Page 50 of Uprooted
My legs start to ache from crouching down so long. Aro holds his position until the whir of the bot moves to the other side of the room. He moves with lightning speed to the other side of the final porter. I follow him less gracefully in a half crouch half run. He watches the cargo bay while I catch up to him. Confident we’re in the clear, he makes one last dash for the open door directly in front of us. He beckons me to follow him. I can’t believe what I’m about to do. Ignoring all rational thought, I follow him out into the darkness outside.
35
Elowen
While my eyes adjust to the dark I take a deep breath of crisp air. The wind blowing through the tall evergreens is fresh and cool. Aro silently directs me to keep my back against the outer walls of the dome. We sidestep a few yards and then he pulls me forward toward a stand of enormous trees.
“Welcome to j'Tilak,” Aro says and spreads both arms, his palms facing the sky. A proud smile stretches across his face. We’re surrounded by a grove of tall trees, the night sky hidden behind the connecting branches above us. They're so tall I can’t see where the trees end and the sky begins. My boots sink down into the soft dirt with every step.
“Aro, I…” escapes my lips while I take it all in.
“Let’s keep going. We have a ways to go.” He walks slower this time, heading toward the hills in front of us.
The adrenaline pumping through my veins helps me keep up with him initially. It only takes a few minutes before my feet feel really heavy and my heart rate picks up. Tomorrow—tomorrow I’m going to start working out. It should take a lot more than this to get me out of breath.
Aro looks down and smiles. “We can stop and rest as much as you need.” I would like to disagree, but I’m so out of breath I can’t get a word out.
We rest at the top of the hill so I can catch my breath. I look back and see the brightly lit dome nestled into the valley. It’s a soft white glow against a backdrop of dark sky.
Aro places his hands on my shoulders and turns me to face him. “You ran off so fast earlier. I just want to make sure that you are okay after last night.”
“I’m okay. I’ll need some time to process all of it. I think it actually helped me put a few things together for the research.”
“You are incredible,” he says and pulls me to his chest and crushes me against him in a tight hug. “Let’s get moving. We only have a few hours and there is a lot I want to show you.”
I let go of all my worries and follow. I’m getting better at being in the moment with him. Aro occasionally looks back and smiles at me as we walk. An open field greets us when we break through the trees.
Tall grass tickles my fingers as I follow closely behind Aro. Up ahead, a patch of small blooms sway in the breeze. Aro sits and pushes down the grass to make space for me. I sit down, close enough that our legs barely touch. It’s enough to feel the warm electricity between us.
“Check this out,” he says and looks up to the sky.
My eyes follow his, and for the first time I see the unobstructed night sky. Millions of stars shine down. The small amount of darkness between each light isn’t just black—it’s dark shades of blue and green. Three moons in different phases line up above us. Along the horizon a nebula spirals in greens and reds. I’m stunned by the beautiful sky.
“I knew you’d like it here,” Aro says with a smile.
“You have no idea.”
I feel his eyes on me for a brief moment before he turns back to the night sky.
A bright meteor streaks across the sky. “Oh look! On Earth they used to call that a shooting star.” I nudge his arm to get his attention and he snags my hand and laces our fingers together.
Whoah! The memory of my stasis dream hits me. How peculiar. The way that vision played out in real life, I’m not alone. Did I have a premonition? I’m stunned into complete silence. I enjoy the synchronicity with a warm, tingly feeling in my heart. We watch the night sky for a long time. I quickly lose count of how many shooting stars streak past us.
Aro turns on his side and props his head up. “There’s still more to see.” He stands quickly and pulls me up next to him.
“Let me know when your soft little human body needs to be carried.”
“Soft little human body? Please. I’ll be the one carrying you.”
We both know I’m full of shit.
* * *
Back on our feet we walk a while longer. Aro is a perfect guide. He names all the different plants and tells me about the creatures that live in the area.
“Okay, we’re close. Walk softly and follow my footsteps exactly.”
I follow his instructions, and we finally come to the top of a hill with a lone tree. Aro slides off his pack and leans it against the trunk. We sit with our backs against the tree and take in the view. Shifting around like water in an eddy, flowers and grass move as one. Small groups of similar blooms spread out then come back together. I’ve never seen anything like this before. I look over at Aro and am surprised to see he’s watching me and not the view.
