"The others will understand eventually," Imam's voice came from behind me. I was sitting a ways away from the others trying to think of a way back into Aria's good graces. So far I had come up with a whole lot of nothing. What was I gonna do in a mysterious land of space travel and awkward social situations without my best friend?
"Understand what?" I asked, feigning ignorance. He sat next to me and pat me on the shoulder. I looked up at him with surprise, I think he was trying to console me. It was a nice thought, and I really hoped that was what he was doing.
"What you did for Riddick," he sighed. "They are good people, but even good people make bad decisions. Especially in fear. You must understand they are afraid of him."
"Yeah, well, I'm afraid of spiders, doesn't mean I want them all dead, y'know? Spiders have a good side to them, they are creepy, yes, but they are also very misunderstood," I explained. "Behind the scenes they do good, and you feel the effects of their hard work every day without realizing it. Without them, life would suck-literally, so they're like a necessary evil. I may not want to do what they do, but sometimes it needs to be done. Balance, without the bad, how could we truly feel the good?"
"It appears you are more wise than your years suggest. You know the truth of the world in part, and you see the depth in others. You are a good child, yet you still have much to learn. Be careful not to lose your kind heart," and with that he stood up, walking away from me.
"If I am so smart, then why do I feel so stupid," I mumbled. I stood up to look for Aria, might as well get this over with. I jammed my hands into my pockets and felt something in my right pocket. I pulled it out and saw a Tootsie Roll! A big smile took over my face, and I was about to unwrap it and devour it in the most horrifying manner possible when I thought of a better idea. An evil cackle escaped my lips as I thought about my plan, 'If I play my cards right, this just might work!' A smirk replaced my smile, and I couldn't wait to set my plan into action.
"Hey Aria?" I asked. She had her back to me, and she was hiding out in the ship. She didn't turn around so I plopped myself down beside her.
She turned her head to give me a death glare and growled, "What do you want?"
"I just found something you might like, and I thought I could apologize to you for being such an inconsiderate bitch our whole lives," I said, waving my hand dismissively in front of me. She looked shocked, and she just stared at me silently. "All those years I took the attention off you because I wanted to hog the spotlight. I just couldn't stand all those piano recitals and award ceremonies of yours I had to attend. I mean, how dare you have so much natural talent and success while I was always left to clean up after you. All those bullies I beat up, all those gallons of ice cream I ate with you, and all those times I kissed your boo-boo and made it better. I am such a horrible person."
"Don't forget how you always had the attention of the guys I liked," Aria added. I saw a small smile tug the corner of her lips, and I so hoped she completely understood my sarcasm.
"Oh yes! With my long black tangles and my ragged second-hand cloths, I was SUCH a charmer! Who would look at the rich porcelain doll-like angel next to me when I so looked like Halle Berry in Catwoman before she became Catwoman! I was all quirky and successful, but I had no sex appeal."
"I have no idea what you are referencing."
"I doesn't matter! Here," I said, holding my hand out for her. She put her hand under mine and I dropped it on her palm. She looked at the waxy paper wrapping and the brown and white logo with surprise written all over her face.
"Are you trying to bribe me with a Tootsie Roll?" she asked, incredulous.
"Yes. Is it working?"
She laughed, an actual non-sarcastic laugh. She looked over at me and smiled, "Yeah, its working." We hugged and I really hoped that was the last of the drama I would have to deal with from her. I didn't have another Tootsie Roll, and I don't think a sarcastic guilt trip would work a second time.
I noticed she hadn't touched her candy yet. "Are you going to eat that?"
"Yes! And no, I won't share, so back off you vulture!" We giggled and talked for awhile about stupid things and made up. It was good to have her back. I told her about all the things I saw at the camp, and she told me about what had happened here while I was gone. I also told her the plot of Catwoman, and she laughed when she got the joke I made earlier.
Somehow we got on the topic of Johns, and she absolutely gushed about how great and handsome he was. I simply rolled my eyes, but I didn't say anything. She could have this weird obsession as long as she never found him alone. I would absolutely make sure there was no one on one time between the two, or my role as the creepy overprotective relative would fall into ruins. I would be just like her father, she won't date anyone ever and will never move away from me. At least, until we find our way back home.
"Have you had any of those weird dreams lately?" Aria asked out of the blue.
"I haven't slept since we woke up here," I replied. How long were we here? The blue sun was almost setting now, and the two orange suns were creeping up behind us. "But no, not for a few weeks now."
