Chapter Twelve
Imuna Parker
Finding that amulet broke my heart; it was the worst thing. I had never felt so broken before. I wanted to give Evex the benefit of the doubt. But I knew that Sion had it on him when he left. He never left home without it. There was no other explanation for it. The father of my unborn alien child had killed my husband in cold blood. How could I ever face him again?
I hated him. I wanted to never talk to him again unless necessary. Yes, I was having his child, but I had planned to somehow have it and not have him be a part of my life on this new alien planet. I didn't know how it would work, but it had to. I couldn't share a home with this monster. How could I ever trust him?
As the weeks passed on the mothership, I was isolated. I had no one to talk to. My grief was starting to take its toll. Slowly, as Evex came to try to speak to me, I found myself locking myself away less and less just to argue with him. Because at least arguing with some form of contact with someone else. I was growing sadder and putting myself in a dark hole of misery. I had been here before. It was when I stood on that terrace, ready to end my life. This monster was the reason for that too. Now I was feeling that way again, and he was the cause of it. I had nowhere to go. I couldn't escape. I was on a ship in the middle of space, and there was no escape.
But spending time alone with starting to weigh on me. I did find it surprising that Evex was asking me to exercise by taking walks around the ship, for the health of the baby. He was right. I wasn't giving the baby enough care because I was consumed by my grief and regret. I couldn't let this child suffer for Evex's mistakes and my own.
Walking around the ship felt good. I hated to admit that Evex was right about getting some exercise and blood flow. I took brisk walks, enjoying the feeling. But anytime I came across an Ition and tried to start conversation, they only had one-word answers for me. I assumed they all feared their leader and didn't want to be accused of flirting. I understood why, but it was also very lonely.
Evex came to see me every other day; I was starting to look forward to his visits even though I hated him. I needed the company. But on his last visit, he told me that we were approaching his home planet the next day. I was relieved. I wanted to be off the ship and be on solid ground again. But I was also very nervous. I was about to be surrounded by nothing but Ition aliens. On Earth, humans hated them; I was sure that on Ionia they would hate me.
But Evex had let me know that we already had a home waiting, and that gave me some relief even though I did not want to share it with him. Then he said something else that made me think. He said that where he came from, it was known that the mothers could not be in sadness while carrying a child because it affected them. I realized I didn't know anything about carrying an Ition child. He must be right. Even as a human I knew that an unhealthy mother would not be good for a child, and I was being unhealthy emotionally. That couldn't be good. But how could I forgive him? I would have to find a way for the sake of the child. There was no way around it.
The next day, we arrived on Ionia. The ship flew toward a purple, blue, and green planet that I could see outside the porthole. It was stunning. It was like Earth, only with a lot of lavender to it. Seeing it from space made me feel homesick for Earth, but I had to remind myself that there was no going back there. I watched out the porthole as the ship entered the atmosphere. The sky was a beautiful lavender with large puffy white clouds. It seemed beautiful and calm. The ship descended onto a land mass that was mostly green with large bodies of crystal-clear lakes. I was shocked by the beauty of it; it was like a fairytale.
Finally, the ship landed. Evex came into the room.
“We are here. I will get your bag,” he said, not pushing me any further for conversation. I think he was used to it already. He grabbed my bag and looked at me. I followed him out. We walked down the ramp of the ship. The air smelled like gardenia: rich and aromatic.
I could tell that we were at a landing port: a soldier base. I was surprised that as I walked alongside Evex, soldiers were not turning to look at me except for a few here and there. I thought they would all stop in their tracks and give me evil looks. But they did not. I even saw one or two smile at me.
“In here,” Evex said as we walked out of the gates, and there was a small vehicle, like an electric fancy golf cart or something, waiting for us. I sat down as he put my bag in the back. Then he took the wheel and drove it away from the landing port. We drove through beautiful and well-kept lanes that were leading into a village. For the first time, I saw female Itions. They were tall with blue skin just like the males. I was surprised; they were beautiful and well-dressed. They weren't in the staff uniforms that I was used to seeing the soldier Itions in. But I was even more surprised that only a few of them turned to look at me. They nodded their head and acknowledgment.
“I don't understand. Why are they not shocked to see me? I am a human.”
“Because you are not the only human here,” he said.
“What?” I said in shock.
“You are not the only female human that has become involved with an Ition over these long years that we have been in this complex relationship with Earth. When they become pregnant, they come here. Earth will not have them. Earth punishes them, locks them up. It is our duty as Itions to take them in as one of our own. You will see.”
