How to Date an Alien (22 page)

"Well, what have we here?" She pressed her
long, gloved fingers together.

"I found them trying to break out, your
highness." Marsilo took his spot, standing to the right of the
queen's platform.

"Did you now?" She didn't take her eyes off
me and raised her eyebrows. Her voice carried the superiority you
would expect from a queen and was the same tone as her silvery
laugh.

"Your highness, if you would just—" Ace
started, but the queen raised her hand and he stopped speaking,
gripping so tight onto my hand that I swore it was on fire. I
didn't understand why he was calling his mother
your
highness
, but any woman who commanded authority like the queen
did was not to be messed with.

"So this is the little human girl that's
causing all the fuss?" She tilted her head and looked at Ace. "You
couldn't have at least picked a blonde?"

"What is with Caltians and blondes?" I
whispered.

"Excuse me?" The queen shot her head back in
my direction.

Eek, great time for me to try and ask a
question. "Um, your highness." I did a half-bow, half-curtsy,
unsure how I should address her. "I'm just very confused by this
whole situation and would think that someone with your great power
would be able to explain why it's such a big deal for your son to
be dating a human girl."

My knees started to shake. The queen stared
at me, her eyes narrowing into tiny slits as she leaned in closer.
I didn't know what kind of power she had, but I didn't doubt that
she could probably destroy me without even trying.

"The big deal?" She laughed, sending chills
all down my body that made me feel like I would collapse right
there. Ace stood closer to me. He must have felt the tension run
through me.

The queen shook her head. "The Caltians have
been ruling this universe for thousands of years. Our posterity
always paired with the best and the brightest, making sure that we
maintain our superiority in this universe."

She leaned in closer, rising from her chair
to show her full height, which had to be at least six feet if not
more. "So tell me, Miss Bianchi, what about you and your lowly
human life thinks that you are good enough to be the mate of a
Caltian prince?"

"Your highness, I can explain." Ace took a
step closer, not letting go of my hand.

The queen raised her hand, not taking her
black eyes off me. "I want her to explain. I've heard your
reasoning and now I want to hear what she has to say."

Ace took a step back as I felt the heat from
his eyes on me. Everyone's eyes were on me. This was my chance to
finally stand up to the bully, the mean girl, and finally voice all
the things I'd been keeping inside since I got on the ship. My
palms were slippery with sweat. I knew that I had to do this not
only for us, but for my dad and anyone else that didn't want to
live in fear of what others thought. I had to swallow my fear and
do this for everyone back at Circe.

I took in a deep breath, exhaling slowly.
"Because I've never loved anyone like I love your son, and I was
willing to give up everything to come here and prove it."

I looked over at Ace, not taking my eyes off
his. "He's the first life-form I've ever met that has made being
awake and in the real world better than anything that could come
from a dream."

I slowly looked to the ground, the tears
begging to break through my lashes, but I fought them away and then
looked right into the queen's ominous eyes. They held the same
darkness that swirled in my nightmares, but I knew if I wanted to
get out of this alive I had to face my fears. "And I'd rather have
my heart stop beating than to have Ace lose his place in it."

I knew she could kill me without even trying,
but I let out the breath that I had been holding since I entered
the room and began to feel at ease just knowing that at least I was
finally able to stand up to someone. Even if it ended in my
death.

The queen just stared at me and took a step
closer. "Is this true, my son? Do you—" She swallowed hard like
something had gone down the wrong pipe and circled me as if I were
some sort of disgusting science experiment. "—
love
this
human girl?"

Ace took a deep breath, nodded before he
replied, and looked straight at his mother. "I do, your
highness."

He squeezed my hand, ignoring how sticky it
was. That was the first time either of us had ever said that word
out loud, but at that moment I knew there was no one else I could
have loved more.

Her eyes flickered to Ace briefly before a
small smile crept on her lips and she turned toward Marsilo. "Give
them a ship and let them go back to Circe."

