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Several blocks from the casino, Lily pushed the door open to a small shop that smelled vaguely like cinnamon. A bell jangled and a man called out a greeting from the back. Plastic cases neatly lined shelves that concealed the walls. Lance wandered off, casually browsing the board games that were stacked on a center table with a sign that said “free to play” in English and a couple other languages.
My chest constricted. This place would never be approved in the Community, where free time was limited. Maybe that could change with better leadership.
A dark-skinned Asian man appeared from the back room. “Can I help you?”
“Yeah.” Lily turned to face him and smiled. “We’re looking for a retro dancing game—the one where you hop around on a mat.”
“This way. I think we still have a few copies around here somewhere.” The shopkeeper led us to a full row of various games. Lily selected two cases and offered them to me.
“They’re similar to the one we played,” she explained, holding up one case, “except this one has better graphics and songs. The other one’s cheaper, but it has songs from the ’40s.”
“How much are they?” Both had silhouettes of dancers in short skirts and tank tops, colorful lights shining behind them.
She waved the first one. “This one is five thousand yen, since it’s newer. Well, as new as pre-70s games go. These are hard to come by. We’re probably only going to find used copies.” Both dinged boxes were covered in a thin layer of grime, with a yellow label covering the top.
I bit my lip. “How much is the other one?”
“Half that. It probably wasn’t as popular back in the day, so it’s cheaper.”
I rubbed my chin. “Is there any way to be sure it works?”
The shopkeeper shook his head. “We don’t have the right console anymore. Sold it a couple months ago.”
I frowned, twirling my flower charm around my thumb. I didn’t want to waste my money on a game that didn’t work. I kept browsing, sliding games off the shelf but not finding much that caught my eye. Too many were war games, or reminded me of the comics at the game shop.
“Did you want to get this?” Lily waved the two cases she’d been carrying.
I paused. “Want to split the cost on the second one?”
“Sure.”
I gave her my half of the money and she bought the game. Lance perked up once we got outside, though the air seemed humid after the high-blasting air conditioner in the store. It felt hotter here than it had in Egypt.
“I’m going to head to the hotel and drop this off,” Lily said, holding up a plastic blue sack with our new game inside. She glanced between the two of us as if she wasn’t quite sure what to say. “Why don’t you two have fun, and I’ll see you guys once you get back?”
“Sounds good.” I wasn’t sure if Lance had our date planned for tonight or tomorrow, but we’d get back to the hotel eventually. Lily gave me and Lance a knowing smile, and then disappeared into the thick crowd.
I took a deep breath. Now came the real test—avoiding a memory attack while being alone with Lance. He took my hand and pointed to a playground in the distance. “Want to head to the park, like Lily suggested earlier?” He smiled hopefully, and my throat tickled until I finally nodded. Maybe if we weren’t actively trying to have a date, we might work better as partners. Maybe the memory attacks wouldn’t come.
Lance led me past the soaring skyscrapers to the park, where we found gardens with tropical themes and shiny, domed buildings. Several kids ran by us on the grass, tugging a string behind them. The string rose upward, trailed by a colorful kite in the shape of a parrot. A young teenager waved his hand and a breeze drifted at his command, ruffling the leaves on my arms.
It must have been nice to openly use powers. I grinned. If he could use his powers here, so could I. Playing Frisbee with Lily had been fun, but she didn’t have enhanced speed like Lance. I tugged on Lance’s arm and tensed, ready for the open fields. “Let’s race!”
I dashed up the hill, the breeze teasing my short hair. The air smelled like fresh rain. The wind rushed against my face, the grass sprang up beneath my feet, and fragrant flowers bloomed along the coast. For a moment, everything was perfect. This wasn’t the Community, but it was close.
Unfortunately, Lance hadn’t joined me.
I returned half-heartedly to his side. “You’re not going to race?”
“I...” He glanced at the hill, and then back to me. “You know what? Sure. Let’s race.”
My heart skipped a beat. “Really?”
He nodded, his shaggy hair waving in the wind.
“Right... On your mark. Get set... Go!”
We tore across the field. My feet pounded against dirt and grass. Wind whipped at my cheeks. I circled back, Lance not far behind, and I playfully tagged his shoulder before returning to our starting position, laughing, enjoying the freedom of the run. Out of breath... heart pounding... adrenaline racing like it raced when a beastie chased after us, their feline eyes glinting in the sun, their claws scratching at my back—
I let out my breath, slow and easy, and forced myself to stretch, not to hunch up in a tiny ball and hide.
