The Visitors (7 page)

I was so captivated by the intensity of her dark eyes that I forgot where I was. The effect she had on me was still so unbelievable, but now, I was no longer scared of it. There was no urge left inside of me to fight it. Something was happening between us – something bigger than me, bigger than the society. No logical explanation existed, and I didn't care. I needed to be near her. My heart raced as I watched her sit down on the blanket and look back into my eyes.

However, the overwhelming emotions pouring out of Luke were strong enough to pull me away from her. They startled me, causing me to look at him, although I didn't need to in order to get a reading. His cloudy blue eyes burned a hole right through my soul; his emotions were very pronounced and unmistakable. Blistering from his body was a combination of anger, uncertainty, and above all, jealousy. Without a doubt, he saw the connection between Jady and me, and he did not like it. Quickly I looked down at the ground, reprimanding myself mentally for not being careful enough. I was going to have to be on guard at all times so that my feelings for Jady did not show. Obviously, that was going to be more difficult than I had originally thought.

I vowed not to look at Jady again for the remainder of the night. It was time to concentrate on the show that was about to begin. For weeks now I had been anticipating this event. This was, as Sir Andrew had told the humans, a rare opportunity. We had seen pictures of the spectacle of lights that would appear in the sky when the moon aligned with the star constellation, and it was absolutely awe-inspiring. From what we had been told, the pictures did not do justice to the actual experience.

I didn't have to wait long to find out. At exactly three-thirty a.m., a bright rainbow of colors shot into the sky. It was so brilliant that the night sky was no longer dark in any area. Various dazzling shades of blues, pinks, reds, greens, yellows, oranges, and purples filled the sky, creating glittering shapes and designs in the air. Lights spun in the sky, making detailed patterns of swirls and bursts that were truly indescribable. Cries of excitement came from everyone around me, especially the humans. Each person witnessing the event was transfixed. Even Luke's feelings could not stay negative during a display like this. The cheerful and inspired emotions of everyone around me provided a wonderful feeling of serenity for me.

I stole a glance towards Jady, already breaking my vow not to look at her. She was, like everyone else, in awe of the sky above. The lights from the sky lit up her face, illuminating the exquisite beauty of her petite features. Looking at her was even more enthralling than the lights display.

The show went on for approximately thirty minutes, just as predicted. Just as suddenly as they had begun, the lights died, and the sky was dark again. Everyone sat in silence for a few moments after it ended, meditating over the wonder of what they had just seen. Then as if on cue, each person seemed to begin to talk at once, creating a dull roar.

“Did you see the way those lights were swirling?”

“Yes, but did you see the shapes those pink and purple bursts created?”

“The stars in the sky seemed to disappear when it started!”

“It was as if glitter was raining down. I kept putting my hands out, expecting to catch some. Amazing!”

Jady made eye contact with me again and smiled, but turned away much quicker this time. She had obviously picked up on Luke's emotions as well. I mentally reminded myself again to be more careful in public. We would just have to work out a system so that we could continue to see each other in private.

My head shook in bewilderment as that last thought crossed my mind. I was already trying to find ways to try to see her in private, even though I knew how dangerous that was for me. I was risking the life I had come to know here.

I had so many questions swirling through my head. Everything I had accepted as fact, everything I thought I knew, was suddenly thrown out the window upon the arrival of the humans. Yet, I didn't want to completely lose faith in Sir Andrew. He may have hidden things from us, thinking it was for our own good, but he would never deliberately
lie
to us. Would he? What he said about the humans had to be factual. I shuddered as I remembered the anger and jealousy that raged inside of Luke. Those negative emotions, if not harnessed correctly, could lead to nothing but harm and destruction. But I saw beyond the corruption Sir Andrew described. If only he could see what I knew was true in my heart.

As I considered this, people stirred around me. The sun began to rise, signaling the time for breakfast was near. Sir Andrew stood up and signaled for the attention of the crowd. “In celebration of this historic event, we will take a holiday today.” The crowd cheered enthusiastically as the humans looked at each other in curiosity.

