When Night Falls (4 page)

With a wave, they parted ways. Scarlett took the
transporter to deck thirteen. The doors swept open and she marched out into the gleaming corridor of seashell white and ocean blue. Her feet scraped over worn carpet as she made her way through the maze of doors.

The quarters she shared with Grams and Hunter lay at the far, west quadrant, tucked in an alcove with three other doors. It wouldn’t be
that way for much longer. Once she and Hunter got their mentor status, they would be relocated to different sections of the ship to be with other harvesters, like her, or operators, like Hunter and Grams would get housed with the other singles over in the barrack. Scarlett was not looking forward to that day.

At the door, she let the data printer scan her hand before
being allowed entry. She hurried through the miniature-sized rec area to the trio of doors across the room. Like most fourth class residences, the quarters were furnished with a simple projection center-table trapped between a loveseat and a sofa in mute brown and a holographic imaging system mounted to the far wall. The circular chamber held nothing else. No personal touches despite their three year long residency because none of them had thought to bring anything personal onboard with them. The trip was only supposed to last for six months. They were supposed to be home with their families at the end of that time.

Ignoring memories of the cluttered walls back home, of all the photos her mother had deemed so important they hang, she stalked to the door on the left. The hatch swept upward with a soft whoosh and she stepped into her dimly lit sleeping quarters. She didn’t bother with lights as she padded her way across the cramped little space.

The rooms were just large enough to fit a queen-sized bed against the far wall, twin end tables on either side and a chair in one corner, next to the pull out wardrobe. Most of the place was consumed by the bed, leaving just enough space to maneuver around the bulky piece of furniture; but it wasn’t as if she had a whole lot of stuff anyway. Her entire world was in the wardrobe and littering the floor.

Quickly, she gathered the discarded bits of clothes she’d tossed around in her haste to get dressed that morning and stuffed them down the laundry chute. Someone below, would get them, wash, dry
, and fold them, then send them back up in an airtight seal with her name on it.

Then, she hurried into gram’s room. There wasn’t much to pick up there, except for the large, rectangular box sitting on top of the
neatly made bed.

Now, normally, she would have just walked away, but her name was on top in her grandmother’s curly handwriting, along with a message.

“Happy birthday!”
it read.

Her first present in three years. True, she never expected anything, not after what happened and things being the way they were, but she couldn’t help the little tickle of excitement that coursed along her spine.

She was across the room in a flash, pushing back the lid and flicking away pink tissue. She hadn’t realized she’d been holding her breath until her lungs hurt and she had to release it in a rush.

Inside, folded in the neat way only her grand
mother knew how, was the dress Scarlett had been dreaming about for the better part of three years.

It used to be on the faceless mannequin behind the bay window of DeMew’s, one of the ship’s boutique shops. It was the first thing Scarlett had seen when they’d boarded the ship and
she made periodic stops every day to see if anyone had bought it. Then, the year before, just after everything went to hell, it was gone. She’d been devastated. But there it was, with a note pinned to the bodice.

“I love you.”

Grams. She’d bought the dress.

Tears stung her eyes as she looped the straps between her fingers and drew the shimmering material out of the box.

In the soft cabin lights, the silver threads sewn throughout the poppy-red material glittered. The beads across the bodice sparkled. She bit her lip to keep from squealing as an unbridled surge of emotion whipped through her.

Hastily, before she fell too far into the glowing chasm
of delirious excitement, she folded the dress neatly back into the box and hurried to finish her chores—her mind never once straying too far from the gift.

After a hurried sweep of the
air-vac over the carpets and a quick turn of the sofa cushions, Scarlett was back, dress in hand as she tore into the bathroom for a quick shower.

The washroom consisted of a wash basin tucked into one corner, a toilet next to it and a cylinder tube that was the shower. Otherwise it was as sparsely kept as the rest of the apartment. Scarlett quickly dumped her things on the counter, stripped and released the hatch on the shower. The glass door swung open and she stepped inside. No sooner had it shut behind her when the sensors beneath her feet activated and she was dosed with pure, scalding water.

“Drop temp!” she shouted, leaping out of the stream before her skin could get peeled off. “Seventy-five!”

As the water
temperature dropped, Scarlett made a mental note to strangle Hunter. He did that every morning, jacking up the temperature in the shower to impossible conditions and then leaving it for the next unsuspecting victim.

The dress
fit
perfectly!