"You should get some sleep then, you never know when you might need your strength! Here, I know this nice spot that I took a nap in earlier." Aria lead my into the ship, losing me in the twists and turns. We ended up in front of this small compartment that looked like a broom closet.
"I don't know Aria, what if something happens while I'm asleep, you know I'm a deep sleeper," I said, uncertain. I could feel how tired I was, all this excitement was really doing a number on me. I knew I needed rest, but I just made up with Aria, and now I cannot let anything happen to her.
"Its fine! I'll take watch," Aria reassured me. She pushed me towards the closet thing, and I saw a collection of random pieces of cloth and foam. It seems Aria made herself a nest.
I fluffed a piece of foam and put my head on it, staying on top of all the fabric. I really didn't need them in this blasted heat. I could feel a small breeze coming from a hole in the wall, and I reveled in how wonderful it felt to be out of the heat with a small breeze. I closed my eyes and shifted around to get comfortable, I counted sheep escaping the farmyard until I fell asleep.
I was standing on a hill, overlooking a massive cemetery. The scene was haunting, and it sent shivers down my spine. I have been here before, in another dream, in another lifetime. The sky was orange, and the landscape around me was rough and mountainous. Rock mountains jutted up from the earth in jagged points, and the only life around me was a single tree. It had long lost all of it's leaves, only covered in grey bark. In the distance I could see a wall, it looked ruined and aged, devoid of upkeep.
I walked closer to a grave, it was nothing special, just sloppily carved stone with moss and vines growing over it. I ran my hand over the front of it, I could feel indents in it, it felt like writing. I tried to read what it said, but the inscriptions had long since eroded away. My hand slipped away, but I still stared at the sad gravestone. I heard gravel crunch behind me, and I turned to see a beautiful woman.
She had long caramel hair that was braided close to her head. Long feathers adorned her hair, and bits of rope with tiny shells were wrapped around chunks of her hair. She had rings of dirty brass around her neck, and leather studded bracers on her wrists. She wore a leather skirt and a coarse, warm colored shirt with leather arm straps. Tall boots went past her knees and a cape fluttered behind her, she really the embodiment of wild beauty.
She walked with cat-like grace, and reminded me of an animal on the hunt. But for some reason I wasn't afraid of her. I had seen her too many times to not recognize the woman who plagued my dreams. She stopped in front of me, her back to the sea of gravestones.
"You are so close," she whispered. Her eyes held hope and knowledge, and she looked at me as if she knew every one of my secrets.
"So close to what?" I asked.
"Your destiny"
She turned around and slowly began walking away from me. I got up and ran after her but I couldn't keep up. Her cape swished as she walked, and in desperation I yelled, "Who are you! Wait!" I stumbled and fell, pounding my fists into the dirt. I was so close! What did she mean, my destiny? Why do I keep having dreams about her? Unanswered questions assaulted my brain, and I growled in irritation. One questioned bothered me the most, but I would only acknowledge it in the safety of my head. The constant uncertainty that drowned me in it's shallow depths. "Who am I?" I knew she had the answer, she had to. But I could never ask her, I was too afraid of the answer.
A bang echoed in the valley, and the world slowly started to fade away. The edges faded to black, and the background slowly disappeared. I clung to the tombstone next to me, desperately trying to stay here. Soon the world around me was black, and all I could see was the headstone, there was nothing left around me, and I could feel my consciousness slowly pulling me back from my dream. I clawed at the stone, hopelessly wanting to stay here. "But I still have so many questions!"
I woke up with a huge pang of loss in my heart. I unraveled myself from the strips and scraps of cloth beneath me. I must have tossed around a lot in my sleep, but I did feel rested. I stretched my arms above my head, hearing the distinct pop of my joints loosening. I stood up and twisted my torso from side to side, hearing my spine crack in several places as well. Wow, that felt good.
I stepped out of the closet and yawned, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. Another dream, but at least this time I can remember what she said. How was I close to my destiny, I was stranded on this wasteland of a planet with a few other survivors and a convict.
"Fuck you!" Speak of the devil and he shall appear. Huh.
There was a pause, and I wandered towards the noise with curiosity.I traveled down the many hallways and around the boatload of fallen debris. There was no response for a while, and I distantly wondered if he was talking to himself. Then Johns' southern accent broke the silence, "Do we have a deal?"
