A Wider Sky Ch. 16

A Wider Sky: Beyond Eclipse Series

by Talyis Bagley Ellison

Copyright first edition 2013, 2015

Chapter 16

Shopping. It last thing I imagining doing in my life. No one in the colony shopped as a past-time or a hobby. Shopping was exclusive to basic necessities and even then stopping by a little wares shop in the colony was infrequent. My mom described shopping as something they did before-Eclipse to fill a void within oneself. Often we, humans bought too much and most of it went to waste. I suspect my mom told me this not for my benefit of knowing what life like but more for herself - so she'd sincerely appreciate what was important in this new life. I am sure she misses excursions with her friends, peeking through stylish windows and trying out the seasonal fashions. Whenever she told me about this part of life before-Eclipse, she would grab my head and kiss my crown with an even warming hug. Secretly, I thought she admired how we were forced to be resourceful and considerate of each others needs.

"Kiowa it was chic to be a waste conscious. We carried reusable bags like badges. We had so many most of them we rarely used and eventually threw them away, anyways. We didn't even touch the tip of the iceberg for having a real understanding of using our resources like we do now. Compared to how we live now, we didn't even have a clue then how wasteful we really were." My mother would say while making even our broken things, transforming them into new useful things. We scarcely ever threw anything away.

I nervously waited for Haazic and Sebol and wondered if the Y'vroi shopped soley for necessity or did they continue before-Eclipse habits. Regardless, shopping with Haazic and Sebol was an opportunity to spend the bursary as instructed. Although spending the afternoon with Sebol made me second guess the means.

We started out shopping in a bucolic village of quaint boutique shops. The girls talked amongst themselves for the most part. Because no matter how much Haazic tried to include me, Sebol gave me a cold shoulder. I was okay with Sebol's exclusion from conversation because I was more worried about saying the wrong thing. It's profoundly frustrating. It was like dancing. It's awkward because it's something you've been naturally doing since a toddler - dancing -to be taken aback that you have two left feet facing different directions, even your hands feel larger than any part of your body - and you can't make a single move because it's so foreign to you.

"Let's go in here, " Sebol darted into a shop and we followed behind like her royal entourage as we had been doing all afternoon. Sebol was the queen of shopping and she had the largest purse of the three of us. She had already purchased fancy perfumes and a designer handbag.

"Don't you just love lingerie!" She squealed while pulling a hanger from the store's boudoir. On it hung a pink frilly banquet bra and lace lined silk panties. "Here Kiowa, wouldn't Gaelen like to see you in these."

I blushed so hard.

"Gaelen and Kiowa are simply friends, I've already asked." Haazic took the pink set from Sebol. "But Bane loves me in lace."

"Well that solves my first question then, but doesn't answer my second."

"What's that? " I asked with a hard nervous swallow.

"Gaelen. He said his soul opened during The Festivities but he continues to hang out with you. My soul named him so why is he still hanging out with you? Are you fuck buddies?" She cringed at her own words. "Has he mentioned why his soul hasn't opened? "

The blood drain from my face. "I'm a virgin." Sebol rolled her eyes. "He says his soul did open. But you know Gaelen, he's always flirting."

Sebol draped her arms across her chest and laughed, "Who is still a virgin at your age!! Please, we know you are fucking him, so quit with the innocent flower routine."

"Well I am," I swallowed my words.

"Please, Gaelen fucks every woman who he gives a second glance of interest. He's a prince! He gets whatever he wants. You included."

"Well. he doesn't get me!" I wanted to leave.

"Help me out here Hazzic," Sebol tapped her strappy expensive heels irritated as she looks me over with a disgust.

"Sebol, she says she's not sleeping with him. Leave it be. Shouldn't it make you feel better knowing he is not sleeping with her."

"What do you mean, Gaelen is always flirting?" Sebol's eyes narrowed sharply like a dart.

"I don't think his soul opened. I think he is only trying to be charming when so many people's souls opened during the Festivities."

"No, I meant about him flirting."

"My soul named someone back home if that's what you are really wondering." I snapped, I don't know why I lied. I'm tried of being afraid and timid.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Just friends just like I said before."

"Then what does Gaelen say about me?" Sebol jutted one hip out and her face trembled a bit. I recognize that look. It was unrequited love and I and it were famous friends. I sympathize with Sebol in that moment.

