Uncle Sal’s Diner was located on the far end of Moonsville. They served the most delicious milkshakes and the best cheeseburgers. Then there was the large dance floor with the huge multicolored discbox, which had all of the latest music. I always loved the soft baby-blue seats, which were outlined with hot pink lines, and the license plate signs that Sal decorated the walls with.
But, most of all, it was really the only place where we could bring Martha. Uncle Sal’s was one of the few restaurants with a decent Martians-only section. It was truly unfortunate, but the law stated that humans and Martians must be separated. Humans and Martians had to have their own separate colonies, schools, grocery stores, and seating arrangements for public places. Martians invaded our way of life. Some people couldn’t bear the thought of having to live with Martians, so in order to keep peace we had to be “Divided, Yet One.” This was the phrase used to describe our way of life. We might be separated, but we were still one unit, trying our best to live in harmony.
Of course, I would never say out loud how I felt like this theory was a load of bull and that it should have been abolished immediately. If I did, I’m sure I would have been branded a traitor to the Lunar Federation. The Federation didn’t come up with this law; the people—well, certain people—demanded that it be made and the Federation gave in to what they wanted. I hovered around the edge of Uncle Sal’s lot, trying my best to find an available parking spot.
“It looks like we’re going to have to park on top of the restaurant,” Patty jokingly said. The entire parking lot was filled to the brim, which was to be expected, since school was over not only for us, but for the other schools here on the Moon.
“Oh look, there’s a spot over there! Hurry! Hurry!” Vicki cried out.
On the far right-hand corner of the lot was a spot directly in front of the entrance. I glided the saucer over. We climbed out and made our way into the crowded restaurant. For a moment, I was afraid we were going to have to leave. A bunch of kids from Our Lady of Selene Academy were hanging out near the jukebox and a few were lurking around the milkshake counter. Most kids who attended Our Lady of Selene Academy came from families who owned second homes on different colonies, which they thought gave them the right to look down on others. Especially people like Martha. I found myself hoping they would leave us alone.
The Martians-only section was located in the back of the restaurant to the far right. Separating this section from the rest of the restaurant was a two-foot-tall black divider with a small revolving door in the middle. There was really only enough space at the counter for two customers, plus seeing as it was at the far end, it made placing an order a little difficult. But as luck would have it, Bucky was clearing the dishes from off of our favorite table in the Martians-only section. It was the only pink table that didn’t have shaky legs or chairs that looked like they would fall apart if you touched them.
“Hey, y’all. I’m gettin’ yer favorite table all shined up for yah.” Bucky flashed his signature bucktooth smile at us.
Bucky had been working at Uncle Sal’s for a few years. He was around our age, and he had the most adorable Plutonian country accent. “If y’all want, I can take yer orders now before I head back to the kitchen.”
“I’ll have the steak hamburger with extra gravy and an extra helping of fries,” Patty called out.
“Just get me a cheeseburger and fries,” I said.
“I’ll have that as well,” Martha said.
“And what can I get you, V?” Bucky said in a hushed tone.
“Oh, the meatloaf dinner special please, darling.”
Bucky’s cheeks turned a fiery crimson red. “Yah, s—s—sure thing, V.” Poor Bucky; he really couldn’t keep himself together whenever Vicki was around. Anything that she said, he would eat up like sweet syrupy honey.
Bucky clumsily made his way back to the kitchen with his stack of dirty dishes and our order for the evening. Martha tapped me on the shoulder, “Do you think those guys would mind if we changed the channel on the TV to Princess Rhea’s interview?”
Uncle Sal kept the TV on the left-hand corner of his milkshake counter. Underneath the TV was a little round swivel disc that allowed you to turn the TV in any direction. Unfortunately, a couple of guys from Our Lady of Selene were crowded around the TV watching a baseball game. I doubted they would say yes.
“I’ll handle this, girls.” Vicki got up from her seat. She marched toward the cluster of boys. She gently tapped one boy’s shoulder. He looked pretty cute, with charcoal-colored skin and curly hair parted to the side. When he turned around, Vicki ran one finger down his navy blue tie. “I love your tie. It looks so good on you.” I watched as the boy struggled to hold himself together. Poor thing. Vicki had him right where she wanted him and he didn’t even know it.
