Knacayn: A Terraneu Novel (Book Seven) (6 page)

“This control panel is for music, lighting and to call other domes. You
just have to program it. This button here and here will adjust the settings.”

Kenzie was paying close attention to what Brennae was saying. Knacayn’s
sister had
volunteered
to show her where
she would be staying. To say Terraneu was unlike anything she had ever seen was
an understatement.

Walking along the paths from the porting
dome,
Kenzie wasn’t stunned so much at seeing the green grass, flowers, lanterns and
benches. It was how picture perfectly clean and orderly everything was. Brennae
had explained Terraneu was built around the original Square of Four. Those
domes were the teleporting, caging, medical and technology
domes
the
original
fathers had built thousands of years ago. From the square, they manufactured
“rings” of domes with walk paths and traveling roads. She was staying in
R1-NW5. This was in the first ring, the northwest section, dome number five.
According to
Brennae,
the dome she had
been assigned had quite a history. Her mother had stayed in this dome and it
was Amber who had planted the first flowers along the paths.

“If you want to change the color scheme you can find everything you need
at the
fabricators
.” Brennae was
explaining. “A change of clothing has been laid out on your bed. I’m sure you
would like to make your own selections in the future.” Kenzie followed Brennae
into the bedroom and stopped short again. The living room had been something
she was used to seeing. A chaise type couch and chairs with coffee and end
tables. Some colorful pillows,
plants,
and flowers that Brennae said could grow inside due to the materials they used
for flooring.

This bedroom, however, was much larger
than
she had expected. The bed was huge and whatever platform they used kept it off
the floor. The bedding looked soft and luxurious. Her eyes started to mist at
the idea that this one room was hers alone. On
Earth,
this would have sheltered at least eight women. She shook her head. The new
Earth community would have matched this if not for the MAN
units
destroying everything.

“There is a balcony for getting your daily sun. With another control
panel at that door.” Brennae pointed to a doorway. “Along in here is the
bathroom.”

Kenzie made her feet move to follow Brennae. She didn’t know how many
more surprises she could take.

“You have a toilet/bidet, shower/tub unit and sink for water.” Brennae
moved aside so she could see. The shower and tub unit had a burst of foliage
around it so the effect was an indoor oasis. The whole corner was three feet or
so deep, so would hold enough water for bathing.

“The shower controls are on the wall, just adjust the spray to the heat
and flow you want.” Brennae moved to leave. “I think that about does it. If you
have any questions, just let me know. I will leave you to get settled. Your
friend Steph had been assigned the dome next door. I know the overall space
isn’t overly large. That is because we spend a lot of time outside. When you
feel like wandering we have a swimming pond, park and multiple business
domes
you might enjoy.”

“Thank you
Brennae,
” Kenzie
muttered woodenly. It was only seven hundred square feet of space, but it felt
much larger and smaller at the same time. Stumbling toward the
bedroom,
she saw a bright green dress on the
bed. Not even showing Brennae out, she climbed on the bed and wrapped herself
in the blanket. Her mind was racing and yet she couldn’t catch a single
thought. Wearily she closed her eyes.

*~*~*

“Kenzie? Are you here?” She didn’t know how much time had gone by when
she heard her friend calling as if from a great distance.

“In here
Steph,
” She answered
faintly, “I’m in the bedroom.” With a
start,
she realized she had fallen asleep some time
ago
and had forgotten to message Knacayn.

Her friend appeared around the corner and strode to the edge of her bed.
Without asking she climbed up and burrowed into the blanket with her. Neither
of them said anything for the longest time.

“You slept through the night and half the day.” Steph looked at her
intently. “I know how much you needed the rest. If you are having a reaction
anything like mine, your mind has to be thinking of a million different things.
If you want to talk to me before it all becomes too much and makes you crazy, I’m
here to listen.”

With tears
pooling
in her eyes
Kenzie admitted everything she had been fighting for the last three months. “I
can’t believe it’s all gone Steph. All of our friends and the Rebel community.”
She was struggling to control her emotions.

“I know it is not what you expected to happen, none of us did. It is
going to take some
time
to adjust. Is
there anything good you can see in being here?” her friend asked softly.

Kenzie knew where this was going. With a
sigh,
she answered, “Yes, I admit I had growing feelings for Knacayn, but it was
never my intention to come to Terraneu. I would have made a life with someone
like Weston and stayed on Earth. That is why I was seeing him, even if only
casually. Now we are on Terraneu and I am still torn between the two of them.
Weston is already talking about not having the change and building our own
community, separate of Terraneu.”

