Chapter 14
It was a struggle for her to make it back to the ship of the scientists. She had thought herself to be powerful, but opening the ribbon into the past, going above Iqui drained her to a point that she could barely breathe. She cursed herself for ignoring how it killed her mother, just so she could show off for Richard.
A boy made me this stupid? she thought as she lay in a cramped litter, pulled by a couple of charaks and guided by one of the guards. But he actually kissed me . . . Looking like this, as heavy as I am, he actually kissed me. I felt his heart next to mine, and for a few brief moments, it was just him and I. And I felt so light in space!
It was the memory of his kiss that kept her going until they returned. Richard came beside her often during the journey, holding her hand, asking if she was alright. And as much as she loved that, and was beginning to love him, she felt sad at the friendship she lost with Daria.
Once back, she was taken to a quiet room with a small window, a plate of food, and a large bed. As much as she wanted to eat, sleep beckoned her like never before. And no matter her training or the voice inside her mind telling her to stay awake so she could become a better Archsussa, she fell instantly asleep.
It seemed like she was asleep for only a few moments, when shouting woke her up.
“Damned you, Richard!” she could hear from just outside the door. She could tell it was Daria, and slowly she crept out of bed and closer to her door. It sounded as if they had a suite not far from hers and they were arguing with the door open. “Why do you want to use her powers now? What happened to your commitment to science?”
“What happened to your love of the Archsussa?” he countered.
“I liked them fine, until you fell in love with one.”
Melissa’s heart fluttered, her spirit danced on the ether, kept aloft by the warm thought of him. She almost squealed with glee. He really likes me, she thought. A real man, not one whom I created, loves me.
“So what if I like her? She can help us advance our scientific understanding in weeks rather than decades. What she has shown us already answers so many questions.”
They argued back and forth, becoming more heated as Melissa sat back against the door. All I have to do is go out and claim him. She got up, and found a basin to wash her face. As she surfaced from the ablution, she was confronted by her reflection. Admittedly it was made harsh by the artificial light in her suite, but it still was truth. She had bags under her eyes, fat, doughy cheeks, and a jowl under her chin.
I look nothing like Daria -- she is thin, and healthy, and beautiful. They joy in her face disappeared in an instant, replaced by abject sadness. I am so ugly! How any boy could like me, let alone kiss me . . . But he did kiss me, didn’t he? And he held my hand on the way back, making me laugh. She shook her head and pulled herself away from the mirror, out of its seductively depressing grip that threatened to consume her whole. I’m too tired for this.
She lay back down, and fell instantly asleep. As she slept, her mind spun furiously over what she culled from Richard’s mind. When first she reached out to him, she understood some basic concepts like what a computer was or how the images appeared on it. But his mind was filled with chemical formulas and mathematical equations, and it was too much to instantly absorb. But now that she slept, her mind processed that information, reconciling advanced theorems with basic knowledge. It was as if sussa enabled her to be schooled in math and science at a terrifically fast rate. When she woke some time later, it was with a vastly superior intellect that no Archsussa ever had before.
The next morning brought a summons from the governing council. Melissa in fact had no idea there was a governing council, and was surprised that the scientists were that organized. As Richard led her to the Council Hall, he explained that the ship they lived in was in fact the capital of a Daїra. Ten similar communities existed in a rough circle around this one, separated by wide mountains and snow, but linked by ancient underground tunnels through which they ferried people and supplies. He warned her that though Sliona may have expressed some semblance of friendship that she and the other councilors were merciless and pitiless, which is how their community was able to survive for so long.
“The only advantage you may have,” he said, as they walked through the corridors, “is that I’ve spread word of your help, and it is traveling fast. Your discovery has answered questions that have lingered for generations, and nothing is more valuable to a scientist than answers.”
As they stood in front of the council doors, she looked up into his deep violet eyes, hoping that he would hold her again.
“Thank you for all your support.”