“Thanks,” he said with a slightly shaky voice. I’d seen her use this method of attack before. She was getting ready to strike the final blow. Vicki rested her elbow on the counter. With one single tug from the boy’s tie, she brought his face close to hers.
“I was wondering if me and my friends could borrow the TV for a little bit.” Vicki brushed her cheek against his. She rested her lips at the edge of his left ear and said, “We would really appreciate it.”
The boy ran one of his hands over his flushed face. “Hey, guys, let this girl have the TV for a bit, okay?”
One of the boy’s friends, a young man with slicked-back black hair, said, “What? Heck no. Tell her to beat it!”
The boy with the curly hair shoved his friend aside. “Here, it’s all yours,” he said to Vicki.
The boy with the slicked-back hair didn’t look too happy about giving up the TV. “Come on, Rick, our team’s losing anyway. Look, I’ll buy you a milkshake if you stop all that bellyaching.”
“Thanks, guys.” Vicki turned the TV in our direction and twisted the dial at the bottom of it until she found the Lunar Broadcasting Company. The LBC was the only major news station out there and it was owned by the Lunar Federation, and of course they had the money to get someone like Princess Rhea for an important interview like this. There was no way in the world they would let some small-fry local news station cover a big story like this. As Vicki made her way back to the table, the boy with the curly hair called out, “Hey, can I talk to you later?”
Vicki tossed her head back and said, “Maybe.” She sat back down in her chair with a smug look on her face. “That’s how you do it, ladies.”
I sucked air through my teeth. “You’re completely awful.”
“I know,” she remarked.
Thankfully, we hadn’t missed a thing. Princess Rhea had just sat down for her interview with Walter Dailey. “Oh, she’s wearing traditional Martian garb!” Martha squealed.
The princess was wearing a beautiful pearl-colored spaghetti-strapped dress that came to a halt just above her ankles. The edges to the dress were trimmed in gold. In the middle of her dress was a matching braided belt that accentuated her waist. At the top of her dress straps was a pair of white clamps that held down her shimmering gold cape, which was connected to her wristbands. Lastly, there was her golden wreath crown; each leaf was covered in various exotic stones. She was the very definition of gorgeous.
“I wish I could wear a nice dress like the one Princess Rhea is wearing,” Martha mumbled.
“Oh, Martha, you can wear anything. You just need to stop doubting yourself all the time!” Vicki said.
Bucky emerged from the kitchen, carrying a tray with our orders for the night. “Here yah go, ladies,” he said as he placed our plates in front of us.
Mr. Dailey, who was sitting across from Princess Rhea, leaned forward and asked, “Do you really think a thoughtful dialogue between Martians and humans will come forth because of your jewelry showcase?”
The princess readjusted her crown. “Oh yes, I do! I believe that by sharing our culture, we can bring humans and Martians closer together. Perhaps bring us close enough to the point where we can be rid of the ‘Divided, Yet One Law.’”
Walter Dailey let out a small chuckle, then he lightly patted Princess Rhea’s knee. “Now, now, now, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. The law is there for a reason, Your Highness.” I swear he couldn’t have been any more condescending with his tone of voice.
“God, Walter Dailey is so disgusting! I don’t even know why they have him interviewing the princess anyway. It’s no secret that he’s a part of the anti-Martian movement,” Vicki said before she shoveled more food into her mouth. It was also no secret that Vicki hated Walter Dailey’s guts. She actually wrote a report on how someone else other than Walter Dailey should be the face of the LBC because of his anti-Martian point of view. Vicki was going to start studying journalism next semester so she could work for the LBC after graduating.
Walter Dailey flipped through the stack of cards in his hands. “Well, it says here that you have a special treat for our viewers!”
Princess Rhea picked a small golden bag from off the table beside her. She reached into the bag and pulled out a golden bracelet. “Oh, that looks lovely. Tell the viewers at home what they’re looking at, please.”
The camera zoomed in on the shiny bracelet, which was cupped in the princess’s hand. Dazzling multicolored gems were sprinkled all over the bracelet.
Martha placed her hand over her heart. “Oh, how beautiful! It’s covered in rainbow gems.”
“Aren’t those things like crazy expensive and rare?” Patty remarked.
“They are. You can only find them deep in the mountains of Planet X. You would have to be super rich or of royalty like Princess Rhea to get your hands on them,” Martha commented.
