Heritage (Under Revision)

Chapter 17 - Stella

“Ouch!”

“Shh!”

“I stubbed my toe!” I exclaim in a whisper, stopping for a moment. It’s midnight and Leon and I are just now getting back to the HabMods for the night. We stayed in the storage garage, working tirelessly on the Krakens until both of us noticed the time and decided to pack it in for the night.

“Are you ok?” Leon asks, immediately at my side.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Let’s go, we’re not far from my module. I’ll be fine the rest of the way if you need to get to your—”

“Not a chance, Stells. I’m not leaving you to get busted on your own for curfew. Your HabMod is right up here anyways, I’ll be fine,” he replies, helping me lift my bag back onto my shoulder and grabbing hold of my hand.

We held hands the whole walk back, and instead of it seeming awkward and fumbling like I thought it might, it felt natural and warm. As we round the corner of Mod Block 7, I retrieve my TAPs device from my pocket and insert my keycard, unlocking my module door.

“Uh, Stella?” Leon says softly.

“Yeah?”

“Well...I was wondering if maybe& well if you’re not doing anything that is...uh...” he takes a deep breath and looks directly into my eyes, a piercing green gaze searching for something.

“What is it, Leon?”

“Do you wanna go out with me tomorrow?” he asks me, his gaze not wavering an inch from mine, a clear determination in his voice. My hand is still laced with his and is hanging loosely against my thigh as I try to force down a blush. I stare into his deep green eyes for what seems like hours before my conscious kicks in.

Leon just asked you out! SAY SOMETHING STELLA!

“I’d love to, Leon.”

“Great. Uh...how does dinner and a movie sound? In the ship-town, of course. I can probably borrow Dad’s Hydra.”

“That sounds perfect. I’ll...I’ll see you tomorrow then,” I say to him, standing on my tiptoes to kiss his cheek before shooting him a soft smile and releasing his hand from mine. I give a small wave and turn into the door of my module, shutting it softly.

I can’t seem to wipe the smile from my face as I routinely turn the shower on, brush my teeth while the water is warming, and remove my uniform. We didn t even take the time to change into our casual wear earlier, and instead just jumped right into the work on the Krakens.

After getting out of the shower, I quickly brush my hair and towel off, slipping into my nightshirt and setting my alarm. What’s a few lost hours of sleep? Especially when the result was me getting to work for hours on end with Leon, getting asked to be his date for the party, and not to mention the fact that tomorrow, he and I will be on our first date in the ship-town.

Does this mean we’re dating? Or is it just a date? And how are we going to sneak off the ship on a weekday?! Oh...I’m a Senior Cadet now, so I guess that doesn’t make a difference. But Leon’s not, so we’ll have to be careful.

Senior Cadets have the privilege of visiting the ship-town at their leisure, as long as they don t abuse this right, which most do.

As I crawl under the covers of my bed, I hug my pillow and smile, gazing out of the large window that every module has, looking at the stars and remembering every word, shy smile and touch that we shared.

****************************************************

“And next week we will be discussing the terrestrial amphibians, starting with the Lanutan species first. For now, I’d like you all to partner up, I don t care who with, and brainstorm for your upcoming Jovian mammal projects. Whoever you pick as your partner today, will be your partner for the project and you both will earn the same grade,” Instructor Varns says, sitting back down at her desk.

Everyone starts scrambling around like a herd of Jakon rhinos, and from my spot across the room, I catch Leon’s eye. He motions for me to join him and my stomach does cartwheels at the thought of partnering with him yet again. More time with him is just a bonus, in addition to learning about all the species of animals and insects from the surrounding planets.

Wow, I really am a nerd.

Oh well, Leon doesn’t seem to mind.

I smile at him and nod in agreement, picking up my tablet and my bag and crossing the crowded classroom to where he is perched on the edge of his worktable. Before I reach my destination, however, Joe Marshall and his partner, Tim Jameson walk by and Marshall’s shoulder makes painful contact with mine, causing my bag to slip off my shoulder and hit the floor. Thankfully my tablet is safe in my arms, and before I have a chance to retaliate, Leon is at my side once again, helping me with my bag.

