Page 26 of Resisting the Alien Commander

Maybe food is what I need to make the headache go away. But the thought of eating anything doesn’t sound good. I’m not really hungry. Except I know from experience that it’s probably the way I feel that’s doing the talking, and the minute I put something in my mouth I’ll be starving.

“Let me brush my teeth quick and throw something on. Then I’ll be ready.” I chug the last few swallows of the beverage and disappear into my bedroom.

I get ready in record time. My hair gets thrown up in a messy bun, because it’s easy. Olivia’s in the kitchen area washing the mugs when I come out.

“You didn’t have to do that, you know? There’s an automatic washer built into the cabinet.”

She shrugs. “I don’t mind. Besides, you know I’m one of those weirdos who actually likes doing dishes.”

I swivel my head slowly, because I will never understand how that’s possible. My mother and I used to joke I was allergic to housework. Of course, I still did it, because I wasn’t going to leave it all for her. Olivia even dries them both and sets them on the counter.

“I’ll grab them when we come back.”

We head out and walk down the hallway toward the lift. “No Devon and Lindsey?” Not that I don’t like our two friends, because I really do. It’s just been a while since it was Olivia and me spending time together without anyone else.

“Devon commed me and said they were both going to stay in this morning, but they might meet up with us later on for lunch.”

It’s a quick ride down to the ground floor. The gathering area is empty except for two women sitting a fair distance from the other, both sipping on a drink. One has a book of some kind—she’s too far away for me to read the title—and the other has a 3D puzzle on the table in front of her.

Outside is cool, but temperate. Two guards stand outside the doors and there are two more at each visible corner of the building. I suspect the other two corners have a man stationed there as well. Bohnari move about the streets, but our surroundings are different than they were when we went to the market square yesterday with Johnna. People had been curious about us and did a lot of staring. Today their heads are down and they walk painfully slow like a boulder is being dragged behind them. Most have a black band wrapped around their upper arm.

I glance at Olivia who returns it. Neither of us speak while we stroll through the somber streets. At least it’s clear the Bohnari are grieving for the person who lost his life last night.

“Maybe we should have stayed in as well.” Is the market even open today?

“If it’s still like this when we reach the food vendors, we’ll go back and have the chef cook something up for us.”

That sounds like a good plan to me. I almost feel guilty for being out and about. Just then the scent of food reaches me. At least now we know businesses are open. At least those that serve food, anyway. We turn a corner and a large cloaked body collides with Olivia. She stumbles back with an oof and he reaches out to keep her from falling. I only get a minor glimpse because of the hood covering his head, but the skin tone and flash of teal hair marks him as Bohnari.

“Pardon me, female,” he says in a gravelly voice, still holding onto her. “I apologize for my distraction. You aren’t hurt are you?”

“Don’t worry, I’m fine.” She glances down at his hands. “You can let go of me now.”

“Perhaps I like touching you.”

“Perhaps you’d like my knee to your nuts even less.” Olivia pastes on the fake smile she uses when she was getting harassed by the jackasses back at the sanitation facility.

The Bohnari’s laugh is deep and gruff. Finger by finger he loosens his hold until, at last, he slowly draws his hands away and his arms hang down at his sides. “You’re a fierce human. I like that.”

“Good for you. And it’s not female or human. We have names.”

He continues grinning. “Of course you have a name. Would you like to share it with me?”

“Not really.”

“I’m Janik, if that will make it easier for you to tell me yours.”

“It won’t. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we have some place to be.” She walks around him and I do the same.

“Lovely females like you should have an escort,” he says right behind us before he moves up to keep pace with Olivia, completely ignoring the brushoff she’d been trying to give him. “I’ve heard there are rebels in the city. You never know when you might run across one of them.”

There’s obvious amusement with a hint of sarcasm in his statements, but he’s also not wrong. And with the circumstances behind the death that happened last night, signs point to the rebels being the culprits. From everything Johnna and Horek told us, they’re known for sabotaging equipment. Who else could it have been?

“They better hope I don’t run across one of those murderous cowards,” Liv snaps.

The Bohnari jerks back at her vehemence, but quickly recovers. “The rebels have murdered no one.”

I scoff. “Tell that to the dead Bohnari in the mines.”

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