a chair and pointed at his bowl. "Eat. It seems you have a busy day tomorrow now with school and helping Uncle Brahm."
Caleb nodded, playing with his stew. His rumbling stomach called to eat but his heart didn't want to answer. His mother stroked his hair and bent to kiss his cheek. Her warmth and love moved into him. "I won't be gone long. Listen to your father and please, try not to fight."
He nodded again.
"I'll miss you, darling."
"Me too." His words came out a whisper.
And he gulped down his stew. He needed it to be strong for Earth, even if only in his dreams.
* * *
Caleb stared at Serah while she got books out of her locker. It was a rare moment that no one from the popular crowd was with her. She swung her glossy hair over her shoulder as she stuffed books into her backpack. He imagined moving silently up behind her and sifting his hands through her silky waterfall, drowning in her scent. If he was going to approach her, he had to do it now before he lost all nerve.
"Serah?"
She turned with a smile then it faded. "Nice bruises." She turned back to her locker.
"I was keeping them for a science experiment." He tried not to stammer, but his tongue stuck to the bottom of his mouth.
She slammed her locker shut and faced him again. "Really? You're not like the other morons who like to beat each other up to look cool?"
"No way." He looked down into her eyes. They were so green, like the soft grass he imagined once grew here from a brilliant sun. He saw her lying down in all that lushness as he kissed her over and over. "I-I may be going on the new world mission with my aunt and uncle. I didn't heal myself because I wanted to see how long my body would be affected by an injury."
She frowned at him and pursed her full lips he wanted so badly to kiss. "Why?"
"To see what it feels like to be different, like a new race I will meet soon and–"
"Maybe."
"Right." He shrugged and looked down. When he looked up again, she was smiling.
"I thought you were like those other athletes. Maybe I was wrong."
"Maybe."
She laughed, dazzling him with those white teeth. "Right."
He took a deep breath. "Would you like to get together, sometime?"
The bell for class rang. She slung her bag over her shoulder and tilted her head up at him. "If you get on that mission, Caleb, I'll go out with you."
She flashed him one last smile and ran off to class before he could even close his mouth that was hanging open. Idiot! But she had said yes. His heart soared.
His only way of winning Serah was to get on that mission. It occurred to him that accomplishing this meant he would never see her again. That would be all right with him.
One kiss and one night with her would sustain him for a lifetime on another world.
* * *
Caleb knocked on Uncle Brahm's house after school. His uncle greeted him with a wide smile on his round face and pulled him into a big hug. His uncle's hair was white like his father's, but all over the place–like his scientific inventions.
"My boy! Manta and I are off. Starting a new path for our world to follow."
"I'm happy for you. Everything will work out on the mission, right?" Caleb was sorry the moment he asked.
His uncle's smile faded. "My brother's crash was over twenty-five years ago. He was just a young man, just out of youth-hood. Like I was once." He paused and shook his head as if reliving that time. "But we have new technology now."
"I know."
"I often wonder if your father's twin had survived that crash, would your father be different."
"Not likely. He was born the way he is."
His uncle shook his head and looked down. "No, he was much softer in his youth. We were brothers and friends then…"
"I didn't mean to make you sad."
His uncle looked up, his smile came back. "You could never make me sad, son."
Caleb was desperate to move on from talk of his father. "So, taking any volunteers?"
"Aha, I don't think your mother would take to that very well."
"Or my father."
"Yes, nor him."
"Will you
Caleb nodded, playing with his stew. His rumbling stomach called to eat but his heart didn't want to answer. His mother stroked his hair and bent to kiss his cheek. Her warmth and love moved into him. "I won't be gone long. Listen to your father and please, try not to fight."
He nodded again.
"I'll miss you, darling."
"Me too." His words came out a whisper.
And he gulped down his stew. He needed it to be strong for Earth, even if only in his dreams.
* * *
Caleb stared at Serah while she got books out of her locker. It was a rare moment that no one from the popular crowd was with her. She swung her glossy hair over her shoulder as she stuffed books into her backpack. He imagined moving silently up behind her and sifting his hands through her silky waterfall, drowning in her scent. If he was going to approach her, he had to do it now before he lost all nerve.
"Serah?"
She turned with a smile then it faded. "Nice bruises." She turned back to her locker.
"I was keeping them for a science experiment." He tried not to stammer, but his tongue stuck to the bottom of his mouth.
She slammed her locker shut and faced him again. "Really? You're not like the other morons who like to beat each other up to look cool?"
"No way." He looked down into her eyes. They were so green, like the soft grass he imagined once grew here from a brilliant sun. He saw her lying down in all that lushness as he kissed her over and over. "I-I may be going on the new world mission with my aunt and uncle. I didn't heal myself because I wanted to see how long my body would be affected by an injury."
She frowned at him and pursed her full lips he wanted so badly to kiss. "Why?"
"To see what it feels like to be different, like a new race I will meet soon and–"
"Maybe."
"Right." He shrugged and looked down. When he looked up again, she was smiling.
"I thought you were like those other athletes. Maybe I was wrong."
"Maybe."
She laughed, dazzling him with those white teeth. "Right."
He took a deep breath. "Would you like to get together, sometime?"
The bell for class rang. She slung her bag over her shoulder and tilted her head up at him. "If you get on that mission, Caleb, I'll go out with you."
She flashed him one last smile and ran off to class before he could even close his mouth that was hanging open. Idiot! But she had said yes. His heart soared.
His only way of winning Serah was to get on that mission. It occurred to him that accomplishing this meant he would never see her again. That would be all right with him.
One kiss and one night with her would sustain him for a lifetime on another world.
* * *
Caleb knocked on Uncle Brahm's house after school. His uncle greeted him with a wide smile on his round face and pulled him into a big hug. His uncle's hair was white like his father's, but all over the place–like his scientific inventions.
"My boy! Manta and I are off. Starting a new path for our world to follow."
"I'm happy for you. Everything will work out on the mission, right?" Caleb was sorry the moment he asked.
His uncle's smile faded. "My brother's crash was over twenty-five years ago. He was just a young man, just out of youth-hood. Like I was once." He paused and shook his head as if reliving that time. "But we have new technology now."
"I know."
"I often wonder if your father's twin had survived that crash, would your father be different."
"Not likely. He was born the way he is."
His uncle shook his head and looked down. "No, he was much softer in his youth. We were brothers and friends then…"
"I didn't mean to make you sad."
His uncle looked up, his smile came back. "You could never make me sad, son."
Caleb was desperate to move on from talk of his father. "So, taking any volunteers?"
"Aha, I don't think your mother would take to that very well."
"Or my father."
"Yes, nor him."
"Will you
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