Epilogue
Taken: Year 5.5
Jess stood on the field, waiting for her turn with the training simulator. “You’re supposed to be showing me how to use it, not hogging it all for yourself,” she yelled to Eva.
Eva used acrobatic fighting moves Jess had only seen in old karate movies to fight the new Loconuist simulator. Jess wanted to get her chance to hurt one of those assholes, even if it was a replica.
A light breeze caused tendrils of hair to escape from her short ponytail. Her hair wasn’t as long as it had been on Earth but it was a start at regaining bits of her old self.
Rasha left the small training group he was with to stand by her side. “This could take awhile. Once she gets started it’s hard to tear her away.”
As the simulator had been led off the cargo loader and through the halls of the palace, Eva had remarked that she would be the first one to try it out. “To make sure that it doesn’t have any kinks or bugs in its programming,” she had said.
That had been hours ago.
Jess kicked at the dirt. “Well then maybe I shouldn’t wait for her.”
She sauntered toward Eva and the simulator.
“Jessica,” Rasha called. “It is not safe! She has it on the highest setting!”
Jess turned and walked backward. “Don’t worry about me. This is gonna be so much fun!” She turned around and sprinted to the fighting pair.
Without hesitation, Jess joined in by kicking at the simulator’s back, causing it to reach out for her. She ducked and slammed her head in its chest, sending it stumbling toward Eva, who swiped a foot under its legs.
Not wanting to miss the opportunity, Jess stomped her boot hard on its face. “This is for ruining Earth!”
Stomp.
“This is for my dad!”
Stomp.
“This is for—”
“Ally!” Eva yelled. She took her turn to stomp it.
This continued all afternoon long. With every blow Jess landed, she released tension from her body. She snarled, she screamed, she yelled and she cried. Rasha had long since left her and Eva to fight.
By the time Eva shut off the simulator, Jess’ hair hung loose on her shoulders. Her clothes were filthy and sweat poured from her body.
Exhausted, she fell to her back on the dusty ground and stared up into the sky. She watched the animals that passed for birds flying high through the clouds. She lay in silence, breathing heavily and heart beating fast.
Sonis was home now. It wasn’t Earth but it didn’t need to be. And she was okay with that.
On more than one occasion she’d thought of her dad and how much he would have enjoyed life on Sonis. He had always preferred warm climates, the reason he settled in California.
She wasn’t the chief financial officer of a large company but she was something better. She was loved, she was wanted and she was needed.
Eva lay next to her and hooked her arms behind her head to use as a cushion. “You know I shouldn’t have let you fight.”
Jess looked at her. Eva’s face was flushed. The bun that had once been tight and perfect was now loose and tilting to the side. Her training clothes were dripping with sweat and she reeked. But to be honest Jess thought the smell was coming from them both. “Why not? You’ve been promising me a turn on the simulator for months. But I have to admit I am glad the first one I got to fight was a Loconuist replica. I hate every one of those bastards.”
It had taken that long—months—for Lo’Ren to finally clear her from the remedial Karate Kid moves to something worth getting out of bed for. Rasha had even had a jango made especially for her. She didn’t feel like a warrior quite yet but she definitely felt like a warrior’s woman.
“You really don’t know, do you?” Eva asked.
“Know what?”
“I know something you don’t know,” she sang.
Jess pulled her brows together. “What are you talking about?”
“Have you seen Ship today?”
Jess rolled her eyes. “That’s a rhetorical question, right? Wherever I go, he seems to show up. I swear he’s stalking me.”
“He’s close to Rasha.”
“I know.”
“He would care for Rasha’s children just as he does Taio’s,” Eva said, lowering her voice to a whisper although no one else was in hearing range.
Jess snorted. “Of course he would…” Jess grew silent as her mind wandered, trying to make sense of what Eva was saying, or rather what she wasn’t saying. “Am I pregnant?” Jess whispered.
“Sure are.”
Jess screamed at the top of lungs. Pregnant! She was having Rasha’s baby.
Eva laughed and rolled over to hug her. “Are you okay?”
Jess hugged her back and giggled uncontrollably. “Yeah, I am.” Jess released Eva and turned to watch Rasha and the royal guards training on the other side of the field. “I’m going to be just fine.”