I shook my head. “No, but I’ve read of it often enough. I’m looking forward to seeing it for the first time.”
“You’re going to love it but we’ll have to find you a swimsuit.”
“A swimsuit?” My mouth felt suddenly dry.
“Sure.” He nodded. “Can’t go swimming in your uniform, shrimp.”
“I guess not,” I said faintly. I just hoped that the suit he found me to swim in had plenty of coverage in all the right places. I was just opening my mouth to ask more about it but North was too busy hailing a hover-cab for me to catch his attention.
Once inside the gray and white vehicle we glided soundlessly through a small town that seemed to cater to tourists. There were scantily dressed females everywhere—wearing less than women in Victoria wore as underwear. Though I was sure it was normal for Apollo, I couldn’t help feeling a little shocked at their immodesty. Deliberately ignoring the nearly naked tourists, I focused instead on the quaint, brightly-colored shops. Many of them were covered in a layer of soft, blue-green fur, which North told me was a type of algae called 'maiden’s tears'.
“But…don’t people mind having algae growing all over their shops?” I asked.
He shrugged. “They used to. The first settlers on Apollo tried everything to get rid of it. Then, when the first big storm came along, they realized the buildings that were covered in maiden’s tears held together a hell of a lot better than the ones without. It acts kind of like a natural glue—a protective coating. Now they encourage it to grow.”
“Oh.” I was about to ask more about it but the hover-cab suddenly came to the end of the town and the scenery abruptly changed. The flat, sandy roads became rolling hills and soon we were climbing the side of a steep mountain covered in trees with long, trailing branches full of purple flowers. “This is beautiful,” I exclaimed, staring out the window.
North smiled. “You sound just like my mom—she loves natural beauty because she grew up on Midas where everything’s so industrialized. In fact, when my dad proposed to her, she told him she’d marry him on one condition—that he built her a house on Apollo.” He smiled. “And they’ve been here ever since.”
“It sounds like your parents are very close,” I said wistfully, thinking of my own distant father and the mother I had never known.
North nodded. “Yeah. It’s a good thing too. I don’t think they could have survived what…what happed to Jamie otherwise.”
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, not knowing what else to say.
North shook his head. “Never mind. Just wait until you see the house—my mom designed it herself. Well, she told Dad what she wanted and he designed it, anyway.”
“Oh?” I looked at him in surprise. “I always thought your father was in the Space Corps, like mine.”
“He was but he got a discharge after Jamie was born. He’s a master architect.”
I was about to ask more about what a master architect did but the hover-cab climbed one last steep hill and stopped in front of the strangest and most beautiful house I had ever seen. It appeared to be built right into the side of the mountain with round, multicolored glass windows and a spiral staircase leading up to the broad front door made of some kind of driftwood. I also noticed a ramp on the side of the house leading to a side door. I wondered if it had been added later to allow easier access for North’s younger brother. I got the vague idea from North that he’d had some kind of debilitating medial condition but what exactly had he died of?
“Well?” North asked. “What do you think?”
“It’s gorgeous,” I breathed, really meaning it. “I can see why you love it. Your mother and father must be really talented.”
“You’ll get to find out when you meet them. I told them all about you—called them while you were getting your ticket at the station.” North grinned at me. “In fact, let’s get out of the cab—here they come right now.”
As he spoke two tall, well-dressed people—a man and a woman—came out the front door and down the spiral staircase to greet us. We quickly climbed out of the automated hover-cab and North slid his cred-card into its slot to pay it. It zoomed noiselessly away just as his parents reached us.
“Daniel!” The woman, who had golden hair just like North’s, held out her arms. North embraced her warmly. When he pulled back, there were tears in both their eyes.
“Hi, Mom,” he murmured and I saw him swipe at his eyes hastily with his sleeve.
“It’s so good to have you home safe for the Break.” She smiled at him but I could see something broken in her warm expression. Obviously it was going to be hard for her—having North home without her other son to complete their family. I wondered uneasily if I should have allowed North to talk me into coming after all.
Then North’s father gripped him by the shoulder and pulled him into a bear hug. “Good to have you back, Daniel,” he said huskily, when he released North at last. “We’ve missed you.”
“I missed you too, Dad.” North smiled and I reflected that up until that moment I had never even known his first name. Daniel. It was nice—it suited him. Though to me, he would always just be North.
“Well now, let’s not forget we have a guest.” North’s mother held out a hand for me to shake, which I did a bit awkwardly. “Kris, isn’t it?” she asked and I nodded.
“Thank you so much for having me to your lovely home, Mrs. North,” I said formally, just as I would have during an afternoon tea in Victoria.
“Oh my, such manners!” She laughed. “Maybe you can teach my son a thing or two.”
“From what North tells me, he already has.” North’s father turned piercing blue eyes that looked exactly like North’s in my direction. “Thank you for tutoring Daniel in Astro Navigation. He tells me he would have had a hard time passing without you.”