Sir Andrew continued, offering an explanation for the humans. “A holiday is simply a day off from our regularly-scheduled activities and routines. We still have our meals on schedule, but students will not be required to attend school and society members will not be required to attend work. They will be allowed to spend the day at their own leisure, enjoying time together in the common area, or spending private time in their living chambers. You are welcome spend the day with us in the common area, or catch up on the lack of sleep from last night.”

It was very rare that we received a holiday. In fact, I could only remember two days in all my years. They were usually taken after an important discovery was made or a technological advancement was announced, as a means of celebrating. The last one I remembered happened after our team of scientists discovered a way to genetically alter our plants so that they had their own ‘immune system,' which fought off any internal or external harm that may be brought upon them. That had been years ago. I planned to enjoy this unexpected day, and I needed to find a way to spend it with Jady.

As I followed the crowd toward the dining hall for breakfast, I racked my brain for any excuse for the two of us to get away. I walked in solitude in the back of the group as I hopelessly tried to think of opportunities. Suddenly, Sir Andrew appeared beside me and motioned for me to slow down.

As I slowed my step to keep pace with him, he let the crowd get well ahead of us. No one seemed to notice us as we stepped off the path and headed over to a group of large weeping willow trees that would hide us in their shadows. When Sir Andrew was sure we were alone, he spoke. “Noah, I wanted to touch base with you briefly about our visitors.”

My heart rate increased as I tried to remain calm. Why did he want to talk to me about the visitors? “Yes, Sir Andrew,” was all I could manage to say.

He didn't seem to notice my nervousness. “As far as I am aware, everything seems to be going smoothly. While they have been curious about our educational and job selection processes, I haven't noticed any rising suspicions about any of our…more private matters. Have you?”

I shook my head as casually as I could manage. The memory of the awkward conversation from the waterfall made my cheeks grow hot. “No, Sir. Not that I am aware of. Though I must say, I was surprised at your announcement about the holiday today.”

“Oh? How so?”

“Well, I would think that taking a holiday would give them even more time to sit and talk and ask questions,” I said truthfully, though I was grateful for it.

“Ah, true, young Noah, but it also eliminates a day that they will be touring our facilities. If no one is working, there is nothing to show them. Understand?”

“Yes, Sir,” I replied.

He nodded. “Good. I'm asking you about the humans' interrogations because I noticed that one of their members in particular seems to have taken an interest in you.”

My heart began to pound out of my chest as I tried to appear dumbfounded. “I'm sorry, Sir, but I'm not sure I am following you.”

“No, I didn't imagine you would. This is unfamiliar territory for you. However, the young female has taken a small fascination with you.” He studied my face as he shared this information with me.

Again, I pretended to be confused. “You are referring to the one they call Jady. Yes, she has asked me some questions, but nothing out of the realm of ordinary. Her questions have been about the career selection process. Oh, and some questions about my job as an instructor. And then there were a few questions about our medical system. She is just a very curious person. My guess is that she probably asks
me
those questions because of our age proximity.”

Sir Andrew's eyes twinkled in amusement. “Your age proximity. Yes, it would
appear
that the two of you are of the same age, would it not?”

I nodded, smiling at him. “Yes, Sir.”

He chuckled quietly to himself before his expression turned deadly serious. “Noah, please be careful around her. She may appear to be an innocent girl who is simply curious about our way of life, but things aren't always as they seem when it comes to these humans. This young female…I fear she has ulterior motives that I cannot even begin to try to educate you on at this time. If there is ever any
unusual
behavior, of any kind, please inform me immediately.”

Feeling guilty and nervous, and oddly defensive of Jady, I nodded. I wanted to tell Sir Andrew that he had it all wrong, but I knew better. If I spoke too much, I knew it would clue him in to our relationship and the odd twist it had recently taken. So, I kept my mouth shut.

