I don't own anything related to Star Trek. This chapter has lots of girl talk.
Soft. The dirt underneath her naked feet was so soft that her body was having a strange reaction to it. Squatting, she dipped her hand into the substance and looked to Joanna with wide eyes. What was this strange material that made her feel as if she would sink into the body of the earth? Several bumps stood on her arm as the crystals slipped through her fingers back to the ground. Joanna stood several feet away from her smiling and clutching her towel against her chest. They most definitely were not going to sit in that area. Aziza clapped happily and ran ahead. Removing her shirt, she ran her fingers through her with a large grin. She wore a magenta colored two piece bathing suit. A loud sigh escaped her as she deposited herself onto the dirt Joanna called sand. Although Hazina argued against this for the mere fact that sand on Vulcan was much softer and red, she realized, after looking through a search engine on her communicator that Joanna was correct. She picked up another handful as she sat on the large towel. Fascinating.
"You don't have sand on Vulcan?" Aziza pushed on a pair of large sunglasses. She lay back on her elbows and stared out into the blue water.
"Yes, but it is much lighter and redder." She wiped her hands and lifted her shirt over her head. Unlike Joanna, who was dressed in a pastel blue color bikini, Hazina wore a simple yellow one piece. She wrapped her arms around her chest, which was no where near being revealed.
Aziza pulled her arms away and frowned. "We are here to enjoy ourselves. Relax, Hazina."
She eased back until her pose was identical to Aziza's. Her pulse quickened when a tall man with bleached hair stopped stared at the three of them. Joanna smiled; she turned her head; Aziza waved her hand as if dismissing him. He muttered a Terran curse word as he continued his jog. Aziza had broken up with Frederick a week after the SS Charles situation. She told him that life was too short for her to settle for a guy that wanted nothing but her body. Hazina asked her friend about Lieutenant Commander Davies. Aziza explained that the man simply refused to stop sleeping with her; he always accused her of cheating and plagiarism behind closed doors. Aziza insisted she did not have as much support and proof as Hazina did. Trying to contest that man would have proven to be an utter failure on her part; she had to have sex with him. Even so, he had finally moved on when she began crying during class. He had not accosted her in nearly a week.
"If you were having sex, I do not understand why you did not get on contraceptives." Hazina looked at her friend. Although she felt the time inappropriate for the conversation, she realized that they were sitting in a nearly deserted area of the beach. She covered her eyes with her hand and looked at Aziza.
"I forgot. Dealing with the stress of being harassed by Davies and trying to pass those two core classes I needed, getting my contraceptive shot completely skipped my mind. I was too focused on what was important to me. I know worrying about having a kid is important, but nothing has meant more to me than getting into this place. Even if I am on a starship for just a week, I would die happy." She chewed on her upper lip and looked up again as if she was staring at the water.
"David tells me that he will graduate soon. Do you all keep in touch with him?" Joanna looked at Hazina with a smile.
"No. I have met David on two occasions. The first time, he was angry and immature. The second time I met him, it was over a communication link. He was more reserved, but somewhat naïve. He reminds me of Uncle Jim in some ways." Hazina adjusted the umbrella and lay on her back so that she stared up at the bright blue sky.
"You're not interested in him?" Joanna lifted her hands. "I'm asking because he is interested in Shi'Kahr. I think she's surprised to find someone is actually interested in her brain, but she doesn't like him the way he thinks." Joanna sighed and brushed her fingers across her forehead.
"How is David compared to Kyleth?" Aziza looked at the two of them.
"Must you compare every male in my life to Kyleth?" Hazina covered her frown quickly.
"Yes. I know when you dream, Hazina, you always whisper his name. You've never once whispered Kanshero or David. Ugh. I know you were never interested in Jamison. He never saw you as more than a tutor. Davies just enjoys the feel of sticking his magic wand in any warm hole he can find. So does Frederick. Do you know that he is the second guy in my entire life that I had sex with? The thing with Davies didn't start til about two months after I started with Frederick. That jerk had sex with Katherine Seltzer."
"The blond with the weird violet colored eyes?" Joanna frowned when Aziza nodded. "When?"
Aziza chuckled. "Don't worry. I got myself tested. I'm negative. He's negative, but it must have been disturbing for her to contract such an ancient sexual disease from whoever she got it from. Filthy whore. Oh, man. That guy is selling hot dogs. Sweet!" Aziza jumped up and ran to the vendor.
