Star-Crossed

Part 48

Knock, knock, knock.

Pikar answers the door.

"Kiiiish!" she yells. "Can you believe what happened at KORP last night?! How freaky."

"Hey Piks," I say, giving her a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Sure is some crazy stuff."

We move toward the table and sit down. Pikar pours us each a glass of orange juice.

"Marta is whipping up breakfast for us now," she says. "Do you have any requests?"

"No," I answer. "Whatever she brings, I'm sure I'll love."

"Great," she responds.

There's a bit of an awkward silence. I'm still figuring out how to explain everything to Pikar, without giving away anything about Kromo or our mother.

"Did the Squad have anything to do with last night?" Pikar finally asks.

She never misses a beat!

"Yes," I answer. "Piks - KORP was contaminating your Elixir with a really harmful, and extremely addictive, chemical."

"That's what one of my staff members told me today," she says. "I've been so removed from the entire Elixir campaign...I honestly had no idea what was going on."

"It's scary," she adds. "That there could be this product out in the world being endorsed so heavily by me, that I didn't even help create. That I was so unaware of."

"It happens, Piks," I assure her. "You have so much going on."

"You need an army of people around you," I add, "to just get through the day!"

She laughs.

"Yeah, I guess," she answers.

"I just wanted to create something," she adds, "that helped give people a psychological boost - you know?"

I smile and nod.

"So much of who we become and what we achieve," she continues, "starts with our thoughts - what we think about ourselves and what we think is truly possible."

"Do you really believe that?" I ask.

"Yes," she says. "One hundred percent. I attribute a lot of my success to mental strength."

"Iggy's Elixir," she adds, "was supposed to be this totally harmless drink - like I said, water with minerals! - that acted like a placebo. Power in a bottle."

"And it can still be that," I say. "Once we sort the mess out and everything settles down a bit, your vision for the Elixir will come to fruition. I'll help you."

"Yeah?" she asks.

"Of course," I answer. "Always."

"Thanks, Kish," she says.

Marta brings us breakfast, and we take it outside to eat.

"There's no substitute for healthy eating and exercising," Pikar says, as we both dig into our omelets. "And sleep and low stress levels are key. But I really do think that mental confidence is a huge part of the formula. And no one ever talks about it!"

I think about the fact that, in a way, I've been meditating since I was very little. Breathing in and out is something that's always felt like second-nature to me. I wonder if it's because of the genes from Rishi that I have within me.

Either way, I do think that this habit of mine has genuinely helped me get to where I am today, too. Pikar is so right.

"Totally agree with you," I say. "Our destiny really does begin with our thoughts."

"We become what we choose to think about," she says.

"I like that," I say.

"So, are you excited about your last concert for this tour?" I ask, changing the topic.

"Yeah, it should be fun," she says. "But I'm more excited to chill for a while."

"And, hopefully spend more time with you," she adds.

"That'll be awesome," I beam.

"Oh, that reminds me," I say. "What are your thoughts on droids?"

"Hmmm," she responds, thinking about my question.

"I mean, I've never had a crush on a droid or anything like that," she finally says. "But a girl in my orphanage was a droid."

"Really?" I ask. "What was her deal?"

"I think her parents created her when their real daughter became sick with cancer," says Pikar. "And then they ended up dying in a car accident."

"That's so sad," I say. "Jeeze."

"Yeah," she says.

We both eat in silence for a while, soaking up the sun.

"Why do you ask," she finally inquires.

"I found out recently that a Cadet in the Squad is a droid" I answer. "He's the first droid ever to be accepted into the Squad."

"Wait, who?" she asks.

"Niko," I say.

"NO way!" she exclaims. "That's wild."

I never told Piks about that first night Niko came back, under the weeping willow. But, she knows that Niko was my only real friend on Dard.

"I'm getting used to it," I say. "But the whole thing still feels kinda weird to me."

"But the droid's mind is Niko's mind," she says. "The only thing that's different is the body. That's it."

"And droid bodies are so well-designed these days," she adds. "They seem real."

"Yeah, I guess," I say.

"Well, Kish," she says. "You'd better get over it, because droids are going to be all over the place soon. I'd bet money on it."

"How can you be so sure?" I ask.

"I've heard rumors the past few months that the Lords of Shinar have been perfecting their technology for years now," says Pikar. "Especially after the disaster a while back when droids first came out."

"Wait, what are you talking about?" I ask.

"You know, that terrible thing that happened when a droid accidentally killed someone?" she says.

"No, I have no idea what you're talking about," I respond. "That's freaky though."

"Yeah, it was bad," she says. "But, everything's supposed to be new and improved now."

"Speaking of rumors," I say, grinning, "what's up with you and that kid JJ?"

Piks blushes a bit, "All I can say is that we're figuring stuff out right now."

"Oooh lala," I tease, pinching her arm.

"But hey, I have to get ready for my flight," she says, jumping out of her chair. "Thanks for coming over so last-minute."

"And," she adds. "Thanks for last night. It's all still sinking in for me, but I know that ultimately, you helped me a lot. So...thanks."

"Piks," I say. "You're all I've got. I'd do anything for you."

We give each other a big hug, and then we grab our dishes, head back inside and put them in the kitchen sink.

"Travel safe and have fun on the rest of your tour," I say.

"Thanks, K," she says, blowing me a kiss as she shuts the door.

All of a sudden, I feel the weight of my exhaustion, so I head straight back to my apartment. No one's there when I arrive, and I collapse into bed.