Parent-Teacher Conference Ch. 11

The Betrayal

We were due to arrive on his world in two days, and because of this Oliver and I have seen very little of each other. We hadn't made love since then night I got my filters off because he rarely returned to our quarters and if he did, he came just to sleep, and hold me. However, the nights he was not with me seemed to trigger the nightmares again. I chose not to tell him because he had so much on his plate that I don't wish to worry him. Lara and I have become friends and she was the one person, other than Oliver, I could talk to about anything, except the nightmares. I didn't tell her because I knew she would tell Oliver and he'd be angry with me for not telling him first, though I suspected she knew.

I learned that Lara wanted to follow her father's example and be the first female guardian in her family. Her mother on the other hand, didn't want her only daughter to do so because guardians usually had shorter than normal lifespans and the number of guardian widows was rather high. I finally revealed that I knew her father died protecting me, and that I didn't blame her brother for the mistake he made. Valente also seemed to want to talk to me a lot, but seemed to get annoyed that Lara was always around. Maybe it was jealousy, though I wasn't really sure.

Like so many nights before, Oliver told me he would not be joining me in our quarters (he now calls it 'our quarters,' not 'his') during his normal rest period, as he must stay near the helm. There had been sabotage on some of the ship's equipment since the search for the tracker had intensified after Fleck's message to us, but to no avail. Oliver was afraid that Fleck will follow through with his threat and has insisted I not explore the ship any more until the tracker was captured. I was disappointed as I was learning so much about his ship and how it worked, but I understood his concern so I did as he asked. I was allowed to visit Iman and Byer to ensure my health was still good, and the rest quarters of a few others I had become friends with so I took full advantage of this. Being that I was able to visit with my new friends helped me to not feel quite like I was under house arrest, and made my separation from him a bit more bearable. Since Oliver was working all night, I decided to give Oddo and Valente some one-on-one time that they seemed to both be craving from me so badly. These visits are the only time I didn't have to have Lara in tow. Even though I really enjoyed her company, I like spending time with other creatures and hearing their stories.

My visit with Oddo went well and I had sent Lara away so she can get some much-needed rest. When Lara came to collect me for dinner, Oddo decided to join us. The three of us enjoyed a pleasant meal together but the tension that everyone on the ship was under could be felt. We arrived at Valente's room and Lara offered to stand watch but I told her to get some rest as she was on duty all night, per Oliver's orders and this was my last visit for the night. Lara thanked me, headed to her quarters and said she will return for me, so I knew I had about two hours at most. Just as Lara reached the end of the hallway where she boarded the elevator, Valente's door opened and she squealed, "Alexis Perry! I'm so happy to see you!"

"Hi Valente," I said.

She moved aside to let me into her room. Her room, like Oddo's room, reminded me of Oliver's with the bed, two chairs, and table, but smaller. I heard soft music playing and I saw a bottle with two glasses sitting on her small table. "What is that?" I asked.

"Flinchwick I think," she said. "It's music from our world. Have you not heard it before?"

"No," I said. "But then again, since Oliver's been trying to find the tracker, he's been pretty side-tracked."

Valente poured an amber liquid into each glass as she sat in one of the chairs and handed me a glass. "How so?"

"He hardly sleeps during rest period, we haven't talked much, and now my movements are restricted," I explained as I sat in the other chair.

"Really?"

"Yeah," I said taking a drink. "Thanks. In fact, you're one of the few creatures I'm allowed to see without Lara."

"Yes," she said with an odd tone to her voice. "Where is Lara at anyway?"

"I sent her to her quarters. She's got an all-night guard duty session tonight, so I told her to rest." I was wondering why Valente even cared so much. "Besides, I thought you didn't like Lara that much."

"What?" asked Valente as her voice raised a few octaves. "Whatever gave you that idea?"

"You seem to tense up when she's around," I said taking another drink.

"Lara and I have not always been the best of friends," she said. "And maybe I just want to spend a little quality time with you and not you and her."

I smiled and finished my drink. "That's so sweet of you."

"More?" she asked.

"Sure," I said. "Aren't you thirsty?"

Valente took her glass and said, "Let's have a toast, like you Earth creatures do. To new friends and new adventures."

"Cheers!" I said as we clink glasses.

I began drinking this second glass, but I was not feeling so well. I started to wonder why it seemed that Valente wasn't drinking from her glass. I started to think something was wrong. Valente stood up and moved around the room while my head started to feel a bit fuzzy, like I'd been drinking several straight shots of tequila. My restricted access had limited my ability to learn about what they drink and what was considered an 'alcoholic' drink and what wasn't. I start to think that maybe this was like whiskey, but better tasting.

"So, are you excited about seeing our world soon?" she asked.

"Yeah," I slurred. "I'm... really... looking... forward... to... it."

The glass fell from my hand and my head was really spinning. "What's wrong Alexis Perry? You don't look well?" Her voice was distant, like I was in a long tunnel.

"Call..." I felt my body fall to the floor hard as everything went black.