CRASH!
Bella dropped her port screen and ran towards the noise.
"Dad, what are you doing?" she cried out. Her father burst through the front door, panting. "Where have you been? You said you would be back early this morning. I almost called the police."
Her father breathed deep and brushed the grey hair from his eyes. "I'm so sorry, Bella. I got caught in a storm and ended up in the wrong place."
"It's alright. I'll get you some water." Bella walked to the kitchen, wondering what he meant by 'wrong place.' As she filled up a glass, Bella yawned. She'd stayed up for hours waiting for him to come home while talking with Scarlet about her missing grandmother. She walked back to the hallway and handed him the glass.
"Oh, thanks." He downed the water and gave Bella a grateful smile. He wiped the sweat from his face. "Bella, I have to ask you something very important."
Her heart fluttered. "What is it?"
Her dad sighed and looked into Bella's eyes. "If my life was in danger, what would you do to help?"
Without hesitating, Bella said, "Anything!"
"Great, I need you to come with me right now."
"Wait, what? You just got back!" Bella looked sternly at her father. "You need to tell me what's going on."
Her father's gaze softened. "Stubborn, just like your mother." He turned to the door. "Come on, I'll tell you on the way."
She hesitated.
"Bella, come on, we're running out of time!"
Bella grabbed her port screen and sent Scarlet a quick comm.
HEY, DAD IS BACK. HE WANTS ME TO GO SOMEWHERE. SEEMS URGENT. I'LL LET YOU KNOW WHAT'S UP IN A FEW.
Against her better judgement, Bella followed her dad. The automatic lights snapped off as she pulled the door shut. As they walked down the sidewalk towards the waiting taxi hover, her father was silent.
Slightly annoyed, Bella poked his shoulder. "Alright, out with it. Where are we going?"
Her father got into the hover. "We have a bit of driving so I'll explain on the way."
Bella sighed and got in. The doors slid shut as her father swiped his wrist over the ID scanner and entered the coordinates. He looked over to Bella's worried face, his stomach twisted with guilt. "Bella," he began, "while I was on my trip I ran into some trouble."
"Trouble?"
"I had gone to find android parts when a bad storm came up early this morning. I couldn't keep going, so I stopped at a tiny hotel north of here. It was empty, but as I walked in, there was a warm meal set on the table and a bed made up in the corner. I called out, but nobody answered. So, I ate the meal and went to bed. The next morning, I was still alone, so I looked around. Behind a closed door was a beautiful vase filled with roses, and I thought of you."
Bella smiled, then looked expectantly at her father. "Go on, what happened?"
He rubbed his eyes and yawned. "I took one of the roses and put it in my bag for you. All of a sudden this large, beastly man burst through the front door. 'How dare you steal from me?' he asked, 'After all I did for you. I gave you food, a place to sleep, and this is how you repay me?' I was afraid and he looked poised to attack. So, I dropped to my knees and begged for my life. I promised that I would bring you to him as payment."
Bella's voice caught in her throat. "You sold me to a beast to save yourself?" Bella was seething. How could he?
Her father tried to meet her eyes but Bella refused to look at him. "I know you're upset, but he needs your help."
Bella glared into her lap.
"After he agreed to let me live, I promised that you would help him with his problem."
"What kind of problem?"
"I told him you were good with technology and ID chips, and he perked up. He wouldn't tell me what the problem was, so I'm guessing he'll tell us when we get there."
Bella looked out the window, signaling the end of the conversation. Picking up her port, she commed Scarlet.
HEY. TURNS OUT DAD SOLD ME TO SOME CRAZY BEAST-MAN TO SAVE HIS LIFE.
Scarlet replied almost immediately.
OH MY. I THOUGHT MY DAD WAS BAD. SHOULD I CALL THE POLICE? I'M ALREADY GOING THERE TO TALK TO THEM ABOUT MY GRANDMA.
Bella thought about this for a second.
NO, I'LL FIGURE THIS ONE OUT ON MY OWN. LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU FIND OUT.
Soon after, they pulled into a parking lot. A silhouette of a large man stood in the hotel's doorway. Bella's gut wrenched with anxiety. The hover doors slid open and Bella begrudgingly got out. Her father pushed her forward.
"Here she is. I guarantee she will help you with your problem."
The beast-man looked over Bella, nodding his head. "You will leave us now."
Bella's father gave her a quick hug. "I love you." He turned and got into the hover. As it sped away, Bella realized that she'll probably never see her father or Scarlet again. She was stuck here. The beast-man pushed her inside, then locked the door.
She looked up, getting a good view of him. He was almost seven feet tall, with messy brown hair from head to toe. He was covered in scars, big and small. His blue eyes were surprisingly deep and bright, as if they could look right through her.
"What makes you think I trust you?"
The beast-man sighed. "You can't, considering I'm a Lunar."
Bella gasped and backed into the wall. "What….How….?"
"I know what you're thinking. Lunars are evil," he said, his voice full of sadness.
"You're right, that's what I'm thinking! You mind-controlling freaks belong on the moon with your crazy queen!"
