Charlotte and the Alien Ambassador (2 page)

“Chief Councilor, I was rather disheartened to hear your news. I had thought the marriage was a done deal. However, I’ve taken your offer into consideration and I will accept your help in securing my daughter a suitable match. I’ve already made arrangements for her to be on the shuttle later today. She should arrive on your world by late this evening or tomorrow morning. I’m not quite sure about the time difference between here and there. She’ll have a blue ribbon in her hair so you can identify her easily.”

The message ended and Borgoz felt a hint of relief as well as a bit of dread. His plan had worked and the Senator didn’t seem overly upset, but at the same time he was now going to have an unwanted houseguest.

He supposed there were worse things than having a young woman underfoot. But then, she would be a young woman he couldn’t touch intimately. His plan suddenly didn’t seem so great. Borgoz loved the way females smelled, especially the Earth ones. And they looked so soft and curvy. With any luck, he’d have her mated within the week, or maybe even within the first day of her arrival. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?

He could always hope for a favorable outcome, but something told him luck wasn’t on his side.

Charlotte knew it was wrong to have her hearing aids turned off, but she couldn’t imagine what her father had to say that was so important. He’d already tried to marry her off to one of his friends, and by friends she meant someone ancient. Just the thought of the seventy year old’s hands on her body was enough to make her cringe. She may be deaf, but she wasn’t stupid. Everyone thought she would be grateful for any attention given to her, but they discounted the fact she had dreams, just like everyone else. She wanted someone sexy, and smart, and… well, she wanted Prince Charming to come charging in on his white steed to rescue her from her evil father’s clutches.

All right, so calling her father evil wasn’t very fair, but honestly, the man had never learned how to deal with her disability. He slammed his fists down on his desk, the vibration carrying through the floor, and she jerked her gaze up to his face.

Are you even listening to me
? She read the words on his lips and reached up to turn on her hearing aids. The words would still be muffled, but at least she could make them out and have a halfway decent conversation, if the person talking to her didn’t mind her sing-song voice that never sounded quite right and was never the right pitch. She’d been accused of screaming at people, but really, she had no way of knowing just how loud she was.

“Sorry, Father. I’m listening now.”

“I said you are to pack your things and be ready to travel to the Terran station this evening. Your shuttle leaves in four hours. As you know, it’s a three hour trip to the station so I suggest you pack quickly. They won’t allow you to take more than one suitcase so take only the essentials. I’m sure you can buy more things once you arrive there.”

Charlotte frowned. “Arrive where?”

She watched his face flush and knew, if he were a cartoon character, steam would be coming out of his ears. His knuckles turned white where they pressed against the wood and she wondered if maybe she’d pushed him too far, but Charlotte really was confused. He wasn’t making any sense.

“The marriage deal for your sister fell through. I’m sending you in her place to find a match on Terran. Chief Councilor Borgoz has offered to house you and assist you in finding a mate. This is your last chance, Charlotte. There will be no return trip home. You either find a mate there, or… honestly, there isn’t an or. You’ll find a mate because it’s your last chance at survival. No one wants you, Charlotte, and you don’t have any skills to make it on your own. I don’t imagine the Chief Councilor will wish to house you for long, especially when he realizes I’ve sent him the wrong daughter.”

“Wrong daughter? Why aren’t you sending Charity?”

“She was to marry the Chief Councilor’s nephew, but it seems the alien brat has backed out of the deal and left his uncle high and dry. I won’t have her marry just anyone, not when she has such potential here. But you…“ His gaze skimmed over her, and she was self-conscious of her worn denim shorts and tank. “There’s nothing left for you here. I refuse to take care of you for the rest of your life, and you seem to be in no hurry to find a suitable husband and settle down. I’m only glad your mother isn’t still alive to see you like this.”

