Ghosts Read online

  “What’s a gymnast?” Gorgeous asked.

  “You know, doing tumbling and somersaults and flips and things. And a little bit of dance, too, for the floor routines. I almost qualified for State, but just missed it. My mom wasn’t too happy about that. You’d be a good gymnast too, I bet.”

  Gorgeous laughed. “I don’t think we have a word for that. Sounds like a lot of work. We should get our mothers together. They could bond over how useless we both are.”

  There was a depth of emotion to Gorgeous’s last comment that Mel wanted to ask about, but was afraid to. Just then, Gorgeous pulled her into a side alley towards a cart. A Latanua woman stood next to it, reminding Mel way too much of Soryda. Gorgeous ordered four of the dumplings with rat-hamster meat. Mel wondered if she should ask Anna what the rat-hamsters were. Maybe it was better not to know.

  Mel hadn’t been paying attention to what Gorgeous and the woman were talking about until she felt Gorgeous stiffen. Thinking back quickly, she remembered the woman had said, You look a bit thin, dear. Are you sure you don’t want a few extra? Gorgeous scowl-smiled, but Mel could tell it was forced. Gorgeous dropped her head and quietly said no, as she handed the woman the credit disc.

  “Are you sure?” the vendor asked.

  What the hell is up with these people? Mel thought. Something was going on, something about the way Gorgeous looked, that caused these odd reactions. But she had no idea what it was.

  “She already said she only wanted four,” Mel snapped. Between Gorgeous’s reaction and the fact that the vendor looked identical to someone who wanted to kill her, Mel wasn’t feeling very generous. The woman’s eyelids blinked sideways rapidly and her face tentacles waved gently.

  “My apologies,” the woman said. She stared at Mel, the translators telling Mel the waving of the face tentacles meant she was curious and maybe a bit alarmed. “I’m sorry, ma’am. Forgive me, of course, but may I ask? Are you an Asadharan? You seem like a child, but then you are so tall!”

  Unconsciously pulling her hood over her face, Mel responded quickly. “I’m not a child.” Interestingly, the woman thought she looked like an Asadharan, one of Kathor’s race. Clearly there were similarities, but really? It was like confusing a cat and a bear, at least to Mel’s eyes. On the other hand, the woman had never seen a human before. Mel also remembered that her translator would take the English she spoke and project it to others as Asadharan, since that was Kathor’s native language. So she sounded to the woman like an Asadharan, too. Except that she spoke English at the same time and the woman would likely hear both languages, even if she couldn’t understand the English.

  “Of course, my mistake. At first I thought you were a Chota. But I’ve never seen one as tall as you. What are you, dear thing, if you don’t mind me asking?”

  A Chota? One of the pixie things that stood about three feet tall? They were the closest thing to humans, if you didn’t count the height and the number of fingers. Talk about a giant. If a Chota were normal human size, Mel would have to be something like eight or nine feet tall.

  A wave of paranoia gripped Mel. They were talking to this woman too long, and she was asking too many questions. No one here knew what a human was. There were enough alien races mingling that in casual passing she would be mistaken for an Asadharan or maybe even a giant Chota. But being this close would leave memories. If anyone was looking for them, the last thing they needed was to leave a trail.

  “Yes, that’s right. It’s a genetic abnormality. My parents never talk about it, I think they’re too embarrassed,” Mel said quickly. She snatched the credit disc back from the woman, grabbed their order of dumplings and quickly pushed Gorgeous farther down the alley.

  They came to an intersection that lead to a small park-like area, with benches and stony paths between raised flower beds. Mel threw herself onto a bench with a huff. Gorgeous laughed lightly besides her.

  “Chota don’t really have parents, you know.”

  “What? No, I didn’t know that,” Mel replied. “How can they not have parents? They get born somehow, don’t they?”

  “They lay eggs and the children are raised collectively.”

  “Wait. Red Shirt was like a chicken or something? Seriously? They lay eggs?” Mel shook her head. The more she learned about the alien cultures, the stupider she felt. “I was getting worried that woman was asking too many questions. If she realizes I’m a human and not a normal race, she might tell the authorities.”

