snorts irritably from his position on his blanket. “Ah, you gotta stop talking, because she’s breaking my heart!” He sits up and glowers at Jax next to me. “Okay, we’ll hire her a wigg, but that’s it! After that, I’m out.”
I frown. “I don’t need your charity. If you want to help me, then let me go home,” I say softly, not sure of what they’re talking about, but fairly certain that it’s charity.
“We are taking you home, Kricket,” Trey says. “Ethar is your home. You should know that by the way they abused you on their planet,” he says, looking angry all of a sudden.
“It wasn’t all bad,” I mutter, defending my home. “I had friends there…friends that are probably worried about me now.” I begin to panic as I think about Bridget and what she’ll do when she finds out I’m gone. Maybe she’ll move in with Eric and he’ll take care of her, I think. Enrique will be okay. He’ll miss me, but he has a huge family and maybe Michael will help him.
“If that wasn’t all bad on your scale, Kricket, then I definitely don’t want to see you define really bad for us,” Jax says next to me. He moves from his blanket, crouching to smooth and roll it before stowing it back with his other gear.
“It was almost over…I was almost free,” I sigh with exasperation. “If you take me back, things will be different for me there. I can go to school and be somebody. I can have a life in a couple of months. I won’t have to hide anymore.”
“You’ll have a life here, Kricket,” Trey says. “After you pay your penance, you can be whatever you want.”
I still, staring at Trey. “Excuse me? Did you just say ‘pay my penance?’” I ask, wide-eyed.
“Yes,” he replies, frowning. “But, the most they can give you is a few floans. It will actually work out well for you, since you don’t have anywhere to live, it will be provided for you.”
“Like jail?”
“No! Not jail! Penance…uh…” he looks to Jax for help. “Like public service…” he trails off at my scowl.
My eyebrows slash together. “You’re going to make me pick up garbage on the side of the road?” I ask, putting my hands on my hips.
“You won’t have to pick up garbage—I don’t think—depends on where they place you,” Jax says, and he has the decency to blush a little.
“How long is a floan?” I ask, crossing my hands in front of me as my foot begins to tap.
“About a year, give or take a speck,” Jax replies, watching my foot.
“A FEW YEARS!” I glare at them. “ARE YOU OUTTA YOUR MINDS?”
“I said give or take a speck—a month. That’s really not that long,” Jax says, sounding defensive.
“Jax, you’re telling me that someone wants to punish me for being born. It doesn’t matter if that is for a day…uh, a rotation or a floan, it’s insanity,” I retort, trying to reign in my temper.
“Technically, no one petitioned Skye to relocate or to trespass on Earth. You can be held accountable for violating our encroachment laws regarding Earth,” he says, looking a little embarrassed, but I’m not sure if he’s embarrassed for me or for the idiots at Skye.
“Well, Jax, I don’t really understand any of this, but I THINK that I was probably a fetus when all this went down!” I pace the deck, thinking. “That’ll probably give me some legal recourse,” I say softly to myself, biting my thumbnail. “It sounds like a lame excuse to come looking for me. Someone needs a pawn for something—‘”
“What did you say?” Trey asks, his violet eyes training on me.
“Pawns…” I repeat absently.
“We’re pawns?” he asks intently.
My lips twist in an ironic smile. “Oh, you’re a pawn—soldier—Cavar, whatever you want to call yourself,” I wave my hand in a dismissive gesture. “You follow orders, but don’t go thinking for yourself because you’re in their army now,” I point in the general direction where I think they might be. “Should we go?” I
I frown. “I don’t need your charity. If you want to help me, then let me go home,” I say softly, not sure of what they’re talking about, but fairly certain that it’s charity.
“We are taking you home, Kricket,” Trey says. “Ethar is your home. You should know that by the way they abused you on their planet,” he says, looking angry all of a sudden.
“It wasn’t all bad,” I mutter, defending my home. “I had friends there…friends that are probably worried about me now.” I begin to panic as I think about Bridget and what she’ll do when she finds out I’m gone. Maybe she’ll move in with Eric and he’ll take care of her, I think. Enrique will be okay. He’ll miss me, but he has a huge family and maybe Michael will help him.
“If that wasn’t all bad on your scale, Kricket, then I definitely don’t want to see you define really bad for us,” Jax says next to me. He moves from his blanket, crouching to smooth and roll it before stowing it back with his other gear.
“It was almost over…I was almost free,” I sigh with exasperation. “If you take me back, things will be different for me there. I can go to school and be somebody. I can have a life in a couple of months. I won’t have to hide anymore.”
“You’ll have a life here, Kricket,” Trey says. “After you pay your penance, you can be whatever you want.”
I still, staring at Trey. “Excuse me? Did you just say ‘pay my penance?’” I ask, wide-eyed.
“Yes,” he replies, frowning. “But, the most they can give you is a few floans. It will actually work out well for you, since you don’t have anywhere to live, it will be provided for you.”
“Like jail?”
“No! Not jail! Penance…uh…” he looks to Jax for help. “Like public service…” he trails off at my scowl.
My eyebrows slash together. “You’re going to make me pick up garbage on the side of the road?” I ask, putting my hands on my hips.
“You won’t have to pick up garbage—I don’t think—depends on where they place you,” Jax says, and he has the decency to blush a little.
“How long is a floan?” I ask, crossing my hands in front of me as my foot begins to tap.
“About a year, give or take a speck,” Jax replies, watching my foot.
“A FEW YEARS!” I glare at them. “ARE YOU OUTTA YOUR MINDS?”
“I said give or take a speck—a month. That’s really not that long,” Jax says, sounding defensive.
“Jax, you’re telling me that someone wants to punish me for being born. It doesn’t matter if that is for a day…uh, a rotation or a floan, it’s insanity,” I retort, trying to reign in my temper.
“Technically, no one petitioned Skye to relocate or to trespass on Earth. You can be held accountable for violating our encroachment laws regarding Earth,” he says, looking a little embarrassed, but I’m not sure if he’s embarrassed for me or for the idiots at Skye.
“Well, Jax, I don’t really understand any of this, but I THINK that I was probably a fetus when all this went down!” I pace the deck, thinking. “That’ll probably give me some legal recourse,” I say softly to myself, biting my thumbnail. “It sounds like a lame excuse to come looking for me. Someone needs a pawn for something—‘”
“What did you say?” Trey asks, his violet eyes training on me.
“Pawns…” I repeat absently.
“We’re pawns?” he asks intently.
My lips twist in an ironic smile. “Oh, you’re a pawn—soldier—Cavar, whatever you want to call yourself,” I wave my hand in a dismissive gesture. “You follow orders, but don’t go thinking for yourself because you’re in their army now,” I point in the general direction where I think they might be. “Should we go?” I
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