“It’s the least I owe you,” he said gently, “after all you’ve done.”
She watched as he reached over and opened the door, her heart sagging as he refrained from touching her.
“Be strong, Melissa,” he said as they walked in. “Be deferential, but show no fear.”
Melissa stood not just in front of Sliona, but in front of fifteen wilāya of the Daїra who sat behind a long, weathered desk, wearing frowns. Behind her was a restless audience of over a hundred, and she was told a microphone relayed this conference to the other scientist-cities.
“Who do you think you are?” demanded one of the wilāya, a tall, broad-shouldered man who reminded her of Ghaja, one of her old instructors.
“How do we even think of harboring an Archsussa?” yelled a thin, bony old hag with glistening golden eyes. She leveled a long finger at Melissa. “Your people are responsible for all the death visited on the Levitating Cities. And while we frowned on how they lived, we sit aghast at the way they died!”
Murmurs of approval echoed through the hall. Melissa felt scared, but not terrified, as there was no device now that could mute her sussa. Richard sat behind her, with Daria next to him.
They were up arguing all night. I hate what I’ve done to her, but . . . to think, he’s mine!
“She has provided considerable assistance to our scientific endeavors,” ventured Richard, standing up. “Without her, we –”
“When your testimony is needed, it will be asked for,” rebuked the same golden-eyed woman. “We appreciate your contributions, but please remain silent until asked to speak!”
Richard quietly sat down, and a part of Melissa sunk, wondering if she would have no defenders.
“So who are you, exactly?” asked the broad-shouldered wilāya.
“I am Melissa Drusciana, last survivor of the Drusciana Order. I am an Archsussa.”
“No, you’re not an Archsussa yet,” sneered a young, blonde-haired woman seated next to Sliona. “Do you even know what it means to be an Archsussa?”
Melissa felt cornered. Se felt like this was the last place she should assert her knowledge and power, but she hated to be belittled by anyone.
“I . . . I think I do, that is, I’m learning what I can and can’t do with my power.”
She harrumphed. “When you learn what you should and shouldn’t do with your power, then perhaps you will be an Archsussa. Of all people, of all those gifted with your talents, you should know.”
Melissa watched as the woman sat back, feeling something eerie had transpired. The wilāyas continued, seemingly oblivious to the exchange.
They went on for several hours, asking about her background, her motives for exploring the ancient ships, her reasons for trying to escape. Few broached the subject of her voyage back through time and into space, and Melissa thought it might play too much in her favor.
I wish there was someone here to help me, she thought. Sliona barely asks a question – I can see she supports me, but she does nothing to help me.
“How do we know you’re not an agent of the Nemesnik? You are his sister, after all.”
“Toby – uh, the Nemesnik is my brother, but we disagree about how to live. That is why I ran from him, and why your people captured me.” She couldn’t help by cry. “I’ve told so many people that ov
er and over and yet no one seems to want to believe me!”
“Hysterics will get you nowhere little girl,” rebuked the golden-eyed wilāya. “Only facts, pure and simple! We are a community of scientists and educators; men and women of the logical mind. Your ‘sussa’ is almost a manifestation of violent, errant emotions, and we will have none of either here!”
“Agreed!” shouted most of the other wilāyas.
“This has gone on long enough. I recommend we banish this heretic from all our communities! She has no place among us.”
“Agreed!” yelled one.
“Agreed!” yelled another.
“Exactly what brand of fools are you?” yelled a voice from the back of the room. Melissa whirled and found it was Vincent, who strutted down the aisle with a darkened brow.
“You have no leave to speak!” shouted the broad-shouldered wilāya, jumping from his seat.
“Your ignorance demands I speak. You would banish her; would you banish all she has revealed to us? Like it or not, this world is divided. Half follow our teachings; the principles of scientific enquiry, while the rest follow the path of the Archsussa. Would you kill all them off? Or would you try to build a bridge?”
