Fly You To The Moon (2 page)

3.

When Nicolas finally set down the Solar car next to a giant house surrounded by wheat fields, Ava was momentarily lost for words.

“You live at a
farm
?” she exclaimed.

“That’s what it looks like,” Nicolas confirmed
with a smirk.

Admittedly, it was nothing like the farms she’d known back home –
huddled between rows and rows of barley and wheat swaying in the breeze, the fields under the blue sky undulating with a life force that was painfully absent underneath this sterile, man-made dome. Still, it was strangely reminiscent of home, and suddenly, she was touched her father had chosen Nicolas as her guardian. She’d have been comfortable here as a child if her dad had passed away at an even younger age.

“
So, you grow this food for yourself?” she wanted to know. “Is it a hobby?” In Elite territory, there was no need to practice farming. The rich made sure their food was flown in from poorer regions where all the labor happened. Some planets and moons like Mars and Ganymede even had special domes just for agriculture, populated by a labor force of commoners who were desperate to leave the war-torn regions of Earth.

“I teach commoners to farm more efficiently,”
Nic explained. “And I send their kids to school in one of the Luna Six suburbs, so they get a better education. The families who work the land get to keep most of the food.”

Ava gaped at him in surprise. Oh, she totally hadn’t seen this coming. Her guardian turned out to be a do-gooder who wanted to change the world
– or the moon, at least. “That’s really nice of you,” she said a bit stiffly.

“It’s the least I can do.” He carried her two suitcases up to the doorstep, where a woman who looked like a housekeeper was waiting for them. She had a round, friendly face, framed by
chestnut hair. She reminded Ava of her nanny.

“Welcome, Miss Windsor,” the housekeeper smiled at her. “My name is Margaret Pipps. Welcome to Carter Manor.”

“Thanks.” Ava stepped inside and looked around, sucking in a breath. She’d never seen an Elite house from the inside. The walls of the hallway were covered in tapestries and brightly-colored paintings, the floors were pale, polished moon stone, and the giant stairs leading up to the second floor looked ancient. The whole house breathed Old Lunar charm.

“How old is this house exactly?” she asked, still gazing around completely enthralled.

Nicolas put down her baggage. “You like it?” he said with a smile.

“Yes, I do.” She couldn’t
help herself – despite his blatant display of wealth, Nicolas had managed to turn this mansion into a cozy home.

He put a hand on her shoulder
, inched closer and pointed up at the decorations running alongside the banister on the second floor landing. “Those stone carvings were hand-made by my grandfather,” he said. “I inherited this house when I was fifteen. It’s been in the family for over a hundred years now. It’s an original settler’s home.”

Ava swallowed when his breath tickled the skin of her forehead. He was standing so close that her body reacted to
his nearness – she could feel the heat rise to her cheeks.

“Where did you used to live before?” she asked,
craning her neck to look up at him.

Nicolas momentarily got a faraway look in his eyes.
“Old London. Earth. I moved here with my parents when my grandfather died and left me the mansion. Your father was already married by that time.”

“So you know what it’s like.”

“Yes, I know what it’s like.” His mouth formed a grim line. “The frequent plagues and illnesses going around. And the commoners living in squalor, either slaving away for the Elite or engaged in civil war.”

He didn’t mention the sense of freedom, of wide, open space, of wildness.
The way the endless woodlands stretched out all around Sutton, nodding with poppies and cornflowers. Somehow, Nic could only see the dark side of Earth. It made her sad.

Ava blinked up at him, and suddenly, she wondered why he was still standing so close.

Nicolas seemed to think the exact same thing, because he quickly took a step back and gestured at the stairs. “Come on, let me show you your room. Mrs. Pipps, could you call Danny and ask him to carry Ava’s baggage upstairs?”

Once they got to the second floor, Nicolas turned left and pushed open a door at the end of the hallway. “There you go,” he said.
“A room with a view of the fields.”

Ava took in the luscious carpet on the floor, the queen-size bed, and the
pretty sitting area on the left before gazing through the window. For a moment, it was just like home. If she disregarded the gray Lunar mountains in the distance and the fake, projected blue sky above the fields, of course.

“Thank you
,” she said, smiling faintly. “This is wonderful.”

“Just like home?”

Ava bit her lip. “No. But you can’t help that – there’s just no fresh air here. No real nature. No essence of anything.”

He shook his head. “There’s essence of community.
Especially here, at the Carter Manor. Besides, this place has a rich history. Luna is one of Earth’s first colonies, you know.”

