Thanks everyone for the feedback! I'm really glad you like the story!
Sorry I know it's been a little bit, but life was crazy for a bit, you know how it goes!
So I posted a little longer ch, hopefully that'll make up for it :)
Reviews are WELCOME! :)
EDEN PRIME
Rena stared up at her sister who had climbed about fifty feet into the air on the tall cliffs overlooking the lake. She was frozen in fear as she tugged at the small climbing harness Tally had attached to her chest. "Tally, I don't think I want to do this anymore."
Tally glanced down at her little sister; a brief smile crossed her now normally hardened face. "Come on twerp I thought you said you wanted to join the Alliance?"
Rena again glanced at her harness, she had been shocked when their parents left for work and Tally waddled into her room asking if she wanted to have an adventure. She wouldn't let her sister down. Tugging at the harness tightly she took hold of the first rock. Pulling with her small arms with all they would give, finally she lifted into the air. She didn't notice Tally pulling lightly on her rope to give her a boost. "Hey I'm making it!" Rena looked up with pure excitement in her face.
Waiting perched for her little sister Tally let her first giggle in weeks escape her lips. Her doctors as well as their mothers would have a field day with either of them being on the cliffs, but for the first time since she had regained full use of her leg, Tally wanted to do something with Rena. Inside she had felt bad for seeming to abandon her little sister during her recovery, sheltering herself in her room once back from rehab, or out by the lake, she just didn't want to look in the bright blue Rena eyes and be a disappointment. Now as she stared down at her sister, she fought back the urge to cry longing for the innocence looking back at her. Pulling back the emotions that were doing there best to take over, Tally just let a gentle smile rest on her dry lips as her sister was even with her on the cliff. "Okay, lets go back down."
"What?! I just got up here! Besides we are not all the way up, you promised the most amazing view I've ever seen!" Rena looked hurt.
"It's about another mile up squirt, how about I make a deal with you?" Secretly Tally was afraid the little Asari would get hurt, since she had issues with the first fifty feet.
Rena nodded her small head waiting for the deal to be struck.
"We climb every other day, and on the days we don't climb you can run or walk with me to build your muscles, and then see you can be helping my leg heal as well, cause the truth is, I'm not sure I can go another mile up the climb." Tally hoped the last bit would get her sister on her side.
"Okay, but you can't go back on this." Rena nodded firmly.
Smiling from deep within Tally nodded as well. "You just have to follow one rule."
Rena giggled. "Don't tell moms!"
Tally nodded with a smile. "How about we get down and go for some ice cream?"
Rena glided down easily "You pay since I beat you down!"
Tally retorted as she slid down. "I don't think that's fair seeing as you cheated!" Noticing the small pout forming on Rena's lips Tally relented. "Fine! But I pick the flavor!"
The two sisters stowed their gear in Tally's little shed she kept by the lake and headed towards town. Neither one noticed the far off glint of something watching them in the distance.
Rena looked down at her already dirty blue shirt and let out a sigh of frustration as another glob of chocolate ice cream landed on the front of the shirt.
Reaching over with a napkin, Tally quickly helped her little sister with the mess. "Squirt, I can't take you anywhere." She couldn't help but tease Rena.
"Sorry, it's just sometimes my spoon fails to find my mouth." Rena let a giggle echo through the little ice cream shop. Glancing over she spotted the same group that had been tormenting her for years. Her giggling stopped.
Tally glanced over her shoulder to see the group; shaking her head she turned her full attention back to her sister. She already knew the answer, she had know it for a long time, from the tear stained nights she had hugged her before she left for boot camp, to the nights she heard the nightmares from a room over. Still Tally asked the question. "They still bother you?"
The little Asari put her head down once again, sitting the small cup of ice cream on the table. "I don't really want to talk about it."
"I get it...I have a surprise for you."
Rena raised her defeated face to meet Tally's gaze. It reminded her so much of her mom's gaze, sometimes she wished she looked more like the two humans in her family. Yet as it was, it was just something else that made her different.
"I talked to momma, and she's hired you a private tutor. No more public school." Tally smiled warmly at her sister. It was the one request she was grateful Liara had finally sub come to, although Tally was sure if she asked for the moon from Earth right now, Liara would find away to make that happen as well. However, all she wanted was for her sister to stop being teased.
"You mean I never have to go back to that school?" The little Asari's eyes light up as she flew out of the booth and landed in her sisters waiting arms. "I don't know what you had to do to make this okay for me but I love you so much."
Tally held tightly to her younger sister, glad that if only for a moment she was able to set something right. "Come on I should get you home."
After dropping Rena off at their home, Tally quietly left out of her bedroom window when her family was sleeping. She knew they wouldn't care if she wanted to walk at night but most likely they would want to know 'why' she was walking, and truly she still wasn't ready to face her fears head on. As she made her way down the deserted streets Tally was thankful for the silence as she walked around. The only sounds came from the amusement park that had started staying open until 3am.
Plopping down on a bench, Tally pulled up her mail on her Omni-tool, reading over again the request for her to join the N7 program. She hadn't talked to her mom about it, but she was sure it was a ploy by the Admiral to continue to keep an eye on her when she could return to active duty in the next few weeks. It all was happening to fast, she had wanted to help people, but it seemed now that she was the one needing help. Shaking her head, Tally stood up and stretched her now muscular body to its full height. Hearing a crash behind her, she immediately went into crisis mode.