“That
is just talk
right now
Kenzie. Nothing will be decided until everyone has processed what has
happened.” Her friend grabbed her hand and held it tightly. “Are your feelings
for Weston real, or were you just resigned to the path you thought your life
would take?”

Kenzie couldn’t answer because she honestly didn’t know. Had she been
using Weston as a crutch or did she truly care for him?

Her friend saw the look on her face and continued. “I know you Kenzie.
All I ask is you stop working so hard at pushing Knacayn away. If you give him
a chance, and it doesn’t work out, there are hundreds of males here. You don’t
answer to the leadership anymore. If Weston is the male you are meant to be
with, then it will happen. The refugees don’t have to make a decision anytime
soon. I have a feeling the councils will not be as patient with the outbursts
here on Terraneu as they were on Earth. The petty squabbling will have to
stop.”

Kenzie had the same
feeling
. If the
refugees pushed too hard, it was possible the only alternative would be to make
their own community away from
Terraneu
.
The question she had to ask herself was which side would she come down on?

“Kenzie…may I come in?”

Steph raised her eyebrow at the male voice calling from the living room.
Whispering so he wouldn’t hear her friend advised, “Give yourself a chance.
Mallex is waiting for me back in my quarters. I will find you later this
afternoon.” Squeezing her hand one last time, she slipped from the bed, calling
out, “Kenzie is in here.”

She watched as Steph slipped out the doorway and Weston came into the
room.

“I wanted to see how you were doing.” He looked around, seeming anxious
to avoid making eye contact.

 
“I’m fine Weston. How are you
doing?”

“I’m still in shock.” He moved to sit
on
the edge of her bed. “I can’t believe everything we were working toward is
gone.”

Kenzie eyed him
thoughtfully
, “Our
friends on Earth may find a way to survive. I have hope they will.” She tucked
the blanket around her to ward off a sudden chill. “As for our lives here, we’ll
have to make the best of it. Everything we were working toward can happen on
Terraneu.”

“As long as we answer to them now?
At
least,
on
Earth,
they would have
let us have some say in our lives.”

“They are going to let us have a say here too Weston. We just have to
decide on the path to take.” Kenzie argued.

Weston absently tucked her blanket around her feet. “It doesn’t have to
be decided right away. I know you haven’t eaten. They’ve set up a dining hall
for us in one of their empty industrial domes. If you would like, I can take
you to get something.”

“That would be nice Weston, Thank you.” Kenzie went to untuck the
blanket. “I just need to freshen up first. Can you wait in the living room for
me?”

She didn’t linger on the bed. I
nstead,
she ran into the bathroom and started the shower. Before stepping into the
water, she found a nice towel and placed it in arms reach. While soaping her
hair and body Kenzie let her mind wander. She wasn’t the type to dwell on
things she couldn’t change. She was on Terraneu, there was no avoiding that
fact. With one last
rinse,
she was done.
The shower water revitalized her and she felt really good. Using the brush she
found in her bathroom, Kenzie ran it over her head. When she felt presentable,
she walked into her bedroom and found the dress Brennae had left for her still
on the bed.

She was still slipping her feet into the sandals provided when she came
through the doorway. “I’m ready.”

“That was fast.” Weston laughed and taking her hand he opened the door.
“The food dome is this way.”

Kenzie was able to match his stride and soon they were a couple of rings
away from her dome.

“This whole quarter section of domes seems to be primarily industrial.”
Weston was talking rapidly, Kenzie had to assume in nerves or excitement. “They
have everything here. Some of us are going to meet at the park later to relax
if you want to join us.”

That sounded nice so she replied, “Just let me know what
time.
” She needed to find Knacayn and apologize
for not contacting him
yesterday
like she
had promised.

“Let’s eat first and then we can set a time.” Weston beamed at her.
Before they could talk further he slowed down at a crowded dome. Kenzie was
happy to see an equal number of Terraneu natives along with those she
recognized as being from Earth gathered on the path. She noticed a few of the Terraneu
males eyeing her. With huge
smiles,
their
eyes moved over her face and then lower. When they got to her hand in Weston’s,
their attention turned away.

