32. Wrenlee

32

WRENLEE

I walk down the corridors with my arm hooked in his. The looks on the people's faces as we travel to the dining hall range from disinterest to complete shock. I smile and nod at everyone. The thing is I am happy, truly and deeply, for the first time in my life.

Entering the dining hall the buzz of morning conversation stops. It may be an exaggeration but not much of one that every eye turns to the two of us. I stop and Sek'su stays by my side, staring at the room.

Close to a hundred humans and around a dozen Zmaj are gathered for their morning meal. Across the room at what was ‘my' table sits the girls. I sent Saylor ahead, though she wanted to walk in with me, there is no point in her having to ride this storm out.

The two ‘reporters' from a few days ago get up from a table to my left and come over. They approach with an air of caution and concern but I give them a welcoming smile. Elbows pushes ahead faster, rushing to be the first to talk to me.

"Wrenlee," he says sounding breathless.

He keeps glancing over at Sek'su who watches him impassively though his tail twitches making a raspy sound.

"Wait," Wide-eyes complains, stumbling to a stop next to him.

"Good morning," I say flashing a bright smile.

"Wrenlee—" they say my name at the same time then stop to glare at one another.

"Please, slow down," I say, stroking my fingers along Sek'su's forearm. "There is plenty of time."

Wide-eyes blinks several times and Elbows coughs but nods. They look at one another again and Elbows gives an assenting nod that she can speak first, so I give her my full attention.

"Are you two an item?" Wide-eyes asks.

"An item?" I ask, feigning shy and coy.

"Are you and… I'm sorry, I don't know his name," she says.

"Yes, sir, what is your name?" Elbows inserts himself into the conversation.

"I am Sek'su," he answers with a slight nod of his head.

"Sek… su…" Elbows says, sounding the name out as he writes it down.

"Are you two an item?" Wide-eyes repeats.

"What do you mean item?" I ask. "You know, I have never liked the use of that word for any relationship. What, am I a commodity for someone's use and amusement?"

In the corner of my eye, the rest of my plan falls into place. I knew she couldn't resist the limelight which is why I made my entrance such a public display. Emery approaches with her jaw clenched and eyes narrowed, intent on embarrassing me.

"Oh, I, uhm, I never thought of it that way," she says.

"You know, I don't know your name," I say to her.

She is completely flustered now. She splutters and blinks rapidly before she can answer my simple question.

"Oh, uh, wow, Wrenlee… no, that's your name. Sorry. I'm Susan."

"It is nice to meet you, Susan," I say and Sek'su rumbles too.

She blushes a soft pink, shaking her head.

"Thank you," she mumbles.

"Right, uhm, hi, I'm, uh, David," Elbows says.

"Hello David," I say.

Emery is close now. She's watching and waiting, slowing her approach as she tries to time her interruption to what she thinks will be perfection. We will see which of us is the master socialite.

"Hello, it's… well it's really nice, but we do have questions. The people want to know the answers and well, you know, that's our job."

"I know," I say, casting my eyes down to affect a demure manner.

"Oh, yeah, well of course you do," he says, looking up at Sek'su as he tries to form his question. He's nervous and rightly so. Sek'su is probably three of him at the minimum and all those muscles and the tightly coiled spring feel he emanates is intimidating. "Are you and—" he consults his notes, "Sek-su… well are you together?"

"Yes," I say, smiling. "We are."

Susan gasps, but my attention is on Emery, who chooses this moment to rush in.

"See!" she exclaims loud enough that the entire room has to hear her. "It's just like I thought. She has defiled herself with one of… the aliens !"

The silence in the room takes on a weight. I feel it settling over me like a stifling blanket, but I've been here before. Having experienced such public discomfort so many times, it doesn't bother me very much.

"Good morning Emery," I say with a bright smile.

"Good morning? That's your response?" she asks, with a sneer. "Was it not you who said, and I quote, that sleeping with a Zmaj was akin to fucking an animal?"

If the room was heavy and stifling before now it's positively suffocating. I don't think anyone is even breathing as they watch this confrontation between us. The girls, my nominal friends, are certainly invested. Emery has a gloating smile on her face but this is the crux of the moment. And I'm ready.

"I did," I say, raising my voice so I also will be heard by everyone.

"Right! And yet here you are…." she trails off motioning her hand towards Sek'su and letting the rest hang unspoken but definitively known.

"Yes, here I am," I say.

She snorts, shakes her head, and turns to walk away. The two reporters, Susan and David, are scratching notes furiously as they watch the exchange.

"Are you not going to hear my response?" I ask.

Emery stops, frozen in place. She knows I'm planning something, the only question is will she be bright enough to think of it and do something to undercut me?

"Your… response?" she asks, turning around. "What response is there to give? You said it, that's a fact. You admit you're sleeping with him. Facts are facts, Wrenlee. Even you cannot deny the truth when it stands right in front of you."