I thought the conversation was over, as Sir Andrew seemed satisfied with our response. But, just as we were about to walk away, he turned back to me. “Young Noah, please be wary of her questions. Like you said, she seems to be under the impression that the two of you are of the same age. You know you can never let her know otherwise. If you ever think that she is growing suspicious, direct her to me for further information. At this point, the humans still have several days remaining in their visit, but if any of them seem to be learning too much, I will find a way to force them to depart.”

Again, I nodded, looking Sir Andrew directly in the eyes.

He sighed. “I know this is a difficult time. But we will get through it. If we share a few small things with these humans, it will satisfy their thirst for knowledge and keep our most valuable information out of their reach. I need you to trust me in choosing what those small things should be.”

I had no words for him. It had already gone too far with her, and he was already suspicious. As difficult as I had known it would be to keep our relationship a secret, I had obviously underestimated Sir Andrew. He truly saw everything, despite his busy schedule and endless list of things to supervise. Luckily, he still seemed to trust me, although he did not trust Jady. At this point, I had never given him a reason not to trust me.

Sir Andrew turned to leave, and I followed him out of the trees and back toward the path. Just as I was pushing back the last branch, I heard a crunching noise behind me. I froze as I looked behind me and saw Jady clinging to the trunk of a nearby tree, her eyes wide with fear.

I was paralyzed; I knew I was caught. Mentally I tried to will my body to move back behind the large tree trunk, even though I knew Noah had seen me and Sir Andrew would probably see me as well. Through eavesdropping on a conversation I never should have heard, I had just learned that Sir Andrew already did not trust me or my “ulterior motives.” I was a deer in headlights, frozen as I stared back into Noah's eyes, who looked just as scared as I felt.

By some miracle, Sir Andrew did not seem to hear the noise I had made. He did not turn around or even pause as he continued to walk away from the trees. Noah looked back toward Sir Andrew, obviously making the same observation I had, and took one quick glance back at me before he hurried after him. I was left alone under the trees. My heart rate gradually began to return to normal, and I had to remind myself to breathe.

When I was sure they were long gone, I sat down slowly against the tree, thinking about the conversation I had just heard. I had such a variety of emotions. I felt guilty at hearing something that was never intended for me. I hadn't meant to spy – I was only trying to catch Noah alone to see how he would be spending his day. I wanted to explore more of the planet, and hoped he would serve as my tour guide once again. If I had seen Sir Andrew talking to him before I got that close, I never would have gone near them.

At the same time, I was glad I heard it. Even if it confused me tremendously. What did Sir Andrew mean when he said I was “under the impression” that the two of us were the same age? I knew that I was sixteen and he was seventeen, so we weren't
exactly
the same age, but we were close. Weren't we?

My head was spinning with questions. I had to find a way to talk to Noah, even though he was under strict orders to direct me to Sir Andrew if I seemed to be growing too “suspicious.” He had just promised to force us to leave if there were any problems, and I definitely didn't want that, so I knew that I had to be even more careful for the remainder of our trip. As I made my way back towards the rest of our group, I desperately tried to think of a way to get Noah alone.

The first person I saw when I returned back to the center of the town was Luke. “Hey, where'd you go?” he asked. He seemed to be in good spirits as he smiled at me.

I smiled back at him. “Nowhere,” I replied. “Just looking around.”

His face grew more serious. “Jady, you seriously need to stop going places by yourself. This place seems harmless, but you can't be too cautious. I don't like it that you keep disappearing without telling anyone.” We both knew he was referring to last night, when he came into my room and didn't find me there.

My first urge was to argue with him, but instead, I decided to humor him. “You're right, Luke. I'll be more careful.” I gave him a small smile, hoping he would relax a little. It seemed to work.

“So, how are you going to spend this unexpected holiday?” he asked. “I feel like we haven't gotten to talk much lately. You wanna go hang out in the common area?”

“Um,” I stalled as I scanned the crowd for Noah. When I did not find him, I sighed. “Sure. Let's go.”

Luke looked thrilled that I accepted his invitation. He linked his arm in mine as we walked towards the common area. I stayed in step with him, all the time looking around for Noah. Where could he have disappeared to?

