Chapter 21 - The Truth

The next thing I was aware of was a hand repeatedly stroking my forehead and running through my hair. Feeling sluggish, I opened my heavy eyes and tried to focus on the nearest object.

"Hey," Mum's soothing voice filled my ears as she continued the comforting motion on my head. She was sitting next to me on the bed that I'd passed out on, presumably waiting for me to wake up.

"Hey," I croaked back, realising my throat was dry and that my head was thudding slightly. I could see Keleon resting silently against the wall behind her, observing us, but I focused my attention on my mother.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, concern weighing heavily in her tone.

"Tired," I answered, still feeling groggy.

"Do you want to sleep some more?"

I shook my head.

"It's not that kind of tired. It's more like ... drained."

"Can we get you anything? Something to eat?" she asked.

"I could do with a drink," I replied, hoping it might do something for the dryness in my throat.

"I'll get it," Keleon responded quickly, and was already exiting the room by the time Mum thanked him.

"Your friend has barely left this room since we boarded," said Mum in a soft voice once he'd disappeared from view. "I think he likes you."

I smiled weakly.

"We're not just friends, Mum."

She smiled back.

"I suspected as much. I'm pleased for you. He seems nice."

"He is."

"And a Vacillator?"

"Yeah. I always thought they were a myth."

"It's very rare to come across one, which is why many people don't believe they even exist. Most Vacillators never leave their planet," she explained.

"He's different."

"He's hot."

"Mum!"

"Don't tell me you hadn't noticed?" she teased with a smile and a raised eyebrow.

"Oh my God." I rolled my face into part of the pillow and pulled the remaining bit up to cover the rest of my face, which I could feel changing colour.

"Seriously though, I know what it's like to be involved with someone from a different species."

Keleon re-entered the room with a bottle of water. He sat at the end of the bed and passed it to me. I thanked him, and he rested his hand on my leg near my ankle. I was grateful for the contact.

"I used to be part of a research team, specialising in extra-terrestrial life," Mum continued as I sipped my water. "The last research assignment I was given was to a planet called Aderyn, on the far side of the galaxy. The Aderyn people were able to fly, or at least it looks like flying to humans. They're born with an innate ability to alter gravitational strength in their immediate vicinity. I was assigned to bring back a blood sample from one of the inhabitants for trials in genetic modification in humans.

"They were a peaceful people and very welcoming to us. It was our first contact with this species, other than remote communications to set up an introduction, and their hospitality was extraordinary. We couldn't have asked to be treated any better. We asked if we might kindly take a blood sample home with us, but they didn't believe in genetic modification and refused. The offered many other things - food, spices, gemstones - as gifts, but they would not allow us to take their blood.

"My companions and I were all scientists, and completely understood their point of view. They'd given us their answer and didn't want to press the issue. They welcomed us for a few more days, where I took to spending a lot of time with an Aderyn man, Dain'har. It became clear there was a growing attraction between us, and on my last night, we became intimate and agreed to keep it between us. We knew we couldn't be together after that night, but I had no regrets.

"When we returned to Earth, the council claimed that we hadn't pushed hard enough or negotiated enough. We reminded them that we were scientists, and we believed that ethically and morally we needed consent. But they let us all go. It was frustrating to be dismissed, as I liked my job, but I still felt that I'd done the right thing.

"A few weeks later I found out that I was pregnant. I kept the news as quiet as I could because there was only one possible father. If anyone found out he was one of the Aderyn, I knew they would take my baby and start running the tests that Dain'har was so against."

"Which is why you put my father was 'unknown' on my birth certificate," I inferred. Mum nodded. "And why you've never liked hospitals."

"Only when it comes to you," she smiled, still stroking my head. "Had I got there first after your hoverboard accident, I would have taken you somewhere I trusted. I knew a general hospital facility would take a blood sample and realise there was something peculiar about your blood. But they had no way of knowing what the peculiarity was, because there was nothing to compare it to. Hence the endless testing; they had no idea what they were testing for.

"I pretended to be clueless of course, but I suspected they'd bugged every electronic device I encountered, just in case they found out I knew something. I managed to get a note to Helen asking for her help to get you out since I knew they'd be watching me.

"In the meantime, I made every effort to collect as much data as possible when I visited you, from the records they kept at the facility. Some of the scientists there were very protective of the information. But a couple of the more naïve juniors were sympathetic to a concerned mother who wanted to find out more about her son and let me have access to some of the information. Over time, I collected enough small pieces that I could start to build a bigger picture. And your demonstration of power back there, along with the evidence I've collected, means we now have enough proof that they weren't keeping you there on medical grounds."

"But they still have samples of my blood?" I asked.

"I don't know whether you saw the trail of destruction you left behind, but I don't think much survived your wrath," Mum smiled. "If they're left with any uncontaminated blood samples I'll be amazed."

"I destroyed a building," I winced as her words sunk in. "Won't there be repercussions?"

"Not with what we've got against them," Mum replied. "You were threatened, provoked, and still nobody got hurt. I believe we can argue you're not dangerous, even if you did destroy that facility. I know you can't control your gifts yet, but they don't know that. It could have been a lot worse. And I think that legally, they know we have more on them than they do on us. Really, I think we ended up with the best possible outcome."

I finished the water in the bottle.

"Why have we never seen signs of these 'gifts' before?" I wondered.