"Give it some time Sebol. Gaelen just needs time."

"God, some time? How can I have any time when he is always hanging out with you," She flipped her hair and exhaled with frustration.

"God, Sebol give the girl a break," Haazic rolled her eyes handing me the offending pink lingerie set.

"Yeah, Sebol give the girl a break! " Gaelen chuckled from behind us all causing us to stiffened like we saw a ghost.

"Gaelen?! " "What are doing here?" "Hey baby!" All of us said in unison.

"Hi Haazic. Can't I shop too? I love the color pink on you, Mouse, it goes well with that blush." He answered with a suave timbre that made my heart skip. My hands whipped into action stashing the lingerie back on the display. He then draped his arm over Sebol, he black and purple hair swooped over his e as he looked down on her with a seductive stare. "Hi baby."

Sebol's face lit up like a exploding firecracker. " Kiowa was right. You are a flirt!" Sebol growled pulling his arm off of her shoulder with perfect flirtatious flare that matched his. They were both pros of exuding sexual appeal. She could precisely time when she could find the opportunity to devour Gaelen right between the lacy teddies and couture corsets.

"I actually came to fetch Kiowa. She promised to tutor me for Windsor's final exams and she said if it was past-" Gaelen looked at his watch, "4pm to get her from her shopping break . So unfortunately, ladies, her fun time is over."

He then squeezed Sebol to him and gave her a reassuring peck on the cheek. She melted in his arms and offered her neck to him. He twirled her around and she laughed melodiously. But it was his effervescent way of ending their interlude because he was already pulling me out of the shop.

"How did you know where to find me?" I whispered once the coast was clear in between the racks of wedding lingerie and honeymoon pajamas, far from the risque outfits Sebol was pressing to her body and glancing towards us - enticing Gaelen to imagine her in them.

"Sebol always shops for frilly lingerie." Gaelen arched an eyebrow and winked. My heart sank, I wonder if he had seen some of her underwear collection and if he expected me to wear something similar. "I'm not the only one who is a supposed slut on campus."

"How did you know what we were..? Nevermind, don't answer that. Why did you lie? We don't have a tutoring session today."

"You shouldn't hang out with those girls for a while. All they want is to gossip about me and whom my soul named. "

"Well excuse me! I didn't know that I couldn't cultivate a relationship with anyone on campus without it being somewhat about you. Sorry, Mr. The World Does Not Revolve Around You."

His rich chuckle made me burn more. "Alright fair. Anyways, I want to take you somewhere. I think you will like it." He opened the shop door for me.

He waved goodbye to the girls over his should as we left. Sebol jutted her out and her arms crossed with a freezing scowl.

"I don't want you hanging out with those girls," he ordered. We walked the charming pebbled path leading back to the more crowded sidewalks leading to the city center.

"Haazic is my friend," I defended "and Sebol-"

"She is mean to you. They will use you to get to me." He didn't look at me to gauge my response, it was just a simple fact to Gaelen. "I do believe her soul opened, it's quite possible it did reveal my name."

I stopped and pulled away but my hand secured in his warm grasp. "Why toy with her? That means your soul named her too. Why toy with me?"

"Kiowa we've been through this before. I choose you. Doesn't that mean anything to you. You are my best friend. I wouldn't toy with you."

I shook my head but thoughts of clarity were muted over the ringing alarms. "I am your friend. I can't be anything more than that if you aren't clear with me."

"First and always I need to be your friend and you mine." He stopped and in his Gaelen way, tucked my wayward braids behind my shoulder. "Let's go. You are going to love this place!"

The busy foot traffic petered off as we walked under a red and gold archway with a fire-breathing dragon on it. An amazing weft of fragrant smells came from the small shops lining the narrow street beyond the archway, wrapping and curling up a small hill.

We walked up the hill street to another winding street. The sun beamed romantically giving the shops, restaurants and small apartments a golden hue. Each uniformed with beautiful windowsill flower beds draping the ground-level shops with falling green tendrils. The streets became more narrow as we climbed the hill until it seemed like the buildings on either side of us were leaning in for a kiss - only a bike could pass through for a little way tightening from a single-person passageway into a crevice.