I looked at Ace, opening my eyes as wide as
they could go and wondering if I heard her speak correctly. Ace
looked just as stunned with his mouth gaping open.

"But, your highness, the rules, the danger to
our society." Marsilo turned to me, curling his lips in disgust.
"You're going to let him just go back down to that slum with this
human trash."

Ace lunged at Marsilo, his fist raised before
the queen put a hand to his chest, holding him back. "Yes,
Marsilo." She didn't look at me or Ace. "Don't make me repeat a
direct command."

Marsilo shook his head before turning back to
me and Ace, his disgusting smirk prominent on his white face.
"Right this way."

Ace took my hand again and we started toward
the door when the queen cleared her throat.

"Oh, and Miss Bianchi?"

Every part of my body tensed up at the sound
of her voice. I slowly turned my head back toward her, trying not
to make eye contact and hoping that she wasn't leading us into a
trap.

"I was just wondering how you've been
sleeping lately." Her lips curved into a sly smile. The air felt
like it was being robbed from my lungs. Why would she ask a
question like that unless she knew about my nightmares?

"We've both been sleeping just fine." Ace
turned me around and quickly ushered me out of the room. I could
still feel the glare of the queen's eyes on my back as we walked
out.

"Why didn't you tell me about the dreams?"
Ace whispered. His were eyes focused on Marsilo's every move as we
followed him down to the landing bay.

"I told you I was having nightmares." I just
had left out that his mom happened to be starring in them.

He shook his head. "That explains how she
knew so much. Caltian woman can sleep creep, meaning they can
control people's thoughts by walking into their dreams." He stared
off. "Usually, if there is another Caltian around, it's harder for
them to enter a dream, but they can still find a way to get inside
the person's head. I just didn't think she'd stoop that low."

If she would go the distance to invade my
dreams, I wondered what else she could do to me. I hoped I'd never
find out.

I couldn't believe that the queen was letting
us leave. No matter what she ended up thinking of me in the end, I
knew I would soon end up safely back at Circe. Ace acted like it
was more of a punishment than anything. He didn't take his eyes off
Marsilo as we followed him down the same dark hallways until we
reached the landing bay. A crowd of Caltian soldiers stood on metal
balconies, their menacing stares locked on us as we passed.

"We finally get to go home, Ace," I whispered
and nudged his side with our intertwined hands. I did think there
was something suspicious going on, but I was trying my best to keep
Ace from doing something that he would later regret. I could just
imagine him attacking some random Caltian and getting us locked up
in the ship forever. Mostly, I was just eager to be back on the
ground and away from the dark walls of the ship.

"That's what they want us to think, at
least," he whispered back. "I've never known the queen to do
something just out of the goodness of her heart."

"What do you really think it is, then?" I
tried my best to push his feelings toward the queen's abrupt
kindness behind me and stay positive. But it was definitely weird
that someone who only hours before was planning my demise was now
setting me free. I just chalked it up to my heartfelt speech and
figured that I had Ace, and that was all that mattered.

He shrugged, craning his neck from side to
side. "I don't know, but I'm sure we'll find out soon enough."

"I'm certain with those ancient things that
they give you on Earth, you'll be fine with one of our older
models." Marsilo stopped walking and stood near a small ship that
looked like one of the drones that had attacked me on the way in,
but a few centuries older. The black paint was halfway chipped off
and looked like one of those old cars you'd see on the side of the
road. It might have actually been missing a few parts, given the
fact that it sat lopsided and didn't shine like the other
ships.

"You expect us to get back down to Earth with
this broken-down thing?" Ace put his free hand out toward the ship,
glaring at Marsilo.

Marsilo let out a deep puff of air. "Well
it's the only one we can spare and I thought you would be a little
more gracious after we spared the life of your human maggot."

"Alright, that's it," Ace snarled, dropping
my hand and lunging for Marsilo.