“She is the heir apparent,” continued Vincent, “the rightful heir and she is voluntarily working with us. The second Richard turned off the suppression device she could have flown off, or leveled our entire compound. Instead she sits meekly before you, submitting herself to your judgment. Are you so bitter at the wrongs others have committed against you, that you would exact vengeance upon her, an innocent? There is a time for war, and a time for reconciliation. After so much devastation, so much pain, it doesn’t take a fool to know what is right, right now!”
The audience erupted into spontaneous applause, and the council members sat back in their chairs, watching the mood of the people turn. Melissa saw a slight smile creep over Sliona’s wrinkled lips, giving her some hope.
“Have you entered into evidence the great good she has done for us?” pressed Vincent, his eyes full of passionate fire. Melissa had never seen him so animated, so alive. “Do all our communities know of the mysteries she has solved? And make no mistake; she did it with sussa. Without sussa we would still be in the dark.”
“We would have come to the solution; we would have found that ship!” scoffed one of the wilāyas.
“When?” demanded Vincent. “In a hundred years? Three hundred? A thousand? You of your generation may have the patience of a melting snowdune, to sit calmly and wait for the sun to do its work, but my generation is tired of waiting! Tired of hating. We want to move forward, and use every bit of technology to help us, whether it is of science or sussa. Stop thinking of sussa as some abomination, and think of it as another use of the mind. Have faith in our people that they won’t try to turn their cities into imitations of the decadent Levitating Cities; have faith that they will use sussa to explore where we have never gone before, learn what would have taken us too long before!”
The crowd erupted in thunderous applause, and it was then Melissa noticed most of them were near her age. Somehow, someone stacked the deck in my favor. Do I have Richard, or Vincent to thank?
As the wilāyas conversed among themselves, Sliona rose to her feet. All in the room grew silent as she spoke.
“I, like most of you, hated the Archsussa, and in my heart have been determined to eradicate them from the face of Iqui. Melissa though, has changed my mind. She –”
As Sliona spoke, Melissa couldn’t help but look back at Vincent, who stood proudly in the center aisle, his gaze unwavering on the wilāyas. She had thought him weak before, embittered by what Richard had done, but now she saw fire in his eyes. With his arms folded over his chest, he reminded her of how her father looked in his prime. Perhaps it was that memory that moved her gaze from him, and onto Richard.
“—so we may be scientists, but we cannot govern without pity. I vote that we allow Melissa to be a free citizen, a protected citizen; a part of our community!”
The crowd again jumped to their feel in support of Melissa, chanting her name and cheering. The broad-shouldered wilāya banged his gavel ten times before quiet was once again restored.
“Against all our laws,” he said slowly, “we make an exception; Melissa Drusciana is given safe harbor amongst us, and equal status!”
The crowd erupted in cheers, and Melissa couldn’t help but cry. She turned to Vincent, who nodded back at her with a thin smile.
After the trial, she couldn’t help it; she was still fatigued. But this time her hunger won, and she asked for food to be delivered to her room. Heaping plates of steaming food were delivered by men and women beaming with smiles. All of them thanked her, and Melissa couldn’t help but cry, she felt so appreciated.
Everything looked so good, she didn’t know where to start. Several plates of different kinds of meat beckoned to her, cradled with sprouts and boiled roots. But it was the sinful sugary smell of two towering cakes that called to her the most.
I’ve gone through so much; I deserve it.
She cut a big slice -- something her mother would never have let her done, and plunged in. She thought she had never tasted anything so utterly delicious in her life. And just as she put the second bite in her mouth, there was a knock at the door.
More food?
She opened the door, and saw the last person she expected to see.
“Daria?”
“What are you doing, eating?” she asked with a mischievous grin, pulling at her robe. “You need to come down with me – we’re having a fête!”
“But I’m not dressed,” pouted Melissa. “And I haven’t eaten in days! Why don’t you join me?”
