Chapter 2 - The Stars

Dr Tarnung was already at the controls, and I reached out to steady myself as we took off. This was so cool. There was a co-pilot seat next to him, so I aimed towards it, despite the craft rocking back and forth as my companion manoeuvred us away from the firing squad and out of the atmosphere.

"Do you know how to fly?" he asked.

"I've read some manuals and done some simulations, but never actually flown anything," I confessed. "I can probably do the basics with this," I added, looking at the flight controls.

"OK, take the main controls and aim us towards the dwarf star you can see there," he pointed. "I need to make sure nobody's following us."

"You want me to take control?" I quipped, figuring I may as well flirt since I'd be waking up soon anyway, sliding into the black leather chair. "Any time you like."

He got up and pulled on a lever while looking at a colourful display. The dream was already the most realistic and coolest dream I'd ever had, so it was probably asking too much for my brain to get him to flirt back with me.

I heard weapons fire as I pulled the main control stick so that we were facing in the direction he'd instructed me. I assumed he was trying to deter our pursuers from following us.

Dr Tarnung got back into the pilot seat, while Selenia grew smaller in the rear viewer as we pulled away from it. He brought up a scanner and sighed in relief.

"They're not following us for now, but we need to minimise our speed so they can't trace which direction we've gone in." He continued to fiddle with the controls, while I crossed one ankle over another and put my feet up on the dashboard. "If we go too fast, we'll leave an ion trail that they can use to figure out where we are."

I couldn't work out whether he was talking to me or to himself, so I didn't respond until he looked like he'd finished doing whatever he was doing and settled in a bit more.

"So, where are we going?" I asked him.

I was still riding an adrenaline high, and probably grinning insanely.

"Epsilon 4," he responded, taking a deep breath and releasing it slowly.

"What's on Epsilon 4?" I asked.

"Friends and safety," he replied cryptically, removing his lab coat.

"I guess you're not a real doctor, then," I speculated, gesturing towards the lab coat that was being discarded over the back of the pilot's chair. Dr Tarnung was left wearing a vest-top that clung in all the right places. He clearly worked out, but he wasn't overly muscular, and I found it difficult to stop my eyes wandering over his lean, well-toned body.

"Correct," he confirmed.

"So, your name isn't Dr Tarnung?" I asked, pointing to the badge on the discarded lab coat.

"What? Oh, I see. No, my name is Keleon," he smiled over at me. That dimple was back and I couldn't believe how much it affected me.

"I'm Damon," I responded robotically, still checking him out.

"I know," he responded, smile growing.

"Oh, yeah," I realised dumbly.

Of course he knew. I was far too distracted by his beauty to concentrate properly.

"I should send a message to my mother," I said, changing the subject. "Otherwise she'll try to visit me tomorrow."

"If we try to send a message, they'll intercept it and figure out where we are," replied Keleon. "I'm sorry, Damon. Too much time and effort has gone into getting you out of there. We can't risk them finding you. Your mother will understand."

I was slowly starting to realise this wasn't a dream. Everything felt too real. The leather of the seat I was in. The unstable floor as we pulled out of the gravitational field of Selenia. The musty smell in the dated cockpit.

There was too much going on to wrap my head around, so as we sat in comfortable silence, I let my mind wander to things that were simpler than the complex situation I seemed to be in. I wasn't in control of any of this, just like I hadn't been in control of my life for the last three years, so my mind wandered onto things I could perhaps control.

I started to wonder what I should do, if anything, about this instant attraction I had towards Keleon. I had no idea how long the journey to Epsilon 4 would take, or what would happen when we got there. After we arrived, would I ever see him again?

My mother had always told me that we only live once, and we should make the most of every opportunity we could. I knew my dark blonde hair and blue eyes complimented my features because I'd been flirted with by several female members of staff at the medical facility. Which meant that if Keleon was interested in men in any way, I probably stood a chance.

That wasn't something I was going to find out without asking him. If I did nothing, we'd probably part ways without me knowing whether any intimacy with him was possible. But it could be really embarrassing if I started flirting with him and he rejected my advances. He might even be married already. Was it worth the risk?

I looked over at him and drank in his features. My gaze drifted to those perfect pink lips. I really wanted to feel them pressed against mine. I ran my fingers over my bottom lip as I thought about the worst thing that could happen if I made it clear I was interested. He'd reject me, I'd make an idiot of myself, and then I'd probably never see him again. At least I'd know how he felt, and I wouldn't spend my life wondering 'what if?'

Keleon turned to face me and caught me staring. The dimple came back as he smiled. Stunning. I knew I might be being shallow, but yeah, it was worth the risk. It might end in nothing but embarrassment. But who knows, it might result in a kiss that I could remember forever.

"You OK?" he asked.

"I'm good," I replied. "Finding it hard to believe I'm out of that place," I added honestly.

"I'm not surprised, it must have come as a bit of a shock," said Keleon gently. "I wish we'd had some way of letting you know that we were getting you out. Did they treat you well there?"