“Don’t let them know it bothers you, Stells, don’t give them that satisfaction. It just makes them seem more important,” Leon whispers in my ear, sending a pleasant shiver down my spine.

After he helps me with my bag, we take a seat at the worktable, bouncing ideas off of each other for our Jovian mammal project. We finally settle on a holographic slideshow, narrated by the two of us throughout. It’s not due for another two weeks, so we’ll have plenty of time.

We spend the remainder of the class in pleasant conversation, concerning the Kraken repairs and Leon’s party on Saturday evening, to which, I will be arriving as his date.

I already have the perfect dress in my closet, and I’m hoping it will drive him crazy, as well as make me look beautiful. It’s tasteful, but with just a hint of sexiness thrown in.

“So, what do you want for your birthday?” I ask him, hoping to get some sort of idea as to what I could give him.

“Stells, you don t have to get me anything for my birthday. You’re already going as my date, and that’s more than I could ask for,” Leon says to me, placing his hand over mine under the table and smiling shyly at me.

I’ve never really had time for a real boyfriend before, and I don t think that’s what Leon and I are, not yet at least... but if we end up as such, I don t think I’d mind at all. He’s so much different than I thought he was, and every time I’m with him, new emotions and feelings surface, surprising me and drawing me to the same conclusion each time.

I really like him.

Oh, who’re you kidding, Stella? Like him?

Ok, ok...maybe it’s more than that.

Stella...

OK! A lot more than that.

“Leon, it’s your eighteenth birthday, of course I’m going to get you something. And I’d be your date even if it wasn’t your party,” I reply, lacing my fingers with his, where they’re currently resting on my knee. Public displays of affection are foreign to me, and I can almost hear my heart beating with nervousness, wondering if I’m doing the right thing.

“Stella, it’s ok to hold my hand. It’s not like we’re making out or anything,” Leon whispers in my ear, tightening his grip on my hand reassuringly.

I just didn’t know if we’re, I mean if you...I just don t know what we are, really, so I didn’t know if that was...acceptable,” I stammer, turning towards him.

Well, we can figure that out on our date later. Are we still on for tonight? I was thinking I could pick you up around six at your mod? That way we can have a decent dinner instead of that slop they serve in the Mess Hall, I reserved us a booth at Nova. It’s kind of fancy, Ma and Dad go there all the time,” he says, grinning. His thumb traces faint circles on my palm and I can’t help but to smile up at him.

“That sounds great, I’ll be ready by then.”

The rest of class passes with no interruptions, minus a few dirty looks and petty laughter issuing from Joe and Tim’s table, directed at myself and Leon, of course, and before we know it, Instructor Varns is dismissing us.

We walked together to each of our classes today, and Leon even joined me at my regular lunch table where I introduced him to my girlfriends. They gave me a few curious looks, but immediately warmed up to him like I knew they would. They all think he’s so hot and incredibly sexy...which he is.

After the end of the day, we said reluctant goodbyes and I headed for my HabMod to prepare for our date. It took me two hours to get my hair and makeup just right, and after digging through my closet for fifteen minutes, I located my little black dress (with the tags still on it) and a pair of slinky black heels.

Perfect. Classy, yet sexy too.

I’ve been sitting as still as possible, as not to mess up my hair, which I spent forty-five minutes curling and spraying into place, and before I know it, there is a buzz from my module door.

Taking a deep breath, I extract myself from my armchair and make my way to the video screen attached to the wall next to the door. It’s Leon, as I suspected, and he’s carrying a bouquet of Jupiter Stargazers, hot pink and orange and he’s dressed in his formal uniform. I press the button to let him in and when he enters my module, his jaw drops.

Just the effect I was looking for.

“Wow,” he says with an audible breath, Stella, you& you look amazing.

“Thank you, Leon. You look pretty great too,” I reply, smirking and biting my lower lip as my eyes skim every area of his body, dressed in his formal black uniform.

“These are for you,” he says, handing me the beautiful bouquet. Your HabMod is really nice.

