Invaded (Alienated, #2)(41)

Troy hopped down from the backseat and pointed to a thicket of tall taupe trees and leafy underbrush. “Be right back,” he whispered. “Gotta drain the lizard.”

Laughing, Cara faced the softly crashing waves and let the ocean breeze caress her face. She shielded her eyes from the sun, which hung low on the horizon. Beautiful as the L’eihr sunset was—with smudges of salmon and gold contrasted against a slate sky—it couldn’t compete with Earth’s cotton candy dusk. But the air here smelled sweeter than the beaches of home—an unpolluted mixture of salt, sun, and a scent that reminded her of pine. Sharp-beaked winged animals dove, kamikaze-style, into the surf to spear fish. That, at least, was familiar.

Hugging herself, Cara gazed into the heavens and mentally recited Aelyx’s words: Soon we’ll stand together and watch the L’eihr sky from our colony. An electric charge passed through her. They were really going to do this—build a life here. She could picture it: barefoot strolls on the beach under a tri-moon glow, weekends spent fishing and gathering shells, nights in Aelyx’s arms, falling asleep to the sound of distant waves.

This was paradise. They didn’t even have to worry about hurricanes.

Jaxen surprised her by capturing a loose lock of hair and tucking it behind her ear. “What are you thinking?”

Not wanting to encourage his casual touches, Cara moved away. “I’m imagining what a typical day would look like.”

Aisly strode to Jaxen’s side and answered for him. “Much like your days now. You’ll scan for updates, engage in physical conditioning, eat in the dining hall. But instead of classes, you’ll report to your assigned vocation.”

Cara didn’t like the sound of that. “We won’t be able to choose our own jobs?”

“No.” Jaxen kicked aside a chunk of driftwood and began walking over the dunes toward town. “Our method of optimal placement in the workforce is too efficient to abandon.”

Paradise just lost a point.

Troy emerged from the bushes, zipping his fly. He nodded toward the ancient ruins. “Are they going to leave that temple standing?”

“It’s not a temple,” Jaxen said, staring into the rubble. “It’s a tomb. Or it was.”

“For a warrior queen and her consort,” Aisly added. “Killed in battle. Their bodies lay undisturbed until recently.”

That sounded cryptic. “They didn’t tear it down for the colony, did they?” Cara asked.

“No. The remains were exhumed and relocated decades ago.” Jaxen pointed ahead and quickened his pace. “Hurry. We don’t have much sun left.”

As they strode onward, something needled at the back of Cara’s mind—a warning bell of sorts—but she couldn’t put her finger on the problem. She scanned storefronts and offices as she passed, finding nothing amiss. In fact, the apartment complexes were homier than she’d anticipated, complete with benches along the sidewalk and the beginnings of a swimming pool in the courtyard. The L’eihrs weren’t big on leisure time, so she knew this was a concession for them.

“Can we go inside?” Cara asked. She wanted to see the living quarters she’d share with Aelyx.

“No,” Jaxen said. “They’re not finished. All you’d find are stairs and plumbing.”

“Too bad.” She gazed up and down the vacant street, half expecting a tumbleweed to blow down the center of town. “I’d love to get a sneak peek at…” She trailed off, finally realizing what had been bothering her.

It was the streets. They didn’t exist at the capital because citizens shuttled from place to place or took the air train. But now that Cara looked around, she noticed the absence of landing pads, too.

“Wait,” she said. “Where will our shuttles land? And why are there streets here?”

Jaxen and Aisly shared the briefest of glances, just long enough for Cara to get the impression they were hiding something.

Recovering quickly, Jaxen offered a placating smile. “In keeping with human customs, we’ve begun the manufacture of small motorized vehicles for your use on the colony.”

“Cars?” Cara asked.

“Powered by the sun,” Aisly added. “Like everything else here, so you won’t need to worry about fuel dependency.”

Cara noticed they didn’t answer her first question. “Where will we keep our shuttles?”

After a moment of hesitation, Jaxen admitted, “You won’t have them.”

“At all?”

“No.”

Paradise lost another point. No, make that a dozen points. Because without shuttles, the colonists were trapped here—powerless, isolated, and utterly dependent on the continent to travel any farther than the beach.

Paradise morphed into prison.

Troy clearly understood her concern. He didn’t say anything, but he whistled the theme to The Twilight Zone and used his index finger to make twirling motions toward his head.

“What if there’s an emergency?” Cara asked.

Jaxen didn’t miss a beat. “You’ll have com-spheres.”

“But a com-sphere won’t fly me off this island.”

Drawing a deep breath, Jaxen brought both his hands together as if in prayer. “Listen, Cah-ra. I give you my word: The Way means you no harm. But you have to admit that human colonists have a history of rising up against their founding nations. This is more to protect our society than anything else.”