Hundreds of society members must have been in the common area. It was impossible to find anyone through the crowds of people scattered throughout the large room. The common area was a large, gray, stone building with many big, open windows. This building, like the eating chamber, was full of plants and glowing flowers that were placed in pots throughout the room.

The whole building consisted of one big room, which was made up of several small rooms put together. Each small room was painted a slightly different color, though they were all varying shades of neutral. One section of the room had computer-like structures, where several society members stood around and played what appeared to be video games. I watched closely as some of the members, who I guessed to be young teens, raced each other through obstacles on the screen. They drove what I can only compare to cars, though they hovered the ground without wheels.

“Watch out!” one of them cried. “You're driving way too close to me!”

“Ha!” the other responded. “You're in my lane – take this.” He drove closer to the other one until he skimmed the side of it, causing it to crash. Their laughter was infectious. If I hadn't known any better, I'd have sworn I was right back on Earth, watching my friends play video games. With a small burst of pride, I realized that video gaming was one area where Earth may have had something on Verdant. I was willing to bet that Verdant didn't have different ratings and classifications of video games. The driving scene looked real and made you feel as if you were there, but so did the video games I played back home.

In another section, people were standing in line to get what appeared to be snacks. Probably fruit, I thought with a smile. As much as I loved the food here, I had to admit I could have gone for a bag of potato chips. Or a big hamburger, fried on my dad's grill. All this healthy stuff made me miss the greasy, fattening stuff.

In a third area, made up of many couches and big, comfortable chairs, members sat around and simply talked. This is where I spotted our crew, along with Sir Andrew and other members of the society, but not Noah. I ducked my head in avoidance of Sir Andrew.

As Luke and I walked around the large room, taking it all in, I finally spotted Noah. He was standing outside the building, looking in through a window, and appeared to be alone. Once we made eye contact, he motioned for me to come outside. I glanced at Luke, who obviously had not seen him as he was looking at our other crew members. “Do you wanna go over and sit with everyone else?” he asked, motioning toward the empty couch.

“Um, actually, I think I may go back to the visitors' chamber first. I need to shower and stuff.” I glanced back at the window, making sure Noah was still there.

Luke gave me a strange look. “Shower? Why didn't you say something before we walked all the way here?”

I shrugged, trying to act nonchalant. “I don't know. It just occurred to me how long it's been since my last shower. I'll just enjoy the day more if I'm clean.”

Luke studied me skeptically for just a moment, but then smiled. “You
do
smell,” he said. I punched him in the arm as he laughed. “I'll walk you back.”

My heart skipped a beat.
Stay calm
, I instructed myself. “Nah, don't bother. It's not that far, and it's broad daylight. I'll be fine.”

He hesitated, looking back and forth between me and our crew. Finally, he relented. “Well, okay. I think I heard them talking about medicines, and I'd kind of like to hear that conversation. But you're coming right back, right?”

“Of course,” I assured him with relief. “I'll be back in an hour at the most.” I turned and walked away before he could change his mind.

I walked out the door and around to the side of the building where I had seen Noah. He waited for me, pressed against the side of the building carefully so that he could not be seen through a window from inside. “We need to talk,” he said quietly.

“Yes we do,” I agreed. “But I'm supposed to be heading back to the visitors' chamber for a shower and coming right back in an hour, so we don't have much time.”

He nodded. “Is anyone at the visitors' chamber right now?”

I thought about my crew, engrossed in conversation with Sir Andrew. “No.”

“Then go there now. I'll meet you there in a few minutes.” Without waiting for my reply, Noah darted off in the opposite direction. He was acting so strange. I knew we needed to be careful about being seen together, but I also thought we should not totally avoid each other. That might look even more suspicious.

I walked as quickly as I could back to the visitors' chamber. It was empty, just as I had told Noah it would be. Waiting on Noah to arrive, I sat down in the common room. As promised, he arrived shortly after I did. “How did you get here so fast?” I asked him, remembering him sprinting away in the opposite direction only minutes ago.