“Thanks, it’s hard to keep it cleaned and organized with classes and extra projects and stuff, but I guess it helps that I’m hardly ever here anyways,” I reply, smiling up at him.

“Uh, well...Dad let me borrow his Hydra, so...if you’re ready, then so am I,”

“Yeah, let me just put these in some water,” I say to him, grabbing a water glass from my nightstand and filling it half way in the bathroom. It’s not a vase, but the flowers fit all the same and look gorgeous next to my bed.

“Ready,”

He offers me his arm and after shutting off the lights we step out into the corridor, heading down to the hangar. The walk down is quiet and peaceful, and we talk a little about his party plans, but he’s careful not to let anything slip. I think he wants it to be a surprise for everyone, even though it’s his birthday.

Once we arrive, he leads me over to the sleekest, shiniest Hydrapod I’ve ever seen. It can’t be more than six months old, and just from the looks of it, it’s top of the line.

“Wow...”

“Pretty sweet, eh? Dad rarely lets me borrow it, but I did some pretty good convincing. Wasn’t too hard once I told him I was using it to take you out,” Leon says, smiling.

He inserts his TAPs keycard into the slot and the small panel on the door glows blue for a moment, before a small click is heard. Leon opens the door for me and I slide in, once again astonished by the interior of the luxurious vehicle.

After fastening our seat belts, Leon takes off down the runway, easing off until we re airborne and he smiles over at me brightly for a moment as we soar through the sky. He must love flying as much as I do.

A few minutes later we touch down gently, barely feeling a bump as we land, and he once again opens my door for me, offering his hand, which I accept with a smile. My stomach lurches for a moment after he pulls me to my feet, but I brush it off as air sickness and get lost in his eyes.

We make the short walk to Nova’s in just a few minutes, my hand laced with Leon s as I step carefully, as not to trip on my heels. Once inside, a mixture of different scents assaults our senses, and after that first pleasant sensation, my stomach lurches again.

What in the world...?

Oh well, it’ll pass. I’m not messing up this date with Leon for anything in the world.

Our waitress shows us to the booth that Leon has reserved and I slide in near the window. He follows suit a few moments later, choosing to sit next to, as opposed to across from me in the empty booth. He grasps my hand in his and turns to me with a smile.

“What would you like to eat? Anything you want,” he asks me.

“I think I’ll have the soup and salad,” I reply, after consulting the menu.

“That’s all? You sure you don’t want a steak, maybe some lobster?”

“Really, soup and salad are plenty. Thank you, though,” I reply, thinking of my stomach and how it has been clenching off and on since we arrived in the ship-town. Best not to take any chances.

“Alright then,” he says, as the waitress returns to take our orders. Being a gentleman, Leon orders for the both of us, keeping my dinner request in mind, but ordering breadsticks as well.

“I know you said that’s all you want, but you have to try a breadstick, they’re great. Ma loves them,” he says as the waitress pours our ice water.

We talk casually for a while about the Krakens and our project for Terrestrial Creatures class, sharing soft smiles and laughs as Leon makes jokes about Cadets Jameson and Marshall being more than just partners.

“I wouldn’t doubt it,” I reply, laughing.

“I love your laugh, Stells,” he says to me, rubbing his thumb over my cheek and smiling. He seems to be sitting just a bit closer than he was a moment ago.

Is he going to kiss me?

He lowers his face to mine by just a fraction of an inch.

HE IS! He’s going to kiss me!

But just as I close my eyes, the waitress shows up with our meal. Suddenly, I get the urge to burn her eyes out with a plasma cutter, but force down the feeling as Leon thanks her politely, although the annoyance is plainly written on his face.

My stomach clenches again as I look down at my bowl of soup. It smells delicious, but for some reason I no longer have an appetite. As a matter of fact, just looking at the food is making me ill. I push the bowl away a few inches and Leon looks at me with concern.

“Are you ok, Stells?” he asks with concern in his voice.

“Yeah, I’m fine...the soup’s just hot,” I reply, picking up a breadstick instead to quell his curiosity.

