Page 9 of Alien Haven

“Well, don’t be, Lady Sunshine. There’ll be plenty of time for boys later. Much, much later.”

“Oh, Dad. You’re cute when you’re freaking out about me dating.”

“You’re dating?” He turned his horrified gaze to Sara. “She’sdating?”

She waved him off. “Of course she isn’t. She’s talking of the future when she’s sixteen.”

“Eighteen,” Groteg countered in a growl.

“Dad!”

The warmth as they bantered and Groteg panicked reminded Charity how far she was from her own family. She’d left behind her aunt and uncle mere days ago when the bounty had been put on her by the fanatical factions of Mercy and New Bethlehem colonies. It had been months since she’d seen her sister and father in person.

We had no chance of being a family like this when we were together. Not after Armageddon. Not after Mom died.

“Don’t worry.” Sara had caught Charity’s state of mind, though not the reason for it. “We don’t always argue at length.”

“Usually, we’re worse,” Tori said cheerfully.

“Young lady,” Utber warned.

“Dating,” Groteg groaned, staring at his half-empty plate in despair. “How can she be thinking of dating at her age?”

“I’ve been thinking of dating for years. I’ll be old enough in a few months. Then look out, girls.” Adam grinned until he met Charity’s eyes. He blushed furiously and concentrated on shoveling his dinner in his face.

“They’d better not have to look out. If I hear of you being anything except the perfect gentleman, mister, you’ll be sorry.” Sara shook her fork at her oldest.

Utber looked at Charity and shrugged. “Welcome to the family. This is as good as it gets, I’m afraid.”

If you knew how good you have it.As the bickering eased to laughter, Charity decided they might. Her angst abruptly transformed to a soft, sentimental joy.

She was glad for them and basked to be at the edges of their warmth.

* * * *

Assistant Chief Martin Wilkes eyed Jennifer Seng’s official identification picture, part of the information Chief Groteg had forwarded. He brought up another I.D. on his computer’s holo screen. He enlarged both so no detail could be missed. He looked at the two women side by side.

Jennifer’s honey-blond hair was shoulder length, a fabulously tousled mass suggesting windswept beaches. Sultry lidded deep blue eyes, which recalled the ocean, bore the slightest hint of an Asian background in their shape.

In contrast, the young woman so many were hunting for had dark brown hair and less-hooded hazel eyes. Jennifer’s nose and chin were narrower too. The second woman’s cheekbones were more sculpted, giving her a haughtier appearance.

There was a vague resemblance if one searched for it, but they did appear to be two different women. Surgery could have accounted for the variations…but if Jennifer Seng had undergone a cosmetic procedure, it was impossible to detect.

Wilkes considered them, wishing for a telltale scar or some other unmistakably shared detail. If there’d been any, if it were the same woman, the characteristics had been erased. He could only wonder until he had a face-to-face encounter with Groteg’s newest ward.

If Jennifer Seng was the recently vanished Charity Nath, Wilkes’ work was cut out for him to prove it…but prove it, he would.

Chapter Three

Ilid wandered the bucolic setting of the Earther-style home his parents had rented for the month. The property included an option to extend the lease should he deign to remain on Haven longer.

He was surprised at how taken he was by the wide-open countryside. He could see similar homes dotting the distance; free-standing structures of sprawling porches, fertile gardens of vegetables and flowers, and vast lawns. Close to Sunrise, these were getaways for those seeking quiet and the opportunity to unwind. Haven wasn’t a tremendously popular vacation destination, but for those invested in the sort of solitude that included the option of ready supplies in the nearby town, it was perfect.

Ilid was a city boy who’d temporarily traded the hustle and bustle of a major Kalquorian urban setting for the tight, congested spaces of a fleet spyship. Kalquor had its own wide-open spaces, but he’d eschewed plains and deserts for mountains and wooded areas.

He thought the wide space surrounding him should have been a void. He’d been prepared to be overwhelmed by the silence and loneliness. Instead, he felt incredible peace. He could see for what appeared to be miles at a stretch. Birds, frogs, and crickets imported from Earth and reptilian drils from Kalquor sang in a chorus as the sun sank into the horizon. Though darkness was beginning to spread, the absence of worrisome shadows made his heart light. For the first time in months, he felt a sense of real safety.

He heard the approach of someone behind him and recognized his mother’s tread. He marveled he had no instinct to whirl and search her for trouble. Less than a day on Haven, and he’d begun to accept he might be able to relax his constant vigilance for Darks.

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