  Gorgeous waved a hand in dismissal. “She doesn’t care, except to judge. She just wants to sell her dumplings and afford food for her family. No one will go to the Order unless they are forced to.” Mel thought the government agents might come asking questions, and then force would definitely be part of the equation. But maybe she was just being paranoid.

  Gorgeous reached into the bag and drew out two of the steaming dumplings, handing one to Mel in a wrapper. Gorgeous bit into hers and a dreamy smile played across her face. “Ah., I have missed this. The gruel on Kathor’s ship isn’t quite the same.”

  The rumbling in her stomach made Mel realize how hungry she was. She sniffed tentatively at the dumping. The outside was an olive-green color. Gorgeous had said it was made from some kind of grass. Wheat was a grass, but Mel wasn’t sure that’s what Gorgeous meant or not. It smelled fruity and pungent. She licked it. No real taste.

  Gorgeous laughed. “Do you always lick your food?”

  “Only when I’m not sure if it’s going to bite me back,” Mel said.

  “They are so delicious. Eat, eat!”

  Mel took a tentative bite. Warm liquid squirted in her mouth. The outside of the dumping was fruity and the inside was filled with a stew that was strong, pungent, and full of spice. It reminded her of a Chinese bun. She took another bite, chewing slowly. It felt so good to eat real food for a change that she closed her eyes and savored it.

  “Mmm. This is good. A bit spicy, but yummy,” Mel said. Gazing at the crowds in the street, a question popped into her mind. “Where would you go if you could go anywhere in the world? All the worlds?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t really fit in anywhere.”

  “But if you could go anywhere and be anything, like a doctor or a politician or whatever. What would you do?”

  Gorgeous took another bite and looked off in the distance. “I liked Sha Shahar. The energy and people. Something happening all the time. And I like to dance, even if I’m not good at the traditional Ankhen dances. Maybe I would go back. Or maybe I would travel and explore. But…”

  “But what? Come on, there’s something else, I know it.”

  “There were children on Sha Shahar. People my age and younger. Some of them without parents or any family. Like me. I wish I could help them. But you don’t get paid for helping people. I would have to be rich first, I guess.”

  “That’s a plan. Get rich and then save the world,” Mel said. “Or get rich and hope you can save yourself.”

  “Getting rich sounds like work too,” Gorgeous said. “Maybe I’d just go straight to saving myself. That’s what I’ve been doing so far.”

  “If we sell the ship, or Anna finds some way to make some money, you can have some, too. We won’t need it once we go home. Maybe you can go back to Sha Shahar and start a dance school for orphans. Something to help other people like you.”

  Gorgeous’s eyes flashed a slightly different shade of green, which the translator told Mel was an expression of surprise and doubt. “No one has ever given me anything before.”

  Mel finished the first dumpling and reached into the bag to grab a second. “Did you want this one too?”

  Gorgeous eyed it longingly. “I should, but I’m already full. I wish I could eat another.”

  “You can lick it if you want,” Mel said.

  “You’re weird, Mel.”

  Mel laughed. “True.”

  Mel finished off most of the second dumpling, then gave the last few bites to Gorgeous. Popping it into her mouth,
she quickly swallowed the bite. But Mel had the impression she was forcing the food down her throat.

  “Gorgeous? I don’t want to pry, but what is going on with all these people saying stuff about you? I heard those people back at the table. They were mean. And I think the cart lady was trying to be nice, but you had a reaction to what she said. About being thin, I think? It just seemed weird.”

  Gorgeous looked away and Mel noticed her eye color shifting slightly. She was crying again, although not as badly as before.

  “It’s just… they think I’m ugly.”

  Mel did a double-take. “Could you say that again? I don’t think the translators are working.”