I stepped between them, raising my hands as
Marsilo stepped back, laughing. "My, my, Earth has made you quite
violent and ungrateful."

I put my hands up to Ace's breastbone, a
calming technique my mom had used on me when I was younger. His
heart was beating so fast it felt like it would fly right out of
his chest. "He's not worth it, Ace."

I waited until Ace's heartbeat slowed and he
was finally able to look at me. I could see the fire slowly die
down in his eyes as he looked down into mine. "Sorry, Alex."

"What is that human expression?" Marsilo
laughed. "I believe they say you are whipped by your human."

Ace growled a low animal-like sound that came
from the pit of his stomach. I pulled his face down toward mine, so
he wouldn't look at Marsilo. "Ace, let it go. We'll be back at
Circe soon and this will all be behind us."

He stopped the growling and closed his eyes
and then opened them slowly as he nodded. "You're right, let's go."
He took my hand and opened the canopy of the ship. It was even
smaller than the plane I took from Circe, complete with a ripped-up
velvet seat and smell like formaldehyde wafting from the springs. I
was really curious as to how we would both fit in it and be
comfortable.

"You can sit on my lap, but that means you'll
have to drive." Ace swallowed, looking down into the ship.

Marsilo laughed. "I hope the heifer doesn't
squash you."

Ace and I both looked up, glowering at
Marsilo. He lifted his hands and started walking farther back into
the ship. "Have a safe trip back!" he called, echoing his hoary
laughter all through the landing bay.

I shook my head. "That guy gives me the
creeps."

Ace climbed into the small ship, sitting down
in the chair before looking up at me. "That makes two of us." He
smiled, reached his hand up and intertwined his fingers with mine
as he helped me into the ship. I positioned myself on his lap.

"The only way I was actually able to fly that
Circe plane was when Malcolm told me how to and now my communicator
is broken, so I can't exactly follow his directions now."

Ace pulled the canopy over us, enclosing us
in one of the smallest, most uncomfortable, and worst smelling
places I could have ever been trapped in. I tried to concentrate on
the fact that I would be back, safe, on Earth again soon with Ace
at my side, but when the smell of burning flesh sifted through my
nostrils, it was the only thing I could concentrate on.

Ace's lips brushed against my cheek before
lingering by my ear. "You really think that after years of training
as a Caltian pilot that I wouldn't know how to fly one of
these?"

He flipped a small switch to the right and
the ship roared to life. Well, not exactly a roar, more of a
sputtering old man roar, but it turned on. The controls started
flashing and dozens of blue lights surrounded me.

"I guess that's what I get for doubting
you."

He laughed and I smiled at the vibration of
his chest against my back.

"Well, Alex, it looks like it's time to go
home." He took my hand and put it over a small control stick in the
middle of us, slowly inching it forward. Before I knew it we were
out of the belly of the ship and soaring among the clouds. I
wondered what everyone back at Circe would think of all of this—if
Ace and I would be regarded as heroes or if I would be even more
grounded than I already was.

"So what happens now?" I glanced back at Ace
as we made our descent to Earth.

He shrugged, the weight of his shoulders
pressing against mine. "We get you back to Circe and then figure
out visiting arrangements so I can spend some time at this Columbia
that you won't stop going on and on about."

"For real?" I turned to look back at Ace, but
felt a shudder from the left side of the ship. Ace quickly turned
his head to look out the side window. His breathing got heavier as
he stared out into the sky.

"Did something fall off? I knew this thing
had to be ancient," I remarked.

"No." Ace turned his head back and flipped a
switch near the control stick. A screen popped up, showing a
diagram of the ship with the left wing flashing bright red. "I
think we're under attack."

I turned to look out the side of the ship,
expecting to see Circe fighters that had made some sort of mistake,
but it was no mistake. Caltian drones were headed straight for
us.

"Let them go my ass," I mumbled, scanning the
different buttons in front of me.

"What are you looking for, Alex?" Ace looked
from the window, back to me.