Starcrossed

Chapter 2b: Emileia (part 2)

CHAPTER 2 (part 2)

Emileia (em-i-LAY-ah): current Banfriansa (Princess); sole heir to the Nuathan monarchy

"How was laundry duty?" Rigel asked on the way to our first class the next morning.

I wrinkled my nose. "Don't remind me. Four loads—and my aunt still got pissed because I put jeans and towels in together. How was your evening with Allister?"

He shrugged. "He's a pain, but Grandfather gets in tomorrow night. That usually helps a little."

Shim, Rigel's grandfather, seemed to be the only person Allister Adair ever deferred to, even though Shim wasn't a Royal like Allister. Maybe because Shim was the oldest Martian on Earth. Shim intimidated the heck out of me, too, but I liked him a lot and trusted him completely. The fact that he'd saved my life last month had something to do with that, along with him running interference with Allister.

A minute later I took my seat in Geometry next to Debbi Andrews.

"Hey, did you hear there's a new transfer?" she asked.

Petite and blonde, Deb was my second-best friend after Brianna Morrison, though lately it seemed like the two of them were closer to each other than to me. Not that I could blame them, between the time I spent with Rigel and all the secrets I couldn't tell them.

"Really? Two in one semester must be a record," I said, grinning over at Rigel, who'd been the new kid at the start of the school year. "Boy or girl?"

"Boy," Deb said. "I haven't seen him yet. I think he's a junior or senior. Natalie said—"

The teacher cleared his throat then and Deb had to shut up. I was sure I'd hear more later, from Bri if not from Deb. New students were a huge deal at our little rural school.

Sure enough, the new guy was the first thing Bri talked about when we met up with her in the lunchroom a couple hours later.

"Hey, Rigel, looks like you're off the hook for the basketball team." Bri had been pestering Rigel for days to try out, egged on by her father, who was on the coaching staff. "This new guy, Sean, is just what our sucky team needs, according to my dad."

"Sean?" Deb asked eagerly. "So that's his name?"

I glanced at Rigel, who looked more relieved than curious. I, meanwhile, was having a mild deja vu moment, remembering when Bri had been all excited about the wonderful new quarterback we were getting—Rigel.

"Yeah, Sean O'Gara," Bri told Deb.

"So, is it true he's from Ireland? That's what Natalie told me this morning."

Bri nodded, her long, dark curls bouncing. "That's what Dad said, too. I didn't even know they played basketball in Ireland! But apparently it's huge there."

"Ireland? Really?" I said, remembering something Rigel had told me a while back. I glanced at him again and saw he looked a little more interested.

"Yeah, he and his family just moved here last— Ooh, that must be him!" Bri broke off to point.

Of course, we all looked. The new guy was definitely tall enough to play basketball, maybe three or four inches taller than Rigel. He was fair bordering on pale, with bright, copper-colored hair. Very good looking, though of course he couldn't compete with Rigel in that department. Who could?

"Let's go say hi," Bri suggested, already heading his way. "You know, welcome him to Jewel."

It looked to me like plenty of people—mainly girls—were already doing just that. Again I was reminded of Rigel's first day, especially when I saw Trina Squires—cheerleader, flirt and bitch extraordinaire—saunter up to to the newcomer. Rigel and I followed Bri and Deb, since it seemed the nice thing to do. We were maybe halfway across the lunchroom when both of us stopped cold, then stared at each other.

"Do you—?" Rigel asked.

I nodded. "I feel it, too." It was the brath—the weird, almost electric vibe Martians picked up when other Martians were nearby. Like what I'd felt from those two tourist women yesterday.

Sean O'Gara was one of us.

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