Hate raged across his face. "I'm not controlling you," he burst out, "and believe it or not, I hate Levana more than anyone! That's why I need you here."
What? A Lunar who hated Levana? Well, that was new. Bella's thoughts were a jumbled mess as she studied the beast-man. "How do I know you aren't controlling me right now?"
He looked into Bella's hazel eyes. "A beautiful girl like you should never be manipulated. I can see that right now you are angry, but your father said you have a kind heart. Please, I am begging for your help."
Bella blushed and looked at him. He looked genuinely upset. She might as well help him, it was clear that she wasn't going anywhere. "Alright, I'll help you," she sighed. "This doesn't mean I trust you, so don't try anything!"
He nodded. "Of course. Oh, and my name is Kalisto, by the way." He held out his hand. Bella slowly got up and shook his deformed hand, still slightly suspicious of him.
"What's this problem you want me to fix?" Bella folded her arms.
"All in due time, Bella. First, would you like something to eat?"
Her stomach growled. "I guess that's a yes," she said. "What do you have?"
They walked to the small kitchen. Kalisto opened a cabinet and pulled out cookies then grabbed some milk. "Will these do?"
Bella smiled. "Yes, I love cookies."
After they ate, Kalisto lead Bella to her room. "It isn't much, but I hope it will do." He left her to get some rest. Bella flopped on the bed and fell almost instantly asleep.
The next morning, Bella woke up to the smell of frying bacon. She got out of bed and ran her fingers through her wavy, brown hair and retied it with her blue ribbon. As they ate, Bella found herself becoming more comfortable around him. Not exactly friends, but now at least she wasn't completely afraid of him.
As time passed, they grew closer and friendlier with each other. Soon, Bella no longer focused on Kalisto's horrible outside, but instead, she began to appreciate how funny and caring he was. Eventually, Bella remembered something. "Hey, didn't you have a problem for me to fix?"
"Yes, well...come with me." They walked into the living room and sat down.
"When your dad mentioned that you were good with technology, I thought maybe you could help." He looked hopefully at Bella. "I have this chip that affects my glamour. Levana put it there." He looked down, uncomfortably.
"Why?"
"It's a sort of lock for my glamour. I didn't always look like this. Levana was testing her options. She wanted soldiers that would break Earthens' spirits, forcing them to submit. I was one of her first subjects. This chip creates a horrible, scary exterior that never goes away. Everybody sees it. This isn't who I am. I don't fit in anywhere. I have no control over what this chip displays. If you can disable this, I can finally live a normal life."
Bella rubbed her head. "How could I fix this? I programmed chips for my dad, but they were just for his androids. I might mess you up forever."
Kalisto paced across the tiled floor. "You have to try. I would rather die than live like this any longer."
Bella could see the pain in his eyes. "Alright. First, let me see this chip."
Kalisto turned around. "It's on my neck, under the tattoo."
She walked over and looked at his neck. The tattoo was in the shape of a delicate red rose. "Wow," she breathed, her voice full of admiration. "It's beautiful!"
"Thanks," he responded. "I had it put there to remind me to stay focused. That's why I got so upset at your father when he took one of my real roses. They're reminders of what I want to be."
Bella picked up her port. "Ok, I'll try to scan your chip. Although I'm not sure I can, considering it's Lunar. I should be able to pick apart the data and hopefully disable it."
"And if you can't?"
She thought about this. "We'd have to cut it out, which could be risky since it's tied to your nervous system."
Kalisto leaned his head forward as Bella scanned the chip.
BEEEEP
"Wow, I'm surprised it actually worked!" Bella looked over the codes, her happiness deflating. "Uh oh…"
"Uh, oh?" Kalisto repeated, panicked.
Bella looked at her port screen. "This'll take forever to crack…if I can crack it. I'll start now and see what I come up with." She started typing.
That evening, Bella hadn't gotten past a single code." Uuuuhhgg, this is useless! I can't crack it."
"Cut it out." Kalisto said firmly.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Bella looked uncertain.
"Don't worry, I trust you."
The next day, she began her surgery. She was almost done when her scalpel nicked one of the wires. Kalisto jerked, then dropped in his chair.
"Kalisto?" He didn't respond. Bella shook him, tears welling in her eyes. "Please don't die! Wake up!" She trembled, suddenly realizing how much she cared about him. As she looked down, a lone tear slipped down Bella's cheek. It landed directly on the exposed chip, causing it to spark. Kalisto gasped as his eyes popped open, his beastly glamour fading away.
"Oh stars, Kalisto, you're alive! Your glamour is gone!" He was still very tall, and his eyes were just as blue, but the rest of him changed. His brown hair was neat and tidy, his scarred skin completely clear. It was like seeing another person.
"Bella, thank you so much!" Kalisto pulled her into a bear hug, both of them laughing and crying at the same time.
That evening, as they recalled the day's events, Kalisto said hesitantly, "Since you fixed my problem, you can go back to your father anytime."
Bella smiled and leaned into him. "I think I'm right where I belong."