I opened my eyes and sat up in bed. It was still dark out. I could hear the sounds of the city outside my window. I went to the window and looked outside at the street. The streetlamps cast shadowy apparitions against the brownstones. I looked at the clock on my bedside table. It was 4 AM. There was no way I could get back to sleep, so I put on some shorts and a t shirt and laced up my running shoes. If I couldn't sleep then I might as well get some exercise.
I left my apartment and jogged down the street. I wanted to clear my head and think about the message that Mary had told me. All this conflicting information. All these messages. First, I get some info about competing in this crazy intergalactic Reality Show where aliens fight to the death and then I get told that one of us won't make it. This was something that David and Colonel Nash should know right away, but I was on 72 hour leave so I intended to enjoy my time away from Blackstone.
My brownstone was in BrooklyHeights, so I ran down towards the promenade. I looked across the East River at the skyscrapers of Manhattan and thought about how far I had come. Last year, I was a junior in BenjaminHarrisonHigh School. Today, I was a Blackstone Ranger charged with protecting the Earth. At least, the city was safer. The notorious Z Gangs that had terrorized the city had been brought under control so at least people could go out at night and not have to worry about getting eaten alive. Central Park was still off limits at night though and so was ProspectPark, but the city was slowly returning to normal. The Quantum Balance of Fear and Unrest would always be higher than normal in New York City, but at least now it was coming back to manageable levels. I smiled. I loved this city the way Thomas loved London, and I would do anything to protect New York. That's why I asked to be assigned to here.
The buzzing of my razor phone caught my attention. Annoyed at having my reverie interrupted I answered it.
"Yeah."
A soft cultured voice said, "Please hold for Prince Val Tarran."
There was click and then I heard the voice of Eric Val Tarran, true heir to the throne of Orion, on the other end.
"Hello, Eliza how are you?"
"Not bad. Your highness, you do know it's four o'clock in the morning, right?"
"It is? Oh, I'm sorry. I do apologize. I'm still used to the 28 hour day of Orion. And with these time zone changes, it can be hard to keep up."
"That's all right. I couldn't sleep anyway. What can I do for you, your highness?" I said.
"You see. I never got a chance to thank you for saving my life six months ago. On Orion, it's a serious breach of etiquette for me not to thank you." The Prince said.
"Just doing my job, your highness."
"Of course. Well, I guess I wanted to ask you to dinner. Would that be acceptable?"
"Dinner. Yeah, sure I guess. I'm off for the next 3 days, so why not. Where did you have in mind?"
"Well, where would you like to go?" The Prince asked.
I blinked. Where would I like to go. Well, it sure wasn't to some fancy restaurant where I would have to dress up and eat snails or whatever the haute cuisine the Prince was used to eating.
"How about some pizza? There's a great place here in Brooklyn," I said.
"Pizza. How delightful. Yes, of course. What time shall I pick you up?"
"Six is fine. You know where I live don't you?"
"I can easily find out. I'll see you tomorrow at six."
"You got it," I said and ended the call. I slipped my razor phone back into my pocket and jogged back down the promenade. Dinner with Prince Val Tarran. I wasn't sure how to think about this. Yes, the Prince was stunningly beautiful and rich. All the girls in my high school would kill to go out on a date with him, but I was indifferent. Maybe, a dinner with an Orion Prince would be just the thing I needed to take my mind off all these messages of impending doom.
I spent the rest of the day relaxing and checking out my wardrobe. It wasn't a pretty sight. I had a closet full of jeans and t-shirts. I could always use my razor phone to project some slinky high fashion item onto my body, but I knew that Prince Val Tarran would pick up on it. That wasn't my style anyway to go around fooling people. I spent the last six months pretending to be something I wasn't. Now, I just wanted to go as me and if the Prince didn't like it then he could go to hell or whatever hot place of eternal damnation the Orion's had in their belief system.
Six o'clock came far too soon. I finally decided on jeans and a simple blouse with just a little bit of makeup. I was just adjusting my lipstick when I heard the doorbell ring. I ran downstairs and opened the door to find Prince Eric Val Tarran standing there.
Damn, he looked gorgeous. His beautiful blue eyes shone with intelligence and his long silky blonde hair was tied up in a pony tail. He was dressed casually wearing jeans and a black t shirt that showed off his sculpted chest and toned arms. He smiled when he saw me showing off perfect white teeth that would make a Hollywood movie star envious.