He smiled. “I took a shortcut. We shouldn't walk alone together. It wouldn't be good if any community members saw me come in here. Sir Andrew is already questioning…” he trailed off, looking down at the floor.

I took a deep breath. “Yeah, I heard. And I'm sorry for spying on the two of you. That honestly wasn't my intention.”

“What
was
your intention?” he asked. He didn't sound upset with me, but I could tell he was curious. After hearing Sir Andrew tell him what a bad person I was, I didn't blame him for questioning my motives.

Taking a step closer to him, I attempted to explain. “I wanted to try to spend some time with you today. When I was walking with my dad, I happened to look behind me and saw you heading into the trees. Honestly, I didn't even see that Sir Andrew was with you. Without even thinking, I told my dad that I had dropped my hair band and took off after you. The only thing going through my mind was how that might be the only opportunity I had to be alone with you, and I didn't want to miss it. When I finally caught up to you, I saw Sir Andrew, and hid. That's when I heard your whole conversation.” By the time I finished talking, I was right in front of him. I reached out and took his hand. “Noah, what did he mean about the age thing? You're seventeen, right?”

Noah nodded very slowly. “Yes.”

“And I'm sixteen,” I said. “So why did he say that I'm ‘under the impression' that we're the same age? We are, essentially. Right?”

“Essentially, yes,” he replied, still dodging the question. “It's complicated.”

“How is it complicated? I don't understand. Is your aging system…
different
than ours, or something?” I searched his alluring eyes as he avoided mine.

“You could say that,” he replied, still awkwardly dancing around the answer I wanted.

“Noah, please stop avoiding the question. Tell me what's going on. I know you're not supposed to, but I swear, I won't tell a soul. Your secret will be safe with me.” As I promised him secrecy, I really meant what I said. It wasn't anyone's business, not even mine, but I had to know. I was so fascinated by him, so pulled to him that I wanted to know everything I could.

“I'm not avoiding the question; it's just not an easy question to answer. It's going to take some time – more time than you have right now.” He was looking into my eyes at this point, and I could see that he was telling me the truth. I really didn't have much time before I needed to rejoin my group, and the last thing either of us needed was to get caught together in the visitors' chamber.

I sighed. “Okay. But I want to spend more time with you. Alone. And not just because I want you to answer my questions.” My fingers twisted into his and I pulled myself closer to him.

He looked down at our interlocked hands. “So do I,” he said quietly. Much to my surprise, he let go of my hand and put his finger under my chin, lifting it so that we were face to face. “I need to be with you.” With that, he pulled my face to his and kissed me gently. My arms grew weak as my knees began to tremble and my stomach leapt into my throat. The kiss was unexpected and wonderful. It made me forget where we were, forget about all the sneaking around and the unanswered questions. At that point, the only thing on my mind was kissing him back.

Once again, he ended the kiss before I was ready. He took a step back, his eyes still closed, his hands still on my face. Finally, he opened his eyes and looked right into mine. “Let's meet again tonight. I will explain everything. I'll meet you outside of here at ten-thirty, just like last night.”

I shook my head. “That's too early. It needs to be later this time.”

“How much later?” he asked.

Remembering how late Luke often stays up, I thought for a moment. I needed to make sure everyone would be asleep, especially him. I couldn't give him any more reason to be suspicious of my behavior. “How about one o'clock? Is that okay? It's really late, I know, but I want to make sure it's safe.”

He nodded. “I'll be out here at exactly one a.m. We'll go back to the waterfall. But for now, you need to take a shower, since that's what you're supposed to be doing. I will see you tonight.” He kissed me again, just a peck this time, and walked away before I could respond.

For just a moment, I stood rooted to the ground, thinking about what had just happened, feeling the familiar tingle on my lips as his words echoed in my head, “I need to be with you.” My whole body grew warm as those words repeated over and over inside of me. And tonight, I would finally get to learn more about him.