Page 27 of Soros
As I stared out at a delivery guy on a bike going in one direction and a businesswoman on her phone passing by in the other direction, I searched for any sign of Soros outside. He wasn’t there. My mind went back to dissect everything that had happened last night. Had I missed something? Had I overlooked signs that Soros wasn't ready to forgive and forget? The feelings of hurt and confusion swirled inside me. Turning my head to the door, I wanted so badly to see it open and for Soros to walk back in. But nothing happened. I swore to myself that if he wasn’t back soon with an apology for letting me wake up alone after what happened between us last night, then I was done with him for good. No one could be that inconsiderate.
My movements were slow as I dressed and brushed my teeth and hair. In the bathroom, I found the swim shorts he had worn in the spa last night hanging across the shower head. I felt such relief that there was evidence that I hadn’t made everything up in my head. Pressing my nose into the fabric, I inhaled his scent while hoping that he would come back.
On cue, there was a soft knock on the door that made me rush to open it. Hoping that it was Soros who had lost his key card, I made an “Oh” sound at the sight of Star outside. “Hey.” I opened the door wider, gesturing for her to come inside.
“Did you sleep well?” she asked and ducked her head a little in that timid way that characterized her.
“Yes.” Still feeling betrayed by Soros, I kept my focus on other things. “Did he have any nightmares?” I was referring to Nerix and she understood right away.
“Yes, a few. But they are worse to him than me and none of the men got much sleep.”
My spine straightened. “What do you mean?”
“They all left in the middle of the night. There was a lead on Ko’roz,” Star explained. Her long blonde hair was tied up in a braid and she was wearing the same beautiful robe-dress as the first time I met her.
“Nerix left too?” I asked.
“Yes, all three of them did. Didn’t Soros tell you?”
“No.”
“Hmm.” Star turned the ring on her finger. “He must not have wanted to wake you then. Nerix wasn’t that considerate, but then I’m also a light sleeper. He seemed excited that they might catch Ko’roz so fast.”
“Let’s hope they do,” I said before we agreed to go and eat breakfast. It was adorable to see Star at the breakfast buffet. The hotel was accommodating towards guests from different continents, and I was interested to see what foods she was naturally drawn to. There was a hot buffet with traditional sausages, bacon, hash browns, pancakes and other delicious items. Then there was a cold spread with cheeses, salami, ham, fruit, yogurt, honey, cereal and jams in all colors. I went straight to the bread section with buns, croissants, pastries, donuts and mini muffins. But Star went to the Asian part of the buffet with salad, fish, rice and meats of different kinds. It all looked strange to me, but she picked a little of almost everything and brought it to the table.
It took her a moment to realize that we had chosen completely different food items. With her eyebrows drawn up in the inner corners, she looked back at the buffet and then she asked me, “Did I pick the wrong things?”
“No. There are no right or wrong foods at a buffet. You chose what looked the best to you and that’s great. Enjoy.”
“It’s just that much of this looked similar to what I eat at home.”
“Try it,” I encouraged her and watched as she began tasting.
Nothing tasted exactly like she expected it to, but several times, she was excited and a few times, she settled for that one bite and moved on quickly. “I get a strange feeling.”
“From the food?” I asked.
She put down her fork and leaned back in the seat. “No, from when I said that it reminds me of what I ate at home.”
I watched how Star did the tortoise trick again. It had become a thing that she often did without thinking. Her shoulders lifted, and her chin pulled inward as if she was hiding herself from the world. Looking down, she spoke in a soft voice dripping with sadness. “I doubt that I’ll ever see my home again. Or my family.”
Unsure what to say and unable to reach the hand that she had pulled into her lap, I angled my head, showing that I was listening.
“I miss my sister,” she said on a breathy exhalation.
“Of course you do,” I answered with empathy.
Meeting my eyes, Star asked, “Do you think she’s already been… executed?”
“I don’t know. If you want to know we could ask Captain Lios. He could find out.”
“What she did was wrong, but my sister always protected me and took care of me.”
There was no need to sour the morning further by talking about all the despicable things Star’s sister had done. “I’m sure she did and I’m sorry it ended this way. Not just with your sister, but with the rest of your family. It must be hard missing the children also.”
“It is.” Picking up her fork again, Star poked at the food on her plate. She was quiet for a long time but then she asked, “Do you have family, Tania?”
With a sigh I said, “I do. My mother was the one I grew up with. She’s human and used to be a successful neuroscientist before she met my father. He was a researcher from Eidron who visited Earth and ended up having an affair with my mother, which resulted in me. I was sixteen when agents from the Federation came knocking. Rumors had reached them because of all the stories that my mother told about her affair with an alien. I’ve been involved with the Federation ever since and now I’m an agent myself.”