“Oh wow, these are good.”

“Told you,” he replies with a smirk.

“Smartass,” I say to him, grinning. Even though the breadsticks are delicious, the lurching feeling in my stomach is getting sharper every second, and I can’t help but to clutch my abdomen through my dress.

“Stella, are you sure you’re ok? What’s wrong?” Leon asks, placing his fork on his plate and feeling my head with the back of his hand. You re burning up, Stells!

“I...I’ll be fine, I don’t want to ruin our date. I just have a bit of a stomachache,”

“Stella, I’m more concerned about your health than our date. We can go on a date anytime, but if you’re sick, I’m taking you to the infirmary right now,” Leon says, already fishing his wallet out of his uniform and throwing a few bills on the table.

“Leon, I don t—”

“Stells, look at me. You re a horrible liar, I can tell you re sick. I thought you looked pale when you stood up from the Hydra earlier, but I passed it off as you being nervous. Looks like my ego got the better of me again, eh? Old habits die hard,” he says, earning a grin from me before I once again clutch the black silk fabric of my dress over my stomach and wince in pain.

“Ok, that s it. I’m taking you back to base right now. You’re seeing the nurse,” he orders, as he offers me his hand. I take it and he helps me slide out of the booth.

“Is everything ok here?” our waitress asks with concern.

“She’s not feeling very well, but thank you, the money’s on the table,” Leon replies, ushering me quickly out of the restaurant.

He walks beside me slowly as we make our way back to the Hydra, one arm firmly around my waist.

“Leon?” I croak, feeling myself getting sicker by the second.

“Yeah, Stells?”

“Talk about something. Anything, I don t care what it is. What did you do today?” I ask him, dabbing the cold sweat from my forehead with a handkerchief from my handbag.

“Well,” he thinks for a moment before continuing. “Oh, uh...I got made Senior Cadet yesterday. I forgot to tell you between all the excitement with the Kraken project and you accepting my date offer.”

I stop suddenly and look up at him curiously.

“Stells, are you ok?” he asks.

“I...you...you got made Senior Cadet yesterday? So did I. Your Dad appointed me,” I say, turning to him.

“Uh, yeah. You did? Dad never told me. What squad are you commanding now?”

“Omega,” I answer.

“What?! That’s my squad. Why wouldn’t Dad tell me...ah. I’m going to kill him,” Leon says, despite the wide grin on his face.

“I don’t understand,”

“Dad put us on the same squad. We re co-captains, basically. I think he did it because we’re the best...uh, not to sound arrogant...and he knows that Omega needs the most work. I’m not opposed if you’re not. I think we can whip those sorry bastards into shape, we do make a good team,” he finishes, looking up at me questioningly.

“I think it’s a great idea, Leon. I...I really enjoy working with you,” I say to him, still holding my stomach gently.

“Oh! I’m sorry, I forgot you weren’t feeling good for a moment there. Let’s get you back to the base.”

I stay silent and he replaces his firm hold on my waist as we finally make our way to the parking deck. He once again unlocks the Hydra and helps me in, leaning over my seat and buckling me in.

We make the quick trip back and after re-locking his father s vehicle, he leads me quickly up to the infirmary.

Nurse Lila, a short plump woman with a kind face, greets us and shows me to one of the beds.

“Cadet, you’ll have to wait just over there please. I need to help her into a gown,” she says to him.

“Oh! Yeah, sure, no problem,” he says, and from where I’m perched on the edge of my hospital bed, I can see a blush coloring his cheeks.

Nurse Lila draws the curtain around my bed and after removing my heels she helps me into the thin paper gown and tucks me into bed.

“I’ll be back in just a moment with some fever medicine and something to settle your stomach, dear. Cadet, you may come back now,” she says, speaking to the curtain, before turning and walking to her office.

Leon pulls the curtain back slightly and steps through, taking a seat on one of the chairs next to the bed.