I was shocked. I had no idea. I suddenly felt a great sense of relief knowing that there would be other human females around for me to talk to. I wouldn't be completely alone. That meant everything to me.
“I would like to talk to some. So that I know what to expect being pregnant,” I said.
“Yes, of course, it is already being arranged, after you rest. It has been a long trip,” he said looking at me with a calm smile. I smiled back. It felt good to have a conversation with him where I wasn’t filled with anger.
Ten minutes later, we were on the outskirts of the village. He pulled through the high gates. Behind was a lush garden with flowers and colors I had never seen before. It was absolutely beautiful. And beyond the lush greenery was a tall white house that looked like it was made from Earth materials, like white concrete with wooden beam post. And surprisingly reminded me of something I learned in history: the Tudor style. It was happily situated, perfect, and quite large.
“This is your home?”
“This is our home,” he said as he stopped the vehicle. He grabbed my bag as I climbed out. Then he led me inside. It was a beautiful and comfortable home. I was shocked by how they manage to combine the advancements of and technology with the comforts of nature and beauty. It was perfect.
“You can have the main bedroom, and I will take one of the smaller ones. I will show you,” he said leading the way. I was impressed that he wasn’t going to argue with me or force me to live in the same room with him. It was a big enough house to have space between us, and there was an entire village for me to walk too. I smiled as I followed behind him and let out a sigh of relief. This was not the hostile place that I thought it would be. I was so relieved and felt a bit of happiness for the first time in a long time.
I settled into the large comfortable room. There was a window that looked out over the garden; exotic alien birds flew around the trees. They were colorful and beautiful. I could smell the fragrant perfume of the flowers coming in with the breeze. The bed was large and plush. As soon as I saw it, I felt exhaustion hit me.
“There is a private washroom through this door. Large closets for storage, everything you could need. Take your time settling in, sleep if you wish. There is food in the kitchen; this is a water dispenser,” he said pointing things out in the room. Then he stood in the doorway; he looked at me. There was sadness in his eyes. It made me feel bad, guilty. I wanted to think of him as a monster for taking my husband from me, but in truth, I knew in his heart that that act was a soldier against a spy. But he wasn't ruthless, he wasn't mean-hearted; he cared for me, and he wanted to raise this child with me, take care of us both. But I couldn't admit that, not just yet.
“Thank you, Evex,” was the only polite thing that I could say at the moment. He seemed to be pleased with this reaction. He nodded his head and then gave me a brief smile. He closed the door and walked out.
I walked into the washroom and took a quick hot shower. Even the water smelled perfumed. Afterward I laid down in the very comfortable bed and fell asleep. I didn't wake up until the next morning.
When I woke up, Evex was gone. But there was a handwritten note on the table in the living room. Imuna, I had work to do in the village. I will return in the evening. I have arranged a surprise for you at noon.
That was all that the note said. I was confused. What could the surprise be? I went into the kitchen and made myself breakfast and ate it outside in the garden. I could not believe just how beautiful this planet was. I was glad for it. I didn't know what to expect, but this place was paradise. It would be a good place to raise a child surrounded by nature.
As noon approached, I began to grow anxious. I had already got dressed and spent time walking around the gardens outside. But there was not much else to do. Finally, noon arrived, and the bell rang.
I opened it to find two human women standing there with big smiles. I was speechless.
“Imuna, welcome to Ionia. My name is Maria,” one of them said as she hugged me. Then the other one hugged me as well and said, “My name is Jennifer.”
“Please, come in. It is so good to meet both of you.” I said nearly in tears.
“Welcome to the Alva Clan. You are going to love them, Imuna. Despite the soldiers being hard and true warriors, the actual population of the clan is very caring and warmhearted. It surprised me too,” Jennifer said as she sat down at the table.
“Yes, and you being the chosen mate of the leader of this clan, I don’t doubt that you will be treated accordingly. Evex really is a special Ition. He helped my own husband with some matters in the past. Very brave, and we are happy that he has finally settled down,” Maria said with wide eyes.
It was interesting to me to hear all this admiration for the alien that I was trying very hard to hate. I wanted to hear more.
They sat with me all afternoon. I felt so relieved to be in the company of other humans on this alien planet. They each told me their own crazy stories of how they came to be there. They were just as dark and adventurous as my own. I knew that I was not alone, even in experience. What was more was that they each had one child, a hybrid child of Ition and human. So they had already been through it and gave me a rundown on what to expect but also promising to be there for me every step of the way. I felt so loved and cared for; it was such a change from what I had experienced on Earth, which was fear and abandonment. Maybe being here was the right choice. Evex was right about it.
