Page 29 of Star Mates

CHAPTER TEN

The next few days fell into a pattern. Rise, practice, sing at night. She didn’t think about anything else because if she did, she might go crazy.

One constant was Captain Pell Raiden, who sat in the front every night, clapping along with everyone else as she sang and entertained. He watched her with dark, captivating eyes and she found herself flirting more and more with him from the stage.

After the third night Emmarie made plans to change up the playlist. There were only so many times she could sing the same song over and over, so she started experimenting with current pop songs as well as the few Country ones she knew. Harpo quickly adapted to the tunes she hummed out, writing down the melody so they could expand on it.

Slowly she began to learn the mish-mash metropolis of Sparta. The city lay nestled between two mountains, offering a protection of sorts. The clash between old fashioned and alien technology was somewhat startling. It was no surprise to see a woman wrapped in long skirts, hat and gloves, only to be collecting solar energy in her home generator.

She adhered to Leona’s warning about not telling anyone where she was from. They had concocted a story of her and Logan being liberated from the trader’s colony, and she faithfully recounted it to anyone who asked.

For the most part, she stayed inside, trying to come up with music that was not only entertaining, but worked well with the limited instruments.

The one dark spot was the absence of Logan. They had started this wild journey together, and by withdrawing himself Emmarie felt almost abandoned. She understood his desire to go home, shared in his grief over losing their home world. And yet, she refused to weep and curse what fate had dealt. She firmly believed life too short to bemoan the what-ifs and until a new course presented itself, she embraced the good fortune of being alive and having shelter and food.

And Captain Pell Raiden.

He, most definitely, was a bonus.

****

“Hey, Emmarie,” Leona called out one day as she was practicing at the piano. When she looked up, Leona held out a piece of paper. “Doctor Payne would like for you to stop by medical.”

“Oh,” she said, frowning. “When?”

“Go now. You know where it’s at?”

“Just that it’s at the compound.”

“Okay, let me get Dell to watch the bar and I’ll take you.”

A few minutes later Leona led her outside and they started walking toward the command center.

“So, what’s up with you and Pell?” Leona asked, but before Emmarie could answer, a solar car came up to them and the driver offered them a ride. Feeling relived, Emmarie jumped onto the back while Leona took the front passenger seat.

She hadn’t wanted to walk the distance and she definitely hadn’t wanted to talk about Pell Raiden. She didn’t want to voice any of her feelings out loud, at least, not until she got used to them herself.

At the compound, Leona led her to the infirmary where Doctor Payne greeted them both with a huge smile. He guided Emmarie back to a separate office and closed the door.

“Have a seat,” he offered, gesturing to an empty chair near his desk.

Emmarie sat and suddenly became nervous. “Is there something wrong with me?”

“Oh no, I’m sorry if I made you nervous,” he told her, smiling gently.

“I just don’t like shots,” she admitted.

He chuckled. “I don’t know many people who do. I’m just curious about your test results.”

“Oh?”

He gazed at her, eyes slightly narrowed. “Are you an Earthling?”

Her eyes went wide.

“I only ask because you have medical anomalies I’ve only seen from older people who came from Earth. And since someone your age would have been born in this system that leaves me with only one conclusion.”

“What anomalies?”

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