The Solar Flare (26 page)

     “I loved living on Earth. Nothing compares to it, the way that it was before The Great Impact. Afterwards, I couldn’t stay there. So I set out
to find a replacement. I was fortunate to meet Blayke and Lucas soon after my transformation. We built a starship and set out on a quest. We found Sphene mostly by accident. Once we checked it out, we wasted no time bringing people and anything else we needed here.”

     “How is this place so . . . advanced?”

     “Robinson spent most of his life helping to develop the stations while I was busy here. I didn’t see much of Kyanos, but from what I could tell it looked like a fairly recent discovery. I also have an advantage over him when it comes to creating buildings.”

    “What is it?”

     He pointed to his head and tapped it. “I can move stone and building materials faste
r than any crane or machine can,” he said amicably.

     Ava realized the truth in what he said. Wesley had often spoken of how back-breaking the labor was for him at his job, and on Kyanos. James talked as they ate, telling her a few of the details of how his life began on the small planet. She sensed he was very relaxed from how his energy felt. She looked at her plate after she had eaten a piece of bread. Some, what appeared to be vegetables, were laid out elegantly next to a light colored piece of some type of grilled fish with seasoning and herbs on it.  It didn’t smell fishy, but Ava wasn’t much of a seafood fan, having hardly ever eaten it because it was considered a rare delicacy on Earth, and was always previously frozen on the stations.

     “What is this?” She asked as she took a small bite.

     “We call it a Jupiter Fish because they have a mosaic of orange to brown and white scales on them you can see when they are caught. They are pretty plentiful here. Do you like it?”

     “It’s okay,” she replied shyly. It tasted fishier than it smelled, turning her off. Fortunately the vegetables tasted good.

     “I have a lot to learn about you
,” he said as she set her fork down, still not having much of an appetite.

Chapter 19: New Home

     The next morning the light in the closet flashed on as soon as it sensed Ava’s presence. She had slept well, surprisingly, but her mood had not improved much. After putting on a short sleeved top and some light cropped pants that she found she slipped on some sandals and headed down to the kitchen. It was later than she usually ate because she had overslept due to the time difference.

     “Good morning
,” Mrs. Maclaren greeted her in the kitchen. “May I call you Ava?”

     “Yes, please do. Good morning.”

     “Would you like some coffee with your breakfast?”

     “Thank you. I can
get it if you show me where everything is.”

     “Non-sense. Now you just sit there and relax.”

     Ava watched as the housekeeper busied herself in the kitchen getting her breakfast together. One of the other housekeepers came in, a younger woman, and they conversed in a language Ava did not understand.

     “Mrs. Maclaren, what language is most commonly spoken on Sphene?” Ava
asked curiously after she left. She knew French pretty well by now, but nothing else besides English.

     “Our first inhabitants spoke mostly Italian, so that is what has evolved. But, we also teach the children English in school. Of course, Mr. Xavier can speak several lan
guages flawlessly,” she said positively.

     “I’m glad to hear that English is common, because I don’t know Italian
,” she told her as she sipped her coffee, which seemed extra strong compared to what she had tasted on Kyanos. “Where is Mr. Xavier this morning?” She asked, wondering why she hadn’t seen him yet.

     “Oh, he had some things to take care of in the city. He’s been gone a long time with the tour and everything.
”

     “Does he
often stay gone for long periods of time?”

     “This is the first extended trip he has taken for several years. He has plenty to k
eep busy with. He and the family are always involved in helping with something for the city, or creating new technology or what not.”

     “You wouldn’t mind if I took a look around the property while he is out? It’s so lovely, I’ve never seen anything like it
,” Ava said sweetly to the older housekeeper. She wanted to explore things without the presence of an Asterion near. She wanted to think, to see if there was any way she could find an excuse to be taken back to Kyanos.

     “Of course not my dear, but don’t wear yourself out. . . and put some sunscreen and a hat on before you go, it’s going to be a hot one today.
Let me get you a water bottle.”

     “Thank you
,” Ava smiled at the housekeeper, finished a few bites of her breakfast and headed back up to her room. She remembered seeing a hat in the closet and the cream in her bathroom before. It didn’t seem that Mrs. Maclaren was privy to the reason why and how she had been brought here, she thought.  

     She walked back downstairs and out the same door to the terrace that she passed through yesterday
. She wandered out to take in the view, which was breezy and hazy from the humidity. Ava continued off towards the right, down a stone-paved walkway towards the pleasant smell of flowers and the chirping of what were probably some birds. She walked into the sunny garden which was groomed to have the appearance of a small maze. The walkway changed into a fine gravel, which crunched beneath her as she moved. She saw a red rose bush and went over to it, inhaling the sweet scent deeply. She looked at the bush, which was a vibrant red and green with numerous flowers on it. A tear came to her eye as she remembered that Wesley had given her a similar red rose on the past Valentine’s Day. The gloomy sadness consumed her, a great contrast to the bright and colorful garden. Ava decided to keep walking, sipping on her water.

