Interstellar Academy

33: Call

For the most part, things reverted back to normal. Jim helped Nova get from class to class for a couple weeks until the doctor said it was safe for her to move more freely. This put her back a bit, since all of her classes were physically demanding and she couldn't put forth all the effort she wanted, but she felt confident she could catch up in no time. As for Star Navigator, the authorities tried to contact his creator, but no one seemed to be at the residence. They were persistent in junking him, but Nova and her friends were against it.

They spent three and a half years with Stav. Though he'd made a tragic mistake, he'd been there for them before.

"Bury him," they begged.

The local authorities had to make sure he wouldn't come back to life, so to speak, and wreak more havoc, so they completely tore him apart and placed him in a tight wooden box. A small service was held, and quite a crowd had gathered to pay their respects. There was still no sign of his creator, and they later found out he'd offed himself when he got word of what his creation had done.

Gloom began to consume them, though spirits attempted to stay high as the semester reared its end.

When Nova was given the doctor's OK to really start her classes, she pushed herself over her limit immediately, placing her right back in the hospital. The doctor and her boyfriend chastised her. The second time around, she kept her pace slow but steady, though it was a lot of effort.

"Guys!" Charlotte came up behind Jim and hugged him, squeezing his neck. "Guess what!"

"You're killing my boyfriend?" Nova pried her friend's vice grip from Jim, who looked at her appreciatively.

"Well, yes, but not that! Some of the seniors are having a par-tay. Wanna go?"

"Charlotte…" Helena rolled her eyes, then referred all her attention back to Ruse.

Charlotte made a gagging noise, then stared, hopefully, at her other roommate.

"I have so much homework to catch up on and-" Those large black eyes just about broke her heart. "Ch-Charlotte, I really shouldn't I mean… I- UGH." Nova flipped the book she was studying off her lap and rubbed her face irritably. "FINE! OK. You win. You win!"

"YOU MEAN IT!" Charlotte kissed Nova's cheek, which instantly turned bright red. "Wear something SCANDALOUS." She sauntered away before Nova could question that last statement.

"I-I don't even own anything bordering… that." Her face was flaming at the thought. She whispered, more to herself, "What have I gotten into?"

"It's Charlotte. It's a hit or miss," joked Jim. "Do you want me to come along?"

"Uh…" She forgot how to think, looking into his intense gaze, before she finally said, "N-no. Not unless you want to."

"Hell yeah I'm going." He rolled his eyes, leaning back comfortably. "If you're going to dress in something scandalous, I gotta bust the ass of anyone who looks at you."

"Jim, that's mean!"

"I would do it," Ruse said with a shrug. They exchanged bro-fists, causing huffs from their girlfriends.

"How about this: if you go in something mediocre at best, I'll come with you?" Helena promised.

Nova's eyes shone with hope. "Really, Lena? You mean it?"

"Yes. Come on, let's ransack your wardrobe."

The girls picked up their belongings and walked off, leaving the two boys alone.

"Is it weird, finally dating Helena after all these years?" asked Jim, sincerely curious. They hadn't exchanged a lot of words since the death of their third roommate, Ruse's best friend. Jim knew that the guy needed time to heal the way guys do: with some alone time, as well as make-out time with his girlfriend (if that was an applicable option).

"Yes and no. We've been talking about it for quite awhile, but even though it was expected, it still took me by surprise the way the events unfolded." Ruse was quiet, then he smiled at Jim knowingly.

"I know what you're thinking, and no I haven't."

"Dude, for real? How long are you gonna wait?"

"I…" Jim sighed, rubbing his now hot cheek. "I don't want to feel like I'm rushing things or pushing her into a decision she might not be ready for. I mean, I talked it out with her father, so that worry is right under the bridge. It's just a matter of asking her." Jim fingered the small velvet box he always kept in his pocket. Any moment could be the moment, and he wanted to be prepared.

"It's pretty much a given that you're gonna be together for infinity and beyond," Ruse said with a chuckle. "Just get the question out in the open before the rest of us rip our hair out."

Jim just rolled his eyes, standing up to leave. "Helena hasn't hinted at anything, has she?"

"No one has, dude. We're just waitin' on you."

"So am I."

At his dorm, Jim threw his belongings onto his bed and went over to the phone, surprised the little red light indicating a message was blinking. He pressed the button so it would play. He expected a holographic image of his mother, but instead Nova's father appeared on the screen.

"Allies. I call upon you for assistance, for the worst has happened."

Jim just about broke in two.

Some of the men showed up to the party in the same condition Jim was, though no one seemed to be saying anything.

In fact, the girls looked simply annoyed by the boys' dejected behavior; they hadn't a clue. Nova just appeared worried. She wore a simple white sundress that reached mid-thigh, he wearing a navy button down, unbuttoned, with khaki shorts.

"Jim?" Her eyes searched over him, trying to find some clue of why his mood shifted.

He chuckled, leaning down to kiss her cheek. "Quit worrying so much, Nova. I'm fine."

She didn't believe him, he knew that, but she seemed willing to leave him alone about it.

The party commenced after the girls started dancing around like idiots, causing silly comments and whooping from the boys. Nova and Jim stayed on the side, hand-in-hand, content with just being next to each other. She rested her head on his shoulder, digging her feet in the sand.

"I've always wanted to make a sand castle," she said dreamily.

"You've… never made one?" This shocked Jim, to say the least.

"No. I've always been afraid the wet sand would change me."

"Not if you do it right." Jim led her to a secluded spot familiar to them both. The shack that was once a refuge for them had been destroyed, discovered by the campus authorities, but the spot still held so many loving memories. Jim squeezed his eyes shut, forcing the tears brimming his eyes to go back to whence they came.

"Here, let me show you." Jim knelt down and began digging through the sand, finding the wet kind. He pushed this type on top, then started molding. "If you mess with the dry sand first, the wet sand shouldn't affect you."

She followed in his instruction, and squealed when she hadn't changed. "Thanks! Now I'm going to make a million of these!"

They played in the sand for what seemed like hours, making monument after monument, building after building, like they wanted to build a city of their own, just for the two of them. Nova became wore out and dusted the sand off her fingers, laying her head on Jim's lap.

"Nova?"

Sleepily, she smiled up at him. "Hmm?"

Those eyes, the ones that were such a deep green they could stare into your soul, the ones that meant the whole world to him, almost made him spill everything he was holding in.

The message from her father commanded they not say a single word about being drafted, not until it was confirmed. But the men should pack as if they were to be taken away the next day.

"In the hospital…" He cleared his throat. "When we kissed… if we weren't in a hospital, what would you have done?"

Her heart leapt in her chest, and she sat up slowly to look at him. "W-well… a lot…" She moved away, as if ashamed to admit even that.

He leaned in close, a breath away from her lips. "Show me."

Nova was confused at first, until it finally sunk in. "J-Jim, we're in public-"

"So it would have gone that far? If we weren't in a hospital room?"

"W-why are you asking this?" She became defensive.

"Because I've been thinking about it. About us. Like that. And… I wanted to… let you know I was ready… if you were…" He didn't look the least bit embarrassed, but determined and full of love.

Without another word, Nova reached for Jim and pulled him on top of her. She instantly allowed him to dominate her mouth, their tongues fighting one another for the same exact thing. She slowly pushed his shirt off, though he became impatient and just threw it aside. His skin was toned, warm and sweaty; he smelled of sandalwood, and it made her dizzy and euphoric. He reached down and lifted her dress over her head.

"J-Jim?" Her eyes looked pleading, and he stopped to listen to her. "Please, don't… don't hurt me."

"Never."

A/N: This ended up being two parts. This is actually making me cry to write. :/