Kenzie couldn’t help the small chuckle that escaped her lips. Terraneu
males seemed to have one track minds. She recalled from her lunches with Knacayn
that sense of honor and knew they would leave her alone as long as they thought
she was dating Weston. It seemed that hand holding was a sign to them she was
off limits. It was a shame in a small way. It might not be so bad having men
fight for your attention.

Leading her past the group, Weston found them a seat. The dome wasn’t
very full with people, there were only a few others eating their meals. Weston
left her sitting at the table and went to the counter where the plates were
being set out.

“The food is surprisingly good, considering they do not eat on this
planet.” Weston put a plate of what looked like fruit and salad in front of
her. “They have this dome set up for as long as it takes us to decide if we
want the change done or not. Kniam met with us last night at dinner and
explained the council would not push us into any decision. They are leaving it
entirely up to us. We are supposed to have a meeting in one week with both male
and female councils to go over the rules and see where we stand on matters.”

Kenzie figured this would be the stance the council took on the refugees.
Even though yesterday Weston had been talking about branching out, today he
seemed very happy with their circumstances. She started eating her food so she
could think for a moment. Weston was polite enough to make small
talk
but didn’t require her to answer.

He went on
about
the swimming hole,
and how everyone was thinking about trying that out soon. If she wanted they
could get swimming suits from the fabricator and try their hand at swimming
tomorrow? She just nodded absently and
kept
eating. There was a dome called The Watering Hole everyone raved about, would
she like to try some flavored water? Again, she just smiled and nodded absently
not really paying attention.

“Am I
interrupting
?”

Kenzie’s eyes flew upward. Her heart rate increased and her palms began
to sweat. With a
smile,
she hoped hid her
nerves, she said. “Of course not.” Remembering Weston had invited her to this
dome,
she hurried to ask him. “Do you mind if
Knacayn joins us?”

“Since you were so close to finishing your meal, I figured we could take
a walk to the park and join the others.” Weston didn’t come right out and say
it, but the implication was crystal clear. He did not want Knacayn to join
them.

Turning to
Knacayn,
she shrugged,
“I did agree to go to the park. Perhaps—” she had been about to say perhaps
another time when he broke in.

“I would be happy to drop you off at the park after our talk.” His warm
purple eyes danced with mischief.

“I don’t think—”

“That sounds like a great—” disgruntled she broke off. Weston had
argued
against the idea at the same moment she
had tried to agree.

Had she only moments ago thought it might be nice to have men fighting
for her attention. The saying, ‘be careful what you wish for’ rang in her head.

Deciding to end any arguing before it began, she stood from her plate.
“Weston, I’ll meet you at the park. I did tell Knacayn I would speak with him
yesterday and he has been patient enough to wait for today.” She used her
liaison voice and it left no room for argument.

Weston immediately caved at her tone, “I will see you there in a few
minutes.” He gave Knacayn a furious glare and strode from the table.

Turning back to Knacayn she was in time to see his satisfied smile. “What
was it you wanted to talk about?” she asked.

He held out his hand, “Would you prefer to walk on the paths as we talk
or is this location better?”

“We can walk on the paths. It will be good for me to get an idea of the
community layout.” She put her hand into his and wasn’t surprised by the warm
thrill racing up her arm. She was used to her reaction to him by now. It wasn’t
her body that was the problem, it was her mind. She always had a
tendency
to overthink things.

“The Watering hole is this way.” He
strode
at a
leisurely
pace and Kenzie was happy
for the unhurried tour. It seemed she had always
run
from one chore to another and she was glad to be able to just
enjoy her surroundings for once.

“I heard about that. They have different flavors of water, is that
right?” she peered around him at the dome as they passed. It looked like the
dining hall, only every table was full of laughing, talking patrons. Not all of
them natives either, she saw a few of the Earth refugees in there too.

“That is
correct,
” He answered,
stopping when he noticed she was looking inside. “Would you like to get
something to drink?”

Kenzie hesitated for a moment. Weston had offered to take her tomorrow.
Would it be insensitive to check it out now? As if sensing her uncertainty
Knacayn offered, “You can always come back some other time.”

“I think that might be for the best.” She moved away reluctantly. She
didn’t want to hurt Weston’s feelings if he thought they had arranged a date. Which
she supposed is how it appeared, at
least,
to him.

“How about we sit here on this bench?”

Kenzie jerked to attention when she realized Knacayn had stopped at a
really pretty spot. There were a few benches along the path, all of them with
tall lanterns that would light the way at night. It was very picturesque with
plant life and flowers in all directions.

