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A swift jab to the ribs served as my alarm clock. I groaned and rolled away from the assault. An eardrum-shattering scream erupted from Amber, who was having a nightmare again. It was day three, and her nights were being haunted by a horror that she refused to talk about. I suspected that the image of her father’s head on a platter did play a part. Without glancing at the digital time display hanging on the wall, I knew that it was early. The gadget was nifty. I was able to set the time based on planet, country, and time zone.
I got to my feet and didn’t blink when Winston ran into the room, a concerned expression on his face. I wasn’t sure who arranged the shifts, but a different Najorian entered the room each night when Amber had her nightmares. It was Angelo on night one and Deric on night two. I had felt awkward having him in my room, even though he had been there to check on Amber. Winston was about to say something, but then he grabbed his chest, and horror filled his eyes. I rushed over to him and was about to touch him when he shook his head. He brushed past me and rested a hand on Amber’s forehead. I was surprised and relieved when her screaming and thrashing stopped. His eyes filled with concern when his gaze met mine.
“She’s afraid to fail you,” Winston explained.
“Fail me?” I asked, confused. Was Winston some sort of mind reader? Great! He was one more person that I had to feel awkward around. Mira entered the room, her eyes holding pain when they landed on me. She shook her head then her expression went blank.
“Winston,” was the only word she said before storming off. Great! Was the pair having an awkward mental conversation? This group was weird beyond belief. Nothing had been the same since Winston and Angelo had argued about Ciara. Angelo did cook meals, but conversed very little during mealtime. Mira chose to take her meals in her room. When Winston wasn’t piloting the ship, he was avoiding us, the best he could., Winston sometimes chose to put the ship on autopilot, and the system would alert him if something was amiss. Deric was nice enough, but since I spent most of my time watching movies on the tablet that Winston provided, there wasn’t much to say to him.
I eyed Winston, who took the liberty of sitting beside Amber on the bed. Well, it looked like I wasn’t getting sleep any time soon. At least he kept her quiet. Maybe I could curl up on one of the recliners and catch some shut-eye.
I went over to the wall and tapped on it. A compartment slid open and I yanked out a spare blanket and quickly left the room. If Winston had some soothing gift, why hadn’t he taken the first shift?
I walked over to the recliner and hopped into it. I covered myself with the blanket and closed my eyes. It took me little time to fall asleep. Well, falling asleep was what I intended. Instead, I was pushed into another vision of a past event.
Deric stared at Angelo, who was sitting on a sectional of an unfamiliar living room. He wore a button-down shirt, tie, and pressed jeans. Deric was a bit more dressed up in slacks, a white dress shirt, and a blue tie. Angelo’s brown eyes were wide with excitement.
“Shouldn’t we be doing something more formal?” Angelo wondered as he frowned down at his clothes.
“You know Mira. She isn’t interested in anything formal. Besides, neither of our parents are coming. What’s the point?” Angelo sighed.
“The point is that you both have chosen one another,” Deric’s friend said before Winston teleported into the room, his outfit identical to Angelo’s.
“Torman’s got the liquor. Everything is almost ready. Did your folks have a change of heart?” Winston asked.
“No,” Deric curtly said as he began pacing. “But it doesn’t matter. Mira is the woman I want to grow old with. If I’m going to go mad from not finding my compatible, then I’d rather do it with her.”
“What if you find your compatible?” Winston asked, uneasy.
“I will always stay loyal to Mira. She is the one I chose,” Deric insisted. Angelo held up a hand.
“Not today, Winston. You know the two of them are crazy about each other,” Angelo said, compassion in his eyes. The door opened and a beautiful woman with long, chocolate-brown hair rushed in, her dark brown eyes filled with worry.
“Deric. Oh, good, you haven’t gone to the meeting room yet,” the woman who looked no more than twenty-five said. Deric eyed her with a hopeful expression.
“Mom, have you decided to come?” Deric inquired. Winston shook his head, as if he couldn’t believe that Deric had asked such a stupid question.
“Deric, I’ll stand with you when you’re right. But if you’re wrong, I’ll tell you. You’re only twenty-two. What is the rush? Why not wait until you’re forty to get married? By then...”
