Starstruck

Chapter 13a: Stress-energy tensor (part 1)

I glanced down at my sundae, but it was just brownish-green soup. I had no appetite now, anyway. We all stood and I tossed it into the nearest trash can without regret.

"You okay?" Rigel murmured to me as we got back into the car, just as he had earlier that day in his kitchen, right after I'd learned I was from Mars.

"Yeah. At least . . . I think so. I'm probably going to have really weird dreams tonight, though."

But then, remembering what a big part he'd been playing in my dreams lately, I lapsed into embarrassed silence. No way I wanted him to know that. Even if I thought maybe he wouldn't mind.

More and more questions kept occurring to me on the drive back. At one point, I asked, "Do all the other Earth Martians, um, Echtrans, know about me?"

But instead of answering, Rigel's dad said, "My father called during the game and said that he'll be flying in on Sunday. Why don't we wait until he gets here to go into any further explanations. He's much better equipped to answer your questions than we are."

I wanted to ask why, but something in his tone--or maybe just my own cowardice--kept me from doing so. Instead I asked another question that had only just occurred to me.

"What is my real name? Do you know?"

It was Rigel who answered me, to my surprise. "Emileia," he said with a smile that made my heart thump.

"Emileia?" I repeated, pronouncing it like he had, rhyming with Himalaya. I liked it. Way better than Marsha.

He spelled it for me. "So M works really well as a nickname," he added. We both laughed over that.

All too soon, we pulled up in front of my house. I was vividly reminded of last Friday, when the Stuarts had driven me home from the first game of the year. Was it really only a week ago? My whole world had changed irrevocably since then.

As he had last week, Rigel walked me to the door. All the way up the short walk I tried to prepare myself for a goodnight kiss, and for the disappointment if I didn't get one. After all, his parents were right there in the car--

The front door swung open just as we reached the porch, dashing any chance whatsoever.

"Do you have any idea what time it is?" Aunt Theresa demanded.

Rigel spoke up before I could, which was really brave of him. "I apologize, Mrs. Truitt. We won the game, so my parents stopped for ice cream on the way home to celebrate."

She frowned up at him--even though she was a step above us in the doorway, he was still taller than she was. "Why are you bringing her home at all?" she asked. "I thought--"

"Um, Bri and I kind of had a fight," I jumped in, before she could finish. "It would have been super awkward to ride home with her, so Rigel and his folks offered me a ride again."

My aunt looked suspiciously from me to Rigel and back, while I sent a pleading glance his way so he wouldn't contradict me. Finally she harrumphed, but to my relief, she didn't ask any more questions.

"You'd best get to bed, missy," was all she said. Then, grudgingly, to Rigel, "Please thank your parents for bringing her home."

"Yes, ma'am, I will." He gave me a quick smile of sympathy and a wink that she didn't see, and headed back to the car.

I'd have stayed on the porch to wave, but Aunt Theresa herded me into the house immediately and closed the door. I braced myself for the lecture I knew was coming. She didn't disappoint me.