“Oh, no. Not really…” I could feel my cheeks heating up and then worried that it wasn’t a manly reaction. North was used to me now, used to thinking of me as a male. But would his parents see through my disguise? I lifted my chin and tried to deepen my voice. “I mean, he does fine on his own.”
“Well, that’s not what he says.” North’s father clapped me on the back. “We’re very grateful.”
“And very glad to welcome you to our home.” North’s mother gestured at the house. “Come on, let’s get you situated.”
We climbed the stairs in single file and went in through the broad driftwood door. Inside it was just as lovely. All the furniture appeared to be made of driftwood too, but the knobbly outer bones of the couch and chairs were softened by large, plush pillows in a variety of colors. North’s mother seemed to have a liking for antiques from Earth-that-was—vases and figurines were scattered around in an artless, easy style that added to the warm feeling of the house.
“This is all so beautiful,” I murmured as North, his mother, and I climbed another spiral staircase which led to the second floor. “I’ve never seen such an extraordinary house.”
“Well thank you, Kris.” North’s mother beamed at me. “I do love to decorate although my boys tell me I go overboard sometimes. Jamie always says—” She stopped abruptly and cleared her throat. “I’m sorry. Jamie is…was my youngest son. I’m sure…sure North has told you about him.”
“Some,” I said cautiously. As we came to the top of the stairs, I turned to face her. “I’m, um, very sorry for your loss.”
“Thank you, dear.” She gave me that warm but broken smile again. “And I hope we don’t make you uncomfortable. We’re still learning to live without him. It…hasn’t been easy.”
“I understand,” I said. “That is, I’ve never lost anyone except my mother and that was when I was born. But I can only imagine…” I trailed off, feeling stupid but North’s mother smiled at me again and put a hand on my shoulder.
“You’re a very sweet boy. I can see why Daniel likes you so much.”
“Mom!” North’s cheeks were red with embarrassment but I found myself smiling back at his mother
, liking her a lot. She was exactly what I would have wished for in a mother if only I could have had one myself.
“Now, I hope you don’t mind but you’ll be sharing Daniel’s room,” she continued, leading us down the narrow hallway and opening another driftwood door. Inside was a big room, much longer than it was wide. One end of the room was dominated by a large double bed and the other held a desk and some computer and gaming equipment.
There was something else on the desk too—another holo-pic of North and his younger brother. I thought this one must have been taken later, maybe near the end. Jamie’s eyes were sunken and hollow and his body was much more obviously twisted and deformed than in the holo-pic North kept at school. Still, there was a sunny smile on Jamie’s face that seemed to light the whole room. In the picture, North was looking at his little brother with the same fierce protective love I felt for my own dear Kristopher. It put a lump in my throat just to see it.
“…be sharing a bed,” Mrs. North said.
“Excuse me?” I looked at her uncertainly, realizing that I must have missed what she was saying.
“I said you and Daniel will have to share his bed but it’s pretty big. That won’t be a problem, will it? Since you two are already roommates?” She looked at me expectantly, obviously waiting for me to dismiss the whole thing as fine so she could move on. I opened my mouth to do just that but somehow the words wouldn’t come out—my Victorian upbringing rose up to choke me. “I hope you’re being proper,” Kristopher had said to me and I had assured him that I was. But now I would be sharing a bed with a man who wasn’t even my fiancé, let alone my husband. It was almost unthinkable.
“Jameson? You okay?” North’s worried question drew me out of my guilty paralysis.
“I, uh, yes. Just fine.” I cleared my throat. “I’m sorry. I just…where I come from we don’t…”
North’s mother shook her head in obvious confusion. “Don’t what, dear?”
“He’s from Victoria, Mom,” North explained. “They have a whole different set of rules there.”
“Oh dear!” She put a hand to her cheek. “I never even thought…I’m so sorry, Kris, but the only other free room is Jamie’s and I haven’t…” She blinked rapidly, as though trying to hold back tears. “Haven’t been able to get around to…to cleaning it out yet.”
“It’s all right, Mom,” North said quickly. “I can sleep on the floor.”
“No, you won’t,” I said at once. “This is just fine, Mrs. North, honestly. I’m so sorry if I upset you—I was just caught off guard, that’s all. But I don’t mind…as long as North here doesn’t hog all the covers,” I ended, trying to smile.
Mrs. North smiled back graciously at my weak joke. “Well then, if you’re really sure you don’t mind…”
“Not at all,” I assured her hastily.
“We’ll be fine, Mom,” North put in. “C’mon, Jameson.” He pushed into the long bedroom and dropped his duffle bag on the bed. I followed a bit hesitantly and put my own smaller bag beside his.
“Well, then…” North’s mother smiled at both of us. “Supper will be in about half an hour. And I made your favorite, Daniel—s’roth tail stew.”
I turned to him as she left. “What’s a s’roth?”