I turned my attention back to the interview. “This tiny thing in my hands is actually one of The Rings of Saturn. This is what’s known as the inner ring. There are eleven more rings. Each ring is bigger than the last.” How nice of the princess to give those who wouldn’t be at the showcase a chance to actually see one of the rings.
Martha let out a small sigh. “I’m almost certain that the television is taking away some of the ring’s beauty.”
“So this is what you’re watching? I gave up the TV for this!?!”
The four of us immediately looked up to see who was talking to us. It was the boy Rick from earlier. Before, I couldn’t get a good look at this boy Rick, but now that he was much closer, I recognized his emerald-green eyes, bright blonde hair, and that nasty sneer he dared to call a smile. It was Rick Mani. His grandfather was the mayor of Moonsville. Of all of the people we had to come in contact with tonight, it just had to be the mayor’s bratty grandson.
“Look, if you want, you can have the TV back. It’s not that big of a deal,” I said. Hopefully, this jerk would go away if he got the TV back.
Rick turned his attention toward Martha. “You people think you have the right to take over everything,” he hissed as he climbed over the divider to get closer to our table.
The four of us jumped up from our seats. Vicki grabbed hold of Martha and pulled her in close. Patty’s hand slowly crept toward the steak knife next to her plate.
I tugged on the edge of her shirtsleeve. “Stay calm,” I said. The last thing we needed was for Patty to stab someone with a steak knife. I knew her; if push came to shove, she would use that thing.
Rick slowly crept toward Vicki and Martha. “You people,” he said, his voice filled with a mixture of venom and wild rage. “You invade our planets and, after that, all you do is take and take and take until there’s nothing left.” Rick continued to follow Vicki and Martha until they reached my side of the table.
“Patty, take Martha and just walk toward the exit.” I placed my hand on her shoulder as she walked past me and pushed her toward the revolving door that was in the middle of the divider. It was at that moment that I realized everyone in the diner had their eyes on us. Instead of trying to help, they would rather watch the show as it unfolded.
“We don’t want any trouble. Please just let us leave alone. Take the TV; it’s all yours now,” I pleaded.
There was a madness in Rick’s eyes that sent shivers through my entire body. I could tell it was this madness that was stopping him from listening to logic and reason right now. I kept my eyes on him as the girls walked through the divider and out of the Martians-only section. The tips of Rick’s fingers were resting on top of Patty’s steak knife. I had to act now or else he might actually hurt one of us.
I picked up my glass plate from off our table, dumped the still-hot food on the floor, and then tossed my arm across my chest and swung my arm forward with all of my might. Half a second before my arm was fully extended, I released the glass plate and struck Rick right below his eyes on the bridge of his nose. Rick instantly bent over, placing his hands over his mostly fractured nose. The glass plate shattered into several small pieces onto the floor, and I finally felt safe enough to turn my back on Rick.
The girls looked back in my direction after the plate hit the floor.
“Just keep moving toward the exit!” I hollered. I reached into my skirt pocket and pulled out the keys to my dad’s saucer. I pressed the button on the key ring so that we could get into the saucer as soon as we left the restaurant. Up ahead, to my dismay, two boys from Our Lady of Selene were blocking the entrance to the restaurant. I recognized them; they were a part of Rick’s group that had been hanging around the TV at the milkshake counter. One of the boys was the one with the curly hair that Vicki had been flirting with and the other boy was short and stocky with brown hair.
“Step aside and let us through,” I said.
Both boys stood against the door with their arms folded. Patty let go of Martha’s hand. She placed herself between us and the boys in front of the door.
“You heard her. Step aside,” Patty growled as she clenched her fists. The boy with the curly hair walked up to Patty, grabbed hold of her shoulder, dug his fingernails into it, then shoved her backward. He had no idea what he had just done.
Patty managed to latch on to the curly-haired boy’s arm before his hand left her shoulder. She pulled the boy forward and threw her knee into his stomach as soon as he was close enough. After Patty let go of the boy, he fell to the floor with his arms wrapped around his midsection. Patty cracked her fingers on her right hand one by one. She looked at the short boy with brown hair, who was still standing next to the door.
“Didn’t your mother ever tell you that a gentleman is supposed to hold the door open for a lady?”
The boy turned around and pushed the door open. I’m sure the last thing he wanted was to end up like his friend, who was still rolling around on the floor with his hands pressed to his stomach. The four of us safely made it into my dad’s saucer and off of Uncle Sal’s parking lot.