Devotion (Chosen by the Karal #5)(7)
Tikki began to feel a little sick; this was worse than she thought. “And you think the aliens killed him? Why, because he found something out about the Karal they didn’t want the world to know?”
“I can’t imagine Okil killing anyone,” Tikki added quietly.
“But your Okil is the only alien you really know. There are hundreds, thousands of them.” Reja watched Tikki’s face drop, and then said, “Hey, it might not even be the Karal. And I know it wouldn’t be Okil.”
“I guess you’re right,” Tikki said. “It seems weird that I knew Sienna her whole life. Yet the last few years she led this secret life. I never knew she was pregnant, let alone that she had a child.”
“We never know anyone in this world, Tikki. Or Okil’s world,” she added. Her words were a warning to Tikki, one she didn’t want to heed.
“Thanks, Reja. Come on over, maybe, the night of the lottery? I might need a shoulder to cry on.”
“So you told him, then?”
“Yes,” Tikki said, taking hold of Charlie’s hand. She didn’t want to talk about it right now—she would probably break down in tears if she did. “Come on, let’s get you home.”
“Bye, Charlie,” Reja called.
“Bye, Auntie Reja. Thank you for the chocolate.”
“You are welcome, sweetie.”
Tikki left the salon, turning to wave as they crossed the street. She could see the concern on her friend’s face, and that made her uneasy. Before Charlie came into her life, she had been so carefree; now she was having to act like an adult. She missed her big sister and longed to be able to sit down and talk it over with Elissa.
Looking up at the sky, she saw the flash of light as a space cruiser exited the atmosphere. There went her only hope of escaping Earth and seeing Elissa again. And she wondered what kind of fool she was to be staying here on Earth, all because of a child she hadn’t known existed two weeks ago.
Chapter Five – Okil
Usually Okil enjoyed the journey back to Karal, but this time he was not in the mood to look at the colourful stars that leaped out at him as he entered the wormhole. He had hoped to share this with Tikki, to show her the wonders of his world, but now it seemed impossible. All day, despite trying to concentrate on the meeting with the President, his mind had drifted off to think of all the ways he could make this work.
He had come up blank. If they brought Charlie to Karal, they would most definitely be sentencing him to a life behind walls. There was no way to persuade the Hier Council to let a human male, no matter how young, live on Karal. It went against all of their laws, all of their traditions. They had only ever brought females. He knew that sometimes that had meant leaving the males to certain death on their home planet. Regardless, that rule had never been bent or broken.
They owed the males nothing; they had no right to come to Karal, and no use.
Okil reached the space station, docking quickly and exiting the cruiser, he so wanted to reach his home planet and let the clean air clear his head. Passing through decon’ was uneventful and within half an hour of docking, he was back in his cruiser and heading home. He took in the beauty of his planet, and once again his heart lurched at the thought of Tikki. He would never share the wonders of Karal with her.
Landing on the small runway, he drove the cruiser through the security checkpoint and then turned for the tower. If Tikki wasn’t going to be his woman, he didn’t want one, not yet. But the lottery was in two days and he had to get someone to take his place. He could only think of Darl.
Parking his cruiser outside the tower, he went straight to the small lab where the doctor spent most of his time examining DNA, particularly of humans, and checking their compatibility with that of the Karal. It was imperative they matched a Karal male to a human female whose genes would create a strong child. The Karal had such a small window of time before their Prime passed that Darl had turned his full attention to this task. The remainder of his time was spent carrying out regular checks on the Earth females. Okil wondered if the doctor ever slept and if he would find the time in his busy schedule to take Okil up on his offer.
“Darl,” Okil said, walking into his lab.
“Okil, how are things? Are you ready for your life to change forever?” Darl asked, looking up from a microscope and touching a computer screen to access a new file.
“My life has already changed, but not for the better,” Okil said as Darl turned away from his work to give his full attention to his friend. Okil did not want to share the details, even with his friend, but he continued, “The woman I chose is no longer able to come to Karal.”
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. By the look on your face, I take it it’s not merely a postponement.”
“No. It looks as if it is a permanent issue.”
“And you don’t want to talk about it.” The doctor nodded as Okil shook his head. “Can I just ask one thing … in the quest for knowledge of the human race. You met this female and had a relationship with her. Yes?”
“Yes,” Okil said, wondering where Darl was going with this.
“May I ask if you had a lovers’ tiff?” Darl asked.
“A what?” Okil had never heard the term.
“I have watched Earth movies and listened to some of their music. Often males and females have small arguments, a lovers’ tiff, and then they make up. It often includes gift buying and then sex.”