Oh, interesting, what kind of deal? A deal with the devil was a dangerous thing, but in this case, who was the devil? I finally got to the place where I first argued with Aria, and instantly knew where I was. I walked into the room where Riddick was chained up to see Riddick free with a gun in Johns' face. Johns was all cool, calm, and collected, but I could practically smell the fear radiating off of him. Riddick's jaw ticked in anger, but he neither pulled the trigger nor put the gun down. I secretly hoped he would bash Johns in the skull with the but of the gun, then say some cool catchphrase and walk away with an explosion at his back, but that didn't happen.
Riddick handed Johns his gun back and said, "I want you to remember this moment." Then snatched his goggles and stalked away from Johns. I moved out of the way as he walked past me, following behind him.
Neither of us said anything for a long while, and once again I couldn't stand his silence. I was extraordinarily curious about what went on between him and Johns, but he didn't look like he was going strike up a conversation anytime soon.
"So, um, what kind of deal did you make with Johns?" I asked, trying to break the ice with a genuine question. It was better than 'Nice weather outside, isn't it?' At least this way I could hopefully avoid weird chit-chat, not that Riddick seemed like the type of person who involved himself in chit-chat.
"I get to go free, as long as I don't shove a shiv up someone's ass," he replied. He didn't turn to look at me, but his tone was slightly sarcastic.
"Good for you, I guess. I was kinda hoping though, that you'd at least hit Johns in the face or something."
There was a short bark of laughter before Riddik said, "That's a pretty violent thought there kid." I huffed, oh no he didn't! I am no child!
"Ha! I may have the mindset of a witty and sarcastic teenager, but my body is that of an attractive, young woman!"
"Hardly," he chuckled.
"How rude!" I exclaimed. But I was smiling, that was a good one, I'll admit that. Johns cleared his throat behind me, but I decided I'd ignore him, maybe if I pretended he wasn't there he'd go away.
I asked for too much, Johns didn't just magically vanish in thin air, instead he followed us out of the ship. The obnoxious heat struck me once again, and I really wanted to turn on the world's air conditioner. Maybe Jack Frost would visit us and give us a nice, refreshing, snowy day! But, alas, my dreams of winter were crushed by the two suns that rested high in the sky.
"Oh God, the things I would do for a Klondike Bar right now," I grumbled. Riddick looked over at me, but he didn't say anything.
Aria came running at me full speed, almost knocking me over when she didn't stop fast enough and collided with me. I let out an 'umph' as she knocked the wind out of my lungs, and muttered angry words when she accidentally hit my bruise. She gasped when she saw my pained expression.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you!"
"No, it wasn't you, I just have a nasty bruise," I explained. She looked at me with concern and then suddenly pulled up my shirt. "Hey!"
"What happened?" She held my shirt just below my bust, and I was thankful she didn't lift it any higher. My bra was pretty scandalous, and no one here needed to see it. I'm not a slut or anything, it just made me feel pretty. Aria poked and prodded the bruise, and it hurt like crap, but I let her inspect it.
"Shazza kicked me in the side, I have a matching one on my back from Johns too," I said, pointedly glaring at Johns as I said this. He ignored me and went off towards the others. I noticed Riddick watching me, and I sent him a questioning look, but he just turned and walked after Johns.
"Oh, well anyway, I came over here to tell you that everyone is packing up to go to that camp you were talking about earlier," Aria said. She released my shirt and I adjusted it to sit comfortably. She started walking away, and I was about to follow her when she spun back around. "And I almost forgot, Fry found some scary monsters in the hole Zeke disappeared in. They totally almost got her too."
"How could you almost forget something so important?" She opened her mouth to speak but I cut her off, "Nevermind, don't answer that. How worried should I be?"
"They don't like the light, so I guess we're pretty safe, seeing as there is no night time anymore."
"Well that's reassuring, how about we never go cave exploring here then? It would end up just like in The Descent, there will be creepy dark-dwelling creatures and a pool of blood, and everyone will turn against each other to get free but end up dying anyway."
"What are you talking about?" Aria asked. She looked at me like I was crazy and shook her head.
"Remind me when we get home to make you watch that movie," I replied, putting my arm around her shoulder and leading her towards the others. We didn't have anything to bring with us, so we would just help the others pack up. As we got over to them, I got a few strange looks, but Jack, Imam, and his boys welcomed me. Fry didn't seem to care either way, but she was watching Riddick move some stuff around. If I didn't know any better, I could have sworn I saw her check out his butt when he bent over to pick something up. And what a nice butt it was.