“Okay.”
Daria sat across from her and Melissa pushed aside her cake, loading a meager plate with meat and vegetables. Daria put a few sprouts and roots on her plate, and it made Melissa utterly depressed to see how happy she was with so little. Melissa tried to make her meager portion last, but she was too hungry.
“Is that really all you’re gonna eat?”
“Well, yeah,” answered Daria. “Sometimes I go a whole day without eating a thing, there’s so much work to do around here.”
Melissa sighed, debating what to do. “Well, I need to eat! I still feel weak after opening that ribbon.”
Daria reached over and squeezed her hand. “Go ahead -- I don’t mind.”
Melissa was about to pull over a platter, but couldn’t. “Daria . . . I’m sorry . . . about Richard.”
“Don’t be,” she snapped with a quick shake of her head and wipe of her eye. “Richard couldn’t commit to me. I tried and tried, but he’s exhausted me. Maybe you’ll have better luck with him. I told you; I’ve tried everything to make him like me, to make him show some affection towards me. Maybe . . .”
“Maybe what?” asked Melissa.
“Maybe he wanted something dangerous, someone dangerous. I mean, you’re forbidden fruit,” she said with a wide smile.
“Never been called that before,” she muttered, taking another bite.
For almost an hour they sat and talked as Melissa finally got to feel full. Each told the other about their childhoods, and they were surprised at how much they had in common. Daria had a father that was lost in an avalanche, and a brother who lived in another community, ostracized by those he grew up with and banished by the council.
“So, now that you’re full, come on and get ready! We have a fête to go to.” She stood back, and examined Melissa from head to toe. “You do need some new clothes, but I don’t think I have anything that fits you.”
In an instant Melissa was reminded of how much weight she gained, and she slowly cut another slice of cake. “No, that’s alright. I should just stay in.”
Daria came in and sat down on the small cot. “You need to go – this is for you! Besides, there’ll be so many cute boys there. I know Vincent will be there, and probably Richard.”
“You sure you’re
alright with . . . us?”
“Yeah,” said Daria with a quick wave of the hand, “don’t worry about it.”
Melissa sighed. “But what about my clothes? I can’t go around wearing the same thing day after day.”
“Aren’t you an ‘Archsussa’? Can’t you just whip something up?”
Melissa grinned, as she had completely forgotten. “You’re absolutely right. Let me try something. It shouldn’t take too much energy.”
Slowly, she focused her mind, and thought back to some of the parties she had seen when she was younger. Thousands of tendrils of sussa manifested from all along her limbs, enveloping her in a pinkish hue.
“Lissa,” asked Daria quietly, “what would you do if you knew you had six months to live?”
“What do you mean?” asked Melissa, a little worried. “Is everything alright with you?”
“Yeah, yeah -- I’m fine. But I mean, if you knew that you would die in six months, would you fight to try to stop it, or would you just accept it, and let it be?”
Melissa paused from fabricating clothes, and said; “I would fight it! Why wouldn’t I? Why wouldn’t anyone?”
“I don’t know,” said Daria with a shrug. She put her hands in her lap, and gazed dreamily at the ceiling. “There’s so much about living, about all the trials and tribulations we go through. Sometimes I think being done with it all might be a good thing. I mean, it might be better to know exactly when it would happen, instead of not knowing.”
“Yeah, but --”
A loud thump was heard on the door, then a boy’s voice said; “When you comin’, Daria?” Daria jumped up, and Melissa hid behind her bedroom door.
“In a minute, guys! Damn, just wait.”
“It’s gonna start without us – we’ll meet you there!”
“Fine,” spat Daria, “act like that.”
“New boyfriend?” asked Melissa.
“Maybe, but he’s too impatient – for everything. And he’s so thin, he can almost fit inside my pants.”
“Mmmm . . . I like thin boys.”
Daria wrinkled her brow, but remained silent.