“Mom, we’ve talked about this. Mira is it for me. Even if I found my compatible, it wouldn’t matter. I love her.” The woman tugged at her black maxi dress.
“Honey, you’ve never experienced what having a compatible is like. I love Mira. I wish that she was made for you, but she wasn’t. You have to think this through,” she pleaded. “I want the best for the both of you.”
“Mom, you aren’t going to talk me out of marrying the woman of my dreams,” Deric replied, his eyes shining with love.
“Okay. Your father told me that this is hopeless. But I had to try. Despite the fact that you’re doing the wrong thing, I’ll be here if you need me. I just can’t watch you make a big mistake,” she said, her moist eyes taking in her son. She swiped her eyes and left the room. Winston’s watch beeped moments later.
“Your mother has excellent timing,” Winston said with sarcasm. “Let’s get you married.” Deric let out a sigh.
“All right, guys, let’s get this show on the road,” Deric said before walking to the door, excitement lighting up his face. He opened it and walked down a long, wide hallway.
“At least it’s a short walk,” Winston joked as Deric entered a room with white walls and two long tables covered in a white tablecloth. Mira leaned against the wall beside Torman, who looked lost in thought. An uncomfortable-looking middle-aged man stood beside one of the tables. He looked like someone was holding him at gunpoint.
“All right,” the man began. “Let me get this abomination of a wedding over with.”
“I’d rather be with the love of my life than suffer through soul sickness alone,” Mira fired back, a scowl on her face.
“Take it easy, sweetheart,” Deric said in a placating tone. “If you scare Ron off, then there will be no one left to marry us.” Mira leapt into Deric’s arms and their lips met in a passionate kiss.
“Save it for when I instruct you to kiss,” Ron protested. The happy couple broke apart and the grumpy officiant gestured at the pair. Deric and Mira held hands.
“Let’s skip to the vows,” the man suggested. “That’s all that’s binding anyway.” Deric’s eyes filled with warmth as he gazed at the bride.
“I, Deric, take you, Mira, to be my eternal spouse. I will love, cherish, honor, and stay true to you. I promise to forsake all others, and love you with everything in me. I promise to allow my soul to enter the afterlife only when yours does.” Deric then pulled a band out of his pocket and slipped it on Mira’s finger.
“I, Mira, take you, Deric, to be my eternal spouse. I will love, cherish, honor, and stay true to you. I promise to forsake all others, and love you with everything in me. I promise to allow my soul to enter the afterlife only when yours does.”
“Great. I’m not sure how either of you can make the promise to die together, since only compatibles die at the same time. It’s more like you both will suffer soul sickness. Despite the controversy surrounding your union, the king does wish you both luck. Deric, you are one of our top agents, and he understands your decision. This is the part where I present a mating gift to you. But since you aren’t mates, your parents didn’t put one together for you. So, uh, kiss the bride.” Deric and Mira weren’t bothered by his words. Their lips met in a frenzy, and their friends clapped while the man officiating the wedding rolled his eyes. He shook his head and teleported out of the room. Winston glared at the spot where Ron had stood, but then tossed his hands in the air. It was obvious that he found the situation hopeless.
“I’ll love you forever, Mira,” Deric said, then I was shoved out of the vision.
~~~
I sat in the recliner for a moment, unsure how to process what I saw. Deric and Mira were married? Their parents hadn’t approved of the union. But what happened after they said “I do?” Had Deric discarded Mira as soon as he found me? Wait. What if Deric was torn between his wife and his compatible? This was something straight out of Springer. And wait a minute, where did this leave us? I couldn’t hook up with a man who loved someone else. I utterly refused to be anyone’s second best. But did I have a choice? How did soul sickness work?
Deciding that I wasn’t going to get any answers by sitting on my ass, I tossed the blanket onto the floor and got to my feet. I power-walked to Deric’s room, the adrenalin surging within me. I knocked on the door and he answered it a minute later. Sanity please save me, the man was in a towel. His dark hair was dripping wet, a towel hung low on his waist. I eyed his damp chest and despite it all, my stomach flipped. Apparently, my body wasn’t opposed to me being a no-good home-wrecking hussy. I concentrated on what I was going to say to him.