“
Not exactly an Earth colony,” she replied. “The Elite part of Earth, maybe.”

Nicolas cocked his head and gave her a pondering look. “I know what you mean, Ava – the commoners are just here to serve the rich. The Elite rules Luna.”

“And Mars, and Jupiter’s moons, and Saturn,” Ava went on summing up. “Earth is the last place where rich and poor truly live together and struggle together.”

Nic didn’
t say anything for a while. “You’re so much like your dad,” he finally said with a wistful smile. “He never believed in class segregation.”

“And you do?” she challenged him.

Nic raised an eyebrow. “Would I be running this farm if I did?”

“Yes, you would. You might
be helping the commoners thinking you’re superior to them in some way.”

Her words made him stare at her silently. “Alleviating my feelings of guilt, huh?”
he finally mumbled.

“Well.” She cleared her throat. “There’s nothing wrong with that.”

Nicolas took a step toward her, resting his hand on her shoulder. “You’re too wise for your age, you know that?” he said, sounding a bit uncomfortable.

She smirked. “Nothing you can’t handle,
I bet,” she replied playfully. “Having second thoughts about being my guardian?”

“No,” he immediately
reassured her. “I’m very happy you’re here. Already my house feels so much more alive.”

Ava
tried not to blush. “Well, thank you. I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“You should.” Nic held her gaze for a few more seconds, then he let go of her shoulder and looked around the room once more.
“Well, have fun making this your own place. I’ll see you downstairs for dinner.” He obviously wanted to give her some time to settle in and be on her own. “Feel free to come to the kitchen sooner, though, if you want.”

When the door closed behind her, Ava flopped down on the bed. The mattress was
far more comfortable than she was used to. The sheets on the bed were probably satin. Absently, she ran a hand over the fabric, staring up at the ceiling of the strange house she’d be living in for a while. For a second, she felt like a traitor for actually enjoying the softness of the bed, the feel of the smooth fabric under her hands.

Her father had taught her things about the history of Earth that weren’t in any approved textbook.
The mid-twenty-first century population of Earth had faced one ecological disaster after the other. A select group of rich people had taken precautions, fleeing to underground shelters or fortified caves high up in the mountains before typhoons and tsunamis wiped out most of Earth’s population in the span of one single week. These wealthy survivors were the only ones who’d managed to preserve digital records of mankind’s accomplishments, including scientific research conducted in the decades before the Doomsday Disaster. It had prompted them to proclaim themselves new rulers of the Earth. And this Elite had gone on to form new alliances, create new countries, and fight brutal wars. Additionally, they’d practically enslaved the poor survivors of the not-so-fortunate common people of the Earth before racing out to conquer and terraform other habitable planets in the solar system.

Of course, the Elitists claimed they had always been rich and powerful. Nob
ody was supposed to know they’d built a new world on ashes speaking of the misery and exploitation of their fellow man. But some people knew – including Ava.

She
heaved a deep sigh before digging up her pad to text her friend back. ‘hey georgie. guess what, i live in a mansion now. or actually, a sort of teaching farm. oh, and FYI – uncle nic = sex on legs & only 32 yrs old. i’m in trouble!!’

It took her friend all but one minute to call her. Georgie’s face appeared on screen, her almond-shaped eyes and dark hair standing out against a backdrop of white bathroom tiles. She was abusing the wireless comm network in her boss’s office again. “Your uncle is
that
young?” she cried out, her voice shrill. “I thought you said he was old.”

“Yeah, well, I was wrong. He’s thirty-two, a bachelor, and I could totally fall for him.”

“Wow.” Georgie gaped at her in consternation. “You think your dad wanted to set you guys up?”

“Ha-ha,” Ava replied sourly.
“Wishful thinking. Besides, my dad wasn’t big on arranged marriages.”

“Obviously.”

Ava clamped her mouth shut when someone knocked at the door. Crap – had the person outside heard what she’d said about Nicolas? “Come in,” she said a bit unevenly.

A blond servant with a big moustache and a friendly smile stepped inside, carrying her two suitcases. “Here you go, Miss,” he said. “You travel light.”

Ava smiled. “Well, I have a trunk full of books arriving later this week, so I hope you’ll have your day off then.”

Once Danny had left, Ava turned back to her friend. “I’m going to unpack. Talk to you later?”

“Yes, we’ll talk soon. Keep me in the loop.” Georgie winked at her before signing off.