"Honestly, I have no idea," replied Mum. "It's not something I investigated when I was with the Aderyn, and I didn't want to draw suspicion after you were born by trying to investigate it in retrospect.

"My best guess is that it didn't kick in until your reached physical maturity, and it sounds like it may be linked to your emotions. Every day was predictable when you were on Selenia, so there was no reason for your mood to change much."

"It was boring," I summarised.

"Exactly," replied Mum. "There was nothing to trigger it until you got out."

"So ... my father is out there? On Aderyn?" I asked.

"He is," replied Mum. "I didn't want you to look for him while I was trying to keep you out of harm's way. But now ... I think he'd be delighted to find out he has a son."

I closed my eyes. I wasn't completely human, and my father didn't know I existed. And I had inherited abilities from him that I may or may not be able to control. It was a lot to take in.

Mum lifted my fringe and kissed me on the forehead.

"I'm glad you're OK," she said. "I'm going to get something to eat. If you need me, or if I can get you anything, just send Keleon out to find me. We're looking forward to seeing you when you have enough strength to join us."

I knew she was giving me and Keleon some time to catch up on what had happened.

"Thanks Mum," I replied as she got up. She nodded as she ducked out of the door. Keleon moved up the bed to take her place. I was starting to feel a bit stronger already.

"So ... we're back on Epsilon 4?" I guessed.

"You slept the whole way back, and then some," he grinned, blue eyes and perfect features staring down at me affectionately.

"Helen and Mia?" I asked.

"They're fine," he reassured me. "They were in the northern end of the building. Further away from the epicentre."

I groaned as he reminded me again of the destruction I caused and the fact that I had so little control over it.

"I was so angry with them for what they were about to do to you," I said, wincing at the memory of it. "Why didn't you just tell them you weren't me?"

"Why would telling them have helped?" he countered. "I looked like you, so I doubt anything I said would have stopped them doing a blood test."

He was probably right. Would I have believed him if I were in the position of the G.I.A. personnel? I'd undoubtedly want to be sure either way.

"I meditate to hone my instincts," Keleon continued. "I need to trust that my body will give me the best shape for the situation. I may not always understand or agree with what it's doing, but if my body was telling me that I was supposed to be 'you,' then telling G.I.A. that I wasn't would have undermined whatever it was trying to do to help me. So, I went with it."

He shrugged and kissed my forehead.

"But look what happened," I retorted.

"Yes," he agreed. "Look at what happened. As your mother said, it resulted in the best possible outcome. Apparently, I needed to make sure you were angry enough to show them what you were capable of, but not so angry that you hurt anyone. Along with the evidence your mother collected, they're unlikely to pursue you any further."

"So, you're taking the credit for this?" I asked incredulously.

"Of course."

Typical of my quirky alien boyfriend.

A small chuckle escaped me, followed by a comfortable silence as we smiled at each other. Keleon was the first to break it.

"So, you're not entirely human," Keleon's smile turned mischievous. "Why didn't you tell me?"

I hit him with the pillow, and we descended into giggles.

*******************************************************

A couple of hours later I was feeling much better, and Keleon and I were walking hand in hand down the path from the north end of the hanger to the waterside, where we knew the sun would set shortly.

Helen, Mia and Mum were already there, with a blanket spread across the moss. In the middle of the blanket were ration packs, local fruits and water. They greeted us warmly when they saw us, and we joined them happily.

"You look so much better, sweetheart," Mum observed.

"Yeah, I'm definitely getting there," I agreed. "We're having a picnic?"

"Why not?" replied Mia. "It's a good spot for it."

Nobody could disagree with that. I started helping myself to some of the food, as Keleon leaned back and watched.

"So Mum, what's next?" I asked after I'd swallowed some of the fruit.

"I haven't had a proper catch-up with Helen for over three years," she replied. "I think we're going to spend some time together. And then, I'm not sure, I haven't decided yet. I need time to adjust to not having to hide my every move." She reached for her water. "What about you? Have you thought about what you want to do?"

"I think I'd like to join these two in exploring what's out there," I replied. Flying a ship had always been my dream and exploring the galaxy with Mia and Keleon sounded perfect to me. "If they're OK with it of course," I added, realising that I hadn't actually asked them how they felt about it.

"Sounds awesome to me," Mia approved. "And I can't see Keleon objecting." She threw a wink in his direction and he grinned. "What about showing Damon that planet we found in the Tetra Prime system? Maybe we should go there first. After all the recent excitement, we probably just need some time to chill out."

"A mini holiday sounds good to me," I agreed.

"Sure, I'm up for that," Keleon concurred. "On a practical note, we borrowed the Pavo from Helen, and we're running out of things to trade. We may need to stop at Gokk first."

"Does that mean I have to watch people flirt with my guy?" I pouted.

"No," replied Keleon. I watched as a lopsided smile formed on his lips. "You can stay outside if you prefer."

I punched him lightly on the arm. The smile grew, showing off his dimple, and I rolled my eyes.

"Any thoughts on what you might do after that?" Mum was smiling at our banter.

"I don't know," I replied. "Mia and Keleon have never been to Aderyn, and I have a father I've never met who may be able to give me some pointers in how to get the gravity thing under control. Maybe we can go there?" I looked towards my new travelling companions.

Keleon nodded, as he kissed me on the head and pulled me closer. Mia smiled and also nodded.

As we continued enjoying the picnic, surrounded by people I considered my family, I realised that my life was about to change for the better.

And I couldn't wait to get started.