10. Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten

Jenna screamed and started yelling fire. When she watched those beige curtains go up in smoke, she felt conflicted. There was someplace in her brain that said they got what they deserved. The rest of her was wailing about not wanting to die a fiery death. Stop acting like that, she scolded herself. It wouldn't save her life. Higher reasoning for the win. She ran into the bathroom to find SaKura filling buckets with water. That reminded her of the fire extinguisher she'd seen at the top of the hallway. Government housing, indeed. She ran to get it while he tackled the fire with water.

She pulled the pin and lots of white foam came out. Her grin turned into a giggle and then a full-body laugh. This was the worst time in the history of time to have such inappropriate thoughts. The fire extinguisher looked like an enormous penis, and the white foam reminded her of cum and, for whatever reason, she was feeling empowered. Watching that foam cover the curtains and the fire sputter out until it was nothing but a memory.

"I did it." There was a crack surrounding her heart. She'd built up defenses over the years and no one was allowed to view her soft, gooey insides. So far, she'd gone to the mall and confronted people who wanted her sister and her child dead. Then she confronted Jeffrey. It was a victory, but she hadn't melted into a puddle of non-resistance. He scared the living daylights out of her, but she'd held it together long enough to get away. So yeah, it might not be the best accomplishments, but they were hers and right now she was celebrating every one of them. That included the four months she spent having dreams of SaKura, all of which weren't her running and him chasing. There was somewhere they sat and talked, or he showed her around. There were good times.

Did he deserve a chance? Woah, let's not get crazy. It wouldn't hurt to talk to him, right? She was up in the air on that one. Sakura pulled down the curtains to find a brick lying precariously along the windowsill with a note on it.

"What's that?" She had a bad feeling about what they were going to find. The acid in her stomach was racing with the bile trying to see which one made an appearance first.

"I suspect it's the calling card of our firebug."

Our nothing, Jenna thought. She had nothing to do with this, and maybe it was time for her to leave again. This time in a car so she could outrun whatever was tying her to SaKura.

"What's it say?' She never asked how they learned to read English. Could the translator that Bella had encouraged her to translate words?

SaKura unwrapped the message and placed the brick on the floor under the window. "It was bad enough when there was one of your kind and then the whore started breeding. Now there are two and before we know it there will be three and so on. You're spawning faster than we can multiply. Take your…" Sakura stopped for a minute. The red in his eyes expanded until they were all red, and he looked like a purple demon. "…mate and leave the planet if you want her to live. A concerned citizen."

"Concerned my ass." Jenna paled the minute she realized what she said. She didn't curse or drink. She was a good girl; Jenna tried her best to live a pure life so that one day she might be worthy enough. Worthy enough for what? Where had that thought come from? Was she trying to erase her past by living as a nun without the church? Did she think that the only way for her to be redeemed was to chastise herself? Except instead of flogging herself, she lived in a self-contained bubble that kept her away from the rest of the world. Was that why she shrank in the face of people like Jeffrey Johnson and his wife? Is that why she could never confront her sperm donor?

This sounded like years of therapy in the making, but she didn't have that kind of time. Every weight on her shoulders was coming home to roost, and she was going to have to pull up her big girl thong and deal with the issues.

There was only one thing to do.

"I'm going to go into the bathroom and run a tub full of water. Once I'm in I don't want to be disturbed. Here's what I want you to do. Bring me a wine glass and a bottle of sweet wine. I'm sure Bella has both and tell her to get off the Saris chocolate with the nuts inside. Make sure you tell her I want the good kind." SaKura stood there looking at her. "Shoo, what's taking you so long?"

There was a knock on the door before it opened, and Cleo stood in front of it with a plate in her hands. "I heard that. You're not going to find your answers at the bottom of a bottle. You look a little tense, and some liquid courage may help, but not until you eat lunch. She walked in holding a tray and a plate." She set up the tray in front of Jenna, and then put the plate on it."

"What are you waiting for?" Cleo turned to look at SaKura. "Didn't your mate say shoo?" They both watched until he left the room. Cleo went to the door to make sure he went down the stairs.

"Did I just tell the crown elect to shoo?" Jenna's eyes were big, and her face was pale. What the heck had gotten into her?

"You sure did. It felt good, right? And he shooed. Why do you think that was? Eat, eat." Cleo was talking too fast for Jenna to get a word in. She kicked off her shoes and sat on the end of the bed with her legs crossed. "We need to talk, girlfriend."

Jenna didn't have any girlfriends. Her father stopped that many years ago. There was Bella and now Amelia, but it wasn't the same.

