“Don’t know, but I don’t see why not?”
Thorn tossed the next pebble, and Viera performed the sonic toss, as she was coming to think of it, rocketing it off down the field.
A land bridge, a path over a part of the field that Thorn explained was a path for animals, came up in front of them. Excitement filled Thorn to the point Viera could sense it. “Just over this bridge is my bakery. I want to show it to you, and then we can return to the ship.”
Viera reached out and took her hand. “You say that like I haven’t completely enjoyed myself. I’d stay here as long as you wanted.”
Thorn turned away, but Viera thought she heard her say, “Not as long as I really want you to stay.”
***
The four-day journey back to Torville Station Number Six was much like the one to the planet. Most of the crew were busy making the Ziner run smoothly. Flower Prancer insisted that Viera spend her time practicing her magic.
The only benefit was that they finally moved on to a variety of magics. Time was off the table.
Viera did pounce on Thorn when she wasn’t expecting it, but she waited until they were alone in their room. She thought a show on the bridge may have been a bit flashy for both of them.
Chapter 22 - Tying Up Loose Ends
Betsy
The sound of the two ven knocking over Betsy’s suitcase woke her up. Fucking flying cats! Why the hell did I want the beasts?
Buttercup flew and landed next to her, rubbing her soft, furry face against Betsy’s hand as she made a low sound, similar to a purr, that meant she was happy. With an exaggerated sigh, Betsy scratched the miscreant pest until it quivered beneath her ministrations.
From out of nowhere, Westley landed on Betsy’s hip, demanding his turn. Betsy shifted her attention from the gray beasty almost asleep next to her, to the devil, almost all black, prancing up and down her side. Wes, as she thought of him, had a heart of gold once he settled down, but he loved to play.
She’d taken to waking up twenty to thirty minutes early each day just to have some time to give the two ven some attention.
Though Wes loved the scritches, he soon was off, flying around. He loved to be the void in flight, the shadow that zoomed, darkness before the nap. That was Betsy’s cue to rise and get them all food.
Once her flying friends were munching, she grabbed a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt with a large pineapple on it and headed for the bathroom. After a quick shower and a double dose of soaking, she dressed.
Being off-planet always made her feel weird. The high concentration of magic on Earth wasn’t needed for a wizard, but it meant her body was used to the higher levels, almost like an addiction. Being off-planet felt like she was in magic withdrawal.
Once she was sure the ven were okay, she slipped out of her room and headed to find Scout. She signaled her arrival on his door pad. A moment later, he opened the door looking bright-eyed and ready for the day. “Hi, Pillar Doeth. How are the ven this morning? Do they miss their siblings?”
Betsy smiled at his exuberance. His words tumbled from his mouth so fast. “They’re doing great. They’ve taken over my small room and I’m sure once we’re back on Earth, they’ll love my home. It’s big enough for them and I have a large wooded area where they can fly free and explore.”
He beamed. “Can I come and visit them there?”
“Of course. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Let’s start with today and breakfast.”
The glow and energy seemed to seep out of him. “It’s Tiffany’s last day, you know. Her parents found a ship that will take them back to her planet and it leaves today.”
The two of them walked to the dining area. “I heard.” Betsy reached down to take his hand and give it a squeeze. “I know you’re going to miss her, but it’ll be good for her to be with her own people. You like being with the chanzii, right? You wouldn’t want to be left alone on Earth without everyone else, would you?”
Scout’s face scrunched up as he thought about her words. “No, I guess not. I’m just going to miss my friend, that’s all. I’m tired of missing people. So many people from Roxillion—that’s the place Mom and I used to live—they didn’t end up on Earth. Most of my friends ended up on a planet that knows about us, and spaceships, and aliens and, well, everything. I’ve kept in touch some, but it’s hard. It’ll be hard losing Tiffany, too.” His chin dropped to his chest as he finished speaking.
Betsy stopped walking to kneel next to him. She pulled him into a hug, holding him tight. “Oh, Scout! So much for someone so young. You’ll be able to message Tiffany, even if you don’t see her every day. And if your Mom is right and the krottel are gone, you’ll be heading home sooner than everyone thought. Maybe even in a year or so.”
His body tightened. “Why so long? Why not now?”
Betsy sighed. “Once the planet is clear of the others, it has to be rebuilt. Groups will go to make sure it’s safe. Then your people will be brought back in waves. Also, if all the chanzii leave Earth at the same time, it’ll cause a big stir on my planet. It may happen in less time, I just don’t know.”
To Betsy's utter shock, Scout started to laugh. “Can you imagine, all of the chanzii communities suddenly deserted? Your people would freak out. The stories they’d tell would be amazing.”
She laughed with him. He wasn’t wrong. The conspiracy theorists would create more sordid tales about a series of towns all over the world suddenly empty overnight than even she could clean up. “So, you see,” she said, “it has to be gradual.”
Scout nodded. “Yeah, you’re right. And since Mom is the Commander, we’re probably going to be there until the end.” He shook his head. “Do you know when she’ll be back?”
Since she’d taken charge of the boy, she’d learned to just go with his change of subject and switch of emotions. “I don’t. They left six days ago, and the trip is four days, Abritos time. But Abritos has an eighteen hour day, which is equivalent to twenty-six Earth hours. Torville Station Number Six has a day equivalent to thirty Earth hours, so … gah! They’ve been away about seven of your planet's days. If it took four days there. Two to three days on planet. You know, they may be on their way back. I’ll try to contact them after breakfast. A call from her son may not go over well on the bridge, but a call from a Pillar sounds official.”
As she spoke and did her calculations his face scrunched up. “Why can’t everything just be the same? It would be so much easier!”
She tapped his nose. “I agree. Now, breakfast?”
He nodded, and they continued their trek.
In the dining hall, they each ordered up a meal. They were early and most of the room was empty. Betsy took her bagel with cream cheese and a large coffee to a table. Scout had a bowl of cereal and a glass of juice. After returning with her second mug of coffee, Betsy found Tiffany and her parents had joined them.
“Hi. I hear today is the day. When does your transport leave?” Betsy watched as the two kids talked animatedly at the far end of their table.
Tiffany’s dad stared at Betsy for a few moments. Neither of Tiffany’s parents much liked any of the adults on the ship. For some reason, they believed everyone was against them. It wasn’t true; no one gave them much thought when they weren’t around. A serious case of ‘out of sight, out of mind.’ But it would be rude to say that to them.
With a huff, the man finally spoke. “We leave in two hours. We’re all packed, and in a couple of days, we’ll finally be home. Our families are thrilled that we’ve escaped that backwater planet of yours.”
And they wonder why people avoid conversations with them.
