Chapter 10. Locked
Growing up, I've always been interested in books. My adoptive father had a library near the inn, so it came as no surprise for mom when I became a bookworm. If some parents asked their children, "Why is your nose always buried in a book?" Mom would simply say, "That's a nice story. Come back in the inn at around noon. I need you for something." She allowed me to experience a normal life through good discipline and the stories I've read.
And as with any book, sometimes the story focused on romance. Lead person meets another lead person. Their love blooms. So and so, until they died. But reading was different from experiencing. I never realized that pain from love in real life could be torturous. As I lay there staring at Tahti for what seemed like a very long time, I understood how the characters in each of the books I've read felt.
There was agony. There was ache. But the agony stemmed from missing her so much. And the ache was for wanting to touch her. I couldn't. The body I occupied wasn't mine. It was also dangerous for me to stare into her orange sunset eyes. It would imprison me, enslave me, break me, and in the end, make me run back to her. I shouldn't have come here.
I willed myself to return to my own body. With immense concentration, I tried to become electricity as I've done earlier. At first there was crackling, and then buzzing. It turned to nothing but a fizzle. I gritted my teeth and tried harder. Every time I felt the flying sensation, as if my soul would travel to where my body was, I would slam back into this shell like an elastic band pulled back forcefully.
I sat up and took a couple of deep breaths. Relax Alena. It was probably panic that locked me in this body. Now if only I could collect myself enough, I'd be out of here in no time. I squeaked when I felt a hand on my shoulder. "Is everything alright?" Tahti asked. I refused to look at her. To stare into her eyes was to fall in love, and heaven knows I was head over heels for her already.
"Of course everything is okay," I said. I put my hand over my throat. The voice that came out was very much like mine which was strange. If I was occupying a different body, I should have at least a different pitch of voice. "Who am I?" I asked.
"You are acting unlike yourself," Tahti said.
"Just answer the question."
She removed her hand from my shoulder. "You are Aleli, Alena's twin sister. But you feel different just now. I'm sensing a strange aura coming from you." I heard her take a sharp breath. "It's very much like Alena's aura," she said in wonder.
"Whatever it is that you're feeling, it's wrong. I am Aleli who you met in. . . Where did I meet you again?" If they really met me. They must have done something with their alien power to make a clone of me. I pinched my skin. Well that hurt. Wait, did clones have souls? Because clearly the Aleli person I heard in my head had one. Or maybe she was a programmable android. Oh my gosh, I think I'm already malfunctioning.
"Your heart rate is unnaturally high," Tahti said. "Alena would often panic , causing her vital signs to increase like this too."
"Are you saying that because it's true, or you've forgotten where you met me because A, I'm a clone or B, I'm an android."
"Neither," she said. "You are alien like me and the others. I've checked."
"You what?!" I whipped my head to her and scowled. "You checked this body? Who is Aleli to you again?"
Tahti blinked a couple of times. "You're my friend." Tahti glanced around us and frowned. "The rocks are floating. Are you the one doing that?" I followed her gaze and saw that along with the smaller rocks, some of the dirt and loose grass have floated in the air. It was because of my tense state. I forced myself to relax. Everything that floated came crashing down. The environment was filled momentarily with smoke of dirt.
"I didn't do it," I said as the smoke cleared. I massaged my temple and got up. The whole thing was giving me a migraine. Me being locked in this body, seeing Tahti again, learning about this Aleli person. Speaking of which. "Hey," I said to Tahti. "You didn't answer my question. Did you see Aleli, I meant me naked?"
She got on her feet. "No. You didn't bare yourself to me fully."
"Fully?!" I said. Oh my goodness. What was happening here while I was gone? I mentally counted to ten before answering. I had to calm myself enough not to start a grass fire or make the ground crack. Tahti was pissing me off. "So you're fooling with me behind Alena's back huh?" I accused while moving nearer to her. "Do you think she left you so you can take a side chick and check each other out? I can't believe that even aliens can become two timers. I'm very disappointed in you. And to think you told Alena that you're her bride."
