Chapter 23

Sandy

Someone had put a chair down at the bottom of the stadium. It had her name on it, written directly on the chair with black marker.

Sandy’s Chair – Do NOT remove .

She stared at it, surprised. The handwriting wasn’t familiar to her, but she had never actually seen Rane write anything. But who else but him would have brought a chair for her to sit in while the team practiced?

She was still following him to all practices. Trying to keep an eye on him and make sure that everyone saw them together as much as possible. And, really, she just liked being with him. He made everything so much more fun. How could she not enjoy being with him?

But she hadn’t expected him to get her a chair. It was in the exact spot she usually sat on the ground. He hadn’t even made a big deal of it. He was so sweet.

Chuckling to herself, she turned and sat. It was comfy too. It even inclined back so she could look up at the bottom of the stadium sphere and watch the guys without needing to strain her neck. He made sure she had everything she needed. He’s the one, she’d found out, that told Drevor he wasn’t feeding her enough. He was constantly looking out for her.

“How could anyone ever think you’re a bad guy…” she said softly to herself.

Practice tended to take longer than the games. It wasn’t as high intensity as games were, but the longer time meant they were gaining stamina for the games. It also involved a lot of drills – passing and defense and offense. Strength training and communication training. And repetition. Even when they did something perfectly, they did it again and again. Locking it into their muscle memory so that it would still be perfect during game day.

It was kind of soothing to watch. Which was so completely different to game days, which were nothing but extreme excitement and high energy. Practice, however, was focused, fixed, determined. They weren’t playing for the crowd, or even to win. They weren’t even really playing. This was the monotony, the grind, the ‘boring’ part of sports.

And that’s what made it soothing. Kind of hypnotic. Just sitting back, watching them repeat drills and practice calls and throwing the ball between each other.

All the while, just occasionally, Rane would look down.

He was checking on her, she knew. Making sure she was still there, that she was okay.

When she caught him looking, she’d wave. He didn’t wave back, he was still focused mostly on practice, but she did it every time. Letting him know she was okay. That she was still there. That she was waiting.

That was where Drevor, towards the end of practice, found her. He walked into the bottom of the stadium and headed right towards her.

“Hey,” she smiled, looking at him.

“I was let go yesterday.”

It took a second for his immediate announcement to register. She leapt up, surprised.

“Let go? She fired you?!”

“I suppose I have been rather unreliable in regard to her wishes recently,” he said calmly. “So, it shouldn’t be that much of a surprise.”

“Yeah, but…” Sandy frowned, guilt welling up. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want you to suffer for us.”

“Well, you can repay me in a bigger bonus later. I’ll make sure to document the unpaid hours I work for you now so you can compensate me appropriately later.”

She laughed, the sound sad but relieved. “I’m still sorry. Thank you for everything.”

“Don’t say goodbye to me yet.” He crossed his arms. “I’m still here. I’ve just lost some of my usefulness. Forget it for now. We’ve got other things to worry about. Have you given any thought to my suggestion?”

“Hm?” It took a moment for her to switch topics so suddenly in her head to remember what he was talking about. “You mean… getting pregnant?”

“Exactly.”

“I talked to Rane about it. He doesn’t really think it’s a good idea.” She crossed her arms, checking his expression carefully. “But I’m guessing you had a reason to suggest it?”

“It would, most likely, be our best bet to keep you from Elffa’s control. But we have a limited period of time to work.”

“Rane seems to think that it would be foolish because she could just obtain guardianship.”

“And she would. If you two are mated.”

Sandy cocked her head. “But we’re not.”

“Exactly.” Drevor smirked. “Currently, as you are unmated, but you are here by special visa, your adulthood status is guaranteed by the laws of your home planet. Once you mate Rane, however, you must subject yourself to the tribunal and Elffa will be able to claim you.”

“Right. So, how does me being pregnant change that?”

“Ah, see, there is an exception,” he grinned. “It was difficult to find, because it’s not a very common occurrence. However, there is precedence. All telfay must be cleared as adults, but only on Levtiram. There are telfay born on Holotulle, and they are subject to those rules of adulthood. There is a case of a female who was born and raised on Holotulle who met a telfay male from Levtiram. They decided to wait to mate until she moved to Levtiram, but while they were on Holotulle, she became pregnant. When she came to Levtiram, it was ruled that she, as a mother with legal guardianship, could not be put under the guardianship of another. She was granted her adulthood automatically just by virtue of being a mother.”

“And then she mated her male afterwards? I assume he wasn’t under adult guardianship?”

He inclined his head. “True, but it doesn’t matter. Once your adulthood is granted, it cannot be withdrawn. So, if you have a youngling, they are likely to grant it to you immediately. Then, once you mate Rane, she cannot claim guardianship over you any longer because, by that precedence, you will already be an adult, even once mated.”

“Oh,” Sandy blinked, understanding. “But where does that leave Rane?”

“Ah, that’s the best part. There have been couples that have mated wherein one was under adult guardianship. In those cases, the guardianship is automatically and immediately transferred from their previous guardian.”

“To their new mate?” Sandy guessed, smiling.

He inclined his head, smirking with her. “Their mate becomes their closest relative. More than that, legally, everything that belongs to one mate belongs to the other, so it wouldn’t be possible for another guardian to take care of their credz or belongings.”

“Ah. I see,” she said. “Do I have to be pregnant, or do I have to have given birth?”

