becoming his consort before the Alameeda attacked us. Us. Us? Was there ever a moment when I was one of them, or was I only fooling myself? My own father doesn’t even want me. Did they use me? My heart squeezes tight as I think of Trey. No, that was real. Everything else may have been a lie, but the way I felt about him was true. I loved him and he loved me.
It’s over now, though. I know that. I have to let him go or I’ll crush him. I have no future. He isn’t made of stone, like me.
I glance behind us to find that we’re attracting a crowd. People are beginning to follow us. “Welcome home, Kricket!” a girl calls to me, waving her hand like she knows me. I smile back, seeing delight on her face at my response. She’s absolutely radiant.
Kyon leans near me. “They’ve never been this close to a priestess before.”
“Really?”
“It’s unheard of. You’re to be protected at all times from all possible threats.”
“That’s no way to live,” I reply.
We walk farther on. Kyon stops at a vendor who has the most beautiful wraps in colorful displays from his hovering caravan. “Would you like one?” he asks.
Reaching out, I smooth my hand over a soft ivory-colored one that feels like cashmere. “This is lovely,” I say to the vendor. He smiles shyly at me.
“We’ll take this one,” Kyon says. He holds his hand to a scanner. A bright light flashes over it. When he removes his hand, he gently takes his jacket from my shoulders, replacing it with the ivory-colored wrap.
“Thank you,” I say.
Something is wrong with me. I never would’ve allowed anyone to give me something without feeling indebted or feeling the need to somehow repay him. I’m surprised that I don’t feel that way now. I just feel grateful.
As I puzzle over it, several round, one-eyed camera-bots come upon us. Shaped like white, hovering basketballs, they circle us blinking, clicking and filming our every move. I see myself reflected on the side of building surrounding the thoroughfare. It’s like Time Square’s Jumbotron, but on a much larger scale—my image encompasses every side of every building I can see. I exhale deeply. Smile fading, my heart is a frantic drumbeat in my chest.
“Welcome home, Kricket!” someone in the crowd calls to me. I force another smile. I resume walking, but faster.
“How does it feel to be home?” Someone else calls out. I’m nervous. This is bad for me. Everyone will see this—not just the Alameeda. Whatever I say now could be used by Excelsior to damn me as a traitor. Everything can be spun. Innocent words can be made to appear sinister. The same goes for my answers in Rafe and New Amster. What I say now could make me a traitor there as well. They’d have even more reason to kill me, not that they need it.
“I—I miss Earth,” I stammer. My enormous images reflect my confusion. I appear fragile, probably because I am.
The crowd begins to murmur. Kyon gathers me closer to him. “My consort has only just arrived home. We must all make her feel welcome.”
Another ripple of discussion passes through the crowd. Within moments, the low rumble of voices becomes full-on shouts of my name accompanied by applause and whistling. The cheers become louder and more boisterous. People extend their hands to me as I pass, touching me as if I’m some kind of celebrity or cult leader. It becomes harder to walk more than a few steps without having to nod and smile at all the well wishes coming at me from everywhere.
“Are you ready to go?’ Kyon asks in my ear. “I can call the ship. We can be back home shortly.”
“No,” I reply, hearing music up ahead. “We’re not running. Anyway, you promised me a dance.”
“I did?”
“Yeah, you did,” I say with a smile. I pull him along to where the music is playing in a lighted pavilion. When we reach the place where people are turning around the floor, I tug on Kyon’s hands to get him to come with me. People are gathered in a circle around the dancers, clapping and singing along to the music. It’s not something I’ve ever heard before. If I had to liken it to anything, it’d maybe be a modern version of polka. I join in the clapping. It makes me giggle because if they came to Earth, some of them might find the dancing criminally vulgar.