She cringed at his words and flushed with embarrassment. It was no secret that her father blamed her for what happened to her mother. If Charlotte had been able to hear, she never would have been standing in the road when that car came careening around the corner, and her mother wouldn’t have rushed out to save her, managing to push Charlotte to safety while her own body took the hit. Her mother hadn’t died right away. She’d suffered in the hospital for two days before succumbing to her wounds, leaving Charlotte in a cold, angry, quiet world.

“This is non-negotiable, Charlotte. I’ve already informed Borgoz that you’ll be on the next shuttle. If you should decide not to pack and meet that shuttle, I’ll have you thrown out of this house and have your accounts closed. I’m not going to coddle you any longer. You’re twenty-nine, and it’s past time that you start learning to fend for yourself.”

She fought hard to show no emotion as his words sank in. Her father was kicking her out, one way or another, and she would be homeless within the hour. Charlotte had to admit that even life on an alien planet seemed preferable to living in a homeless shelter. She wondered if aliens would be more accepting of her condition, or would she have just as much trouble searching for Mr. Right on another world as she did on Earth?

“I’ll go to the shuttle,” she said in stilted words.

“Good. I’m glad you’re willing to see reason. Go pack. You don’t have much time.”

Charlotte bit her tongue, turned on her heel, and hurried out of her father’s office. She took the elevator to the third floor and nearly ran down the hall toward her bedroom. There was no one for her to say goodbye to. Her snotty, bratty, younger sister wouldn’t care that she was gone. If anything, Charity would probably celebrate. Even the staff was changed out every few years to keep anyone from getting attached to Charlotte. If someone was caught helping her, by morning they were gone. Why her father hadn’t just given her up for adoption, after her mother passed, Charlotte would never understand. The man obviously hated the mere sight of her.

She had no idea what life on Terran would be like, or what type of mate she would attract. She packed her usual shorts and tanks for comfort, some of her favorite pajamas, a swimsuit, and a handful of dresses. Somehow she managed to cram in two pair of shoes and a small make-up case, which also held two bottles of perfume. Her shower products wouldn’t fit, but she supposed she could just use whatever they had on Terran when she got there. It wasn’t like she was overly attached to her shower gel.

A glance at the clock showed she didn’t have much time left. Not knowing where her next meal would come from, she hauled her suitcase downstairs and left it by the front door before rushing to the kitchen to pack a snack for the car. Charlotte crammed some cheese and crackers into a sandwich bag and snagged a soda from the fridge.

When she got back to the front entry, the limo driver was hauling her suitcase out to the waiting car. She followed him down the steps, not even looking back at the place she’d called home all her life. Although she wasn’t entirely certain it had been home ever since her mother had died, more like a place where she slept and ate, existing from one moment to the next but never truly living.

The trip to the Terran station was long and uneventful. She’d switched off her hearing aids after she realized the driver wasn’t going to try to talk to her. The scenery changed as they neared the station, and her heart thrummed in her chest. This was a new chapter in her life and she could make of it what she wanted. It could either be an exciting new beginning or a dreaded ending to a miserable existence. She chose to believe it would be a new beginning. From what she’d read and seen on TV, the Terrans seemed really nice so she had hope that they would be kind to her, kinder than her own family had been all these years.

The car came to a stop and she let herself out, turning her hearing aids back on so she would be able to hear anyone who spoke to her. The driver set her suitcase down beside her, then got back in the car and pulled away. She should have felt sad that he hadn’t even made sure she got inside safely, but really, it was just another day. Charlotte gripped the suitcase, extended the handle, and then began wheeling the luggage through the station. She followed the signs to the launch area and paused at the desk.

“May I help you?” a large Terran asked.

It was her first time seeing one up close, and she had to crane her neck back to see him. She’d never realized how tall they were! As he smiled at her patiently, she realized she was gawking.

“My father is Senator Mayweather. He made arrangements for me to be on the next shuttle to Terran Prime.”

His face was very expressive, and she could tell that her voice surprised him. He took it in stride though and made a few clicks on the tablet in front of him.

“Of course. Miss Charlotte Mayweather?”

She nodded.