“Unfortunately, it’s give birth. And I understand that will still be a long wait, but it’s shorter than waiting for a year to pass. So long as Rane doesn’t mate you, it won’t matter though. Your special visa lasts for a year as well. More than enough time to give birth through human or telfay gestational timing.”

Sandy hummed, tossing the idea over in her head.

It was a way out. So far, it was the only one they had found. Elffa certainly wasn’t going to put in an appeal on his behalf, and Sandy’s only escape – talking to the embassy – would mean having to leave Rane at her mercy.

“Does she know about this?” Sandy asked.

“As far as I know, she does not. However, that only means I haven’t told her. Nor have I heard her mention it. She is actually very knowledgeable about adult guardianship. She hasn’t maintained control over him all this time just by fortune’s grace. However, on the other hand, it is a very obscure, singular case. So, there’s a chance she might not know.”

“So, we don’t know.”

“Essentially.”

“Okay.” Sandy nodded. “I’ll talk to Rane about it. I mean, I’ll love my babies regardless of the reason they’re here – accidental, planned, or manipulation. That’s not really my problem. But he seemed terrified by the idea.”

“Because he knows what could happen. But only if you’re mated. I have to stress that. Our plans can only work if you two remain unmated. The moment he tastes your blood, it’s over.”

She frowned. “Tastes my blood? I thought he had to bite me.”

“That’s usually how it happens yes, but it’s not the only way. It’s actually a fairly common romance trope on this planet for a female to cut her finger and the male to lick it and discover that way that they’re mates.”

Sandy chuckled. “Wow. Okay. So, just don’t let him taste my blood.”

“Precisely. And you will think about the youngling?”

She hesitated just a moment before nodding. “Yes. I can’t guarantee anything. Rane has to agree as well.”

“I hardly expected you to do it on your own,” he smirked. “I won’t be able to contact you through your combot. It’s still monitored and there’s a chance she only knows that I’ve failed her, not that I’ve betrayed her. So, it would be best to keep her in the dark about that for now.”

Sandy nodded in agreement. “Very well. How do we stay in contact then?”

“Here.” Drevor reached into his pocket and pulled out a slip. “That is my home address. Memorize it, then destroy the paper. Elffa knows where I live, of course, but she doesn’t know that you know. If you need me, come visit me. If I have need of you, I will find you.”

“Hm, that sounds rather ominous.” She grinned up from the paper. “Something tells me it wouldn’t be wise to have you as an enemy.”

He didn’t respond, but there was a flash of humor and acknowledgement in his eyes that was honestly more intimidating than if he had just agreed with her. “In the meantime, while you’re discussing things with Rane, I will work on finding a physician we can trust. One that Elffa cannot buy, and one that is willing to help us.”

“I won’t be able to pay for a doctor.”

“No, but I will.” He cocked his head. “I am careful with my money, and what I don’t spend, I make work for me. I am not destitute now that I am without employment. If that was a concern of yours, put it to rest now.”

She laughed. “That does make me feel better actually, thank you. And we’ll pay you back, I promise.”

“I guarantee you will,” he assured her. A statement that, like his casual agreement, was more intimidating than it really had any right to be. “I have to be going now though. Since I no longer work for her, I am not allowed access to the stadium. I was only allowed today to pick up some belongings I left in the private room.”

She nodded. “Okay. Thanks again, Drevor. Really. We couldn’t have done it without you.”

He inclined his head. “Just make sure you remember that. I expect fair compensation for my time and skills.”

Sandy laughed, assuring him that he would have it, before waving him goodbye.

It was unfortunate to lose him as an inside source with Elffa, but she was glad that didn’t mean she’d lost him as an ally.

Returning to her chair, she looked up to see the guys all huddled up. She wasn’t sure what they were discussing, but Sal was gesturing with his hands while the others listened. It looked like he was outlining a play that he wanted them to practice.

She let out a long breath, pulling her feet up on the chair and wrapping her arms around them.

A way out.

But it was at least nine months away. And that was their quickest plan.

What if she got pregnant, then went to the embassy?

It would mean leaving Rane behind, but once she knew she was expecting, she could get away, explain what was happening, and then claim that, as a human, she needed her baby’s father to be with her. They might be able to do something.

Or it might make everything worse. Maybe they would see her request for help as an admission that she couldn’t do it herself and that she needed a guardian anyway. Then, it would be right back to Elffa’s control.

Sandy sighed. Of course, it was all a moot point if Rane didn’t agree. The idea of bringing a kid into this world, around his mother, had really spooked him. She couldn’t forget the way he trembled as he held onto her.

Whatever happened, she knew she wouldn’t be able to just leave like this. There had to be some kind of solution for him.

And there had to be some kind of punishment for Elffa.

Anger rose in Sandy’s belly as she considered all the things Elffa had done. All the worries they had about what she might do. She had taken advantage of a system and ruined a male’s life over it. Actually, she had ruined two males’ lives over it.

Sandy got up and began pacing, annoyance and anger preventing her from being able to sit.

It wasn’t just the fact that she was controlling Rane through abuse and manipulation. She had also managed to completely destroy his father’s relationship with him.

Because Rane still had a father out there somewhere! Someone that was forbidden from seeing his son thanks to this matriarchal madness that Elffa had taken advantage of.

Sandy came up short, thinking of the unknown male.

She was still standing there thinking when she heard the team chatting and laughing as they descended out of the stadium sphere. She turned, banishing the angry look on her face, fixing a smile in place so they wouldn’t figure out something was wrong.

But she had a plan now.