Rachel grew up reading. Her family didn’t own a television until she was twelve years-old. Instead, they read their way through the library. She didn’t discover the science fiction section until her teen years. It was fascination at first sight. Emboldened by a love of Star Trek and Star Wars, she dove into the midst, devouring everything that grabbed her fancy.
Foreboding (C) 2011 by Rachel Rossano
Foreboding
By Rachel Rossano
I spent all day performing the motions of monotony with a
premonition of something being amiss. The usual Friday tasks—laundry, errands,
Emmie’s litheharp group, and then home for dinner—passed uneventfully.
Yet, I
couldn’t dispel the annoyance.
In the house all appeared familiar. Pristine kitchen and
elegant dining room microdusted and ready for the evening meal, a version of
archaic shepherd’s pie. I brought the recipe with me from Earth and Ruhan had
taken a liking to it. I prepared it by hand once a month. The autochef never
managed to produce a pie to please my eye or palette.
This evening’s pie smelled heavenly but tasted off. I sorted
through the meat and potatoes on my plate.
“You are on edge.” Ruhan’s bass voice pried past my
preoccupation.
The concern in my mate’s eyes scattered all hope of keeping
my worry from him. But, how to express it?
“You aren’t eating,” He nodded to the strip of cold lamb
dangling from my fork.
Emmie looked up from her vegetables. “Eat, Mommy, it’s good
for you.”
I smiled at my three-year-old as I inserted the meat into my
mouth. My stomach turned, but I made a production of chewing.
“Good job, Mommy.” Emmie stabbed at her meal with fisted
fork.
What’s bothering you,
Myah? Ruhan’s words pressed through the jumble of my thoughts. His
communication usually drew me in, made me eager to reach out and touch him as
only I could. This time my unease soured the joy of our uniqueness.
I don’t know. I just
have an odd feeling, like being watched.
Ruhan stiffened. The warm entreaty in his eyes cooled. Did someone follow you?
Abandoning his dinner, he rose to stride to the interface
panel set in the dining room wall. He palmed his communication patch, a diamond
shaped panel on his uniform’s front.
“Eminence?” a bodiless voice queried.
Did anyone follow you?
Ruhan pinned me with worried eyes.
“You are frightening Emmie.”
Our little girl, suddenly wary, glanced from Ruhan’s face to
mine. She held her fork and impaled beans suspended above her plate.
“Answer my question.” Ruhan’s brown eyes darkened to almost
black. “This is vital, Myah.”
“Eminence? Do you require assistance?”
No.
Ruhan grimaced before turning away to touch the screen
designed to translate his towa. “Evacuate and flood the outer dome immediately,”
he ordered the guard on the other end. “Notify me of the intruders you
discover.”
“But Eminence, that requires…”
“I sent authorizations.” He terminated the connection, reaching
again for his patch. “Ramend?”
My brother-in-law’s voice replied. “Awake. What?”
“That fear we discussed yesterday? It is happening now.”
What fear? I
demanded.
Ruhan lifted a finger to stall me as Ramend’s voice yelled
orders to someone off comm.
Emmie pressed against my side. I hadn’t seen her move, but
she was there. Fear stiffened her narrow shoulders. I pulled her into my lap,
burying my face in her thick curls and wrapping her to me in an embrace of
comfort. Her heart fluttered franticly beneath my palm. My chest ached.
Ramend spoke. “Coming.”
Ruhan palmed the patch to cut the connection as a chime
announced the nanny’s arrival.
Let Emmie go,
Ruhan instructed. The nanny held out her arms toward her.
A six-four woman resembling the Amazons of myth, Joce was
equal parts nurturer and defender. She would protect Emmie with her life and
manage better than I could at my measly five-six.
Why? I demanded,
anger eroding my fear now. What’s the
danger? Why didn’t you bother to tell me?
Let her go. She will
be safer.
I kissed Emmie and assured her I loved her. I released her
to Joce’s capable care with the usual twinge of regret at being parted from
her. A fresh fear twisted my heart. The door panel slid closed behind them.
“Now what’s so blasted dangerous to merit evacuation and gas
flooding of the outer dome?”
“Earthwarders.”
Intent on giving Ruhan a set down for frightening our child
with his theatrics, I was silenced by the anger on his face. His eyes focused
over my head at the far doorway.
“What is your problem?” I spun to see what he was glaring at
and the end of a trank pistol complete with silencer answered my question. My
sister Kasy grinned at me over it.
“Ah, Myah, I have waited my whole life to render you
speechless. Keep it that way and I might let you live.”
My sister’s mouth twisted into a grimace as she tweaked my
nose with the muzzle of her gun.
Myah, I…
Something was wrong. Ruhan’s words were getting lost in my
head. I turned to check on my mate, but Kasy caught my arm.
“Turn that pretty head, Myah, and I will plug you where it
will ache months after you wake.” She glanced over my shoulder at her partner.
“Restrain the fatch, Klye, they only want her.”
…will…
I mentally reached for Ruhan’s next word, but it was like
water through my fingers tangible, yet uncontainable.
“Secure,” Klye announced.
“Move it.” Kasy wrenched my elbow as she tugged me toward
the door. I used the opportunity to glance back.
Ruhan sprawled unconscious on the floor.
I love you. I knew he couldn’t hear me.
“I warned you, Myah.”
Kasy jammed the muzzled into my shoulder. Thwack. The force of projectile’s impact
jerked my whole torso. Pain drove through me like a stake instead of a drug
pellet. Ice radiated out from insertion, swiftly overreaching the pain and
clawing its way up my neck. I fought drug-induced panic.
Driving my elbow into Kasy’s ribs, I pulled free for a
moment, but she just laughed.
“Consider this a wedding present from Klye and me, dear
sister.”
Ice raked my brain.
Black pain rose from the floor and swallowed me whole.
This changes things. I had assumed that Myah was captured by anonymous earthwarders who were only interested in Ruhan and Myah's mental connection. Her sister? When do we get a sequel? Or a prequel? Anything!
ReplyDeleteThe first prequel is in the works. I have the rough draft written, but it needs some editing before it gets to the beta readers and then the publisher.
ReplyDeleteIt will come. I have at least two more short story ideas to develop and write before the series is complete. Though, at the rate story ideas are popping up in this world, I might have many more to write before I finish.
Thank you so much for your support. :)