"I am her bride," Tahti said. "And you and I are friends."
"Friends with benefits," I said angrily.
She stared at me quizzically. "Isn't friendship supposed to be beneficial?"
That was the last straw. I growled and jumped on top of her. We came crashing to the ground. "Cheater!" I said. "I thought you only love me."
She was very confused as she said, "I only love Alena."
"Same thing," I said as I wrapped my hand around her neck and squeezed. "Why aren't you defending yourself?" She was just there staring back at me calmly. It made me more mad. Aleli must have been special to her. If this was another person, Tahti wouldn't have allowed it.
"I cannot hurt you."
My grip loosened. She didn't change at all. Her soul was still beautiful. So was her pale skin, her eyes that saw everything, and her lips that belonged to me. "Mine," I whispered as I leaned to her. She moaned when I licked her lips for a taste. The sound coupled with her minty mouth sent me on edge. I've never felt this way in a long time. Lust and love kicked in. My hand move on its own accord to her chest. She froze when I played with it over her clothes. "Do you want me?" I said.
"I am very confused."
"Are you turned on? Tell me you are." My hand traveled from her chest to between her legs. I pressed my fingers over her jeans. "I want you so badly," I murmured over her ear. She was feverish against me, and I knew that my skin didn't differ from hers. I pressed my fingers harder. Tahti's eyes closed.
"I can feel the yearning for the joining," she said. That made me stop. Joining? Right now in this body? No way Jose. I leaned away and slapped her so hard that she opened her eyes.
"Let me clear this out for you. I am not Alena. If you try the joining with me or any other girl in the universe that is not Alena, she will hunt you down and kill every living species in your name. You got that?"
"You feel like Alena," she said. "Please. . . I need you."
My chest squeezed. "I'm not her. Don't be delusional. I'm Aleli remember?" I jumped to my feet. The need for joining was in me too. If she didn't say that out loud, she would have made love to me in another woman's body. That was so wrong in so many ways. "And don't you dare touch this, my body again," I threatened. "You belong with Alena. Got that?"
"I have never been more confused in my existence," she muttered.
"Well I've never been more infuriated." I stared into the distance. If this was her reaction, then it meant that she has never done anything indecent with this Aleli girl. But I needed to be sure about the role Aleli played in my life. If she wasn't a clone or android, then why did she look and sound just like me? Was it possible that I really had a twin? Only one way to find out.
I glanced at Tahti. "Let's go back to the inn. I'm hungry."
The walk back to the inn was done in silence. Tahti kept staring at me, while I was content in checking the view. I thought that I could squash all useless human emotions when I left. Turned out missing something, even a place couldn't be erased easily. I grew up here, and so I've always yearned for it. Tahti took my hand, and I yanked it away. "I told you not to touch this body," I warned. "One more and you'll get slapped again."
"Why do you think Alena left?" she asked out of the blue.
"I'm not her so I wouldn't know what she's thinking of." I tried to peer into Aleli's memory. Since I was in her body, maybe she could give me a hint. Doing so was like opening a door in my head. Some doors were locked, but one gave way for me. I saw glimpses of Aleli opening her eyes for the first time. She was in a capsule-like contraption, and Tahti was there with her. The memory vanished in a flash. It wasn't in a lab so she was definitely not an experiment.
I tried opening another door. This one gave me glimpses of Aleli talking to Tahti. I frowned. My "twin" had an obvious crush on my bride. This could be troublesome in the future. I didn't leave Tahti so she could find another bride. "You know what I think?" I said as the inn loomed in the distance. "I think Alena left you because she's doing something special. Something that will benefit both of you."
"I cannot imagine what that is," she said.
"Let me ask you this then. Are you going back to your planet in the future?" She nodded. "Okay," I said. "But you want to take Alena with you right. What if Alena is building the earth so it can be suitable enough for both of you to live here? Her alien mother must have sent her here so both of you can rule the earth. There's no other explanation for it. Why else would an alien do it?"
"But that's impossible," Tahti said. "Our species do not search for planets to conquer them. That is not our nature. I should know this. I was recently crowned the Queen of our planet, as I've told you before."