"Yeah, I guess so. I mean, they poked me and prodded me, but they never really hurt me or anything. The food was good," I added, remembering the burger I had just before I left.

Keleon looked like I'd prompted him to remember something.

"I nearly forgot - there's a bit of food in the back. Do you want some?"

My eyes moved away from his, and I bit my lips as my gaze dropped downwards. I tried to make sure he could see that I was making a point of taking in his beautiful features, my gaze drifting over his body and back up to meet his eyes again.

"Are those two sentences related?" I ventured.

I felt my face heat up slightly, not sure whether that was too forward or not. I was very much out of practice at flirting with anyone I actually wanted to get physical with.

I braced myself for rejection, but he just smiled at me before looking out of the window at the stars.

Out of all the reactions I speculated were possible, a complete lack of reaction wasn't one of them, and I wasn't sure how to interpret it. But damn, he looked hot as he was staring out into the universe. He pushed his hair back away from his eyes, but it just flopped back into the same position and he settled his clasped hands behind his head and put his crossed ankles up on the dash to join mine. He seemed happy to sit in silence, and I was happy to sit and look at him.

"Strange to think that stars are balls of plasma held together by their own gravity," Keleon mused. "There's something majestic about them. Something beyond science. Something ... beautiful."

"I'm definitely enjoying the view," I hinted strongly, with a raised eyebrow.

"That one over there is a Blue Star," he pointed out the window, completely oblivious to the compliment. Either that, or he was ignoring it. "They're quite rare and have relatively short life spans. And normally end very explosively. But in the meantime, very pretty."

I looked out of the window and saw what he meant. A star somewhat larger than those surrounding it and with a blue tint. Keleon was right, it was pretty. As my gaze scanned the sky, I started to notice more and more of the stars, and the patterns they made in the darkness. There was another smaller pretty one tinted red, with a cluster of tiny white ones immediately to the right of it.

"I haven't seen the stars in three years," I realised out loud.

"I can't imagine not seeing the stars for even one year," Keleon replied. "I love being out here, there's nothing quite like it."

I could hear from his tone just how much that was true. And it was easy to see why when I stopped to take it all in.

"What type of star is that one, the one tinted red?" I asked.

I didn't know much about stars, and there was nobody I'd rather learn from.

Two hours later, we were still discussing the different types of stars. Keleon knew so much about dwarf stars, binary stars, supernovas and various other types, and I was very happy to listen to him, feeling a new sense of awe and admiration for my travelling companion.

It felt like only ten minutes had passed since we started talking, so I surprised myself by when I yawned.

"You're tired," said Keleon as he stood up.

He walked towards the back of the small craft and I followed. A side door revealed a small room and he led me inside. He went straight to a panel on the wall and pulled on it. It creaked open, as if it hadn't been used in a while, and he unhooked various pieces of apparatus. The whole thing unfurled into a bed, including a very basic pillow and blanket set. It was smaller than I was used to; the bed I had had in the research facility had been luxurious in comparison. But it was certainly better than sleeping on the floor.

"Thanks," I said, before noticing there was only one bed. I looked back to the man who took my breath away just by being in the same room. "Don't you need to sleep too?"

Keleon smiled and shook his head.

"No. It's all yours."

It made sense that he was on a different sleep-cycle to me. My body clock was still on Selenia time.

I collapsed onto the rickety bed with my hands clasped behind the back of my head. It was so nice to feel cared about. It reminded me of Mum tucking me into my bed when I was a child. Which is possibly what prompted me to ask, "So, do I get a kiss goodnight?"

My cheeks heated but I kept eye contact. Subtle hints had been ignored, so I was going for something a little stronger.

Keleon looked down at me, smiling.

"You're not like the others, Damon. You're perplexing, and you don't make much sense to me. But I like you already. Sleep well."

I was stunned into silence.

Keleon turned and left the small room, closing the door behind him.

I closed my eyes, confusion penetrating every part of my mind. What was it that wasn't making sense to him? It's not like I was being subtle. In fact, I thought I'd been making myself very clear.

Maybe he thought I was joking? Did I need to be even more forward? He was the one not making much sense.

And who were the 'others' I was being compared to?

I turned over and tried to think more positive thoughts. I had longed to get out of that medical facility for the last three years, and now I was free. I didn't feel 'ill' and nobody could tell me what was supposed to be 'wrong' with me, so it seemed like the right time to move on. Hopefully Mum would realise why I didn't contact her, and we'd find each other later. The doctors were bound to get bored of looking for me after a few days. After all, what's the point in trying to treat someone who doesn't want to be treated?

There were more positive thoughts I could focus on too. I had asked Keleon to kiss me, and the result was that he told me he liked me. Although he hadn't acted on my request, and I was left with more questions than answers, it wasn't a rejection.

Those thoughts were enough for hope to swell in my chest as sleep consumed me.