"She obviously thought that one of us had a low opinion of her." Hazina crossed her legs and stared out at the ocean. She answered Joanna's unvoiced question. "She wouldn't have volunteered such personal information if she did not."
"How is your mother?" Joanna tried to change to subject.
"Strong. She amazes me. She is lightyears away in space, yet she has enough influence to control us here on Earth." Hazina looked at Joanna with raised eyebrows.
"She is a fearsome woman. I still wish she was my mother though. It was so horrible growing up with that witch of a woman. I used to blame dad, but I got over that when I hit high school. Mother is just a miserable person." Joanna swept her dark hair from her face by pushing her sunglasses up onto her head. She looked at Hazina with a smile. "The church I go to is having an Easter celebration. I know you're preparing for exams and all, but it will be a great break. Plus, you've never been to an Easter celebration."
Aziza handed Joanna a hotdog and Hazina a pretzel. "I love Easter."
"You're a Christian?"
Aziza nodded. "Church of Christ."
"Baptist." Joanna smiled widely. What respectful southern woman wasn't a Baptist?
"I will attend these services." Hazina bit into the pretzel to find that it was cinnamon and sweet instead of the saltiness she expected. She blinked and savored the gentle sweetness invading her senses.
"I broke up with Christopher." Joanna rolled her eyes at the reaction both women gave her. "I just felt insecure with him looking at every woman that walked by."
"But you are beautiful, Joanna. Christopher's actions were illogical and insulting. He is the one that will suffer for his loss." Hazina took another bite of her pretzel.
"Yeh, he is." Aziza nodded thoughtfully.
"Thanks, guys!" Joanna sighed.
"There you are!" Tira ran towards them clutching a large towel and umbrella.
Shi'Kahr was three steps behind holding a cooler and a brown basket. She set the things on the orange towel and squeezed between Aziza and Hazina. After taking a piece of Hazina's pretzel, she lay on her stomach staring in the opposite direction. "Do you think black is okay for a date? I have a nice dress that I want to wear."
"Who is the date?" Aziza was rifling through the basket beside her. She slapped Tira's hand away.
"Yeh, you haven't been out on a date in a long time. Who is he?" Joanna dug her toes into the warm sand. It truly was a pleasant Saturday.
"David. He graduates in May. He is joining a crew here when they go on a joint mission. He's in the academy branch in New York." Shi'Kahr smiled freely.
"I never understood why he went to the academy in New York. I suppose he just wanted to see new things. He is in the tactical division right? I know he knows how to fly a ship." Joanna's voice was muffled as she chewed on her hotdog.
"That explains the messages you left open on my laptop. That also explains your sudden preference for solitude and celibacy. I am relieved." Hazina swept a piece of dirt from her bathing suit.
Shi'Kahr rolled her eyes. "Thank you for insulting me, ko-kai." She pushed her hair behind her ears and turned to Aziza. Hazina knew that the move meant the conversation was over with.
"Let's go for a swim before we eat!" Aziza jumped up and ran into the water. Tira laughed and ran in after her with Shi'Kahr trailing them.
"We just ate…" Joanna's eyes were round as she watched her friends tussling and running in the water. She looked at Hazina with raised eyebrows. Maybe it would be fine. She pulled the girl into the water and laughed at the red that crept into her cheeks when the cold water hit her. She dived in and swam to the others.
Hazina stood and walked back to the blanket. Being in sixty-five degree water did nothing to help her body temperature. She flattened her curling hair and sat down on the large beach towel she shared with Joanna. Who was she kidding? It had taken Kyleth ninety-two days and thirteen hours to completely help her get over that one incident she had had on their tiny beach. She pressed her lips together and brushed her hand over her cheek. She was going to have to wash, dry, and straighten her hair all over again.
"Hey!" Tira stared at the sandwich in her hand. "This is really good, Aziza. And Joanna you did a great job with that dip!" Tira tossed several chips into her mouth.
Shi'Kahr bit into her sandwich and could barely contain the satisfaction in her eyes. She fell flat onto her back and continue to eat. Her hand found another sandwich as soon as the first one was finished. She, unlike Hazina, had began to build muscle mass from all the exercising she did. Her eyes wandered over to her sister's never changing figure. Hazina popped the cheese roll into her mouth and looked at her sister. Why was she staring at her like that? As a matter of fact, she realized that the others were staring at her as well.
