Page 29 of Xefe
Yup. That’s what I thought.His words weren’t a surprise, but they hurt like a shiv in the gut. The tiniest kernel of hope shriveled. My attraction didn’t mean connection or trust. Sunny was the enemy, and I could only count on myself.
CHAPTER 13
After one ofthe worst nights of my life, floating in a sea of Oro with no release in sight—I awoke to an even greater injustice.Trabajo.They’d sent me to… work. Deep in the bowels of this endless mountain, I was standing in yet another dark, dank cave.
“Watch it!” A massive horned alien—female, green, with masses of muscles, who clearly hadn’t had her morning cup of coffee—screamed at me. “Bump into me again, and Iwillkill you.”
“I get that a lot,” I muttered. Too depressed about my current predicament to respond further, but promising to cut that bitch as soon as I had the chance, I stared down at the dark stew simmering in the pot in front of me. I held a large utensil that looked half fork, half spatula. Every once in a while, I sniffed the rancid concoction and then dropped it back in the pot.
Unbelievable.They had me cooking. If that was what this was called. Apparently, the muck was a delicacy for the stupid Aavvee. As if my skilled hands were meant tostir. I should be kicking ass and taking names. The only thing that soothed my soul was that Nieve and Querida looked even more miserable than me.
How bad can I mess this up so Sunny will never make me work again?
“Hey,” I asked a chipper alien humming softly beside me. “What is this stuff?” It only took a few seconds of listening to her prattle on before the Oro did its work, and I could speak and understand her. I didn’t even have to ask anymore. The ability to speak and understand felt baked into my DNA.
“Are you talking to me?” She was a few inches taller than me with a fluffy build. She had light-purple skin, long eggplant-colored hair, and lovely violet eyes. The poor thing looked kind, and that probably wouldn’t be a help on this planet. “I thought I heard you say you would ‘remove my tongue’ if I didn’t stop speaking. Those were your words, yes? If I didn’t stop ‘blathering on.’ But you wish to speak to me now?”
“You must have misheard me.” I winked at her.
“I did not. You were very clear, and I did not want to upset you.” She stood next to me, multitasking between several stations. “But I’m glad you changed your mind.”
When I didn’t reach for myforkulain the bubbling stew, she added my pot to her stirring rotation. That went a long way in improving my tolerance.
“This isgreeeooowwlllmeat.”
“What?” An image of the baby pango in Freckle’s arms flashed before my eyes. “That’s disgusting!”I’ll never eat again.“How can you cook them? They’re so cute.” I looked around our prison cell. A cave brightened with high-tech lights lining walls and ceilings. Did some of the lights double as the monitoring devices Sunny had been talking about? They had a familiar hum I attributed to most cameras. Rows and rows of heating stations dotted the space, and close to fifty of us stirred massivepig-beastpots. The whole place was an unusual combination of primitive and highly advanced.
Above us, I’d catch a glance of shadows winging over the walls. The impossibly high ceilings made them almost invisible, but I could hear the soft hooting of the pangos, and my heart broke a little. Stupid Freckles. He probably killed that poor baby.
“If you prefer, you can move to the blending station.” The tall purple alien pointed toward the back of the room.
“Blending ofwhat?”
“Rugaasare a delicacy. They are long golden insects with many tiny legs. The Aavvee prefer them liquified.”
“Are you insane? I don’t prefer to do any of it.” I sighed and quickly returned to my pot when I saw Nime, the bossy, mountain-sized alien with the cranberry eyes. I stirred until he strolled past. “What’s your name?” I whispered to my chipper stir-mate.
“Nheenya.”
“I’m thinking you and I should become a team.” Always important to gather minions, er… friends, as quickly as possible.
“Oh, yes. Team. I would like that very much.” Nheenya stirred and smiled, exposing impressive canines. She looked at me expectantly. “What is team?”
Dios mío.It wasn’t even worth manipulating her, although I’d do what I had to, but this one was too sweet, too soft to abuse. Once Nime disappeared down one of the longer rows, I rushed over to the door. Grunts and high-pitched screams floated in from outside. The familiar sound told me a competition was going on, and I wanted in on it.
We were losing precious time. Soon, we’d be competing in the race of our lives, and the supreme wanted us to stir food.
Ridículo.
A pair of guards, each as tall and gorgeous as Xefe, but smelling nowhere near as good, blocked me from exiting. They directed me back to my stirring station. I pondered how to best utilize my new “team” member when Nieve and Querida slunk over.Ugh.I couldn’t get away from them. And because we were the only humans around here, I was connected to them in a way I’d never have imagined.
“You look like you’re scheming. We want in.” Nieve grabbed Querida and smooshed in between Nheenya and me.
Huh.The idea of working together put a bad taste in my mouth, but I could always ditch them after they’d served theirpurpose. Deciding on the direct approach, I said, “I want to see what’s going on outside. I think there are racers out there, or whatever the hell these aliens call them.”
Nieve tapped her cheek in contemplation and looked around the cave. The coast was clear. “We need a distraction.”
“Distraction, eh? Get ready.” I looked at Nheenya, and a giant knot formed in my stomach.Please don’t hate me.But instead of saying that out loud, I muttered, “Teamwork makes the dream work.”