“Okay...” Lance finally caught up with me, gasping for breath. “That wasn’t that bad. Jen—” He paused, and his “you win” expression replaced itself with concern. “What’s wrong?”
“Memory attack,” I said between breaths. “The running reminded me of being chased by beasts.”
“Jenna...” He tried to rest his hand on my shoulder, but I pushed it away.
“Not yet.”
His throat bobbed as he swallowed, and he withdrew his hand. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think that would cause—”
“It’s not your fault.” Another breath. My heart rate had almost returned to normal. I stood upright, one hand tangled in the charm’s necklace chain. “Try to warn me when you’re going to touch me, all right?”
He frowned, his eyebrows quirked with confusion. “I don’t understand. How does touching—”
“The Legion Spore memory.” I started up the hill, trusting he would follow if he wanted to continue the conversation. He jogged behind me, matching his pace to mine. “During the memory I—no... the people who were in the Legion Spore were forced to transform. They...” A hiccup formed in my throat. “The shapeshifters—” My vision blurred, and I tightened my fist around the flower charm, letting the tiny pinpricks of pain from the metal spokes keep me in the present.
Lance watched me, wanting to help. I could feel that he wanted to help but he had no idea how... I stared at him and his olive eyes and longish hair. The rectangular jaw and rugged looks that seemed predominate in Jack’s pre-Community movies. My lips moved. I wanted to tell him what was wrong. Why his touch, when I wasn’t prepared, gave me a memory attack.
His gaze fell on my hand, the one resting on the charm. “Can you show me?”
“What?”
His throat bobbed again. “If you can’t tell me what’s wrong, can you show me?”
Fear spiked through me. Was he crazy? “No!”
Part of me wanted to, though. If I showed him, he would know. He’d know what was wrong. But if I didn’t control the memory properly, he’d end up on the ground, screaming in pain and terror.
“No,” I said again. My whole body shook, knowing that some part of me wanted to show him. Wanted him to know what I was going through. To know that pain...
But I didn’t want that. I didn’t want anyone to feel that horrible pain, the pain from the transformation—
“It was cramped in the ship,” I blurted. “You’ve seen the schematics.” Heat rushed to my face and flushed through my forehead, but my fingertips felt like ice. “The shapeshifters—they had it the worst. They were forced to merge. Their skin and muscles melted together. They became one mass—”
Blackness surged at the edge of my vision. Dizziness... the grass seemed closer than it had before. My stomach lurched. Some kid’s scream sounded like the scream of a beastie who was becoming part of the Legion Spore—
I sank into the grass, reaching across the hill to the thoughts of the people playing. Someone was spinning on a strange metal circle. Someone was frustrated because someone else wouldn’t share their fire truck. Someone was excited at meeting an old friend...
When I opened my eyes, the blue sky greeted me. Calmness washed over me. I still felt too cold for the warm day, but my stomach no longer threatened to relieve me of my lunch. Lance offered me the remnants of his water bottle. I gulped the water, thankful, and sat upright. Shaky, but I could move again.
“That...” I whispered, “is why I have a hard time when you try to touch me. Why I have a hard time if I’m confined in a crowd. Gwen’s training has helped, but it’s not perfect. Not when I get caught by surprise or overwhelmed.”
Lance sat beside me in the grass. “I wish I could help.”
I lowered my eyes. Honestly, I wasn’t sure what would help. Fewer expectations about us being partners, maybe. A warning when he was going to hug me so tight that I felt like I could never escape.
He glanced over at me, the damp wind rustling his long bangs over his concerned eyes. “Can I hold your hand?”
Could he? I wasn’t sure. But I nodded. Maybe I could avoid the attack. He awkwardly slipped his hand in mine, and when I didn’t push him away, he helped me stand. We walked along the hill, the wind tugging at our clothes. Pollen flitted through the air and children ran around us to get to the playground.
“I’m sorry I didn’t ask you sooner. If I’d realized what was causing the attacks, I would have tried not to do anything that might cause one.”
“I’m not sure I could have told you.” I swung our hands tentatively, then stopped when it returned a feeling of being tethered to the Legion Spore’s grid. “I probably would have had a full-blown memory attack if I had. This time I just felt sick. I was able to avoid most of it.”
“So it is getting better?”