My heart fluttered and I had to catch my breath. I remembered my training with Mary. A Keeper of the Wend must be in control of their emotions at all times.
"Hello, Ms. Grant. It's so good to see you again," the Prince said in a smooth and confident manner.
"Your Highness. Did you have any trouble finding the place?" I said then cursed myself for sounding stupid.
"It was no trouble at all, and please call me Eric. Shall we go?" the Prince said and pointed to a sleek black limo that idled by the curb.
The Prince took my hand and led me down the stairs. He walked ahead to the limo and opened the door for me, and I stepped inside. I've always wanted to ride in a limousine. The soft leather seats were beyond comfortable. They seemed to cradle my body with their touch. Prince Val Tarran slipped in beside me.
"So where do you want to go?" he asked.
"Well, Grimaldi's has the best pizza in Brooklyn. It's only a few miles away on the waterfront." I said.
"Grimaldi's it is. Stephen, did you hear that?" Prince Val Tarran said to his uniformed driver.
"Absolutely, your highness," the driver said and put the limo into gear. We glided forward. It felt like we were riding on air. The engine barely made a sound.
"I've made some modifications to the original design. Internal Combustion engines are so primitive and loud," Prince Val Tarran said.
After traveling in beam ships for the last six months, I had to agree. It had gotten so even riding in a yellow cab was obnoxious.
A short limo ride later we arrived at Grimaldi's. The restaurant was decorated simply: tables with red and white checkered table cloths and paintings of Italy on the wall. I saw a wall full of head shots of famous celebrities that had eaten here. It was still early so there were barely any customers. Prince Val Tarran showed me to a table and held out my chair for me. I nodded my appreciation and sat down. The Prince sat down across from me.
A cute looking waiter who was probably an actor stepped up to the table.
"Can I start you off with something to drink?" he asked.
Prince Val Tarran studied the menu carefully, "Yes, what wines do you recommend?"
Before the waiter could answer, I held up my hand. "Are you kidding, wine? Come on Eric this isn't some fancy place. Can't we just have coke?"
Prince Val Tarran raised his eyebrow, "Coke. Oh yes, a sweet carbonated beverage. Very well, then. Two cokes."
The waiter went off to get our drinks and I stared into the Prince's eyes. He smiled back at me.
"I've never had coke, before. What's it like?"
"It's sweet and the bubbles tickle your throat. You'll like it."
"Oh, so it's like champagne."
"Yeah, in a way I guess you could call it American Champagne," I said with a little smirk.
Prince Val Tarran frowned, "I don't understand. Champagne is only produced in France. Oh, I see you're making a joke. You must forgive me. I'm still trying to come to terms with the American sense of humor."
"It's all right. You're doing fine," I said.
The waiter came back with our drinks. Prince Val Tarran took a small sip.
"Very interesting. We have a very similar drink on Orion. It's only allowed to be drunk by royalty."
"Really? Here everybody drinks it. All over the world."
"How fascinating."
We spent the next hour talking about our lives. Prince Val Tarran was an excellent conversationalist. He listened more than he talked, but when he did speak it was full of the most fascinating tales about life in the Orion Empire. I could tell he missed his home world dearly. I told him all about my training at Blackstone and my life with Uncle Paul. When the pizza came, I had a great laugh watching Prince Val Tarran use a knife and fork to eat a slice. I had to show him how to eat pizza.
Finally dinner was done and the Prince took me home. We pulled up to my brownstone and sat for a moment. The Prince turned and looked at me.
"Thank you for a lovely evening. We must do this again sometime," he said.
"Yeah, it was fun." I said really quickly and put my hand on the door to get out.
The Prince leaned over and kissed me gently on the lips. We held the kiss for what felt like an eternity. I put my hands up and cradled his beautiful soft face and ran my fingers though his long hair.
And that's when the cold chill of the Wend ran though my body. I knew what that meant. Danger.
I opened my eyes just in time to see Stephen the Driver reach into his jacket and pull out a long sleek pistol with a silencer on it. The driver aimed the pistol at Prince Val Tarran, his finger poised on the trigger.
To Be Continued
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