"Talk?" The scent coming from her plate made her stomach rumble. Cleo made seafood pasta. Jenna didn't know what kind of sauce she put on it, but no one better touch her food. She took one bite and her eyes almost rolled to the back of her head.

Oh my God! The only seafood pasta I ever had that was better than this was—."

"My dad's. Damn it. One day, I will outshine him in the kitchen."

"Thad's your father?" That's what she said, right?

"Well, glad we got that out of the way." Jenna craned her head, trying to see if Cleo had a tail. "You Earthlings make me laugh. I don't go around with my tail hanging out. Well," she drawled out. Not that tail. You guys have a xenophobic attitude, and Dad would be angry if I destroyed the world until he knew you were trying to kill or experiment on me, and then he would destroy your world.

"I really need that wine." Jenna started eating, not realizing how hungry she was until she finished scarfing the food down.

"Cleo, why did you make me lunch? Did you feel sorry for me?"

"I'm your new chef. Ta-da."

"I get it." She totally didn't get it. Why would she want to be in a kitchen when she had her whole life ahead of her? "Shouldn't you be in school?"

"Jenna, you're so sweet. Let me let you in on a secret. I'm older than your mate."

This had to be a hallucination from the smoke. They must have used some illegal drugs in the Molotov cocktail. Cleo giggled like she was the teen Jenna accused her of being.

"Get comfortable, we need to talk." Jenna wasn't sure about this.

"Talk about what?" If she was a little weary, she had reason to be after this day.

"Let's talk about sex, baby. Let's talk about you and SaKura. Let's talk about all the good things and all the bad things that may be. Let's talk about sex," Cleo sang.

Jenna never thought she'd hear the Salt-N-Pepa song sung like that. "You've been on earth way too long."

"Tell me about it. It's finally starting to liven up."

Jenna shook her head; her eyes caught the bare window shivering at the hate that people felt. "I have no plans to talk about my lack of a love life."

"Good. That will make things easier." Jenna opened her mouth, but Cleo shook her head. "Nope, you gave up the right to talk. I'll tell you when you get it back." Her eyes sparkled as she laughed.

"Sex is normal and natural. Now some people are asexual or Demi-sexual. Your aura puts you firmly in the Demi-sexual category. You don't have sex for the sake of sex. I think you're missing out, but." She shrugged, not wanting to push her lifestyle on someone else.

"But it's none of my business. So why are we talking about this?" That's what Jenna was thinking, but she kept her thoughts to herself. "You have an eternity." Whether that's a curse or a blessing is up to you. But you don't have an eternity to come to a few conclusions about sex, meaning your mating will have to be sealed with sex."

Jenna's mouth opened, but nothing came out.

"Lucky for you I'm here." Jenna wasn't feeling especially lucky and decided it was now time to speak. "Shush."

How had she missed the power Cleo packed in her small body? That one word not only shut her up but made her feel like she wanted to tip her head in deference to the female who was older than her but looked younger.

"We have two problems here. The first problem is that you have been wronged and mistreated. The voices in your head, yes, I know about the people who speak to you and show you visions. They have kept you sane along with your sister. They also kept you away from hurt and harm, causing you more problems. Second, The Tan-ge took all the females of Diza, leaving the males with a wound that won't heal with time. They need a reason to live, to get up in the mornings and go on. And you sweet Jenna, just became the reason the crown elect wakes up. That's a lot of pressure, but you're up to the task." Cleo jumped up and paced the room, stopping to look out of the window several times. "I'll replace the curtains while you're soaking."

"The king doesn't need a mate. The hope of the planet doesn't rest on his shoulders. It rests on the shoulders of the crown elect. If Diza is to survive, then he will lead them into a brave new future. You will be by his side. Why? You're his choice, his mate, his frya. I see it and so does he. The only one ignorant about their future is you."

Cleo stopped pacing. "Sex can be many things, good, bad, all right, or I just needed an itch scratched. It can also impose itself, invade, inflict pain, and degrade. You've experienced some of the worst of man. Why shouldn't you get to experience the good?"

Cleo placed one hand on Jenna's chest and the other on her forehead and began whispering words that Jenna's translator couldn't decipher.

"What did you just do?"

"I gave you a chance at a future. Sex between mates can be the best. That's what I hear. I haven't found my mate yet. Jenna, SaKura's not an earthling. He doesn't see you through the same eyes they do. He won't treat you like you've been treated in the past. Give him a chance."

Jenna shook her head, retreating to the memories of the abuse she suffered. She gasped when they weren't there.

"What did you do?" Her voice was a whisper as she tried to find her footing.

"I gave you a chance for a future. It's in your hands now."