“I might be a little thick, but that doesn’t mean I want a heavy boy!” cried Melissa.
They both giggled, and Melissa knew she had a friend she could depend on. Melissa though about asking her about the question she posed about dying, but didn’t want to ruin the mood of the evening. Instead she finished weaving a new dress, and Daria cooed with approval.
“Wow – you look pretty! Come look in the mirror.”
Melissa glanced quickly at herself in the mirror, spinning, then headed for the door. “Yeah, it looks good.”
“Come on, Lissa – you barely looked at yourself! Look at the detail work along your leg.”
“Yeah, I’m sure it turned out good.”
“Why don’t you want to see what you made?” asked Daria, puzzled.
Melissa fidgeted, wondering whether to answer honestly. “I . . . I don’t like to look in the mirror. I’ve gained so much weight!” she said emphatically, taking a deep breath. “I know I wouldn’t fit into any of my old clothes. I don’t even know why Richard likes me.”
“Well, you might think you’re heavy, but I’m too tall. I’m even taller than Richard!” Daria came next to her, and in the mirror Melissa could see she towered over her by almost a foot. “And look at my skin,” she said, running her hands over her pock-marked face, full of blackheads. “No matter what I do, no matter what kinds of food I eat or don’t eat, they just won’t go away.”
Melissa grinned. “Let me do this for you?”
“You mean?”
“Just wait.”
Melissa turned Daria to face her, and put her hands under her chin. Carefully she extended thin, wispy tendrils of sussa up from her palms, as if she was growing leaves of grass. They tenderly cradled Daria’s face, making her giggle.
“It tickles!”
“I’m almost done.”
After a few more minutes, Melissa dissipated the sussa, and turned Daria to the mirror.
“I . . . I can’t believe it,” said Daria, admiring her face. She put up her hands to touch her cheeks, but was afraid to touch them. Melissa helped her, pressing her hands onto her cheeks.
“Don’t worry – it won’t fade. You might get one or two later, but that’s it.”
“You know, you might be a little heavier than I, but you sure have filled out in your chest.”
Melissa dared to look again, and her words were true; she actually had some cleavage. She pushed up her bra, and pulled her dress a little lower. She glanced over at Daria, who seemed positively flat in comparison.
“Now come on Lissa; the boys won’t know what hit ‘em!”
The path down was narrow and treacherous – the corridors were poorly heated, and water leaked from rusted pipes, leaving a thick coat of ice that threatened to detour one’s journey to the infirmary. At first Melissa conjured several firespheres, but Daria shook her head.
“This is part of the fun! Sometimes sussa should just take a back seat to the real thing.”
So Melissa indulged her, and slipped and slid down three levels, laughing all the way. They even caught up with Daria’s friends, who had stopped to smoke some foul-smelling plant.
“Want some?” asked a pale-skinned, chunky red-haired boy with glowing tattoos on his cheeks.
“You know I don’t do that stuff,” scolded Daria.
“Wasn’t asking you,” he sneered. “Maybe the ‘sussa wants some.”
“My name is Melissa and . . . maybe later,” she said with a burst of giggles, and Daria pushed her on.
“Mmm . . . lovely Lissa the ‘sussa,” said the red-haired boy. “I’ll see you at the fête!”
“Don’t humor them,” pressed Daria. “They keep on after you, until you take some.”
“Why?”
“I dunno . . . Because it’s their way of trying to control things. They want everyone to get on their stuff, so everyone will give up.”
“Why didn’t they go up to the Levitating Cities?”
Daria laughed. “‘Cause they’re too lazy.”
Finally they entered a large cavern made of rock, which appeared to be under the ship. Melissa couldn’t tell when they exited the metal beast, but it was colder and damper, with only a few lights strung along the cavern walls. A few dozen teens hung out, on the rocks or on small chairs they brought with them, gathered around a group of musicians playing what looked to be very old instruments. Daria motioned Melissa over to where her friends were sitting, and they joined them, listening quietly as the band finished an ornately beautiful song.