"I do not deny anything," I answer. "But I still have more to say."

"What is it Wrenlee?" Susan asks, vibrating with excitement.

The masses love it when our clique fights, but this isn't a fight. I'm done with living my life like that. Worried about what everyone else thinks or how I can manipulate people around me to get what I want. I have the only thing I really want. Someone who loves me truly and someone I can love back.

All these years I never once realized all I was trying to do was fill this empty hole in my heart. Fucking different men, entering into relationships that I knew were doomed, using everyone around me, all in the desperate hope to feel something real. True love without strings attached. Love such as I found in Sek'su.

"I said that," I say. "I won't deny it, after all as Emery says, the truth is the truth."

"Right, there's nothing more to be said then, is there?" Emery said. "You have broken your own word."

"That is one way to look at it," I say, patting Sek'su's arm as he growls with anger.

"One way?" Emery scoffs. "You have some creative way to twist reality Wrenlee?"

The rest of the girls approach. My entire clique is standing behind her but not with her. They keep a small, but significant distance between themselves and her. Emery stands straighter as she thinks they've joined her but she's not reading the room right. I see it not only because I know Saylor is on my side but it's in the way they stand. The looks they are giving to her and me.

"No, not really," I say. "What I can say is that when I said that, I was wrong."

"Wrong?" Emery asks. "They're aliens . They look like lizards . It's not only wrong , it's disgusting !"

"You know, I did think that way. Years ago. When I was young, foolish, and we were all still reeling from the crashing of the Generation ship. Perhaps you don't think people can change Emery. But I'm sorry, you're not right."

"I'm…" she splutters. "Me? You said it. You meant it."

"I did, then," I say, nodding sadly. "As I've said, I was young and a fool. But you know what I've learned?" The reporters are hanging on my every word. The entire room seems to be. I turn my head to look at Sek'su, staring into his gorgeous eyes and certainty fills my heart. "Love is love. I have never, in all my life, known true love. Only when I was courted by Sek'su. He is the first man to win my heart. For real. I love him and he loves me."

"She is my treasure," he says, not breaking his eyes from mine.

Warmth flushes my skin. My heart swells in my chest and tears fill my eyes. Tears of true, absolute, joy.

"And I'm sorry if that is not okay with you," I say, forcing myself to look back at Emery and the rest of the room. "If it disappoints you , well all I can say is that that is a you problem, not a me problem. If you cannot find it in your heart to be happy for two people being deeply in love, then maybe it's your life that needs some help."

"Well said," someone says from behind me.

Susan and David both gasp as their eyes widen. The voice is familiar but I don't place it until I look over my shoulder, which is when I gasp too. Rosalind smiles and nods. She's not wearing her white space leathers, but even dressed in the loose-fitting blouse she commands the room.

"General Rosalind, oh," I say, now I'm flustered. "Thank you."

"Thank you," she says and her voice naturally carries throughout the room. "You would think that when Gershom was lost and his followers dispersed we would have gotten past all this. Perhaps I put too much faith in humanity."

"What are your thoughts Lady General?" Susan asks.

"Thoughts?" Rosalind asks, placing one hand on her hugely swollen belly. "My thoughts are that without the Zmaj we would not have survived. They have done nothing but show us kindness, respect, and protection when we have given them what in return? Heartache and trouble?"

"But they are… aliens ," Emery says.

"Yes, they are," Rosalind says, smiling and patting her belly. "I know this better than most."

Laughter fills the room at her coy joke since she's clearly pregnant and everyone knows it's with one of their children. A sharp pang stabs into my heart and it only takes a moment to recognize that I'm jealous. I want a child too.

Emery stands dumbfounded. It took her a moment to figure it out but she's beaten. The girls shift uncomfortably behind her as each of them takes a half step away to make sure they are not being too closely associated with her.

The futility and silliness of this entire thing strikes me anew. We, the ‘elite', are pointless. I was a clueless idiot and yet people listened to my words as if they were some kind of gospel. The absolute hubris of getting my own comeuppance is not lost on me. And realizing that, I want to extend a hand to Emery. I know where she's at because that was me before Sek'su opened my eyes.

"Emery," I say, leaving Sek'su's side for the first time. "People change. We learn. We grow. I still love you, my friend. Nothing has to change, except I have found my true love and happiness."

When she looks at me I see it all so clearly. She's scared. Lost and terrified, trying to find what makes her life worth living. I open my arms wide and she trembles. Tears well in her eyes and then she embraces me. Her tears flow as the room erupts into applause.

"Well done," Rosalind whispers in my ear then she moves on.

Sek'su moves behind me and then closes his wings around all three of us to give Emery and I a moment of privacy. He always knows the right thing to do.