“Sort of.” It was getting better when I used the charm, but Gwen said that was what the brain seed wanted. “I’m working on it. It’s not perfect.”
“Still, I’m glad you’ve found something.” Lance smiled at me, genuine happiness radiating from his thoughts. I retreated from his emotions. As much as I wanted to bask in his certainty, I couldn’t use the flower charm more than necessary.
A few minutes later, Lance and I entered the playground area of the park. A little girl playing with a fire truck in the dirt glanced up at us and waved. She giggled. She must have been the one I felt the frustration from earlier. This time, though...
She was giggling at the fact that Lance and I were obviously together.
I blushed, ducking my head. I readjusted the charm so it wasn’t making skin contact. At least I could make avoiding the charm’s power a little easier on myself. Lance chuckled, one of those true laughs I hadn’t heard for a long time, and then he pulled me toward a tall swing set. “Here.” He motioned to the seat and brushed bits of sand from it.
I sat and launched myself off the ground, using a burst of speed. I yipped, giddy, and then gave Lance a puzzled glance when he jumped out of the way.
“What’s wrong?” I slowed down and gestured to the swing next to me. “Hop on.”
He laughed. “I was going to push you.”
I blinked, watching him as I went back and forth in the swing. Push me... because that’s what couples in the pre-Community movies did. Not exactly an efficient way to test if we could work together, but if that’s what he wanted to try, I could give his method a chance. There had to be some point behind the exercise.
I nodded, this time letting him position himself behind me. He pulled back the chains and let go. I had to consciously not use my powers to feel the vertigo, to enjoy the rush as he caught me coming back and then pushed my lower back again, finally stepping out of the way once he got the swing going as fast as he could.
Not quite as fast as I could go, but that wasn’t the point of this exercise. So I set aside thoughts of using my speed power, and then squeaked as distant skyscrapers rose into view. All the plant-covered buildings...
Beautiful. They called to me. Their energy sang. I stretched out my powers, enjoying the ebb and flow of plant life, and then grinned as Lance sat on the swing beside me, waiting for me to get within earshot before he shouted, “Happy?”
I nodded despite my reservations. This wasn’t the usual Community date, but it did have its perks.
“Good.” Lance grinned mischievously. “Bet I can go faster than you.” He gave the ground an extra hard kick, one that was undoubtedly using his forgotten speed power.
Happiness bubbled at the back of my throat. This wasn’t a race, so there was no chance of a memory attack invading my enjoyment. “Cannot!” I laughed. “You haven’t practiced as much as I have!”
Faster and faster, we competed, seeing who could go higher until the swing set shuddered and groaned. Lance kept his eyes on my face, still smiling even as we slowed ourselves, the ground rushing toward my feet until I kicked at the sand and dirt and finally came to a standstill. I hopped off the swing, laughing as we ceded our seats to a couple kids with ice cream cones.
That actually felt good.
Lance jogged up beside me and we resumed our walk. “It’s nice not to be running for our lives,” I said, windswept. Nice not having a memory attack, either.
He smirked. “You were the one doing all the running.”
I glared at him. “Of course, Mr. Always-Has-To-Fight.”
“Oh, really?” He paused, and then held out his hand. “May I?”
“May I what?”
He swooped me into his arms, dipping me so I was parallel with the ground. I blinked, startled. But he wasn’t holding me tight. It would be easy for me to jump away if I needed to. “May I do this?”
“A little late to ask after the fact, isn’t it?”
“Well, if someone wasn’t always playing the damsel in distress, we wouldn’t have that problem, now would we?”
I rolled my eyes. Stupid pre-Community movies with knights and princesses. I cleared my throat. “Seems to me that this damsel managed to stay awake during an attack by an angry guardian spirit, while the prince was out cold.”
His smile widened, and he leaned close. His eyes were clear, his breath... like spicy peanut sauce. I giggled at the ridiculousness of it all, and immediately felt heat rise to my cheeks.
I couldn’t—had I really giggled?
“Just because you were awake the longest doesn’t mean you were the one who saved the day.” Lance raised his chin, feigning arrogance.
“And you did?”
He pulled me closer, our noses nearly touching. I swallowed hard. I could see the green of his eyes held in shadow by the length of his bangs. I tensed, expecting another memory attack to make a grab for my mind.
“From the sounds of it, the sorcerer swooped in and did all the rescuing.”
I frowned. “I failed the riddle. Spectator had nothing to do with saving us.”
“But... using uncanny wit, he provided a bit more time for the hero to live.”
