Page 15 of Zylonn's Human Bride
He guided her to sit in a chair at the video comm and asked her about her parents’ full names and their address in New Leesburg. He used this information to connect to the video comm in their home. The screen remained blue with Tarkkuan symbols on it for several minutes. She waited, trying to be patient. Perhaps her parents weren’t home at the moment. Or maybe they were sleeping. Oh no. What if it was nighttime in New Leesburg?
As if reading her thoughts, Zylonn stroked her hair and said, “It’s late afternoon in your dome-city.”
“My parents might still be at work, but Julie usually gets home from school around three. I hope she answers.” Nova held her breath and continued waiting, picturing Julie’s face and chanting her name in her mind, as if she could somehow send a psychic message across the stars to her sister.
“If no one answers now, we’ll keep trying for the rest of the night,” Zylonn said. “In fact, you are welcome to sit here as long as you wish.”
“Thank you, Master.”
“I’m going to get ready for bed, but I will come check on you soon.” He kissed the top of her head and departed the library.
Please answer. Please be home soon Julie.
Mom and Dad, please come home soon too.
Please pick up. I need to see you. I need to talk to you.
She wiped away her tears with the cloth Zylonn had thoughtfully provided her with and kept staring at the screen, praying there was an answer soon. The room dimmed as the sun set and the sconces lining the walls automatically brightened. Nova ran a hand through her hair and straightened her blouse, wanting to look as good as she possibly could when someone finally answered. She didn’t want her family to worry about her. She’d always done her best to protect them from the fallout of her inevitable departure from Earth and she would continue doing so.
Besides, it wasn’t as if she were about to lie to them and promise them she was happy on Tarkkua. When she told them about her life here, she wouldn’t be lying when she claimed it was starting to feel like home.
To her great delight, the blue screen suddenly transformed to an image of Julie sitting at the video comm in their living room.
“Nova?” Julie’s face crumpled. She covered her mouth and her eyes filled with tears.
“Hey, little sis.” Nova dabbed at her own tears and drew in a deep breath. “I’m so happy you answered. I miss you so much.”
“Not as much as I miss you. Oh my God, I can’t believe you’re really contacting us so soon. I worried it might be impossible for you to get access to a video comm, though I didn’t dare voice those thoughts aloud because I didn’t want to upset you.”
“My new husband built this video comm in our library. I’ll be able to talk to you guys whenever I want now.”
“That’s incredible.” Julie straightened in her chair and a look of interest crossed her face. “That’s really kind of your husband. Tell me about him. Does he treat you well?”
“He is a kind Tarkkuan. Much nicer than I expected,” Nova replied, deciding not to mention anything about the punishments she’d endured at his hand. She hoped her family never asked her if it was true that some Tarkkuan males physically disciplined their wives. “His name is Zylonn and I must confess—I like him very, very much.”
* * *
Zylonn headed back downstairs,dressed in a pair of black pajamas that he intended to strip off as soon as he went to bed, as he was used to sleeping naked. However, he hadn’t thought it would be appropriate to enter the library unclothed and frighten Nova’s family members. He hoped someone on the other end had answered the video comm.
As he approached the library, he heard voices and his heart warmed with the knowledge that his little human had finally gotten an answer. Then his soul danced with joy when he walked closer and overheard Nova’s next words.
“His name is Zylonn and I must confess—I like him very, very much.”
“Oh, Nova, I’m so happy to hear that. What does he look like?” Judging by the youthful tone of this female voice, Zylonn surmised Nova was speaking to her younger sister Julie.
“He’s big and blue and quite handsome.”
Zylonn cleared his throat to announce his presence and entered the library. Nova glanced back at him with a huge smile and reached out a hand to him.
“In fact, here he is now. Zylonn, I would like to introduce you to my sister, Julie. Julie, meet Zylonn.” The smallest glint of worry flashed in Nova’s eyes as she used Zylonn’s first name, instead of calling him Master. He realized they should have discussed her use of his name in front of her family members beforehand, and he gave her a warm smile in hopes of alleviating her worries before turning his attention to Julie.
“Hello, Zylonn. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Hello, Julie. I am pleased to meet you, too.” He wrapped an arm around Nova and felt her relax at his touch.
“Nova says you built the video comm. That was very kind of you. Thank you so much. It’ll be wonderful to be able to talk to her on a daily basis. I thought I was losing my sister, only to be able to send handwritten letters once a year, but now we can truly remain part of one another’s lives.” Julie wiped away her tears and laughed. “Ah, sorry. I always cry when I’m really happy.”
Nova giggled and wiped at her own tears with the white cloth. “It must run in the family, because I can’t stop crying either. Any idea when Mom and Dad will be home?”
