Page 7 of Bikar
“Murgul, stop talking. I know it causes you an insane amount of pain. I’m going to make an educated guess that Bikar will be piloting the Zenith, and one of y’all is going to be on the shuttle, is that correct?”
He nods decisively.
“So, you’re offering me the ability to escape your brother, even though you know it’ll make him suffer that mating sickness?”
Another nod.
“And this is all because you empathize with me? Because you know what it’s like to be abused by another…?”
He pauses before slowly nodding again.
“Okay. So, who is piloting the shuttle? Or do you know?”
Murgul shrugs nonchalantly and shakes his head. This entire exchange is beyond my realm of comprehension, but I’m not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. That’s for damn sure.
Peering at him from across the room, I offer him a tentative smile. “Thank you, Murgul. That means a lot. Aside from Heather, everyone else here acts like my mating with Bikar is a done deal. Especially y’all’s mother.”
I catch Murgul’s wince when I mention Shagar and her meddling. Which makes me wonder…
“Which ship is Shagar going to be on?”
Murgul’s mouth curls in a cat ate the canary grin before he grates out.“Zenith. Falon’s room. Atasha too.”
“Say less! Shuttle it is. Thank you so much, Murgul.”
Most of the pressure I’ve been under recently fades away at the knowledge that I’ll have some breathing room from Shagar, and more importantly, Bikar. Murgul steps out of the doorway so I can hurry past him to meet up with Heather and let her know which vessel we need to be on. In my urgency to not be late, I miss it when his face changes from empathetic conspirator to smug triumph.
CHAPTER 7
BAMBI
My new room on the shuttle isn’t what I expected. I’m not exactly sure what I anticipated, but it wasn’tthis.
The space is warm and inviting, like an open floor plan efficiency apartment back home. It boasts a small kitchen area that seamlessly blends with what constitutes a living room before ending in the far corner, where the bed is.
Four smooth walls are only interrupted by three doors: one that leads to the bathroom, then the closet, and finally, the hallway. There aren’t any windows, but that doesn’t bother me. I have no desire to see open space. I’d probably have a panic attack at the concept of nothingness as far as the eye can see.
All in all, it’s a comfy, cozy space that I can see myself spending a lot of time in. And that’s a very good thing, because I’m not sure where we’re going. To my surprise, there’s enough room on the shuttle that everyone can have their own quarters. It’s as if the shuttle was specifically designed just for the inhabitants of Deapra.
Which isn’t creepy… at all.
It also hasn’t escaped my notice that the amenities in my room are more human-sized than Ruk. I’m pretty grateful forthat, because feeling like a child using things made for an adult gets old.
Fast.
Putting away my meager belongings took less than half an hour, and now I’m not exactly sure what to do with myself.
As I look around my new room, our rushed exit off Deapra plays out again in my head. I’m surprised that it lacked chaos. Back home, the few movies I’ve seen always portrayed leaving somewhere under an emergency situation with a sense of pandemonium and panic. What actually happened was a calm announcement from Slavic and Shagar, which was received with varying degrees of alarm. After my bizarre conversation with Murgul, I found Heather, and we boarded this shuttle. All in all, it was super low-key and drama-free.
Super weird considering how American television always dramatizedeverything.
A sudden chime from what I’m calling the front door makes me frown in confusion, and I move across the room to see who’s there. Brushing my hand across the sensor, the door opens to reveal a smiling Heather.
“Bambi! Is your room as nice as mine? Everything is normal-sized!”
Laughing at the happy dance she’s doing, I nod. “Yeah, I’m pretty excited not to have to leap on and off the toilet.”
“GIRL. Yesss. I cannot tell you how sick and tired I am of that.”
