Collided

Chapter 21

Alyssa was happy she found a place to be alone, have time alone with her thoughts, and search the contract alone. As she did, she got to look out to space and see wonders she couldn't have dreamt of seeing in her lifetime.  It brought her peace, being the same place she went to when her heart got broken, the aperture. She spent time looking out into space, wishing away everything that happened, and realizing that she wanted Boman but felt like she couldn't trust him again. Since their last conversation, Alyssa hadn't been able to talk to Tinker for days, which she desperately needed to. Disappointment clouded her, and she couldn't stop thinking about everything she'd learned. Not being able to speak to the one person who is like a sister to her was a torment. The one time she let herself give her all to one man, bare herself to him and bear his children, everything went sideways.

Her daily routine now was having breakfast, visiting the training center, and looking for a way out of her marriage with the stunning view of space. She dreaded the night and eating in the grand hall as she'd have to run into Boman and Calypso in those places. He didn't keep his word and let her roam free, and that was the last she could take. She did the best she could to get to bed late, so she didn't have to deal with Boman, but he'd wait up for her, as he did when she was about to eat in the open. Alyssa had no choice but to give into him. The serum pushed her to, and she hated it. It tricked her into letting him use her even though she wanted to play hard to get. She wanted him to work for it after everything he'd lied about to her, and this day still does.

Did Helians even have a divorce? Their contract was paraphrased in ways it was hard to find what she looked for. She could understand Helian's language but reading it with their own jargon was more complex than she anticipated. How could Tinker understand it fully and get away with a rejection?

There wasn't anything she could find about a Human not wanting to be with a Helian during her pregnancy as this wasn't supposed to happen. They signed a contract to do just that. So then why did Calypso say they could do it? Something didn't add up.

She felt someone poking her shoulder and looked up.

"Hey!"

"Ambrose!" She got up and hugged him.

"What are you doing in our spot?"

"Our spot?" She raised a brow. "As I recall, I was here first now and on that night. But I can share it if you don't tell." She put a finger to her lips. 

"Secret is safe with me, madam." He bowed to her, and her thoughts drifted to their relationship back on Earth. She wondered if she hadn't been so harsh with him. Who knew what would've been possible with him.

"Good." She winked.

He furrowed his brows for a moment but then relaxed, grabbing her arm, taking her further into a corner.

"Seriously though, I'm glad you're okay. I can't believe some Barawans made it."

"They did?"

"They're on the other ship. It was crazy everywhere when the aliens got to us."

"Tell me."

"Everyone panicked. Some didn't want to go and continue to fight the virus in their home or wait it out. Then the aliens started forcing us on the ships. This was like an abduction."

"I'm so sorry. You must have been so scared." She comforted him. "We told them to do that. But I promise you it is not what you think. We had to make this decision and force everyone to go, or everyone left would have died and not from the disease but the cleansing."

"Right. I'm dying to see more than darkness and planets. Just being confined to the halls of a spaceship and then into a room is not my thing." He shrugged.