“This is very pretty.” Kenzie sat, suddenly nervous. She had a very acute
inner radar for when uncomfortable moments might be coming. The warning rise of
hair on her neck told her one might be right now.

“Kenzie.” Knacayn was running his hands on his thighs, a sure sign of
nerves. It was as she feared. An uncomfortable discussion was coming. “I know
it is too soon for this talk, but I feel if I don’t tell you, then I will have
made an error.”

“Okay. Tell me.” Kenzie said softly and then remained silent. She didn’t
want to make Knacayn more un-nerved then he already was. She had a feeling it
was going to be a
replay
of their last
conversation before being taken by the MAN units. She wanted Knacayn to know
she was listening so turned until she was facing him on the bench.

“I am attracted to you, but more than that, I feel you are the missing
piece of a part of myself I didn’t realize was gone.” He began and she felt a
slight blush
fill
her cheeks at his
bluntness. She was used to men speaking their minds, she just wasn’t used to
reciprocating the
feeling
. All of the
previous declarations she had
gotten
from
men like this she had hurried to shut down. With
Knacayn,
she let him keep talking.

“I know you are attracted to me as well.” To
this,
she just lifted an eyebrow. He laughed heartily at her
expression and then continued. “You do not have to give me that look. I know
you do not usually allow yourself the freedom of attraction and I know why you
block any male advances. It is not as you let the males of Earth think. It is
not
duty
to the community or your
commitment to your duties. Those are just the surface reasons. The real reason
is that you are afraid.” When she stared at him open mouthed he continued, “You
fear the fighting will be endless. The men and if you are lucky enough to have
them…children, will come and go from your life, lost for one reason or another
and you will not find peace. That is the true reason for your refusal to take a
mate.”

How had he guessed all of that? The only person who knew her half as well
was Steph. “How…” she swallowed to moisten her suddenly dry throat and tried
again. “Why do you think that?” She was tempted to play the offended maiden and
stomp away. After yelling at him that he didn’t know her as well as he thought
he did. Something held her back. Everything he said was true. She had seen the
death and loss. Over and over again. He was right, she was afraid.

“I listened when we talked. I read between the lines of what you said and
didn’t say.” Knacayn put his hand on hers. “I watched when you didn’t think
anyone was paying attention.”

“Well.” Kenzie bit her lip. “I am not going to deny those fears. You saw
what Earth was like.”

“Yes, Earth was like that…but not Terraneu.” Knacayn was rubbing his
thumb along her fingers and the soothing effect was nice. “I am not going to
pressure you to speak your heart right away. I will be as patient as possible.”

Kenzie was staring at
Knacayn’s
mouth as he talked and her mind wandered. Could it be so simple? To embrace
life on Terraneu and be happy?

“You are free here Kenzie. You can choose to do whatever you want. The
female council has been looking for another member for years. I know you are
good at that kind of thing, but it is not the only road for you to take. You do
not have to be on the female council unless you want to be. You can explore
your options and pick what will make you
truly
happy. I could be a partner to you Kenzie. I would support you and be there by
your side.”

Kenzie was stunned. When she had been orphaned at a young age, her
guardian had pushed her to become active in serving the Rebel leadership. That
was the only position which held any power or hope of advancement. Kenzie had
worked tirelessly to become a valued member of the leadership. Looking
back,
she realized perhaps she had been used
for her ability more than she had gotten any real satisfaction out of the job.
Not that she wasn’t good at it. She just hadn’t been fulfilled by it. Knacayn
was proving to be a powerful temptation. Could she have a life that was polar
opposite from the one she had on Earth?

She lifted her eyes to his and saw he was sincere. He meant for her to
pick her own path. She knew Knacayn would never say anything he didn’t mean. He
would stand by whatever choice she made and wouldn’t judge her. As she watched,
his eyes started burning with another emotion. Her breath hitched in her throat
and her tongue flicked out to wet her lips. She couldn’t help herself. She
started to lean into Knacayn’s broad frame, just as he leaned forward into her.
Their chests met…

“Is everything okay Kenzie?” Weston’s cold voice washed over her.

Snapping back, Kenzie turned her head sluggishly toward Weston. “What?”
She forced her eyes from Knacayn’s smoking purple ones. Realizing Weston was
waiting for an answer she made her lips
form
the words. “Yes.
 
Everything is fine.
Thank
you,
Weston.”