“If you’ll leave your luggage here with me, I’ll see that it makes it onto the shuttle safely.” He attached a ticket to it with her name. “We have instructions to give you this to wear in your hair.”

She accepted the blue ribbon from him and eyed it uncertainly. It had been a long time since she’d worn ribbons in her hair, but she shrugged and tied it in a bow on top of her head. On the plus side, it held her hair back from her face. The downside was that she looked like she was twelve. Hell, she wasn’t even sure a twelve year old would be seen like this.

The Terran male gave her instructions for boarding the shuttle and she followed them to the letter. Once she was safely on board and seated near the aisle -- because her father had been too cheap to even get her a window seat -- she closed her eyes and tried to calm her racing heart. She’d never been on an airplane before, much less a space shuttle.

A few other women filed onto the shuttle as well as three Terran males. When the captain boarded, he stopped and addressed everyone, explaining what to expect and how long it would take for them to arrive. Before he ducked into the cockpit, Charlotte raised her hand.

“If there’s no one else sitting in this row, may I move to the window seat?”

He smiled. “Of course. You’ll be able to see us break through the atmosphere, but shortly after, we’ll deploy the masks that will put you to sleep for the rest of the journey. When you wake, we’ll be on Terran Prime.”

“Thank you.”

Charlotte got up and slid over to the window seat before refastening her seatbelt. The takeoff was a little bumpier than she’d expected and she had to try to pop her ears several times, but as they broke through the atmosphere and rocketed up into the stars, she was mesmerized by the beauty before her.

What felt like minutes later Charlotte opened her eyes to see people standing in the aisle of the shuttle. She removed her mask and stood on unsteady legs, then followed everyone out into the sunlight. She had no idea what day or time it was here on this strange world, or how she was going to recognize the Terran male who was supposed to house her until she could make other arrangements.

As she stepped down onto the tarmac, the suns nearly blinded her. It was noisy, but it just sounded like a constant hum in her ears. Someone touched her arm and she jumped, jerking her gaze in that direction. A large Terran male stood beside her, dressed strangely compared to the other males in the area. His loose clothing was a silvery white that matched the few silver strands in his hair.

She couldn’t hear him over the humming in her ears, not even after she reached up and raised the volume on her hearing aids. He frowned as he studied the devices in her ears and asked her a question again. This time she concentrated on his lips, but she still couldn’t understand. He wasn’t speaking English.

“I can’t understand you,” she said in her sing-songy voice.

He looked surprised at her words, or perhaps her tone, and ushered her into the station where they gathered her luggage. He then took her to another building nearby. A man in a white lab coat came out and she wondered if he was a doctor. The new male smiled at her, setting her fears at ease a little.

“Are you Charlotte Mayweather?” the male asked.

She nodded. “Why can I understand you and not anyone else?”

“I, along with quite a few other males on this planet, have learned your Earth English. However, to make sure you can understand everyone around you, I’m going to implant you with a translator. I’ll also implant you with a sensor that will allow you to make purchases on our world. When you select a mate, he will pay for whatever you buy between now and then. Once your mating is approved, you’ll be added to his accounts everywhere in Terran Prime.”

“Thank you for explaining how everything works. I’ve been a little lost.”

He frowned. “May I ask a personal question?”

She nodded.

“Your voice is different from anyone else I’ve encountered from Earth. Are you from a special region?”

“I’m deaf.” She pointed to her hearing aids. “These allow me to hear a little, but it’s like listening to someone talk under water. I don’t always catch everything. And, while it allows me to hear a little, I can’t always tell how loud I’m speaking.”

“Understood. Perhaps, after you’ve found a mate, they will permit me to run some tests and see if we can restore your hearing.”

“I was born deaf. My mother had preeclampsia when she was pregnant with me, and I was born early. Some of the bones inside my ear didn’t form correctly. A doctor tried to explain it to me once, but I didn’t understand the terms he used.”

The doctor nodded. “Well, we’ll take care of those implants today and if you decide you wish me to run tests later, then that’s what we’ll do.”