  Gorgeous looked at her and scowl-laughed but Mel could see the pain underneath it. “You are so sweet. And so naive. Everyone in my race looks like those people back at the table. They were beautiful. Probably famous people traveling. Wealthy and gorgeous. To them, to any normal person, I look like I’m sick and dying. I’m so thin. Sometimes people don’t even want to get near me because they think I might be contagious. I wish I could eat more, but I just don’t want to. It’s a rare medical condition. I get full and just can’t eat. Sometimes I would force myself to, but it never mattered. I just don’t put on weight the way a normal girl should. I thought about getting surgery to make myself bigger, but I couldn’t afford it. So I left my world. It’s easier to be around aliens. They know I’m not a normal Ankhen, but they don’t have the same reaction. I guess other aliens are always ugly to some extent.”

  “Wow. That is so not what I expected. And that’s not true,” Mel said. “About people thinking other aliens are ugly.” Mel thought for a second, then a realization kicked in. “Gorgeous. When I say your name, I use a word in my language. What do you hear when I say that?”

  “I hear my name. Gorgeous,” she replied.

  “Right. I think the translators are tricking me. They translate the word I use into your name, and when you say your name I hear the word I use. But I’m wondering if you know what the word means?”

  “What my name means? I think it’s an old word for a tree.”

  “Not your name in your language. The word I use for your name in my language. Do you know what that word means?”

  “No, I guess not.”

  Mel thought about it. There had to be some way to circumvent the translators. “Do you remember those people back at the table? You said they were famous, right? And they were wealthy and gorgeous.”

  “Right,” Gorgeous replied, looking both curious and confused.

  “That last word, what is that?”

  “Wealthy and gorgeous?”

  “The last one,” Mel said.

  “Gorgeous?” Gorgeous said.

  “Yes. What does that mean to you?”

  “Oh. That something is really beautiful and lovely to look at, I guess. Did you see that one woman? Her hair was amazing! And she was so perfectly round…” Gorgeous had an expression that translated to a pout. “I wish I looked like that.”

  Mel held Gorgeous’s hand. “You do, Gorgeous. That word. The word that means beautiful and lovely to look at. That’s the word in my language that I use for your name. Technically, it was Nick’s fault, but that just proves my point. He thought you were beautiful. And so did I, from the first day we met. Well, after I stopped calling you Angrycat. To me, you are beautiful. Even more so since I’ve gotten to know you.”

  Gorgeous looked at Mel with a look of shock and a hint of anger. “Don’t tease me. That’s not nice.”

  “I’m not teasing you,” Mel said, looking at the other girl firmly. “Believe what you want about yourself, but this alien thinks you’re amazing. And you are certainly not ugly.”

  Gorgeous opened her mouth several times and then closed it with a click. She stared at Mel. “You think… you really think… that I’m… attractive?”

  “Yes, definitely.” Mel almost made a quip about it going to Gorgeous’s head, but she decided that wouldn’t help. Gorgeous’s eyes were starting to shift colors again.

  “C’mon, let’s get back to the ship. I’ve had enough of these crowds and we should check on Anna.”

  Mel stood and Gorgeous jumped up and hugged her fiercely. “You are my best friend, Mel. Thank you.”

  “You too, Gorgeous,” Mel said.

  They intertwined arms and made their way back through the crowded streets to the tram that took them to the ship, Gorgeous beaming the entire time. As they approached the dock where the ship was berthed, they could see the door to the ship was open and Riley and Beats were talking heatedly.

  As Mel and Gorgeous got closer, Mel grew anxious. Something about Riley. She couldn’t read Beats from this far away, but he seemed subdued, while Riley was gesturing wildly, obviously upset.

  Riley and Beats noticed the girls just as they approached. “Hey, what’s up? Is something wrong?” Mel asked.

  Riley looked at Beats and Beats looked away. “Yeah, I guess you could say that,” Riley said. He brushed his hands through his hair while avoiding Mel’s gaze, before finally looking up. “Jon just got arrested.”

  Chapter 5

  Mel felt a sudden vertigo that she quickly hid. “What happened? Wait, scratch that. Have you discussed it with Anna? Are we in any immediate danger of being discovered?”

  “Anna knows. She trying to find information on where he is,” Riley said.

  “It’s the local police. Not the Order. Not yet,” Beats said.