The audience responded with muted applause.
“How do you like it?” asked Daria, obviously excited. “It’s so good to hear ‘music’ once in a while.”
Melissa was unsure how to respond. She wanted to say how pathetically lame it was, but didn’t want to hurt Daria’s feelings.
“I don’t know . . . you mean, there’s no other music?”
“Well, up in the ship, there are a few recordings that can be heard on some speakers in the control room. But other than those, we have to make our own music.”
Melissa sat forward, feeling mischievous. “Let me try something . . .”
Daria anxiously started in her chair. “What are you going to do, Lissa?”
“Let’s liven things up a bit.”
She extended her sussa into the ship’s computer, searching through its files until she found some more active music ones, using a search parameter that segregated the music in terms of the potential age of the listener. For a few more minutes, she thought on what she wanted to do, then she got up and said;
“Attention everyone; those of you in the far corner come out and stand back! I’m gonna show you how we in the levitating cities party!”
The people scurried out, and Melissa transformed the rock into a large cone. She fed the music from the ship down through the cone, and
the cavern was filled with a thick, loud bass beat.
“Oh wow!” squealed Daria. “I’ve heard this before, just never this loud!”
The others started to nod their heads and smile, getting off their feet. The musicians reluctantly put their instruments away, and after a short while, everyone stood in the center, reservedly bouncing back and forth.
“This is great!” shouted Daria’s friends to Melissa.
Daria pulled Melissa out in the middle, and together they moved to the beat and the lyrics.
“Down, down, down, down, we fallin’ now
Down, down, down, down, we lyin now
In the wide clouds, we feel the heat
Down the great valley, we feel the heat
Baby-child I got my hooks into you
Flash my sexy girly-body, into you
Nowhere to run nobody to save, you,
All alone in my arms, my hooks into you.”
“Look!” yelled Daria, pointing to the entrance. “They finally got here.”
Richard stood at the entrance, scanning the group, with Vincent next to him. Richard looked the same, still dressed in the tan uniform most of the adults wore, but Vincent was dressed in black, with thick spiky hair. At first Melissa giggled, but soon she kind of liked how it all looked on him.
“Over here!” she yelled, waving. “Richard! Vincent!”
Richard, still trying to look disinterested, pressed through the throng towards them.
“Hey,” he said.
“Hey,” answered Melissa. “You look nice.”
“Thanks.”
“Well, you gonna dance, or just stand there looking sad?”
“Fine.”
He twisted and turned next to Melissa, and while she wished he was more involved, her mind lingered on the kiss they shared, and hoped they could repeat it later on. But as she looked around, she realized what was missing.
“You ready for something?” she asked Richard, leaning in close.
“What? More sussa?”
“We call it the ‘sussafloor!’”
Gradually, everyone rose into the air while they danced, supported by thousands of transparent tendrils of sussa. They all cheered. Those that danced harder, rose higher into the cavern. Much to Melissa’s chagrin, she and Richard were stuck near the bottom, but it allowed her to see what everyone was doing.
Why won’t he dance close to me? All I want to do is hold him, but I’m not going to grab him. Why can’t he act like a man and hold me?
They danced around and around, everyone on different levels. Melissa felt heated, and though she could use sussa to cool herself down, she reveled in the sensation. She danced closer and closer to Richard, but to her chagrin, he kept his distance. Up above, several couples became entwined, dancing seductively.
“That looks nice,” she said, pointing at them. “You ever try that?”
“No,” he answered quickly, “I’m usually working. So . . . I thought tomorrow, after we do some research, maybe I’d take you down to the training field for nuria players. They have a good workout, and they’re a great bunch of guys -- Vincent even knows a few of them.”
“I don’t know . . . I probably should be training to apply the concept I’ve learned.”