Joyous music filled the air as Gaelen and I squeezed through the buildings that were so close together that our backs scraped against the brick and our bodies nearly got stuck. Beyond this crevice at the end of town, on the other side of the meeting building open up to a large square with a bubbling fountain in the center. This hidden town was surrounded by more shops and eateries. A large theater sat on facing across the square on opposite sides. A man stood with an easel near the fountain with a black beret and a paint covered smock.

"Those shops are actually classes and schools." Gaelen ushered me to peek through the window to spy on a class of little girls in pink too-tuos practicing ballet dance positions at the barre. Above the mirror in frilly writing a banner hung: Perfect in Imperfection.

"This is the human district, " I raised my eyebrows and jumped a little in shock.

"Don't worry there aren't any humans here. I would protect you if there were. Do you like it? It looks like the real deal, right? They made it that way - the original Chinatown, Italy, a Spanish village." He pointed to the four directions of the small square.

Each shop had various banners and even the restaurants has decals on their windows proclaiming the theme: Perfect in Imperfection. Meaning perfect in creation but not perfect because it's human. We briefly talked about this movement in art class but the teacher scoffed at it and limited the discussion to only 20 minutes and said for the rest of the semester we were to learn that the imperfection is what makes the work of human's a fluke, while we, Y'vori create perfection in everything. At this moment it dawned on me the inclemency of anyone discovers that their perfect prince was a defect. I shudder to imagine what they would do to him. I grabbed his arm and hugged him too me with a tight squeeze. I didn't want to let him go or experience pain.

"Are you hungry?" He interrupted my morbid thoughts. "Everything is super expensive. From every part of the world your choice of before-Eclipse human food. My treat. "

"You don't have to-"

"I want to! Consider it archaeology homework."

"I've always wanted to try French,"

Gaelen grinned so big his jade eyes glittered confirming his delight, "That's the spirit."

Gaelen kissed the inside of my palm and then took my arm into his, in a way Lance had done earlier in the week. "May I escort you" he asked and then smirked, working his manipulation to erase Lance's attempts to becoming something more than a friend.

Inside the small bistro, Gaelen held my chair out for me to sit. The waiter dropped off menus. I picked up my red leather covered menu and felt like I was attempting to read another language.

"Do you trust me?" Galen asked, and I realized he was not looking at his menu. He was just watching me with a mixture of curiosity and amusement.

Crap what was I doing wrong now.

Gaelen took my menu out of my hand and gently covered my hands with his. "I'll order for us. I promise you'll love it," he whispered. He motioned for the waiter and then spoke French so beautifully, my thighs clenched. There was something about the way he mastered command of taking care of me that was making me so hot. Once he completed our order and his attention was attuned to me. In awe, I watched a dawning spread over his face - what was he thinking. Before I could continue struggling to analyze every moment, he leaned over, still never taking his hand off of mine and kissed my cheek. Shit. Embarrassingly, he proudly appreciated turning me on, just like that, with a drop of a few words in French. I want to crawl under the table and hide.

"You're beautiful when you're horny," he nuzzled his lips behind my ear and then nipped my ear. He smelt minty.

"You just happened to find me shopping?"

"Oh no, we are not changing the subject here. You are a cherub, Mouse. So tell me when the girls were drilling you about having sex with me..."

I slumped in my chair pulling my body into a tight ball, "Gaelen?! We're in public?"

"We're being discrete. You're the one making a noticeable scene," Gaelen chuckled and helped me sit back up in my chair. "Little mouse, you can't run into your little hole today."

I just shook my head and looked around the small cafe, we were the only diners and the square nearly empty except the man painting by the fountain. Unlike other parts of the Realm, this really was a forbidden and secret area.

"So this person back home that your soul opened up to. First, I am a little hurt you didn't tell me this. I had to overhear this-"

"How long were you eavesdropping?"

Gaelen arched an eyebrow, "I don't know, call me intrigued when I saw you walking into that sexy lingerie shop. My imagination ran wild of seeing my little Mouse in a beautiful black and white satin and leather corset."

I blushed hard.

"Oh my sweet," Gaelen kissed my hand, "I know your soul didn't open up, but it will in time."

"What about your soul?!"

"Nope, na na. We're aren't going back to that tired conversation. Not when I have you like this. A charged up morsel." His fingernail grazed the inside of my arm. "What do you want me to do?"