  Mel let go of Gorgeous and pushed past Riley to enter the ship. “Tell me what happened.” She took an extra-deep breath, forcing herself to stay calm. Yelling at Riley and Beats now wouldn’t solve anything.

  “We went to grab some food for Beats,” Riley said. “Jon tried to eat some kind of pancake thing from a cart. He ended up spitting it out.”

  Beats interrupted him. “Chota bread. It’s made of hard seeds. Tastes like dirt, if you ask me. I would have told Jon—”

  “Except Jon didn’t ask,” Riley finished. “Anyway, he made some rude comments to the cart vendor, the vendor got pissy and some other punk kids got into it. I don’t know if they were actually trying to help the cart guy or if they were just trying to add to the trouble. When I saw what was happening, I turned to get Beats’s attention and when I turned back, Jon had just laid this one dude out. One of the Latanua. Decked him right in his mouth, probably squished one of his tentacles. Then these two other guys grabbed Jon and it was a free-for-all. I managed to knock one of them aside, but then the cops showed up and everyone was screaming like it was the end of the world. I grabbed Jon and tried to run, but I think one of those punks tripped him. I lost him in the crowd. Beats and I hid for a bit, but we hung around to see what was up. They hauled Jon off, along with two or three other guys. And I can tell you, Jon did not look happy.”

  “He’s not as unhappy as I am right now,” Mel said, her mouth a thin line. She walked up to the cockpit and sat in the chair, leaning forward as she tried to think. “Anna, any word on Jon?”

  “I see you’ve heard the latest adventures of our wayward child,” Anna said. “I’ve patched into an official channel the police use. I’m trying to get direct access to the local police databases and computer system. It’s not exactly a website, but the idea is similar. I should have access in the next few minutes.”

  “Any sign we’re being pursued? Or that they’re looking for Beats or Riley?”

  “Not so far. Physical altercations are highly illegal and nearly unheard of on Chandir. It’s already on various news feeds. But nothing regarding the rest of you.”

  “How about anything on Jon? I’m especially wondering about the fact that he’s not a normal race. Has that come up?”

  “I’ve had the same thought and the answer is no, not yet. It’s possible the local police don’t realize what they are dealing with. They might think he’s a weird Asadharan. That’s Kathor’s race. They look fairly human, minus the rock-like facial expressions.”

  “Yeah, we ran
into the same problem,” Mel said. “Damn. We should have been more careful. We just got to something resembling safety and it didn’t even last an hour.”

  “Not your fault, Mel,” Riley replied. “Jon was being a real idiot back there. I don’t know what he was thinking.”

  “He’s not thinking. He’s pissed at the world and seems hellbent on taking it out on anyone. Honestly, I’m not sure what to do with him, even if we can get him back.” She caught herself. “No. We have to get him back. Somehow. We can get him back. Right, Anna?”

  “Do we have to? Alright, alright, calm down. Yes, we can probably rescue him. But it may force us to leave the station. And while we’re on that subject, if you could put Jon to the back of your mind for just a moment, I have something else to discuss with both of you.”

  “You’re still searching for him, right?” Mel asked.

  “Him and ten other things. But in the meantime, I’ve done some research on selling the ship and it looks impossible, at least in any kind of reasonable time frame. There are oblique references to black market entities but nothing that works on the scale of a spaceship. A better bet might be this resistance group I keep digging up. They’re called the Viro Kara. But they’re even harder to find info on than the black market types. In any case, I’m not sure we’d be able to get even a quarter the true cost of the ship unless we were willing to wait for months or years.”

  “What’s with this resistance group? Resistance to what?” Mel asked.

  “A fringe political group that opposes the Order. Their name literally means ‘the Opposition’. I think their biggest demand is to reduce regulations around technology development. Not the most radical platform. It’s probably a bunch of bored college kids and they really keep their noses down. But there are signs they may have real backing and influence. It might be fake. The Order doesn’t get heavily involved in day-to-day life but it’s pretty strict when it comes to anyone who disagrees with the status quo.