Ava massaged her forehead for a few seconds, rubbing a hand over her face. Actually, Nicolas’s behavior
threw
her for a loop. He seemed to like her.
Really
like her – not just as his niece. But at the same time, he was trying to keep his distance.

‘You can pick who you want,’ he’d said about her choice of partner.

Was there any chance she could pick
him
, too?

4
.

Her stomach was rumbling by the time Ava went downstairs. After exploring the first floor for a while, popping in and out of different rooms, she wandered into the kitchen. The delicious scent of spices and grilled meat filled the room.

“Wow, that smells good,” she said, walking over to Mrs. Pipps and Nicolas, who were busy cutting vegetables at the kitchen top.
A pang went through her heart. Her dad had also loved cooking, and seeing her half-uncle working on a meal like the next common servant was too much like home, all of a sudden.

Nic glanced up. “Well, when you’re hungry, everything smells good,” he joked.

“Don’t dismiss your culinary skills like that.” Ava smiled. “I’m not starved yet. So, what are we having?”

“Pumpkin stew, stir-fried eggplant and grilled turkey,” Mrs. Pipps replied. “Your uncle invited some people over tonight from the city so they could meet you, so we’re cooking a feast.”

“Oh.” Ava cringed a little. “Who’s coming?”

“Don’t look so scared,” he replied, a playful smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
“Just some friends of mine. Oh, and my parents.”

Great.
She’d be held up for inspection in front of the oldest members of the Carter family. “Well, what should I wear?” she panicked. “I don’t have any Elite clothes. Not really.”

Nicolas waved away her
objection. “Wear anything you like,” he said. “I’m sure you’ll look dashing. But if you want a second opinion before making your appearance, I’ll come up to your bedroom and give you my verdict first. Okay?”

“Yes. I’d like that,”
she mumbled.

When
Ava looked away, she caught Mrs. Pipps observing the two of them with a tiny frown between her eyebrows. What was the housekeeper thinking?

“Here, let me help you with that,” she offered, picking up some eggplant and a sharp knife before turning away to grab another cutting board.

Just as Nicolas fired up the stove to stir-fry the vegetables, two little children burst into the kitchen, laughing and screaming, darting toward Mrs. Pipps.

“Tom! Patty!” she scolded them. “What have I told you about running in the kitchen?”

“Sorry, mom,” they both said in unison.

Margaret hugged them
before ushering them out of the room. “So, how was school today?” Ava heard her say, just before the door swung shut.

Silence descended in the kitchen, only interrupted by the hissing of the frying oil Nic was pouring into the pan. Ava turned around and their gazes collided, locking for just a few seconds too long for the silence to be
completely comfortable.

“So.”
He cleared his throat. “What do you think of your new home so far?”

“It’s very different from what I
was expecting,” she replied truthfully.

Nicolas
nodded. “What were you expecting?”

Ava looked down at her cutting board. “
Honestly?”

“
Yes, honestly.”

“
I thought I’d hate it here.” She watched as Nicolas took a few steps toward her, his eyes filling with worry. Softly, he put his hand on her arm, gently squeezing it.

“But I don’t,” she quickly continued. “Your house reminds me of home. And I imagined you to be some kind of old,
Elite prick, but you’re actually quite decent.”

He
cocked his eyebrow. “Well, thanks. I’m flattered.”

She
grinned. “You told me to be honest, right?”

Nicolas bit back a laugh. “There’s a fine line between honesty and cruelty, you know.”

“True.” Ava looked up at him, the warmness of his hand on her arm seeping through her shirt. Once again, she realized Nic seemed to have a hard time stepping away from her once he was close. His proximity felt safe and dangerous to her at the same time.

“Why
, uhm, don’t I get changed upstairs? You still need to finish up here. I have no idea if Margaret is coming back any time soon.” She took a step back, his hand slipping away.

Nicolas blinked as if shaken from a trance.
“Yeah. You do that. I’ll drop by later.”

Ava whipped around and left the kitchen, only to bump into Margaret Pipps on the stairs. “Your children are adorable,” she said with a smile. “How old are they?”

“They’re both eight,” Mrs. Pipps replied with a twinkle in her eyes. “And they’re a handful. Twins are always more work.”

“I bet.” Ava jabbed a thumb at her room. “Well, I’m going to change into something more appropriate.
Though I don’t really know what, frankly.”

Margaret pensively tapped her chin. “I have a few
old dresses that might fit you,” she said. “God knows I don’t fit them anymore, but I couldn’t bear to part from them because they’re so pretty.”