“Yeah, well, you should also think about getting some exercise. I mean, people might think of it as cheating, when you use your sussa to do your daily chores. And you can’t eat more than anyone else, no matter if you’re special. It’s probably about time you thought about . . . losing some of the weight you put on. I mean, what would happen if you lost your sussa? You’d be unprepared to take care of yourself.”
Melissa sighed heavily. “Oh, just hold me Richard.”
He gently pushed her away. “No, not now, not in front of all these people,” he said, glancing around.
They danced a little more, with Melissa becoming depressed and sad. “Do you like my dress?” she asked weakly.
“Yeah, it’s alright. I’ll bet Daria would look really good in it. Maybe it’s a little too revealing for you. What happened to that big sweater you used to wear? That seemed to cover you pretty well.”
Melissa kept dancing, but her heart sunk like a rock in the ocean of her soul. And though a large part of her wanted to skulk off somewhere and cry, the power she felt using sussa commuted her misery into fury.
“Is this what you’re all about?” she shouted, as the music stopped and slowly everyone sunk back to the floor. “You can accept me as a heretic, as an Archsussa, use my talents, but oh no, when I get close to you I’m too fat for you? You stinking liar!” she shouted, starting to cry. “You lied to everyone, but I can see past that, and I’ve only been truthful to you, and helped you, but you can’t see past this,” she said, gesturing to her stomach. “Well this is me, Richard; as much as my sussa is me, as much as my hair is me, this is me! And it’s too bad you can’t accept me for who I am, when I can accept you for who you are.”
She ran out of the cavern, and back up along one of the passageways. Daria tried to follow her, but Melissa gestured her to leave her alone. On a rock she sat, crying.
How could I be so stupid? I’m so fat, no one wants to be with me. Why couldn’t I be like I was before, thin, and small? Why do I have to be an Archsussa; why do I have to be fat?
“Sorry about him.”
Melissa starts, and saw Vincent leaning against the wall nearby. She pulled her dress closer, suddenly feeling vulnerable.
“Whatever.”
“No, really, I’m sorry,” he said softly, sitting down next to her. “I don’t know why all the girls like him, but they do, and that’s what they get when the find out what’s under that big brain of his.”
“He’s just a liar.”
“Yeah,” agreed Vincent with a slight smile. “You deserve better.”
Melissa sighed, and wiped her eyes. “Maybe he’ll change.”
“Open your eyes!” he shouted. “All Richard cares about is Richard. He is all about his image and his standing in the community -- even over his own family. He’s put me down so many times, just so he could look good.” Vincent put a hand on her knee. “Even if you were thin or something, he would find something else wrong with you. Look at Daria! He’s led her along for years now.”
Melissa felt better. “Thanks. “
Vincent squeezed her knee. “You should be with someone who wants you, for you.”
Suddenly Melissa looked up into Vincent’s eyes, and saw only truth and sincerity. She suddenly felt not just warm, but hot, as the pit of her stomach tightened. His face came closer to hers, and in an instant she felt an animal attraction to him. Clumsily she threw her arms around him, and kissed him, and much to her surprise, he kissed her back.
“I was wondering if you’d let me do that,” he said softly.
“Why do you like me?” She regretted asking the question as soon as she uttered it. “Never mind -- don’t answer.”
“No, I want to answer. You are so strong, Melissa, to stand up to my people, to help all of us when all we wanted to do was hurt you. Your whole world has been devastated, all your friends lost, and yet here you are, making music for us!”
“Oh!” she squealed, “that reminds me.” She extended her sussa, and the music thumped back into existence, to the joyful squeals of those inside. She could hear them chant;
“Lissa! Lissa!”
She couldn’t help but laugh, and that was when he kissed her again. Except this time it was deeper and fuller, filled with an intricate dance of their tongues. As they kissed, he wiped the tears from her face with his hands, and ran his hands through her hair. For the first time, she wanted to feel her hand on a man’s chest, feel his heart thump against hers.