“Reading Jack’s comics again?” I asked, unimpressed. For all that Lance was trying to be considerate, he could still use a little work at knowing what to avoid talking about. Or, like Lily said... politics.
“When did I stop reading comics?” Lance lightly touched his forehead against mine before helping me stand. “Besides, I have to have some way of coming up with new and crafty ways to save you when this other guy doesn’t show up.” He twisted his lips and scowled suspiciously. “How old did you say he was?”
I gaped at him. “You can’t seriously think I’m interested in him.”
Lance shrugged. “He does keep coming to your rescue. And you told me he was fascinated by you.”
I rolled my eyes and tugged on his hand, leading him into another garden. “I’m pretty sure he’s old enough to be my father. Great-great grandfather, if he’s a spirit like Jim thinks. Besides, I’m getting better at handling myself. You saw that. I don’t always need someone to come in and rescue me.”
Lance turned his attention to a garden bed filled with red hibiscus blooms. “You are getting better,” he admitted softly, “but it’s not the memory attacks I was talking about. I’m not sure I want my pacifist turning into a mighty warrior.”
“I’m surprised that matters to you.” I looked away, toward the tall, beautiful plant-laden buildings. “I thought you liked killing things.”
He shook his head. “Like it, no. But it’s necessary, and I’m good at it. Jen—I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“A lot already has. Lady Winters. Beasties. Special Forces.” I sighed. “But it’s like you said. We’re in this together.”
Lance squeezed my hand gently and checked my face to make sure I was still all right. “I know. Together.” He pulled me to him, lightly holding my hands in his. Light framed the edge of his cheek and jaw, casting a soft shadow over the side of his face. He leaned closer, his forehead against mine, and my heart lodged in my throat. If I’d been watching Jack’s movies right, this was the part where the heroes kissed.
Problem was, I wasn’t actually sure I wanted to kiss him.
“Jenna, can I—” Lance paused. “Do you hear that?”
“Hear what?” I stared at his perplexed face, hoping he’d let me go before the memory seeds took this as their cue to attack. “Is something wrong?”
Lance pointed to a tree through the garden. “There!” He pulled me toward the sound of upset sobbing and a high-pitched mew coming from within a tree. Beyond the leaves, a fuzzy white kitten clutched a branch with tiny, razor-sharp claws. A small child stared up at it, her hands clasped under her chin, tears rolling down her face.
I let out a breath. Thanks to the cat, there was no chance of the memory seeds attacking, never mind that Lance dragged us away from a rather important moment in the development of our partnership in order to save the mangy fleabag. Though, for all that kittens were little fleabags, they were also insanely cute.
And good distractions.
“I’ll see if I can get it.” Lance hauled himself into the tree. A second later he hopped down, landing nimbly on his feet with the terrified fur ball. The kitten squeaked protest as the little girl clutched it to her chest, singing as she skipped away.
I glowered at Lance. “I could’ve gotten it.”
He shrugged and smiled. “Hey, I just wanted to help. And I know how much you love cats.”
I snorted. “I’m not sure you if you rescued it or doomed it to eternal torment.” The little girl appeared to have the cat in a death grip as it scrabbled for her neck.
Still, I wrapped my arm around Lance’s shoulders. It was a welcome change to see him rescuing a kitten instead of wounding people and beasts. If this was what life was like before the Community, I could understand why Jim liked it. The peaceful, relaxed atmosphere, the ability to use my powers without creeping anyone out—
But partnerships only worked when both people were on the same page. As much as I wanted this peaceful version, we hadn’t stopped the Camaraderie yet. We needed a way to protect ourselves and each other. Unfortunately, I had a pretty good idea of what would probably make Lance even happier than he was now.
“You know...” I took a deep breath. I really hated suggesting this, but he had done what he could to make me happy. Now it was my turn. “There’s probably a weapon shop around here somewhere. Maybe we can find you a replacement sword.”
His eyes widened. “Seriously?”
“This visit is technically a supply run.”
Never mind that Inese had said we were supposed to be taking a vacation.
Lance grinned. “You’re the best!” He grabbed me in a hug but quickly retreated, apparently remembering that tight hugs weren’t the best idea. He smiled sheepishly. “I already know of a place we can check.”
“Of course you do,” I murmured, handing him the tablet so he could get directions. I just had to remind myself that this was for his own safety, even if I didn’t like what he planned to do with another sword.
