Starcrossed

Chapter 3b: brath (part 2)

CHAPTER 3 (part 2)

brath: Martian "vibe" detectable by other Martians

That first jolt, back on the second day of school, had totally freaked both of us out. We still felt an echo of it every time we touched, though now it was exciting instead of scary. Later I'd discovered all Martians gave me a slight tingle, but Sean's was more than that—more like the half-electric, half-adrenaline zing I got from Rigel. No other Martian had ever done that.

Sean's hand—his very big hand—trapped mine for what seemed like minutes but was probably only seconds, while I struggled to control my shock. I glanced up, expecting him to be as startled as I was, but instead found him watching me intently, an almost expectant look in his brilliantly blue eyes. Then, finally, he let go.

Frowning, I immediately stepped back, closer to Rigel, but Sean gave me a knowing smile and the ghost of a wink.

Before I could think of anything to say, Trina stepped in. For once, I was actually grateful. "So, Sean, why don't I introduce you around to some of the people you should know?" Her tone made it perfectly obvious I wasn't in that category, but she turned to Rigel with a smile. Clearly, she still hadn't given up trying to steal him back from me. Maybe Sean would give her another focus—which was perfectly fine with me.

"Looks like you've already met Rigel Stuart, the guy responsible for taking Jewel's football team to its first Regional championship in twenty years," she said.

Sean nodded, though it looked like he dragged his eyes away from me with an effort. "Yeah. Quarterback, right?"

"Right." Rigel took my hand again. "C'mon, M, let's go eat."

I was too surprised to argue, since Rigel was almost never rude. But now I could feel his uneasiness, maybe mixed with some irritation. Unfortunately, thoughts didn't come through as clearly as emotions. Had he been able to sense that jolt I'd gotten from Sean?

"What was that about?" I asked once we were out of even Martian earshot. "Should I be worried about this guy?"

He didn't answer until we were back at our table—alone, since Bri and Deb were still in the circle around Sean. "I don't know. There was something about the way he looked at you— And no, I'm not just being jealous," he added with a crooked grin.

"I wasn't going to ask." Though the thought had crossed my mind. "You should know by now you never need to be."

Because Rigel and I were bonded by the graell, a powerful link so rare that most Martians regarded it as folklore instead of fact. So much so, I wasn't sure even his family had totally accepted it.

This bond enhanced us both, to the point that I no longer needed the glasses I'd worn all my life and Rigel's football skills had attracted national attention. We could also sense each other's moods and, more and more, each other's thoughts—especially when we both tried to focus.

The down side of our bond was that it really sucked to be apart. We'd discovered that in September, when we broke up for a couple of weeks and both became physically ill. So even if I hadn't been totally, irrevocably in love with Rigel, the very idea of me wanting to be with another guy was ludicrous. Already, I was starting to wonder if I'd imagined that unexpectedly strong zing from Sean.

"I guess we'd better find out what he's really doing here, huh?" I finally said when Rigel remained silent.

"Yeah. I'll see if my folks know anything."

"Or we could just ask him," I suggested. "Privately, I mean."

Rigel frowned again. "Only if it's both of us. Don't be alone with him until we know more, okay? And it's not jealousy! I just want you safe, especially after—"