days (it was hard to say how much time had passed while I was unconscious, though). I was having a little trouble sleeping because of it, nightmares about waking up strapped back into that freezing cold medical table while Cherry, Orange, and Lemon talked about all of the things they were going to do to hurt me. It had taken a while to fall back asleep each time it had happened, my arms hugging myself tight and wishing I had someone to turn to, to soothe my nightmares away. But with how much I tossed and turned in my sleep the others had learned pretty quickly that giving me a wide berth once I lay down was smartest.
“What do you guys think you’re going to do when we get to Billieu?” Ghena asked softly, turning to face us now that Wren was done with her hair.
“Yeah, what are you all going to do?” I asked, suddenly nervous about losing the group. Everyone but Ghena and me probably had a life and family and friends that they would want to get back to, meaning we might be scattered all over the universe by the time all was said and done. Once we docked in Escheva in less than 24 hours I might never see any of them again. The thought made my throat feel too tight.
“Djelani and I will most likely stay on Billieu,” Uraka offered, grinning at the felican woman still curled up in her lap. “I have no living family and I do not wish to return to Exodia, the planet of my birth, without any kin there to hold my roots. And now that I have found…Djelani, I go where she goes, and she has also expressed a desire to stay.”
Djelani’s pointed ears twitched, her fine white whiskers pushing forward; I got the impression it might have been the cat equivalent of a blush. “Yes, well, I always wanted to visit Billieu for its unparalleled art and culture museums, and when Ura expressed she wanted to be able to stay close to you, Joss, I thought it was a nice idea. I don’t have any real ties to Tunnalah, my own homeworld, anyway.”
I beamed at them, touched that Uraka was so protective of me. “What about you, Ghena?” I asked, turning my smile on the dainty person who was the only other human besides me around for who even knew how many light years.
She shrugged, pulling her knees up to her chest and hugging them. “I don’t know,” she admitted, biting her lip. “I guess I haven’t wanted to think about it. It’s not like I had much going on back home, but I don’t know that I want to stay on Billieu either. Xollen is nice but…” she trailed off, shifting uncomfortably. “I-I don’t want to be a freak. Someone who stands out. Anyone who sees me is going to know I got there by being abducted a-and—”
Wren reached out and put a hand on Ghena’s shoulder, making the woman smile in thanks. “You can come with me to Mon II,” she intoned. “None will think to judge you, or call attention to your misfortunes. My people do not have time to meddle in the business of others.”
Ghena’s eyes widened, her big brown doe eyes brimming with hope. “Really? You’d want me to go with you?”
“Of course,” Wren nodded, “we are friends, are we not? There is plenty of room at my domicile to house you in addition to myself.”
Ghena’s tawny brow furrowed. “But…what will I do there? For money?”
Wren waved a fuzzy pink paw dismissively. “We will have time to discover that. All you need to worry about is where you would like to go.”
Wren and Ghena would be leaving? I was glad that sweet, delicate Ghena would have someone looking out for her, and it made sense that Wren would want to go home, but it still hurt knowing our little group was going to be broken up. “How far away is Mon II from Billieu, do you know?”
Wren cocked her head, thinking. “Only about four daycycles, I’d think. Visiting and communications will be quite simple. There is no need to fret, Joss.” Okay, maybe Wren reallywassome kind of psychic.
I swallowed, forcing a smile. “Yeah, okay, that’s really great. I don’t want to lose touch with you guys.” Djelani and Uraka reached out to me and I clasped their hands tight, then went over to Wren and Ghena and did the same. Hugging wasn’t super common, I’d been told, but the hand clasping was the alien alternative.