“They’re not too formal, are they?” Ava asked with a hint of trepidation.

The housekeeper laughed out loud. “I wouldn’t want to be caught dead in standard-issue Elite garments. I’ll have you know I have more pride than that. Follow me.”

Ava trudged up the stairs and trailed behind Mrs. Pipps, who turned right and entered her
room. She liked the woman – back on Earth, the commoners working for Elite families were always the toadying, subservient types, but this whole household seemed to be a different kind of animal.

“Is Nicolas a good boss to work for?” she asked, taking in the spacious living quarters they’d just entered. It was clear
the entire Pipps family lived here. There were several more doors leading to separate bedrooms and a private bathroom.

Mrs. Pipps made a sweeping gesture with her hand. “As you can see,” she answered. “Mr. Carter lets us live on his estate, and he tries to cater to any
reasonable request Danny and I might have. Our children are happy here.” She paused, staring at the floor. “I wouldn’t be able to work for any other Elitist. He’s different from the rest. It’s just – I wish he could be happier himself.”

Ava frowned. “He’s not happy?”

“Oh, he tries very carefully to find a balance between living the Elite lifestyle and making his parents proud on one hand, and holding up his ideals on the other. That’s not an easy path.”

“Does he look down on you?” Ava wondered aloud.
“I get the feeling he pities the commoners mostly.”

Margaret shrugged. “Not consciously. He doesn’t know that
sympathy can hurt at times.” She walked over to a large wardrobe in the corner of the room. “Oh, well. Let me get you those dresses. Take them all and try them on. I hope they fit you.”

“I’m sure they will. “ Ava had lost quite a few pounds since her father’s death and the whole ordeal of coming here. In fact, most of her clothes were too wide right now.

Once in her room, she selected a dark-green, velvet dress from the pile that had caught her eye the instant Mrs. Pipps had handed them over. Green was the color of freedom, of nature, of rebellion. Elitists always wore suits and dresses of navy blue and black, or white on special occasions. This was a commoner’s dress, worn by someone who wanted to make a statement. Mrs. Pipps had to be more of a rebel than she’d seemed at first glance.

Ava tried it on, staring at herself in the mirror in surprise. This wasn’t just a rebellious dress – it was a
sexy
dress, in a modest kind of way. The figure-hugging material accentuated her round breasts and curvy hips without revealing too much. Even though she was a lot skinnier than before, this dress made her look all woman.

Reaching for the zipper, Ava struggled to close the dress from behind.
She grunted as it became clear it wasn’t working. Just as she was about to run over to Margaret’s room and ask for her help, the bedroom door swung open and Nicolas peeked inside.

She froze, her skin tingling
as his eyes swept up and down her body. He closed the door behind him. “
Wow
,” he mumbled. His mouth twitched, showing the ghost of an almost flirtatious smile. “That’s – you look stunning, Ava.”

“Don’t I look too, uhm, defiant?” she mumbled, suddenly feeling self-conscious.

He shook his head. “You look like you,” he said. “And that fits you best.”

“Thanks.” She couldn’t help but smile back. Nicolas was more than just decent – he was a wonderful guy. No wonder her dad had gotten along with him so well.

“So, are you coming?” he wanted to know.

“No, I
’m not ready yet.” She shifted uncomfortably. “I can’t reach the zipper. Margaret should come and help me.”

“Well, I can do you up,” he offered.

Ava swallowed. Before she could respond, Nic bridged the gap between them in two long strides.

“Okay.”
She turned her back toward him, her eyes alighting on the two of them reflected in the oval mirror on her dressing table. His fingers gingerly touched the skin of her back as he pulled the fabric together and slowly zipped up the dress. “Exhale,” he mumbled teasingly as he reached the part where her breasts made the dress fit tighter.

When she looked at him in the mirror, he stared back, his eyes drinking in her shape in the green outfit.
Nic’s fingers brushed the skin of her neck when he closed the last few inches of the zipper. “There,” he said, his voice a bit rough. “Done.”

“Thanks,” Ava murmured, dropping her gaze to the floor.
He shouldn’t see her blush. If she stared at the carpet hard enough, maybe he wouldn’t notice how flustered she looked.

Nic
didn’t respond. Instead, he pulled away his hand before turning around, the sound of his footsteps beating a hasty retreat. Ava let out a shaky breath when she heard the door fall shut.

Her words to Georgie
about Nicolas had been spot-on. She really
was
in trouble.