Running to the alley where the crash had came from; Tally spotted three men hovering over an Asari who had been knocked unconscious. Pulling the knife from her boot, she walked behind one of the men, "Leave her alone!"
The distraction was all the Asari needed as she came to; she sent a biotic flash towards two of the men leaving Tally to fight the third. Tally took the man out with little effort. Glancing back over she slowly made her way to the wounded Asari. "Are you alright?"
Standing a little shorter then Tally the Asari nodded her head. "Yes." Looking down at her ripped dress, tears started to form in her eyes.
Taking a few short steps Tally lightly touched the woman's shoulder. "Is there someone I can call…I can take you to the hospital?"
"That won't be necessary; they didn't have a chance to…." She paused not wanting to think about how close she had come to being violated. "Thanks to you, I am fine."
"I'm just glad I was here." Tally smiled, the Asari was beautiful. Laughing in her head, Tally knew all Asari were beautiful, but each had their own unique beauty. Sirens in the background brought Tally out of her trance. "Do you want to stay and wait on the cops?"
The Asari shook her head. "I'd rather not, I just arrived and I don't really want to start my stay here this way. However, I'm afraid my hotel won't let me check in until the morning. I arrived early. That is why I was on the street at this hour, I was told of a hotel this direction by this group of … men."
"Hustlers, they get people who aren't from around here to head a certain way and then rob them, I'm sorry that was your first impression of Eden Prime."
A smile crossed the shorter Asari's lips. The woman in front of her fascinated her, not to mention she had a boyish charm that was very appealing. "Well, would you mind escorting me to a safe place for the night? Since you seem to be familiar with these parts."
Tally paused for a moment in her mind, she knew she couldn't just take her back to her family home that would be to strange. "I do have a place in mind, but it's really small."
Nodding the shorter Asari smiled again. "Its better then having to deal with cops all night long."
Smiling back at the woman, Tally couldn't help but agree as she picked up one of the disregarded bags. "Come on, it's this way."
In the dead of night, the path to get to the lake shed was pitch black, the duo only had the light of Tally's Omni-tool to guide them. "It's not much further." Tally was happy to finally see her small shed. Opening the door, she held it open so the Asari could walk in first, waking in behind she looked around her small area that had became her haven. A small bed sat in one corner, and all of her climbing and weight gear sat on the other side. Sitting down the bags Tally wanted to giggle at how cute the Asari looked. "Sorry, I told you it was small."
"Not at all, it is bigger then my quarters back home." She sat down on the small bed, crinkling the sheets that had been made to military standards.
"It's not much, but at least I have a mini fridge!" Tally joked but realized the woman didn't know what she was talking about so she pointed to the small appliance. "It holds drinks and food, if you're hungry." Tally smiled.
The Asari smiled kindly back. "You have been so kind to me, and I realized I don't even know your name."
"Tally." She decided to leave the Shepard part off. Her mother was famous and she didn't want a new friend because of her mother.
"I'm Jilla. It truly is a pleasure to meet you."
Tally couldn't help but smile like a school girl; she hadn't felt this way in a long time…giddy. "Pleasure is mine. I should get back to my home."
Jilla looked around, a little confused. "This is not your home?"
A smile crossed Tally's hardened face. "No, my mom's put this out here for me and my sister to keep our toys in, I've stayed in it…doesn't matter…" Tally looked down, and for the first time realized her hand was bleeding.
Jilla noticed as well, walking over she lightly touched Tally's left hand. "Are you okay?"
Bolts of lightening felt as if they shot through Tally when the Asari touched her. Stepping a few steps backwards she pulled her hand away. "Yeah I'm fine."
Not realizing what she had done wrong, Jilla put her head down. She never could understand humans. "I'm trained in first aid; I can clean the cut for you."
Tally nodded 'no'. "Its okay, just a scratch, trust me I've had worse." She tried to smile to make the woman feel better. She didn't want anyone to get close, even if it was just for a brief moment.
"Please it's the least I can do." Jilla took a few steps closer to Tally, once again taking the woman's hand in her own. Pulling out some supplies from a bag she had been caring over her shoulder, she quickly mended the hand. "See, not so bad right?" She held the soft hand in hers for a moment longer then she should have.
Tally took a deep swallow as she tried to pull her gaze away from the blue eyes staring back at her. Finally regaining her composure Tally pulled away, walking closer to the door. "I'll come back in the morning with some food…"
"I do not wish to burden you any longer; I can be gone at first light." Truthfully, Jilla was scared to stay in this place alone.
Picking up on the change of the Asari's body language Tally asked. "Is this your first time away from your mother?"
Jilla was caught off guard from the human's question. "Yes."
Not having to say a word, Tally locked the shed's door. "You know I think it's a little late for me to be running around alone… Would you mind if I stayed here…"
Jilla glanced at the bed, wondering if she had sent the human the wrong message.
Tally once again realized what the Asari must have been thinking. "If I stayed on the floor" She pointed to a rolled up sleeping bag.
Jilla's face was washed with a wave of relieve. "I wouldn't mind at all."