Page 44 of Bound to the Alien King
“What will you do?”I asked, switching Nera’s caterpillar’s jar to my other arm.
Pete sighed heavily.“I’ll— Shit!”
The floor jumped out from underneath us as the ship quaked and lurched.The three of us sprawled to the carpet while the lights began flickering.Then the ship stilled, and the lights stayed off.
Silence followed.The three of us held our breaths, waiting.
Pete huffed a humorless laugh.“Well, speaking of shitting.Anyone have some spare pants?”
“What just happened?”Miekil demanded.
“No idea.”After searching the caterpillar’s jar to make sure it was still inside, I leaped back to my feet, my pulses thundering.“But I need to find Nera, see if she’s okay.And see about this ship.”
“Yeah, like why the auxiliary power hasn’t kicked on.We still have gravity.We’re still in the air.”Miekil grunted as he thumped against the wall to stand.“I’m stating the obvious, aren’t I?I’m just trying to find my wits.”
“I’d bet that’s easier to do in the light,” Pete said.“Follow me.The dining room has candles.”
So it did on the individual tables, but it was all the way on the other side of the ship.
“Can you think of anywhere closer that would have lights?”I asked.
“Uh, the fairy lights on the stage?”
“The filming room is two floors down, Pete,” Miekil grumbled.
“The dining room it is,” I said through clenched teeth.
This was why I hated traveling on anything but my own ship.A ship this large had to have more lights we could use, but I didn’t fuxxing know where.
We set out by touch alone, or in Pete and Miekil’s cases, by some sort of pounding Morse code.
“Is there a reason for that loud nonsense?”I snapped.
“Yes, Dad,” Miekil replied, his sarcasm at level eleven.“I figure the noise will alert others to join us in our quest for light.We’re not the only ones on this boat, you know.”
“You couldn’t just announce your presence with your voice?”
“Yeah, no,” Pete said, knocking on the walls in an irregular rhythm, “I’d rather do it this way.Did I ever tell you about the time I took drumming in high school?Time, singular.Greatest couple of seconds in my life.”
“I’m going to choose to take that statement way out of context and then laugh incredulously at you.”To prove it, Miekil laughed sardonically.
Too loudly.
I growled in frustration and took it out on the bridge’s door.Sometimes I felt like a babysitter.This was one of those times.
The reason I knew for sure that this was the ship’s bridge was by finding a map of this ship online with my Faid tech.There had to be lights of some kind on the bridge.
“Which statement?”Pete asked.“The one about me drumming in high school?I swear it’s true.Two pairs of panties dropped for me that day after Iwailedon those drums.”
“Whose?Yours and your teacher’s?”Miekil asked.
“You know I don’t wear any underwear, Miekil,” Pete told him.
Miekil groaned.“I wish Ididn’tknow that, Pete.”
“For the love of my goddess, and literallyanyoneelse, can you please stop talking and help me with this door?The bridge has to have lights in it somewhere.”
Immediately, they dropped their brotherly argument and came to help.I set down Nera’s caterpillar to use both hands, but still, the door wouldn’t budge.
