Page 49 of Between Earth and Eternity
But that’s not the thing dominating my mind now. I close my eyes, and he is there, waiting for me. I watch his hand on that woman’s back. His lips around the edge of the glass of amber liquor, watching it coat his tongue. But most of all, hazel flames burning into me, teasing me and stirring up something in me that I had no idea was there.
I worry there may never be a day when I can’t recall every immaculate detail about Vallen Mannox. It doesn’t matter if he’s dangerous, if he’s someone I can never measure up to. He somehow left an impression on me without even trying.
He may never fade from my memory.
Staring straight into the pure, black void
Drowning in a sea of stars
Lost in a galaxy of cocktail bars
“Lost In Time and Space,” Lord Huron
“Ihave absolutely nothing to wear to this thing.” Ori sighs, flopping onto my bed a couple of days later. The first Lottery function is tonight. Not the huge gala, thankfully, but a special dinner with Zenith officers, the Mannoxfamily, and their colleagues. Runa made it a point to remind everyone again that this was not optional.
“Honestly, me neither. But you’re welcome to borrow something, even if it does drown you. The height difference might be challenging.”
She nods in agreement. “Making a note: we need to go shopping before the gala. It’s months away, but it won’t hurt to be prepared,” she says, typing the reminder into her StarComm. I can’t recall the last time I bought clothing, let alone new clothes, but shopping with Ori will be fun. She makes everything fun, sets me at ease.
“I probably shouldn’t wear this, right?” I ask jokingly, holding up my Giants hat.
Ori giggles, shaking her head. “I’ve never worn a dress. Maybe when I was a little girl, but I don’t remember.” She stares off, her brows scrunching, trying to recall a memory. She still hasn’t brought up her past, but now that our friendship has bloomed, I don’t feel out of place asking her more.
“Ori, can I ask you about your life, you know, before the Lottery?”
She sighs. “There’s not much to tell.”
I sit down on the bed next to her. “Try me.”
She stares at the floor for a moment before deciding to indulge me. “To be totally honest, I didn’t have much of a life. Every day was about surviving. Hoping that I was going to eat that day.” Her voice is soft, threaded with sadness. “Most days, I didn’t.”
“What about food rations? Isn’t everything tracked on the border as well?” I ask.
“Shipments would come in every couple of weeks, so I would have to make due with whatever was there. But like I said, it was just me, so I managed.”
I swallow, feeling her pain, wishing I could take some of it away. “What happened to your parents?”
The look in her eyes breaks my heart before she says, “They were killed at work. It seemed harmless, working on protected industrial farmland, but during a breach, there was gunfire.” She swallows. “And they were in the wrong place, wrong time.” Her voice is barely above a whisper. “But, worst of all, Mannox did nothing. Not a single condolence or offer to help financially.” She looks at me with a saddened expression just as mine turns furious. It doesn’t surprise me at all that Mannox Industries cared more about the lost goods than the lives lost; the ship we currently sit on is proof of that.
I wrap an arm around her. “I’m so sorry, Ori. I can’t imagine losing both my parents at the same time. You are so strong, so optimistic. I hope you know how much you’ve taught me in the short time we’ve been friends,” I say, tightening my hold.
“I wouldn’t have been able to make it without my brother, but when he left, that hole opened up again, and for a long time . . . I was so angry.”
I can’t picture Ori as anything but joyful.
As if she reads my mind, she says, “I know. Not like me, right?”
“How did you move on after what Mannox did? What they continue to do?”
“Who said I moved on?” I pull back to watch her expression. “Happiness has very little to do with our circumstances and everything to do with where our love lies. We learn to live with heartache; otherwise, life wouldn’t have a point. Love makes it worth it. I have my brother, and I have to chase that dream that we can live on for our parents and be happy.”
Immediately, I try to picture my family all together on Eden someday. But all I can see is Mom, Dad, and Elliot standing on the tarmac, waving me off, and Gran standing on our porch. My love for them may echo through the cosmos, my heart beating for how much I care for them, but that doesn’t change anything. They aren’t here right now.
“But what if love isn’t enough to keep going?” I ask. I don’t realize I am crying until a tear rolls down my nose.
“It’s not. We also have to have hope, and you have plenty of both. Hope can lead us to love, by keeping us wishing for something better. To be better. You don’t give yourself enough credit, Skyler.”
I sniff a laugh. She has too much faith in me.
