The Archaeological Chronicles - The New World

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Mari

I stop the car with a rough halt. Intentionally. Kai’ine give me a death glare as he hurriedly gets out of the car.

I laugh silently to myself, before exciting the car too. I parked in front of the apartment building I was staying at during this field season.

I unlock the doors, him following me closely. Too close. I put my entire arm’s length between us.

‘’This close. Not closer,’’ I mutter before walking up three flights of stairs.

He complies, always keeping that exact distance. I unlock the apartment door and hold it open for him to enter first.

I can’t believe I’m letting him inside of this apartment willingly.

He walks in with confidence, as always. The jewels on his body making these tiny clinking noises.

Like glass fragments in the wind. I enter after him, closing the door and locking it – out of habit – before I remove my shoes and caps. Sighing tiredly.

As I look up, I freeze momentarily before I leap into Zuuri’s arms.

How did he get here?

He laughs loudly as he lifts me up. Zuki gives me a pat on the head as she passes us by, heading for the kitchen.

How did they get here?

‘’Why are you here?’’ I ask as I probably squeeze the life out of him as I cling to his neck.

He sets me back down on the ground. Looking at me. His eyes linger on my tattooed arms for a while, before scanning the rest of my body.

‘’Healthy and well,’’ he states happily.

Kai’ine is standing right behind us, still keeping the same distance as I told him to.

Zuki plops down on the couch, donut in her hand.

I knew they consumed regular food as well, but I never took her for a junk-food lover.

‘’Why are you here?’’ I repeat.

Kai’ine reaches for my hand, but I flinch away before he manages to touch me.

Glaring at him.

The phone in my pocket goes off. They all concentrate their eyes on the vibration in my pocket.

According to my Apple watch, it’s Gudrun.

We were supposed to eat dinner together today, virtually.

I pull out the phone and slide across the screen. Before the three aliens can even react, Gudrun is staring straight at them.

They all freeze.

’’Hi! Are you- wait. Are they here? Are you ok? Don’t answer that, I’ll hop on a plane immediately,’’ she rushes out.

‘’I can see the fucker in the background – just nod once if you’re okay! I’ll be over in a few hours,’’ she rants as she hangs up even before I can manage to say anything.

I shrug and put the phone back in my pocket. Truthfully, I would really like her here with me right now.

I don’t think my tough façade will keep up for much longer.

‘’Are you going to explain that?’’ Kai’ine asks.

‘’Not until you tell me why you’re here,’’ I snap back.

Zuuri steps between us, cutting whatever Kai’ine was about to say, off.

‘’Alright you two. Let’s not bite each other’s heads off just yet,’’ he states with his hands slightly raised.

‘’We are here because my brother has something to say,’’ Zuuri says as he glares at his brother.

‘’So there’s no danger?’’ I ask.

‘’Danger? What-‘’ he cuts himself off. Sighing loudly. ’’No, of course there isn’t any danger. My idiot brother just does not like to admit his wrongdoings,’’ Zuuri sneers at his older brother.

‘’We’ve been talking about this for nearly five hundred years, brother!’’ Zuki sighs. ‘’I just spent three days on a ship. I want to explore,’’ she whines.

I shift my gaze from Zuuri to Kai’ine. Questioning.

He look conflicted. Never straying his eyes from mine. Like always.

‘’Well? What is it?’’ I ask impatiently.

We stare at each other for what seemed like an eternity. His fingers twitching.

‘’I apologize,’’ he says slowly.

As if the words physically hurt him. He’s said sorry before so I’m not sure what he’s aiming for right now.

Zuuri has a look of triumph on his face.

‘’For what?’’.

He blinks once, slowly. Like always does.

’’For everything. I was irrational from the start. My intentions were never to hurt you. I never should have taken you to Ter’ais, even though a small part of me wish that you enjoyed seeing some of it. Things should’ve never fallen out of control,’’ he says.

I’m not sure how to react to it. Only hours ago, he promised to never apologize for saving my life. Now it seems that he’s admitting that it was his fault that it ever happened.

‘’I knew what your trigger points were. When the news of the virus came out, I should have known it wasn’t a coincidence. I should never have let you run. It was exactly what they wanted. They didn’t know I was able to save you – but that also came at a cost. I told you I will not apologize for saving your life, and I will not, but I apologize for everything that led to it,’’.

To be honest, I don’t know how to feel about that. How am I to feel about it? It’s not like it makes any difference.

His apologies won’t erase all the trauma. The fear. The pain. He wasn’t the one getting violated. He got exactly as he wanted. The only hindrance in his way is that I got angry and fled.

I don’t want to be his breeder. I don’t want to be under mindless control, without no say in anything.

That life just wasn’t for me.

He can find someone else who is happy to do it. It’s been three years for me. Nearly five hundred for him. Did he wait this long to say sorry because he wanted to ‘give me space’, or because he refused to admit his wrongdoings? Even worse; waiting for me to come running back to him.

I stand in silence for a long time. None of them makes any sound. Never breaking eye contact with the monster in my nightmares. Twirling the ring he gave me around my finger nervously.

A habit I’ve collected over the years.

‘’Okay,’’ I shrug.

Zuuri turns to me expectantly. Hope in his eyes.

‘’You can go back to Ter’ais now,’’ I state as I walk away from all of them. Heading to the bedroom and slamming the door shut.