“Thank you for bringing me here, Leon. I’m so sorry I ruined our date. I knew I shouldn’t have visited Monica when she was sick. I should’ve had the sense to take a biotic blocker afterwards at least,” I ramble on, laying my perfectly curled hair on the pillow.

“Stells, you’re too hard on yourself. I told you earlier, we can have a date anytime you want, I just want you to feel better,” he says to me, smiling softly and kissing my forehead. Get some rest, ok? I’ll be here when you wake up.

“Leon, you don’t have to do—”

“I know, but I want to know you’re ok.”

Before I can reply, Nurse Lila is back with my medicine, and after she makes sure that I ve taken it, she hands Leon a small plastic cup, containing one purple capsule.

“Biotic blocker, take that or I’ll have to ask you to leave.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Leon complies, grinning over at me and washing it down with a small cup of water.

A few short minutes later, I can feel myself starting to drift off as he strokes my now-matted hair from my forehead.

******************************************

It’s five-thirty in the morning and after I quickly brushed my teeth, I made my way quietly back to my bed in the infirmary. I’m feeling much better today, after a long night of vomiting, tossing and turning and non-stop care from the ship’s nurse.

Leon stayed here all night, and each time I got sick, he abruptly woke up and rushed to my bedside. He got me glasses of water and brought me my fever and stomach medicine every four hours, giving Lila a chance to rest on the cot in her office.

Right now, however, he is fast asleep in the armchair opposite my bed, his uniform jacket hung over the back of the chair and his mouth slightly open.

I’ve been awake for almost an hour now, due to the thoughts buzzing around my brain that wouldn’t stop in order for me to fall back asleep.

I came to the conclusion about a half an hour ago...the one that’s been plaguing my mind since he brought me to the infirmary last night after our disaster-date.

I love him.

Not only do I love him, but I’m in love with him. Completely, irrevocably in love with Senior Cadet Leon Blake.

As if sensing my sudden decision, Leon’s eyes open slowly and he glances over at me.

“How’re you feeling?” he asks, standing abruptly and moving to my bedside.

“Much better. Thank you for bringing me here last night, Leon.”

“Of course, sweetheart,” he replies, blushing a bit at the nickname and leaning over my bed to kiss my forehead.

In that brief moment, I gather as much courage as I can muster and before he has a chance to turn away, I slide my hand to the nape of his neck and press my forehead to his.

After a moment, in which he doesn’t move an inch, I use every ounce of courage I possess and tilt my head back, gazing into his eyes.

“Stella,” he whispers, and I close the gap between us, pressing my lips to his softly, yet firmly, and kiss him.

It’s only a moment before I’m sitting up on my knees on the tiny bed, my arms linked around his neck loosely and his hands planted firmly on my waist. Our lips are still connected and for some unknown reason a tear trickles down my eye as he reluctantly pulls back a few inches, ending the moment.

He gazes right into my eyes, a bright passion burning like green flames and he once again presses his forehead to mine, holding me as if the world is ending.

**************Meanwhile*****************

Cadet Tim Jameson happened to be walking past the infirmary on his way to his first class of the day, Planet Studies, when he spotted them.

Stella Lancaster and Leon Blake, getting pretty cozy in the infirmary by the looks of it. He owed Blake a good beating and wondered briefly if he shouldn’t interrupt their little rendezvous to give it to him.

The one part of his brain that wasn’t screaming revenge kicked in and told him to just wait and bide his time until the plan unraveled.

Joe Marshall, however, would be quite pleased to hear of this new revelation concerning the General’s son and that know-it-all bitch, Lancaster. When Marshall had contacted him just a week ago, he kept his mouth shut, considering his options. But when the day came that the General stripped him of his Senior Cadet status, not to mention giving him a demerit, he knew the time was ripe to act.

Soon, the Blake s would be the ones stripped of their powers, and the Sekrids would once again rule. And if Lancaster went down with them, so be it.

He flipped open his TAPs device, found Marshall’s name in his contact list and typed in a quick text message on the tri-fold.

J.M.

new info on Blake’s spawn

I’ll be in touch

T.J.

Oh yes, soon they will all pay, he thought to himselfwith a smirk.