“When you didn’t come to the park I decided to search for you.”
The accusation
was heavy in his tone.

“I’m sorry Weston. We were just…”Kenzie turned back to Knacayn and was
sad to see the moment was ruined. “Talking.” His face was shuttered and with a
sigh,
Kenzie decided retreat might be best for
the moment.

“I can walk with you to the park. I will see you later Knacayn.” She
stood up and hesitantly joined Weston. She really didn’t want to leave with so
much unsaid between her and Knacayn. With a small
smile,
she realized she was being silly. She had as long as she
needed to say the things she wanted. They were going to be in the community for
a long time together.

“What is that smile for?” Weston asked jealously and before she could
answer he added, “I know he is very handsome, but we really need you to be
focused on the refugees needs now Kenzie. You are our voice here on
Terraneu
. Without your help, how are we going
to get the things we want?”

Kenzie forced her feet to keep following Weston to the park as she
thought on his words. Her head wasn’t turned because Knacayn was good looking.
She was drawn to him because he actually cared about her. He wasn’t trying to
get something from her. When she realized Weston was watching her she just
nodded absently.

“I was telling the others you would be happy to work with the councils…”
he continued but Kenzie stopped listening. Weston was determined to keep them
separate and at odds with each other. The Earth refugees and Knacayn and his
people…always fighting just like the Rebel and Government factions? His words
were telling. They wanted her to work
with
the councils, not be a part of the female one. On top of all of
that,
he was assuming things about her which
weren’t true. She hadn’t decided on being active in the leadership of Terraneu.
Maybe she would follow a long ago dream of being a teacher. She had always
loved children and wouldn’t mind the change of pace.

They had reached the park and Kenzie was drawn into a group of friends.
The talk soon became heated. Weston was rallying them into a frenzy. Trying to
map their future plans. She stepped aside and got
everyone's
attention.

“I’m sorry. I’m tired and I did agree to speak with Steph before retiring
for the night.” She moved to walk away and waved Weston back, “I will see you
tomorrow at The Watering Hole.”

*~*~*

Kenzie couldn’t believe the week she had endured. Weston arrived early
every morning to take her around Terraneu. There was always some group he
wanted her to talk with, some complaint the refugees had that she needed to
hear. In her
opinion,
they were acting
like spoiled children and she had almost laughed when they got an
eye-opening
reminder that this wasn’t Earth.

It was at the dual council meeting a week after their arrival that Kniam
had sternly, but kindly, reminded them of the rules. Females took their issues
to a female council member, males to a male…period. It was simple and it
worked. If you wanted to try your hand at any job, you volunteered to do it. If
you wanted to create a new dome, with a new service, you did it. He had
continued on with the general rules for dating and mates. Kenzie had caught
Knacayn’s
eye and she couldn’t look away. His
eyes were burning with emotion.

Before she could break away to talk with Knacayn, Weston had stormed away
from the meeting, dragging her with him. Kenzie had followed along
despondently. The only relief she had from the Earth refugees were her nightly
walks with Knacayn. He would come for her when Weston dropped her off. They
would tour around the community, Knacayn showed her Terraneu through his eyes.
The wrestling matches, the games, the park and swimming pond. She got to feel
the mist on her face when it rained. Smell the heady scent of flowers on the
night air. Since it didn’t get cold, they were able to stay out as long as they
wanted. They laughed, talked, teased and got to know each other.

“We have to branch out on our own.” Weston was railing and Kenzie came
crashing back from her private thoughts. She wasn’t sure if anyone agreed. Most
of the others were just listening out of politeness. “We need to be more
independent.”

“I’m sorry I don’t agree.” She stepped back from the group. When Weston
went to interrupt her, she snapped. “Please let me finish.” She waited for
everyone to stop sputtering and then continued, “I will be having the change
done and staying in this community.” This caused some slight
murmuring
and she waited for it to die down. “I’m
tired of all the fighting and dissemination. I want to live here in peace
within the system they have already established. We don’t need extra concessions.
We are a part of this community if we want to be. They already have rules in
place to keep the peace and make for a content life. If any of you choose to go
into the wilds to make a new life for yourselves, I wish you well. I will not
be a part of that.” When Weston went to draw her aside to speak with her she
stood firm, “Also. I know you may have been counting on my being a part of the
female council but I have not been asked—”

“You’ll be asked Kenzie…of course they want you to be a part of their leadership.”
Weston spoke again and Kenzie’s temper flared to
life
.