My eyes widened. "You're the queen?"
"Yes. And Alena is my bride. That means she should go back with me to our planet. We are losing time here. The longer we stay in the planet, the higher chance that the sentinel guards will come for us. I cannot stay here for long. I have responsibilities back home."
"And what of Elektra?" I asked. I saw glimpses of her in Aleli's memories. She has encountered Elektra at some point.
"Elektra is one of the head sentinel guards that went rouge to find me here. When Alena vanished as a baby, they appointed her as my bride to be. Elektra grew up knowing that she'd be my better half, but I don't love her. In my heart there is only one girl, and that is you Alena." She grasped my hand before I could move away. "I know it's you," she murmured. "I can feel your soul. You are my half, how do you expect me to ignore something that makes me complete?"
"Let go of me," I said. "I am not her."
She dropped her hand. "That's the thing about lying. You can do it to other people but never to yourself. You know the truth."
I ran before her words went through my head and poison me. The situation has become more complicated. I've never known that she was the Queen. If I did would I have done anything differently? I formed my hands into fists. No I wouldn't. She was born to rule our planet. I was sent here to rule the Earth. Maybe someday she'd choose me and this planet. If not, then we'd have to be the star-crossed lovers I've always read in books. There was no other choice.
I stopped when I was in front of the in and sucked in my breath. I haven't seen it for months. Nostalgia spread on my heart. The things we've done here before wasn't lost in me. I walked in while trying to calm my heart. Remember that you're in Aleli's body, I thought. Act like her.
The first person I encountered was Jorge. She still look stunningly beautiful with her flaming red hair and usual smirk. Unlike Tahti, she wouldn't be able to peer into my aura. For her I was Aleli. "Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked. "Pussycat got your tongue? Oh wait, sorry I forgot that you're inexperienced." I smiled widely at her. Now that was the Jorge I knew. "Okay you're creepy," she said.
"How are you?" I asked.
"We saw each other two hours ago Aleli. You're already curious?" She crossed her arms in front of her chest. "To recap those last two hours, I did my chores and my wife. Two hours well spent."
Gina covered my ears from behind me. I could tell that it was her based on her footsteps. She always walked like she wanted to skip happily. I heard her even when she was far. "Don't say that to this child," she said. Child huh? From Gina's defensive tone of voice to how Jorge looked apologetic, it seemed that they considered Aleli as someone they should raise properly. Child it was.
"How did you do the chores and your wife?" I asked to play along. This would be good.
Jorge didn't want to miss the opportunity to say something, though Gina was there to reprimand. "Let's just say that we started from the bottom, and then we're on top." I chuckled with her till Tahti pulled me to her side. I didn't even hear her arrive.
"Mother is asking you at the front desk Jorge," Tahti said. "Gina, go with her."
"Aye aye captain," Jorge said with a salute. Gina bowed respectfully to her before they left us.
I cocked my eyebrow at Tahti. "Nice way of dismissing everyone my Queen."
"Indeed." She took my hand and gripped it firmly so I couldn't let go.
"Where are we going?" I said as she steered me to the hallway. She continued dragging me until we got in front of my old room. Once inside, she moved so fast that the next time I blinked, I was laying on the bed. "No," I said as a tried to get up.
She gave me a piercing glare. It was the first glare I've seen coming from her. I halted, and she relaxed. "Stay," she said. "I will not touch you." Tahti moved on the bed and lay down beside me. She kept a safe distance from me, but the two inches or so could be easily breeched if she wished. My heart palpitated as she closed her eyes. Her lashes were so long that I wanted to touch it. "Stay like this for a while," she said. "I haven't slept a wink since you went away. I've been pretending to, but I need to rest for real this time."
My hand hovered over her face. Should I? Could I? I touched her and sighed. "Then sleep," I said. "When you wake up, I'll still be here."
A/N: If you attend the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books in L.A around April, you will see my name in the Hot Indy Author Guide they're featuring. I won't be there physically but in spirit lmao. See you there. (whispers "In spirit.")