Over the next two days, I went with the women into the village where they showed me around. I absolutely loved it. The hard soldiers that I had become accustomed to of the Itions were only part of this alien species; it wasn't the entire population. There were females and children running around as well as males that weren't part of the army at all. They had trades and skills, builders and farmers. It all worked in perfect harmony.
At home, I began to speak to Evex little by little, but nothing like we had been. There were no kisses. There was no touching; I wasn't ready for any of that yet. But as I begin to become happy again, that happiness started to spread to my relationship with him, and toward forgiveness. But then it all changed when I saw something.
I was in the village with Maria, and I looked over at a grassy field and saw Evex playing with two Ition children. It made my heart fill with joy. He was so comfortable in the role of caretaker. The children were laughing and having a good time as he played games with them. That was when I knew; I had to let him in. I wanted that. I wanted to have that for my child, our child. I knew then that it was time to put the past behind me and to embrace the future. No romance was perfect, and ours was blemished with darkness, but from that would come the light: our child. I had a decision to make: live in sadness and hate or put it all behind me and live with love. I could make the decision to allow my desire, and what I felt for Evex before I found out what he had done, to grow inside of me again. Taking that path could lead to much happiness. I wanted happiness. I deserved happiness after everything that I had been through, and it was within reach; all I had to do was learn to love him again.
Two days later I was laying in the grass in the garden of my new home. Overhead were tall white and green flowers that were swaying in the breeze; they were almost fifteen feet high, and beautiful.
“May I join you?” Evex said as he stood over me. I looked up to see his tall figure standing above me. His toned physique was one that I ached to touch.
“Yes, you can,” I said.
He laid down in the grass beside me. He laid on his back and put his hands behind his head, looking up at the lavender sky. He said nothing; he just closed his eyes and enjoyed the sun as I had been. Almost five minutes passed before he spoke.
“Have you been settling in? Do you have everything you need? Do not hesitate to ask; I will give you anything you desire,” he said, calmly.
“I have everything I need, thank you. And thank you for setting up the meeting with the women, Maria and Jennifer; it helped more than anything I could ever hope for.”
“You are welcome. I wish that I could give you more.”
“You have done enough already. This place, your home it is beautiful. I am very comfortable here.”
“Our home,” he said
“Yes, our home,” I said.
He propped himself up on his side rolling toward me. He looked at me. His long blue and black hair show over his brow. I pushed it back. Touching him seared my skin. My entire body came alive as I inhaled his scent. His delicious scent.
“I have given you time, Imuna. I will never hurt you again. I was a different creature then, a creature of this cold war. I was arrogant, but you have changed me. Please be with me, I beg of you, not just here physically, but emotionally. I hate to see you living in sadness; I want us to be a happy family. I don't dare think that you could possibly love me, after what I have done. But if you could find it within you to at least be my friend if not my leather so that we can be a family together,” he said, his brown eyes watered over slightly. It surprised me.
“Evex, I don't hate you. I am exhausted from hate and sadness. I want this. It will be hard at first, but I am willing to try. Everything you have shown me here is out of goodness and kindness. I want our child to be born into a happy family and for us to be together. I care for you deeply. I think of touching you often. It hurts me not to touch you; you have been patient with me. I will give this a try; I will give us a try. I want us to be able to lay together like we were before.”
“Then that is all that I can ask of you. I accept that movement toward progress. It is all that I can hope for,” he said, putting his hand on my belly. It felt good to feel his strong hand on me. It felt warm instantly, as though glowing with love. I looked up at him. I reached up and kissed him. He instantly moaned. I felt a gratification that I had been longing for. Having his lips on mine was igniting a fire inside of me.
“Oh, Imuna, how I have longed for you,” he whispered kissing me.
“And I you, Evex,” I said.
He kissed me deeply and with passion. Then we made love, right there in the garden of our new home. It didn't fix everything, but it was a start. A start to our new life together, one where I could forgive him and love him. It was a start to letting go of my past and embracing a new life. I never thought that I could be deeply intertwined with an Ition alien, the alien race that Earth forbid us to interact with. Yet here I was, rolling around naked in a garden on an alien planet with my new alien lover, the father of my unborn child. I was now an Ition, the enemy of my home planet and my own species of human.