If they were expecting me to jump into his arms and cry out of happiness, they were gravely mistaken.

I was happy to see the twins, but it still reminded me of a time in my life where I struggled a lot.

None of them bothers me. I’m pretty sure they didn’t leave the apartment, but I don’t care.

I head into the shower – alone – and wash the day off of my body. After the shower I lay in bed, gazing up at the ceiling.

***

I am rudely awoken by the bang of a door. I jolt up in bed, tying a robe around my naked body as I rush out to see what the commotion is all about.

‘’You!’’ I hear a screech. ‘’You fucking disgusting –‘’.

I run around the corner to find Gudrun all up in Kai’ine’s face. Snarling. She was so short compared to him, and yet she was ready to fight him with tooth and claw.

Even though his face is completely expressionless, I see absolute confusion in his eyes. He doesn’t know what’s going on.

Zuki is snarling in the background, like a cat and Zuuri looks agitated.

‘’I’m going to sterilize you, you giant Smurf!’’ she screams. ’’How dare you hurt her like that?’’ she yells.

‘’And now you’re suddenly back? Hm? Back to do what? You better leave her alone!’’ she continues.

‘’Gudrun,’’ I call with a soft smile on my face.

She turns to face me, scanning my body up and down.

‘’He hasn’t touched you, has he?’’

I shake my head no.

‘’Good,’’ she sneers as she gives him a death glare.

She walk over to me and hugs me tightly. I hug her back, grateful that she came all the way down south to protect me. I murmur a soft thank you into her shoulder.

‘’Why does she look familiar?’’ Zuuri whispers to Kai’ine.

He studies her too.

‘’I know I have seen her before. I just cannot place it,’’ he answers.

‘’Why haven't you left?’’ I snap at him, interrupting their conversation.

His eyes flicker to mine.

‘’Mai’yri,’’ he calls softly.

Gudrun releases her hold on me. ‘’Thank you Zuuri and Zuki for getting her back home,’’ she says politely.

They both nod their head in acknowledgement. Speechless.

‘’But you,’’ she sneers as she looks at Kai’ine. ‘’You can fuck off!’’.

He looks conflicted. His eyes never leaving mine. A pang of desperation hits me. Not my feelings. It’s been so long since I felt his emotions it threw me off guard.

His fingers still twitching.

He calls for his siblings. Saying something in their mother tongue. Never leaving my eyes. Zuuri looks hesitant, but agrees to whatever it is, nonetheless.

‘’Hello Ma’ari’s friend,’’ Zuuri says with a smile. ‘’How about we head out and check the city out?’’ he suggests.

‘’Are you dumb? I’m not leaving her,’’ she says angrily.

‘’They will be fine,’’ Zuki brushes her off easily.

Gudrun looks at me skeptically. I don’t know what they are planning and I’m not sure if I want to find out, either.

They all wait for my reply as I have yet another internal battle with myself.

‘’I’ll be fine,’’ I murmur to her. ‘’I’ll call you if there’s anything. I promise,’’ I say, not even sure if I made the right decision.

She grumbles disapprovingly, before walking towards the door with the twins. She shoots Kai’ine a dangerous look before she slams the door shut.

My gaze slides back to Kai’ine’s. Uncertain. A little scared.

‘’It seems that we don’t see eye to eye in this matter. You, clearly, experienced things different from what I did,’’ he says. Standing completely still.

‘’There is a way for us to experience what the other felt during that time. I think it will be beneficial for us both,’’ he suggests. ‘’It involves the touching of foreheads, but nothing more,’’ he adds reassuringly.

I look at him skeptically. Not knowing if I even want to feel his side of it.

‘’Fine,’’ I mutter.

He clasps his hand together, nodding approvingly.

‘’Good,’’ he states as he sits down on the deep green couch.

He motions for me to come closer. I take hesitant steps towards him, until I’m standing between his legs.

Involuntarily, I start shivering. He grasps my arms lightly, knowing that I didn’t want to be touched, but the need to comfort me overruled my wishes.

The worst part is that it helped. Even my body is betraying me.

‘’Are you ready?’’ he asks, his big blue and yellow eyes boring into mine. Expectantly.

I nod once. Too afraid that my voice would betray me too. Our foreheads touch and it’s as if I’m being pulled through his brain, before halting.

I don’t want to hurt her. I don’t want her scared. So stubborn. She needs to listen to me!

Millions of his thoughts slam through me. Making me feel dizzy. If it wasn’t for Kai’ine steadying me, my knees would have buckled.

Beautiful blue eyes. I want her happy. Could she be happy? As they shoot through me, it feels like I’m seeing the world from his eyes. Seeing myself. Doesn’t like white. Likes sleep. Chocolate. Books. Doesn’t like the mou. Strangers.

Glimpses of his memories as he looks down at me. Sleeping, running, reading. Always watching.

Such intelligent creature. Never let her go. Make her happy. She calls for me in her sleep. Reaching.

Dizziness washes over me once again, making me feel nauseous.

Dying. Can’t let her die. She will hate me. I have to. Can’t let her die. My yda.

The immense pain he felt as he saved my life ripped through my soul. The guilt. The pleasure. The agony. It felt almost like the agony I felt. The same feeling of shame and guilt.

Can’t let her go! She can’t leave me! I have to let her go.

Those were the last thoughts of his that ran through my head before the dizziness took over and I collapsed into his warm embrace.