     She couldn’t believe how large and well kept the property s
eemed. She passed a few probable employees working in a vegetable garden as she made her way out towards a cliff. She passed out of their sight and continued on up towards the edge. She never had a reason to be afraid of heights before, never having seen anything like this, and peered out at the ocean and across the horizon. She could barely see the hangar on the other side of the gulf and saw a few boats out on the water. As her eyes searched her surroundings, she did not see any possible way that she could escape by herself. She realized she didn’t know how to do anything here. She didn’t know how to drive a solar powered vehicle or a boat, and she didn’t know how to fly a starship. She was basically at the mercy of James and his family for everything. An idea came to her as she decided to wander back towards the property and to the beach. James had mentioned that he would answer any questions that she may have about anything, and about Asterions. She wondered, could he and his family also teach her the life skills that seemed to be necessary for survival on these new worlds? Would he teach her to drive, and to fly?

     Ava strategized her thoughts until she reached the beach, and cleared her mind as she wandered slowly towards the
great green abyss of water. Wesley had shown her sand on Kyanos, but it was paler here, and also more plentiful, making it more challenging to walk. She had seen photographs and movies of people swimming in the ocean, but never thought she would actually see such a grand thing in person, and it was beautiful. She liked the sound of the waves crashing, and the crackling noise it made when the bubbles dissolved on the beach as the water came ashore and then quickly retreated. She wondered if it would be warm or cold. Wanting to know she slowly approached the water, only a few feet away now before she stopped, sensing James’ presence behind her.  

     “I wouldn’t go in just yet
. . .  at least not until we’ve taught you how to swim. The currents can be pretty strong here,” he said casually.

    
After a moment she turned to face him, encouraged by his comment. If they could teach her to swim, perhaps they would be open to teaching her other things. She was surprised by his appearance. He wasn’t dressed in all black anymore. He had tan linen pants on and a white partially unbuttoned shirt displaying the antique cross still around his neck. His hair was a few inches shorter and smoothed back. She felt herself dismissing a slight urge she had to reach up and run her fingers through it. He looked at ease and well rested.    

    
“Did you sleep well last night?” He asked pleasantly.

     “Pretty well. The time change has kind of thrown me for a loop
,” she said without emotion.

     He nodded and smiled. “It will get easier each day. I think the coffee will help.”

    Ava cracked a partial smile. “You should have warned me, it was pretty strong. Seemed more like espresso in my opinion.” James laughed. “You look different, your hair is shorter,” she said observantly.

     “Yeah . . . it’s been a while since I had a cut.” He ran his hand through his hair, which was still
a bit longer than Wesley’s, with kind of a rocker edge. “Kind of had to. The humidity makes it curl up, it’s annoying,” he remarked lightly.

     Ava turned back to gaze at the ocean.

     “I heard you’ve been exploring this morning. Would you like me to show you the rest of the grounds and the house?”

     “I’d like that,” s
he took a sip of her water and they continued on.

     James pointed out a few things on the beach; a gazebo, an array of beach furniture, hammocks, cabanas, and a fire pit. Further down was a dock with a motorized boat and a sa
ilboat. Back near the house by the terrace was a large swimming pool with more elegant patio furniture and a storage house with all kinds of equipment and pool paraphernalia. They went back through the vegetable gardens and then the flower garden before coming back into the house to break for lunch.

     Afterwards, James continued showing Ava around her new home. For how long it would be, Ava
did not know. They started in the basement which housed a great entertainment area with ancient games called “pinball machines” and other more updated things. James showed Ava the entertainment room set up like a mini movie theater, a gym, and then a large glassed in music room and studio area.

     “This is where the band practices and records
,” he explained as Ava walked around and touched some of the numerous instruments set up. There were so many of them; most she could recognize, some she did not. She lingered, walking around the area slowly before they left. Finally they came to another area with a closed door. He opened the door and let Ava have a glance at a workshop of sorts, containing multiple computers of various shapes and sizes and lots of other equipment she did not recognize. There were several large counters and tables set up with probable computers in pieces, laid out neatly.

  
  “What is all of this stuff?” She asked.

     “It’s my workshop. I come here to mess around with technology. Try to create new t
hings I guess. It keeps me busy,” he said nonchalantly. He led her out and back up to the main level.

     The first floor, aside from the kitchen and dining areas contained a library with ancient books, a study with mo
re computers, an office, a sizeable music room with a large antique grand piano, a formal living room with elegant old-fashioned regal looking furniture, and then a more modern casual family room with comfortable looking furniture and a large mounted monitor over the fireplace.

     “Where did y
ou get all of the formal old-fashioned looking furniture?” Ava asked finally as the completed their tour of the first level.

     “Some of it we made. Most of it we took from what were some of the finest places on Earth after the Great Impact happened.”

     “You mean you stole it?” She reacted with a raised eyebrow.

     “That’s a harsh way of putting it.
”

     “Do you always just take whatever you want?” Ava asked bitterly.

     “No . . . of course not,” he said softly. He continued, “It was a different time back then. Space migration and most of the stations were hardly even in development. There was chaos everywhere, people believed the world was going to end within a few days. Everyone was looting. If I hadn’t taken this stuff, it would have been turned into firewood or something. At least here, it is well preserved. It helps me to remember the old ways and life I lived on Earth. I don’t expect you to understand.”

     “W
ouldn’t this stuff be better off in a museum then?”

     “Where? On one of the space stations? I wouldn’t consider that very safe. Look at what happened to Orionis.”

     Ava looked down at the floor. “That was my fault.”

     He paused. “No it wasn’t.
You aren’t responsible for Kaden’s hatred.”

     She let it drop and they continued up the stairs to the second story which contained a laundry area, several bedrooms, another family or sitting room with a computer and monitor, her room, and finally the master suite, which was larger and just as elegant as her own room.