December Read online

Three weeks came and went, and as the big day approached, Ted felt anxiety descend upon him like a summer storm. He found himself having a much harder time sleeping than before, and often woke several times during the night from haunting dreams. Alana or Millika would ask him a question and he would have to request they repeat it. Both Alana and Millika spent long swaths of time away from the house, leaving Ted to fend for himself. Fortunately, there were plenty of things to do to pass the time, even though he had never been brave enough to leave the house and explore the village. He taught himself Kolean a little at a time, and using Millika’s wall computer, learned as much as he could about Kolean culture and history. Occasionally he would get reports on progress from Trell, who was practically living at his workplace, and when he wasn’t, was back visiting his parents. In all likelihood, they wouldn’t see Trell until the day they were scheduled to leave. Their separation had been hard on Alana, even though her own schedule was just as insane.

  It was the morning before the television interview, and Ted was nervous. Almost a week before, Tykiah had contacted him and informed him that he would be appearing on a Kolean broadcast program to address the citizens. Most of the population on the planet was expected to watch, because it was such an important historical event, and most of them, understandably, wanted more information pertaining to what was going on. Not that Ted had witnessed it himself, but wild rumors had supposedly started to spread—everything from the theory that the Kolean government was behind the creation of some new life form they were intending to pass off as an alien that had escaped from the lab where it’d been created to the less crazy idea that the Drevi were returning to finish what they’d started. Ted’s appearance on the program was supposed to set the record straight. Macedr and Fjala were going to address the people first and explain to them why the Kolean government had decided to send the humans aid, and Ted would be there to boost popular opinion in favor of the mission.

  Tomorrow, that mission was scheduled to leave.

  Ted was sitting on the floor near the kitchen table that morning, sipping some kind of Kolean coffee he hadn’t been able to pronounce the name of, when Alana came in, yawning and stretching. She had come in late last night from the capital, so it was no wonder she’d slept in.

  “Morning, Alana,” Ted said, glancing up from a classic Kolean novel he’d been attempting to read. Millika had recommended it, claiming that not only was the story good, but the language used was easy to understand for beginners. Even so, he’d spent over half the time looking up unfamiliar words or grammar.

  “Morning,” she moaned, going over to the pantry and pulling out some dried grains to eat.

  “You’re nervous,” Alana observed as she stood nearby with a bowl of the grains and a cup of the same coffee Ted had.

  “How could you tell?” Ted joked.

  Alana smiled. “I think anyone would be. I called Tykiah last night and she’s arranging transport for us to the capital like she did before. She should call again and give us a little warning before it gets here, but then again, she’s Tykiah...”

  Ted’s lips curved upward a bit. “I can see why that would be a problem. How do you know Tykiah, anyway? Millika said something about you being old friends...”

  “Oh, we knew each other as kids,” Alana said with a dismissive wave of her hand. “She lived here, in Bayan’Gor, for a while.”

  “But you’ve never met the Wren before?”

  Alana shook her head. “No, Tykiah lived with her father. Once her mother became the Wren, apparently her father couldn’t deal with the lifestyle, so he came here with their daughter. We were close as kids but I haven’t seen her since I went off to the KIS Academy.” She stopped speaking, a nostalgic gleam in her eyes.

  As soon as Alana finished her coffee and woke up sufficiently, she suggested to Ted, “I have an idea since we have some time to kill. Do you like animals?”

  “Yeah,” Ted said, a little surprised at her words. What exactly was she planning? He wouldn’t call himself a die-hard animal lover, but he’d owned pets as a kid and certainly enjoyed the peace of mind they seemed to bring. If anyone asked, he was more of a dog person, though he hadn’t owned one since childhood because his wife had been allergic. I wonder if I can get a dog again once something resembling normalcy returns to my life, if it ever does. Since Leslie’s... not here anymore. The thought filled him with sadness.

  “In that case, I have something to show you,” Alana said. “Get dressed. We’re heading out back.”

  Oh, Ted thought, now thinking he knew where this was going. He knew Alana and Millika kept some kind of animals in the back of their property, but he’d never been able to get a good look at them.

  “This has always been Mother’s hobby, and I sort of picked up on it,” Alana said. “I probably would have shown you earlier, but we’ve been really busy, and since animals can help you relax, I thought now would be as good a time as any.”

  The building out back bore a passing resemblance to a stable, but Ted was surprised when he stepped inside and found two animals which looked much closer to antelope than horses. They weren’t in stalls, rather they seemed to have free range of the barn, which had a grass floor and a greenhouse feel to it, so they could graze even when inside. Ted thought it was an interesting setup. They must let the animals out to graze every once in a while so the grass in the barn could grow back and vice versa.

  “Oh, the groom must have left her out last night. Come on,” Alana said matter-of-factly, going through a curved door on the other side of the stable. Ted followed.

  Outside was a grassy pasture, enclosed by a white wire fence that was at least ten feet tall. The surrounding landscape was beautiful—flat, green shortgrass prairie as far as the eye could see. In the distance rolled green hills. Standing in the middle of the pasture was a beautiful antelope. Its fur was a soft brown, with two black stripes running parallel down its back. It had no horns.

  “This is Moro,” Alana introduced them. The antelope glanced up but allowed Alana to pet her neck before returning to grazing. Ted could tell Moro would never support the weight of a human, but Koleans were smaller and lighter so these creatures would make prefect mounts for them.

  “What is she?”

  “A...” Alana paused, trying to translate the word. It finally came out as more of a peep than a comprehensible word.

  “A what?” Ted was confused.

  Alana shrugged. “I don’t think it translates well. Come up with something easier.”

  He was getting to name a new species in his own language? The very thought gave Ted a bit of a thrill. “A Kolean Gazelle.”

  “Kolean Gazelle. Fits well, don’t you think Moro?” she said, addressing the animal much like humans did when talking to a favorite pet.

  “May I touch her?”

  “I guess. If she bites at you, don’t persist.” Alana stepped aside and allowed Ted access. Alana’s face broke into a smile as Ted tried to touch the rough fur on Moro’s face, only to have the Kolean Gazelle shy away.

  “Try again,” Alana encouraged.

  Ted did, with even more caution. Just as Moro had grown used to the stranger and Ted was about to succeed, a ship burst out of the horizon and landed next to the pasture with a thud, startling Moro. She ran away from Ted and Alana to the far corner of the pasture.

  Alana let out a deep sigh. “Shall we go then?”