“Neither did I. Just can’t stay away.” One corner of his mouth tugged upward, as if he might smile, but then it quickly dropped again. “Actually, I didn’t think you would be here.”
She frowned. “Where else would I be?”
“Outside. With your new friend.”
It took her a moment to realize he meant Silas. Was Silas her friend? He’d been nice to her, but she suspected friendship was more than that. “He’s not my friend. He’s my…” She searched her mind for a suitable word. “…my bodyguard.”
“Why do you need a bodyguard?”
She shrugged.
“Is someone going to introduce me?” the second man asked.
Milo grunted. “I’d rather not.”
The man ignored Milo, stepped toward her, and held out his hand. “I’m Dylan. I saw you yesterday when we landed.”
She took his hand. “I’m Destiny.”
“Of course you are.” He shook and held on. There was a strange energy to him that shivered across her skin. Different from Milo. But also different from the other humans she had met. She glanced at Milo; he was practically growling at Dylan, who then grinned and let go of her hand. “Pretty name. So what did you do to get locked up down here?”
She cast an accusing glance at Milo. Did everyone think she was some sort of criminal? “Nothing,” she said. “I’m here for my own safety.”
“And is there a particular reason you wouldn’t be safe?”
“There must be. Otherwise I wouldn’t be locked up down here.” She gave them both a pointed look. “What are you two doing down here?”
“We thought we’d take a look at what was in those boxes they were bringing in last night,” Milo said.
“Why?”
“Because we’re nosy bastards,” Dylan replied. “Unfortunately, they’ve posted a guard, who wasn’t there yesterday. I don’t think they were too happy to see us here. Though hopefully, they didn’t get a good look.” He stepped toward the door, peered through the grill. “I can’t see anything.” Opening the door, he leaned his head out, then back in quickly. “There are guards at the end of the corridor. No getting out that way.”
Milo sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Looks like we’ll just have to wait it out.”
Destiny bit back a smile; they would have to stay a while. Being locked away wasn’t so bad when you had company.
Dylan leaned back against the wall and shoved his hands in his pockets, while Milo paced the confines of the small room.
“Tell us about yourself,” Dylan said. He seemed to be uncomfortable with silence.
“Oh no. I’m boring.” But that didn’t mean she didn’t want to talk. “Tell me about Trakis Two. What’s it like? What are the people like? Is it the same as here? What’s it like flying on a shuttle? When do—”
“Whoa,” Dylan said, smiling. “Slowly. One question at a time.”
“Sorry. It’s just that I want to know…everything.”
“Hmm. Well, Trakis Two is different from this planet.”
“How?”
“It doesn’t spin on its axis like most planets. So there’s no day and night. Half the planet is dark and half is light.”
“Interesting. I wouldn’t like to live in the dark, though. I like the sunlight.”
“Pity you’re stuck down here then,” Milo muttered.
“I know, but we all have our roles to play, and this is mine.”
He shook his head. “Except you have no clue what that role is.”
“When the time is right, I’ll know.”
“And what if you don’t like it? What if you decide it’s not a role you actually want to play?”
She bristled. “I’ll do my duty. As we all need to.”
“Not me.”
“Anyway,” Dylan continued. “I’ve not been down to the surface of Trakis Two yet, so I don’t personally know what it’s like. But Rico says it’s okay, nice temperature, good air, everything we’ll need.”
“Rico?”
“He’s the captain of the Trakis Two.”
“Is he nice?” she asked.
Dylan sniggered.
“No. He’s not nice,” Milo replied. “He’s— Shhh.” He broke off, going entirely still. “They’re coming back.”
Without saying another word, he and Dylan moved to either side of the door again. She could hear the others now, the booted feet coming back more slowly this time.
She stood where she was, uncertain of what to do. She didn’t want them to get caught. While she wasn’t sure what would happen if they did, she sensed nothing good. And she didn’t want them to go, either. For a few minutes, just talking to them, she’d felt so alive. Like she imagined a real person with a normal life would feel. She wanted more of that.
She waited for the footsteps to pass, but instead,