“Do you want to try something with me?” he asked cautiously.
“Anything.”
“Are you sure?” he asked carefully.
Melissa nodded, her eyes locked in his. She felt warm inside; felt the thrill from the opportunit
y for danger. “Anything you want.”
“I know Daria gave you a bad impression of glleli, but it really is sweet. Not only can it change how one person feels, but when shared, it makes two people seem as one.” He stopped, and smiled at her, and she couldn’t help but smile back. “Do you want to share this with me? Do you want to be one with me?”
“Yeah,” she answered eagerly, “more than anything.”
She felt stupid again, but couldn’t help it. After Richard’s rejection, Vincent acted the perfect gentleman, and she felt as if she was in a dream. He brought out a small packet of blue leaves from his pocket, along with a small knife.
“What’s that for?”
“This is so our fluids can intermingle.” He cut a small slit on his forearm, a few inches long, and put a small cluster of the tiny leaves on the opening. “Now hold out your forearm, and do like I did.”
Melissa pulled up her sleeve, and extended her arm. In her mind, a dim memory surfaced of pain exactly where she was about to cut. Faintly, she could recall the Freilux exploiting just that same spot.
“Hurry up, Lissa! I’m gonna stop bleeding any second now.”
“Oh . . . okay,” she said, looking back up into his deep, warm eyes. She reached out to take the small knife, and as she did, Yllinae’s voice screamed in her mind.
Never cut yourself! Never inflict bodily harm upon yourself! It is a fatal mistake!
Melissa knew it was wrong, but was desperate. Seeing all Daria’s friends dancing close and being intimate with one another made her jealous, and she knew she might not ever get another opportunity like this.
She was probably exaggerating things, thought Melissa, as she took Vincent’s knife. It’s just a little cut -- how bad could it be?
She pressed the blade against her skin, hesitating for a minute.
“Don’t think about it, Melissa,” said Vincent softly. “Just draw it quickly across, and you won’t feel a thing.”
She took a deep breath, and sliced across the skin, making a small cut, from which oozed a little blood.
“See, that wasn’t so bad! Now let me put these leaves on you, and we’ll press our openings together.”
Melissa held up her arm, laughing at her own worries, as Vincent pressed his arm against hers.
“Now just relax Melissa, and let the glleli do its work.”
She did, but began to feel extremely weak. Her eyes rolled in the back of her head, and she felt like she was falling over. She tried to grab onto something, but couldn’t close her hands or make a fist. Her heart thumped loudly and heavily, so much that she was worried Vincent would hear it. The center of her body felt warm, and the sensation was utterly intoxicating. Backward and backwards she fell into an invisible void, as Vincent’s face grew more and more sinister.
“What a stupid Archsussa you are,” he hissed. Suddenly his eyes were of red fire, and his skin pulsed beneath his clothes. Through the shadows, Melissa could see his body change, his limbs looking more like slate, and two immense thick black wings spread out from behind his shoulders.
Is this . . . is this what an Archsussa really looks like?
“So soon after you did so much, after opening a temporal portal, you do these silly antics for these children? You have no reserves to fight me; nothing left to resist me!”
To Melissa, she existed in an eternity of pain, both physical and emotional. Not only was her body dying, but she had been betrayed; had lowered her defenses, and the first time she did, she suffered.
“The Freilux will be so happy to have you back.”
“Why?” she screamed through a wall of tears. “I trusted you! I believed in you!”
“Your father made my father suffer, and I will revenge myself upon his daughter. Oh, the arrogance of the Archsussa knows no bounds!”
Melissa struggled to keep her consciousness afloat in the limitless void it was thrust into. “You sound just like your brother.”
“I am nothing like him!” he yelled, “nothing at all!”
“And I am nothing like my father,” she said weakly. “Where he only wanted to hurt, and to hoard power, I only want to heal, and make things right.” She moaned in pain. “Don’t do this, please . . .”