Page 39 of Invasion of Sorority Z

She bites her lip. “It’s for longer flights, I guess.”

My head tilts to the side. “Are you guys leaving again?”

Her head bobs. “He’s actually, uh, taking me to Aprix tonight?”

The statement is more uneasy, almost question-like. And still, she said it. They’re going back to his planet. In just a few hours, and this is the first I’m hearing of it. My brain short circuits at the information.

“W-what?”

“Rem is taking me to Aprix,” she repeats. “Tonight.”

My mouth goes dry. “He is? They’re leaving?”

“Oh no,” she rushes out, understanding my worry. “No, we’re going back alone for now. We’re going to take a small ship back. The rest of them will stay.”

I blow out a breath, trying not to squirm. “Did you ask to leave or something? I know you don’t love it here—”

“I hate it here,” she corrects, eyes falling to her feet. She raises them back up, biting her lip. “I hate it here so much, Stevie.”

“I didn’t realize.”Am I hurt?I shouldn’t feel hurt, but I think I do.Is it so bad living here with us?

“I miss living comfortably.” She sighs, shifting on her feet. “If I stay here for one more day, I might lose my mind. I want to go with Rem and see his world. I want to let him take care of me, feed me things that don’t come out of a can, and sleep without worrying about a single thing.”

“And so she’ll have it,” Rem’s playful voice calls out as he returns. “Do not worry, Stevie. I will take her to visit you. I must first spoil her properly, of course.”

Visit me?As in… on Earth?Oh god.

Marrec won’t take me back with them? But he said… we’re mates. He said he never wants to part with me. Rem would know though, wouldn’t he?

“Excuse me,” I croak, darting away from the ship before either of them can see me cry. I head to the garden, blindly stumbling to it as my eyes start to fill up.

Thoughts both reassuring and drowning claw around in my brain, battling one another with raging ferocity. Instinctively, I want to trust everything I’ve learned about Marrec. He’s my mate. My new best friend. He doesn’t want to be away from me any more than I want to be away from him.

And yet, ugly ideas swarm faster, festering and polluting the happiness I’ve curated over the previous days. Does Marrec only wish to see me on Earth? Does he not want me on his planet for some reason?

I will take her to visit you.

Rem’s seemingly innocent declaration plays on a loop, as if I should continue to analyze the seven words for a deeper meaning. I should have stayed there and pressed him for an explanation. My thoughts don’t typically rule my actions, but they also don’t typically elicit such a direct shot of panic.

I haven’t had a panic attack unrelated to sensory triggers since I was a kid and lost my parents in the grocery store. I have a sinking feeling that I’m having a bit of one as I stumble into the garden, eyes wildly searching for a distraction.

Mindlessly, I drop to the tomato plant and start digging by its side, using my rusty hand shovel and my fingers. The discomfort at the touch of the dry dirt isn’t distracting like I hoped it might be, it only adds to the pain in my chest. My ribs expand with a suck of air, a deep cramp of discomfort stabbing the muscles surrounding them.

This was such a bad idea. I’m frozen in a loop, continuing to dig for no pressing reason, sucking back tears as I work.

“Stee-vee?”

I glance up to see my mate frowning down at me. Turning my head back to my task, I mutter, “Hi.”

The singular word is enough to make me nearly break down, realizing that it’s the first time I haven’t greeted Marrec with a smile since our first mishap of an encounter. He didn’t even do anything, and I’m what? Punishing him? I don’t even know that I have a reason to be upset, and yet I can’t stop it from happening.

“How are you?” I add, attempting to make up for my cold shoulder. I sneak a peek at him once more and regret it—seeing the sadness in his eyes.

Marrec frowns harder and kneels into the pillowy grass beside me. “What is the matter, my mate? Rem tells me you scattered off without explanation. He was alarmed.”

That’s sweet, I suppose.

“Sarah is leaving, that is all,” I lie, digging deeper into the soil.

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