and voices kept me company as I prepared my room for Drak’s return. And I didn’t admit it, but their presence soothed me and made the time pass a whole lot quicker.
With Naomi’s help, I rearranged some of my plants. I liked a variety of color and found that I missed the bright purple flowers which had grown all around our hut. It was a deep violet, so like Drak’s eyes when they simmered with lust for me. I’d seen a few of them outside the walls sparkling in the moonlight that night we’d been led home, Drak in chains.
He always loved when I decorated the hut with the purple flower. The bloom was full, like a peony, but heartier. It even survived the sudden and strong rainstorms common on this planet.
Maybe that would help Drak be a little more comfortable. If I could retrieve some of the purple flowers and place them in our room, it would remind him of when we met. Our hut. Laying out on his roof under the stars.
Except to get that flower, I’d have to go outside the walls. I glanced over at my friends. It was mid-afternoon, and Frankie could barely keep her eyes open. Tab seemed fidgety, because being in one place too long was difficult for her. Even Naomi was lagging as she wiped down the handle to my door, her movements sluggish. Then her stomach growled, and she blushed when she caught me looking at her.
If I told them I planned to leave the walls, even for just a moment, they would either demand to come with me, or tie me to a chair to keep me from going. I had to ditch them, sneak outside to pick a few blooms, and return. I would take me an hour. Tops. They wouldn’t even know I was gone.
“So, I think I’m going to take a nap,” I announced.
“Cool,” Frankie said, smacking her lips and settling in. “I’ll get some shut eye right here.”
“I’m going to take a nap,” I repeated. “Alone.”
Frankie stuck her lower lip out. “I can’t stay?”
“Come on, Frank,” I helped her to her feet. “I love you and I appreciate you girls for keeping me company, but I’d like some alone time.”
Frankie sighed. “All right. I guess so. I do kind of miss my own bed. Smells like Daz.”
“Okay, weirdo,” I said. “Go sniff your furs and miss your man who will be back soon.”
Tab hopped to her feet. “I’m going to grab some food. Want to come Naomi?”
“Sure,” Naomi answered. “Want us to grab you something, Miranda?”
“I’m good. I got some snacks here. I’m not really hungry.”
Naomi frowned, but didn’t push. Frankie waddled her way out first, followed by Tabitha. Naomi stopped at the door and looked at me over her shoulder. Her intelligent brown eyes assessed me, and I held her gaze as if I wasn’t planning to sneak out like a teenager. She smiled at me. “Have a good nap,” she said. “Love you.”
Her soft declaration of affection socked me in the heart. I swallowed. “Love you, too.”
She turned and shut the door behind her.
I waited until I was sure that the girls were gone, and then sprang into action. I exchanged my shorts for pants and my sandals for boots. I tied my braids back at the nape of my neck and peeked outside my front door.
Mid-afternoon, when the sun was highest in the sky and the hottest part of the day, was when the clavas grew quiet. Most of the warriors were eating or resting after their morning training session. Later, they’d assemble for their second workout of the day. This was their free time, and they often spent it in the dining hall playing games of chance or working on their bikes.
I climbed out the window at the back of my hut, dropping to the ground with as little noise as possible. The gates would be tricky. Warriors manned them at all times in rotating shifts, but the goal of the guards were to keep anyone from coming in, not to keep anyone from leaving.
I hid near the gates and took advantage of a shift change. Two warriors walked outside to greet the guards they were relieving. The gates stayed open, and that was when I slipped outside, hiding in a nearby bush. Thanks to Drak, I knew how to walk with stealth, and cheered silently when the old guards returned inside. Of course, when I came back, I was going to