Page 3 of Into Orbit
Her eyes didn’t leave my face, but she didn’t come closer either, so I raised my eyebrows and gave her another smile, this one encouraging. She tugged at the hem of her shirt and wove her way through the bar line.
‘Hi,’ I said when she reached my side, still watching her in the mirror.
Her lips curved. ‘Hullo,’ she breathed.
A shiver ran over my skin at the sound of her voice, or perhaps because she stepped closer. She smelled like flowers and rain, and I licked my lips again, this time without thinking. ‘Can I buy you a drink?’
Her brow furrowed. ‘You wish to provide me with nourishment?’
I laughed. ‘Yes?’
Her gaze flickered to my drink. ‘There are many different kinds.’
Okay. Definitely odd.‘Would you like the same as me?’
She sucked her bottom lip between her teeth, and I realised she could be the oddest person I’d ever met, and I wouldn’t care as long as she didthatagain. ‘Yes. That could be wise.’
I got up and offered her my chair, then went behind the bar. She studied the stool for a few moments before climbing up. She was a good deal shorter than I was, another thing I liked.
‘Is there a Con on?’ I said, pouring her a cranberry juice.
She frowned. ‘Con?’
She wasadorablewhen she frowned.
‘You know, like a Comic Con, or maybe a Renaissance Faire, or …’ I trailed off as she looked blank. ‘Nope? Um. Are you from here?’
She shook her head; it was my turn to frown. For a moment, it looked like there were leaves growing through the strands of her hair. I reached over and grabbed another chip; it must have been longer than I’d thought since my last meal.
‘I’m from quite far away,’ she said, her tone thoughtful. ‘I’ve never seen anything like this before.’ She made a graceful gesture with one long-fingered hand, encompassing the bar and the dance floor.
If she’d never seen a bar before, then she certainlywasfrom far away. ‘Do you have a name?’
She studied me closely. ‘Yes,’ she said at last. ‘But it’s been a while since anyone used it. Elswyth.’
‘Elswyth,’ I echoed. I set her juice down on the bar. ‘Lovely to meet you. I’m –’
‘McCarthy Sixty-Nine,’ she said with a tiny nod. ‘I know.’
I stared at her, my stomach twisting with sudden wariness. ‘I beg your fucking pardon?’
‘McCarthy Sixty-Nine,’ she repeated, as if I hadn’t heard her. She pulled a smartphone – or a small tablet, I couldn’t quite tell, only that it was thinner than any phone I’d ever seen and looked fuck-off expensive – from somewhere and turned it to show me one of my own social media accounts. It was one of the embarrassing years-old ones, remaining as a humiliating testament to my years after high school, full of pictures of a drunken me pouting alongside over-filtered shots of food.
My last post on it was recent, a share from one of the media campaigns about Tessa. I’d tagged that account because most of the contacts were people I’d met in Europe on various tours, and I’d figured it couldn’t hurt to share the posts about Tessa outside Australia. There’d been a lot of sad reactions and a few comments, but no leads.
Not yet, anyway.
Elswyth waited, her eyes on my face.
I slipped my own phone from my pocket and opened the lock screen, bringing up Rian’s number. ‘What do you want?’ I said roughly.
She frowned. ‘From you? I don’t think I want anything. But you asked for information about this female, and I may have some.’
‘About …’ I trailed off. ‘You have information about Tessa?’
‘I was scanning some Earth systems and saw this post, so I ran the image of your friend through the peacekeeping security feeds. I didn’t expect it to come up with anything, but it did. There was a female on board a DarkStar six-three-zero-four luxury model fitted with significant customisations that left Earth’s orbit on the date you specified, just a few hours later than the time you gave. Another Tirian ship passed them on the outer orbital ring and took a standard scan.’ She gave a slight smile, as if pleased. ‘The database listed the female on board as Darnagh, rather than human, which is why their guards didn’t investigate. She was with three others – a starling, a cephalopod, and a cyborg. The starling matched the description of the male your friend left with.’
I stared at her, speechless. I wasn’t entirely sure what the emotion churning in my stomach was – rage, perhaps, or grief, but either way it was hot and angry and burning my throat. I grabbed the edge of the bar, half to hold myself up, and half so I wouldn’t be tempted to commit assault.