"How do you eat so much, exercise so little, but remain the same?" Aziza looked down at the pizza roll in her hand.
"I rarely eat more than what is needed for nutrition. My body is bigger than all of yours." Hazina chewed on another cheese roll.
"Aziza you eat a lot." Tira said, staring at the last pizza roll her friend held in her hand.
She chuckled. "I have high metabolism." Aziza tossed the pizza roll into her mouth and sipped her coke before picking up a cheese roll.
"Be ready at ten tomorrow, guys! You too, Tira. Wear a nice light colored dress. We're going to an Easter program." Joanna finished the small amount of food she had on her plate. How were the four of them able to eat so much?
They each nodded and kept their attention on the circle of food in the middle of their group. Hazina turned her attention to the fruit and yogurt before her. Who had come up with the bright idea to bring along something that was annoyingly nostalgic to her? Fruit and yogurt was one of her favorite snacks when she was younger and staying on the Enterprise. She dipped a piece of sliced green apple into the yogurt and bit into it. The fruit was crisp and juicy. She hid her joy and continued to munch on the apple. Being at the beach wasn't so bad after all.
~8~
Aziza threw another dress onto the bed and muttered a string of curse words in Swahili as she picked up the yellow dress then the orange one again. She turned to Hazina, who was already dressed and sitting on her bed watching with a raised eyebrow. Hazina wore a simple lavender colored, sleeveless satin dress that had a small jacket with it. Her black heels stood at four inches beneath her long legs. Her brown eyes moved between the two dresses before settling on the tangerine colored one. The color went well with Aziza's complexion. Her roommate nodded and slipped the dress on. She hung the other dresses back in her closet and pulled out a white box. A pair of shoes of the same color with tall heels lay inside. She sighed and gave Hazina a wide smile.
Joanna drove them to the church in a shiny car that matched the color of the sky. The car was a Toyota Camry. Hazina sat in the passenger seat contemplating if her decision to attend the church had been a good idea. She remained silent as they made their way inside the overly tall building. The colored glass struck her as some form of art. She sat beside Joanna with Shi'Kahr beside her then Aziza and Tira. They remained silent as the program commenced several minutes later.
It was beautiful. The children sang songs and spoke poetic words in respect of their archaic religion. Hazina simply marveled that humans could have such deep devotion to a being they could not even see. Her hands were clasped on her lap as she allowed herself a small smile when the three year olds came onto the stage to sing a song about a resurrected Jesus. Her hear felt light when the kids began a play about a virgin that became pregnant and gave birth to the holy child. He grew up doing miracles, but those same miracles cause him to be punished by a horrible death. Hazina's jaw clenched through the entire ordeal. It was illogical for the people to be so cruel to someone that had helped them. It was even more illogical that he was able to rise from the death at the end of the play. She pressed her finger against her chin. On second thought, perhaps his katra had simply entered someone else and returned to his body later on. That was the only logical explanation; it was also an explanation that she found interesting.
The people passed out small baskets that had assorted candy and eggs. Hazina stared at the things with earnest eyes as she sifted through the candy. She instantly handed Aziza all the chocolate. Aziza, in turn, gave Hazina one of her eggs. They sat on the floor of Joanna's apartment. Their shoes were lined neatly by the couch as they ate their candy and chatted. Joanna emerged from her room carrying a game of Scrabble. Everyone protested that the game would be won by Hazina, and that would be a complete waste of time.
Joanna nodded and produced Monopoly. They clapped happily and gathered around the game. Hazina picked up the manual and read through it quickly. This game could be beaten as long as she made logical decisions and kept control of her money. After Aziza won the first round, Hazina found that many other variables had to be factored into the equation if she was going to use logic. She smiled and picked up the die; logic would be ignored for the time being.
A/N: Yes, the time is shifting quite gradually, in case you didn't notice. So many people thought Aziza was dirty, so I thought I'd try to work on her image. I can't have people thinking she is dirty when she has a huge role to play later on. Her graduation is in the next chapter. Oh, and no offense to southern people that aren't Baptist. *shrugs*