Page 96 of Fallen from the Stars

But there was excitement within him, too. Anticipation. What had he longed for more than a true connection to other people? To have a family of his own, like Jax, Arkon, Dracchus, Rhea, and even Kronus had found? Vasil had Theo, and Theo would be forever enough, but he wanted a relationship with his daughter, as well. He wanted to know her because she was an amazing child.Hischild.

Melaina pursued her passions and curiosity. She was open to everything and questioned freely things she did not understand. She was bold, seemingly fearless, and had been a larger part of humans and kraken coming together peacefully than she might ever have realized.

She was everything Vasil hoped to become.

Chapter 19

“So… That went well, right?” Theo asked, swinging her foot to kick a rock off the dirt road they were following. The rock crashed into the nearby jungle foliage.

“If your goal was to have everyone stare at you like an alien, yes. A smashing success,” replied Kane aloud, his light pulsing at her wrist.

“It went well, Theo,” said Vasil. He settled a hand on the small of her back and continued to move beside her, matching her pace. “It has been hundreds of years since anything came here from beyond Halora. Some shock is expected.”

“Heisright,” said Kane begrudgingly. “And they seemed to understand the value of your skills to this settlement.”

They’d arrived in The Watch early that morning; thankfully, the journey from the Facility hadn’t been as long as Theo had feared. Despite Vasil’s assurances before they’d left, she’d been unable to shake the memory of her utter exhaustion when they swam from the pod to the Facility.

Though they’d stopped at Vasil’s house — he called it theirden— before anywhere else, they’d spent the rest of the day in town, meeting people and looking around. The day had been capped by a late-afternoon meeting with the town council, at which at least a hundred people had been present.

She smirked. “Damn right I’m valuable.”

Vasil chuckled. “More so than you may ever understand, female.”

Ahead, a natural archway created by the trees marked a break in the jungle through which pure sunlight, tinged red-orange by the coming sunset, shone. Though the swim from the Facility had been a cakewalk compared to her other underwater travels, Theo was exhausted. She couldn’t wait to get back to the house —theirhouse, Vasil had insisted — crawl into bed, and fall asleep in his arms.

“Their wonder at where you are from will pass,” Vasil said, “and be replaced by their wonder at your capabilities. This place will be better for having you. Just remember, human — I will not share.”

Theo grinned, glancing at Vasil from the corner of her eye. “I don’t expect you to.”

The work she’d take on in The Watch would be different from what she’d known. Based on what she’d seen today, there’d be a lot more engineering involved than repair — she doubted there were either the parts or the resources to make new ones for most of the old tech lying around, but with Kane’s extensive collection of plans, her know-how, and the parts hoarded at the Facility, she was sure she could build new things to help make everyone’s lives easier here.

That wasn’t even the biggest difference — building or repairing, it all brought her the same satisfaction. For the first time in eighteen years, she’d be spending her days somewhere besides the bowels of a ship. There was a town here, with open air and fields of crops, pastures with farm animals, a jungle, and beaches. She’d never realized how greatly the dark, often cramped environments she’d lived in for most of her life had affected her mood until she crashed on Halora.

They broke through the trees, emerging onto a grassy rise overlooking the sea. The path cut through the grass, leading to the row of houses built along the rise, each a little different than the others. She’d only been here for a few minutes after their arrival, but seeing this place now, bathed in the light of the setting sun, it felt like coming home.

Home.

Warmth filled her. She had a home. With Vasil.

A tentacle brushed against her leg. She turned her face toward Vasil.

He was looking at her, his eyes soft and loving. Taking her hand in his, he led her toward the houses through the grass.

Shrieks of laughter caught her attention. Two children barreled through the long grass —krakenchildren, but there was something different about them…

Theo halted abruptly. “They havehair.”

Vasil stopped beside her. “They are half-human, half-kraken. Thus far such younglings seem to favor their kraken parentage.”

Theo watched the children — a boy and a girl who seemed of similar age — as they played. In addition to the hair atop their heads, they had eyebrows and more prominent, human noses. Otherwise, they looked fully kraken.

“Sarina! Jace,” someone called.

The new voice caught Theo’s attention; she turned toward it to see another kraken — another female — emerge from one of the houses. The newcomer was taller than the children, though she didn’t appear full-grown; she was slim and feminine with refined features and hairless, light gray skin. She seemed like a girl on the verge of womanhood, and though that didn’t make sense given Melaina’s age — nine — Theo knew it was her.

“It’s time for dinner,” Melaina said.

The two children paused to look back. While the little girl was distracted, the boy turned toward her and pounced, tackling her to the ground.

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