Page 33 of An Alien for the Future

I spend the morning in a daze. Trying to make batches upon failed batches of bluebread before I finally give up and decide to get on with the other farm work. Without the zimi berries, the mixture just isn’t right and I have no idea where to get more from. I’ll just have to wait till that bush sprouts some more and that might take a while. The whole idea is exhausting and I’m tired by the time I exit my cottage. There’s a slight chill in the morning air today and I wrap my arms around myself as I step off my porch.

That’s when I nearly stumble and fall on my face.

“What the—” There, just off to the side of my door, is the thing I almost fell over. A sealed bucket. My brow dives. I didn’tleave that there. Going closer, I pry open the thing, my breath stopping in my throat when I see what’s inside.

Pure, fresh orange-tinted ooga milk.

My head snaps up as I look behind me. No one’s there, but I sure as hell know I didn’t sleepwalk and do this in the dead of night. It had to behim.

Closing the lid, I step off my porch more cautiously now, my heart a strange thundering thing in my chest as I cast my gaze to the field across the way.

That’s when I see it. The shelter.

He’s not gone. He’s simply moved it. Closer to my property line this time.

The white-hot anger I expect is missing. Now I’m just confused.

I jerk slightly as he suddenly appears. His hair is tousled and he looks like he had as good of a rest as I did last night—basically nada. He lifts an arm to wave again and I ignore him, turning away.

Whatever game he’s playing, I’m not throwing the dice.

Going about my daily chores while my mind races is hard. But I manage. Every time I pass that bucket filled with fresh milk, I’m not even sure how to feel. He was clearly watching me struggle yesterday. But what kind of move is this? He hasn’t demanded my attention. Hasn’t approached me directly. Hasn’t tried to speak to me. Just…helping from the shadows?

I can’t make sense of it. Men don’t do things for nothing. There’s always an angle, always something they want in return.

It’s not until late afternoon that I notice something’s off. The fence I’d repaired yesterday, the one that had been giving me trouble for weeks, is suddenly sturdy and strong. The loose boards have been replaced, the posts driven deep into the ground.

I stare at it, my mouth hanging open. There’s no way I did this. I know my own work, and this…this is expert craftsmanship.

As I inspect the fence, I notice other changes. The barn door that was always stuck is now swinging smoothly on its hinges. The barn itself shows signs of being cleaned up too.

I stand there at the door, staring at the work for a long moment. I should be angry. I should be scared. I told him to leave, and he’s still here, lurking on the edges of my property like some kind of…what? Guardian angel? Stalker?

But instead of anger or fear, what I feel is…even more curiosity.

I’m a fool, aren’t I?

Hissing at myself, I slam the barn doors shut and head in for the night. Purposefully, I keep my head straight, refusing to look in the direction of Tovan’s camp.

This time, before I head in, I light the torch I’d found in the supplies New Horizons gave me and set it on the wall.

He’ll be gone tomorrow. He can’t keep this up forever.

10

TOVAN

It’s the third sol since I made camp just outside Donna’s homestead. Rising, I blink at the first rays of light signaling dawn.

Sitting up, I stretch out muscles stiff from sleeping on the hard ground. As I do, I become aware of a persistent ache in my chest. It’s not physical, not entirely. It’s more like a longing. A pull towards the lodge across the pasture, towards Donna.

Is this what it means to be separated from yourkahl? This constant awareness, this unrelenting need to be near them? If so, staying away from Donna is going to be even harder than I thought. When my core-rhythm sings, it will be near impossible.

I must be prepared for when that happens. I’ve already notified Arnak. If I don’t check in with him each sol, he is to come out here to find me. Just in case. The last thing I want to do is go mad with need and hurt the one creature that’s been slowly folding my existence around them.

And Donna has no clue about this. I’m not sure just how much she knows or how much the other Kari have told her about the rut. She is already so wary of me, she will for sure reject the bond once my core-rhythm sings.

It’s almost too much to face.

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