"IN A RESTAURANT!" I gaufluffed.

Gaelen quietly chuckled, still in full control. "Darling, in the restaurant, in the square, anywhere I can have you." His voice was honey. "Relax," he commanded teetering into impatience. The waiter returned with a bottle of wine and pour a sip in a glass for Gaelen to taste. With his free hand, his other was still holding me, he elegantly swirled his glass, took a sip the wine and then nodded. The waiter poured a glass for me and poured more in Gaelen's glass. "Try it."

I took advantage of the opportunity to pull my hand away from Gaelen and gather my nerves. I sipped the wine and immediately make me even warmer. Fuck, I was such a lightweight, but the red wine was an amazing jamey and dry blend.

"I like it."

"I knew you would. I am sure you would like other things with me." My breath caught and I gulped. "Don't worry Mouse."

Thankfully the waiter arrived with a plate of strange shell things with greyish shimmery goop in the middle. I frowned, I thought we're eating human food.

"What's wrong?" He asked, and I only shook my head. "I don't understand what is with you when it comes to food. You'll like it. Tilt your head back."

Gaelen took one of the shells, carefully balancing the gel like substance. He leaned in real close and traced a nail down the column of my neck.

"Open," He instructed, and I obeyed. He tipped the substance that slipped off the shell into my mouth. It was a strange sensation that touched my palate of a sea far away, full of life. Gaelen leaned in close and kissed the middle of my neck.

"Oysters, an aphrodisiac, my love." Gaelen kissed my lips and then took an oyster for himself. "Hmmm, good." I only blushed, "Almost as good as you."

I daringly took an oyster and tried to seductively return his tease. He gratefully obliged and tilted his head back and opened his mouth. I saw flash of silver glint in his mouth. "What's that?"

Gaelen smirked in his famous sexy wily manner. "You might find out a little later." He grasped the silver ball between his teeth revealing that he had pierced his tongue recently. I gulped down my glass of wine allowing it to give me courage.

The waiter returned to our table to refill my wine glass and set salad plates of endive, fennel and blood orange segments with manchego cheese slivers. The waiter recited a description for the small amuse bouche he set next to our salads: artichoke heart chips on top of a puree of creamed asparagus and apple chilled-soup.

"Is it true?" I pressed once we had privacy again

"Is what true darling?" Gaelen asked in between bites.

"Sebol said you like to sow your wild oats."He nearly choked with laughter, his eyes watering. His eyes ridged with amusement but I had to grasp the truth. "She said that women like to sleep with you because you are the future king."

"It's true." he said without missing a beat, crunching his salad as if his admittance was nothing more than a mere fact. "But since being with you, you are the only one. Everyone else is like a vapor." I didn't know how to respond to that, either with flattery or with concern I've met the ultimate player? "Does that change your opinion of me. I am sure this isn't new news to you."

"So, it's safe to say you aren't holding out for me?"

"Kiowa," He gathered my hands into his own and leaned in to touch my cheek with a kiss was as delicate as a feature. "I've been waiting for you all year. I'm so glad it's the end of the school year so then I don't have to share you with Professor Windsor anymore."

I couldn't help but giggle, "That's horrible Gaelen."

"Tell me about it." He took one last big bite of his salad, thoroughly cleaning his plate. "Do you like your human food?"

"It's a bit odd," and that was the truth. "But it's good. Thank you for bringing me here."

"Enjoy yourself, Mouse."

We chatted about the classes we didn't share and his human pop culture knowledge was very amusing.

The waiter brought another bottle of wine, a red bordeaux that was super-dry but Gaelen attested it would taste magnificent with dinner. I'm stuffed before the plates of Confit de Canard came to the table.

"I'm stuffed, can we take it to go?"

"No way. It's one thing to hang out in this district of town and another to take stuff out of here."

I wasn't sure what that meant but I knew to leave it alone.

"I don't know what it is about you and eating, Mouse. You only nibble here and there at school. Don't be such a wimp? It's only human food."

I took a few more bits of the tender succulent duck dish. It was fantastic, one of the best things I've had in my entire life. Gaelen seemed satisfied that I was no longer nibbling. It was human food, and I had the best plate of food probably any human has seen in the last two decades placed in front of me.