Chapter 9: First Encounters
Outside of town, far off into the desert, Liz was being kept in a warehouse being used as the skins' hideout.
"It's about time you got up."
The voice rang into her head as she stirred from her surprisingly peaceful sleep. She couldn't distinguish whose it was, but it wasn't Nicholas'.
"Huh?"
"You've slept most of the morning away."
Liz looked up from her sheets to see a man with dark wild hair and a serious expression written all over his face. In a way, he seemed vaguely familiar.
"Umm… who are you?"
She straightened herself up in the bed, leaning against the headboard, sleepiness still evident.
"My name's Travis."
He said as he stood up from the chair across the room and leaned against the wall.
"I'm guessing you're a skin then."
She stated, unconsciously shaking the sleepiness from her head.
"Not quite. I'm Antarian."
"Aren't the skins, like… a… type of Antarian?"
Travis retook his seat and looked at the floor. He didn't know how to explain.
"In a way, yes… but it's more complicated than that. On Antar, there are many… races. There are shape-shifters, mentalists, etcetera, etcetera, and there are the skins. 'Antarian' is a collective name for everyone else who is not a skin. You are aware that the skins are… infamous for their reputation with Khivar. To call them Antarian would be a disgrace."
He looked up to see if she got what he was trying to say. Truthfully, he wasn't quite sure if he understood what he said. He knew what it meant, but he never had to explain it. Obviously she didn't get him all too well.
"Uh… the skins were stripped of their right to be called Antarian when they sided with Khivar."
This time Liz got it.
"Oh… but haven't you lost your right to call yourself Antarian, especially after helping the skins? Wouldn't that make you a traitor?"
At this, Travis quickly rose to his feet.
"Look… I don't lose my skin, okay. Becoming a skin was an escape for Khivar and his men from death. It's the closest that any of them will get to becoming immortal. They will never die of sickness or old age. I have not chosen their lifestyle and that gives me one less reason to be a skin. I may work with them, but my job is to protect the queen and the royal heir; and I sure as hell will do my job even though it I may be called a 'traitor'"
He took a deep breathe and quickly apologized for his outburst.
"No, I should be the one who's sorry."
Liz paused and thought for another moment. She then stated, "Tess is your queen, not me. She is Ava."
Travis gave a short sigh of disbelief.
"I thought Nicholas already explained this to you."
"What happened in another lifetime has little significance to our situation now."
Liz found herself getting slightly annoyed, or maybe it was because of off-balanced hormones.
"Max chose you, not Ava. You are carrying his child to prove it; and even though Nicholas has a role to partake in this situation, he would not have succeeded if Max didn't feel the way he did for you."
Travis moved to the end of the bed and took a seat as Liz closed her eyes trying to not let his words penetrate the emotional wall she had put up ever since that night.
"Max? Why do you call him Max instead of Zan?"
"That's his name now. He has a new life now. Some parts of it may resemble his last, but it is completely different. He has the chance to do things differently."
"How does someone who has never interacted with Max before end up to be so loyal?"
A/N: So I'm back with from a long overdue hiatus. I know this isn't really much of a chap, but I think I just hit a dead end… I actually wrote this months ago and I kept putting off uploading it. I am so sorry. I promise to be quicker next time, but I have to figure out how to fill the space between this chap and another one I wrote. Oh well… please review.
Outside of town, far off into the desert, Liz was being kept in a warehouse being used as the skins' hideout.
"It's about time you got up."
The voice rang into her head as she stirred from her surprisingly peaceful sleep. She couldn't distinguish whose it was, but it wasn't Nicholas'.
"Huh?"
"You've slept most of the morning away."
Liz looked up from her sheets to see a man with dark wild hair and a serious expression written all over his face. In a way, he seemed vaguely familiar.
"Umm… who are you?"
She straightened herself up in the bed, leaning against the headboard, sleepiness still evident.
"My name's Travis."
He said as he stood up from the chair across the room and leaned against the wall.
"I'm guessing you're a skin then."
She stated, unconsciously shaking the sleepiness from her head.
"Not quite. I'm Antarian."
"Aren't the skins, like… a… type of Antarian?"
Travis retook his seat and looked at the floor. He didn't know how to explain.
"In a way, yes… but it's more complicated than that. On Antar, there are many… races. There are shape-shifters, mentalists, etcetera, etcetera, and there are the skins. 'Antarian' is a collective name for everyone else who is not a skin. You are aware that the skins are… infamous for their reputation with Khivar. To call them Antarian would be a disgrace."
He looked up to see if she got what he was trying to say. Truthfully, he wasn't quite sure if he understood what he said. He knew what it meant, but he never had to explain it. Obviously she didn't get him all too well.
"Uh… the skins were stripped of their right to be called Antarian when they sided with Khivar."
This time Liz got it.
"Oh… but haven't you lost your right to call yourself Antarian, especially after helping the skins? Wouldn't that make you a traitor?"
At this, Travis quickly rose to his feet.
"Look… I don't lose my skin, okay. Becoming a skin was an escape for Khivar and his men from death. It's the closest that any of them will get to becoming immortal. They will never die of sickness or old age. I have not chosen their lifestyle and that gives me one less reason to be a skin. I may work with them, but my job is to protect the queen and the royal heir; and I sure as hell will do my job even though it I may be called a 'traitor'"
He took a deep breathe and quickly apologized for his outburst.
"No, I should be the one who's sorry."
Liz paused and thought for another moment. She then stated, "Tess is your queen, not me. She is Ava."
Travis gave a short sigh of disbelief.
"I thought Nicholas already explained this to you."
"What happened in another lifetime has little significance to our situation now."
Liz found herself getting slightly annoyed, or maybe it was because of off-balanced hormones.
"Max chose you, not Ava. You are carrying his child to prove it; and even though Nicholas has a role to partake in this situation, he would not have succeeded if Max didn't feel the way he did for you."
Travis moved to the end of the bed and took a seat as Liz closed her eyes trying to not let his words penetrate the emotional wall she had put up ever since that night.
"Max? Why do you call him Max instead of Zan?"
"That's his name now. He has a new life now. Some parts of it may resemble his last, but it is completely different. He has the chance to do things differently."
"How does someone who has never interacted with Max before end up to be so loyal?"
A/N: So I'm back with from a long overdue hiatus. I know this isn't really much of a chap, but I think I just hit a dead end… I actually wrote this months ago and I kept putting off uploading it. I am so sorry. I promise to be quicker next time, but I have to figure out how to fill the space between this chap and another one I wrote. Oh well… please review.