He shrugged. “Just a weird animal that’s native to Apollo. It looks like a cross between a tree and a cow from Earth-that-was. They don’t move very fast and they have this long, fleshy tail that grows back when you cut it off. It’s kind of a local staple since you don’t have to kill the animal to get the meat—works out great for everyone.”
“Except for the s’roth apparently,” I said, settling carefully on the side of the bed.
North sat down on the other side of the bed, across from me. “Are you sure you’re okay with this? I’m sorry, I didn’t think it would bother you so much.”
“It doesn’t,” I said quickly. “It was just…unexpected. But I’ll be fine.”
“If you say so.” He gave me a penetrating look and then glanced away. “Well, we’d better get ready for supper. And there might be time for a swim in the ocean afterward—if you want.”
“I don’t know how to swim,” I confessed.
“Don’t know how to swim?” North looked at me as though it was unthinkable. “Is that another Victoria thing or you just never learned?”
I shrugged uncomfortably. “Sort of both, I guess.” Honestly, it was because a true lady in Victoria would never wear anything as skimpy as a bathing costume—even the ones that covered from neck to ankles were considered too form fitting to be proper. But I couldn’t tell North that.
“Well, don’t worry.” He clapped me on the back. “I’ll teach you.”
“What?” I looked at him fearfully. “I don’t know, North. I’m not sure I want to learn.”
He raised an eyebrow at me. “Don’t tell me the fearless fencing champion who challenged Broward to a duel is afraid of a little water?”
Actually, I was more afraid of what the water might reveal but I only shook my head. “I’m just…not sure.”
“Don’t worry about it, the waves here are really gentle as long as you go at the right time of day.” His voice dropped a little and he looked into my eyes. “And I swear I’ll keep you safe.”
My heart skipped a beat and I couldn’t protest any more. Though I knew he was just being a good friend, it felt like there was a kind of electricity between us when he looked at me that way. You’re imagining it, I told myself sternly. Stop thinking like that—you only make it worse!
“Well?” North said softly and I realized he was waiting for my reply.
Mutely, I nodded.
“Good.” North squeezed my shoulder. “You’re going to love it. I promise.”
I wasn’t so sure about that but I seemed to have lost my ability to say no to him. I hoped I would regain it soon—for my own safety as well as my distant brother’s.
Chapter Twenty-six
The s’roth tail stew was delicious—meaty and delicate at the same time. It was clear to see why North had described the s’roth as a cross between a cow and a tree. Its flesh had the consistency of both meat and vegetable somehow combined into one. I found it strange but tasty and very satisfying.
The swimming afterward wasn’t bad either, though there was a little difficulty in finding me a bathing suit. I couldn’t wear one of North’s, of course, and I didn’t have one of my own. Eventually North’s mother produced a pair of “trunks” which she said had been North’s when he was my size. Judging from the cartoon characters printed on the colorful, baggy fabric, he must have been much younger when he was as small as I was now. The trunks were loose shorts which came down to my knees. They hid my crotch well, which I was grateful for, but I still had to insist on wearing a shirt with them.
“It’s just us now, you know,” North pointed out as I searched through my bag, looking for a shirt which was light enough to wear while getting submerged in water and yet thick enough to still cover my bandaged breasts. “You don’t have to be so modest.”
“It’s always ‘just us’ in the dorm,” I pointed out a bit stiffly as I selected a shirt and looked for somewhere private to put it on. “And I’m still modest there.”
He nodded. “I guess so. I just want you to know you can trust me. I’m not going to laugh at you or make fun of you if you have something…” He cleared his throat. “Something you’d rather not show to most people.”
I looked at him sharply. Was it possible he suspected me after all this time? But his look held no suspicion—only hope. Did he want us to get closer during this break? My heart speeded up—I wouldn’t deny that I felt the same way. But I could never get close enough to show him what I was hiding from the rest of the world, could never trust him enough to put not only my life but Kristopher’s life in his hands. And even if I could have trusted him that much, the idea of being topless in front of him made my cheeks flame with embarrassment.
“I’m sorry,” I said, feeling my
face go hot. “But I just…I’m shy, North. Please try to understand.”
His piercing blue gaze softened. “Yeah, all right, shorty. I didn’t mean to push—just wanted you to know you can trust me.”
“I do,” I said softly. As much as I can, anyway. Our eyes met and held for a long time, then North cleared his throat and looked away.
“Go out the door and take a left,” he said. “Fresher is the room at the end of the hallway.”
“Thank you,” I said and left, clutching the shirt and trunks to my chest.
Despite the long hover-cab ride up to North’s house, it was a surprisingly short trip to the sea. A winding staircase had been carved into the side of the mountain that led directly down onto the sandy shores of a private beach. I stared in wonder at the vast expanse of pearlescent dove gray sand, glittering like silver in the light of the dying sun. Beyond it, clear blue-green waves lapped the shore gently. Just like everything else on Apollo, it was beautiful.