The straps looped around the back of her neck and the waist cinch
ed just beneath her breasts, circling her ribs so the sheer skirt floated around her thighs. She hadn’t been sure the color would be right for her, what with her red hair, but with a few small adjustments, a handful of micro pins, and several singe marks from the heat strips, she had her hair curled and pinned in an elaborate updo at the back of her head. She didn’t have any shoes that matched, but she slipped on her black flats and considered it a success.

Until she was outside the
refectory.

She was a lot overdressed, she realized, biting down hard on her bottom lip as heat crept up her body.
Everyone else was still in their uniforms. The odd person was in their casual wear, but no one was wearing a dress like hers. No one was wearing a dress period. It clearly hadn’t been a smart choice, but where else would she wear it? There weren’t many causes for celebration, although perhaps finding a planet was cause for one. Nevertheless, did she want that much attention?

“
Scarlett?”

Scarlett yelped as though she’d been caught doing something she shouldn’t and whipped
around.

Rolf’s
brown eyes met hers, unnaturally dark as he traced every inch of her. Thick lashes concealed his gaze a moment as he dropped to admire her legs.

The dress wasn’t short, falling just mid-thigh, but the way he was caressing the exposed flesh with dangerously hungry eyes, made Scarlett
feel naked, tingly, and aching to do something reckless like throw herself at him and … then, Kiera shifted and Scarlett realized the other girl had been standing there the whole time, clinging to Rolf’s arm like an overgrown, blonde monkey. She felt her heart drop down to her ankles. She mentally slapped herself for the momentary lapse of insanity.

“Don’t you look pretty!”
Kiera cooed in her little girl’s voice. “Kind of like this doll my daddy gave me once. I was so heartbroken when its face was crushed under my foot.”

Not sure if she was supposed to take that as a compliment, an insult
, or a threat, Scarlett said nothing.

The girl didn’t seem to need a response as she plowed on. “Not many people can pull o
ff red, not when they already have red hair. It’s tacky.”

An insult, Scarlett
decided.

“Well, one can say the same with orange and purple,” Scarlett said evenly, casting a pointed glance at the streaks winding like snakes through Kiera’s long locks. “Tacky.”

Kiera’s smile was sharp, but she turned her gaze up adoringly to Rolf. “Can we go in now? I’m bored.”

Rolf, who had been watching Scarlett throughout the whole exchange, bit his bottom lip as he gave her one final once over before nodding.

“We’ll see you inside!” Kiera giggled, wiggling her tiny fingers as they stalked past.

Scarlet heard her teeth creak beneath the tight clench of her jaw. Her nails gouged little half-moons into her sweaty palm. She closed her eyes, willing herself to calm down and count backwards from ten. But she was still seething when she opened her eyes. She still wanted to march after them, grab all that pretty
, genetically manufactured blonde hair and yank her bald. It amazed her that the only person in the whole galaxy that could bring out the vicious side of her was Kiera. She normally wasn’t so blood thirsty. But she knew she’d lose no sleep if something bad were to befall the girl.

Chapter
Three

“Can’t we stay in?” Scarlett grumbled, scrambling to keep up with Hunter’s long strides.

“What kind of friend would I be if I let you stay home, watching reruns of Pretty Candles—”

“Sixteen Candles!”
she corrected, knowing he knew, but was deliberately saying it wrong to get a rise out of her.

He continued as though she hadn’t spoken, “
And crocheting like your grandmother on your seventeenth birthday? You need some fun before you’re a boring adult.”

“
That is fun!” she protested.

“If you’re
, like, ninety.”

She ignored the jab. “I don’t like the bright lights, or the loud music
, or the smell. I think the smell is the worst.”

“It’s sweat and sex! What’s not to like?”

“Um, the sweat and sex part?”

“
That’s the best part. Besides,” he grinned down at her, “you need to show off that new dress.”

They reached the wide, double doors leading into the all-ages club. The soundproof lock
kept the music from spilling across the corridor; and it may have been her imagination, but she could have sworn it still pounded against the door, making it vibrate. Already, the stench of too many human bodies festering and brewing together clung in the air. It was steeped with an overpowering stench of too much perfume, sex and … urine?

Hunter clapped his hands together, then rubbed them with glee. Scarlett frowned at his enthusiasm.

“Ready?”

“No
.”

He threw open the doors, breaking
the seal keeping them from drowning in a solid sea of hot sound. It punched into them with a force that sent her back on her heels. She tasted every crash of bass and roaring scream as the subs pounded from all corners of the room. She touched her ears to make sure they weren’t bleeding.

Pulsating halos of light crashed through swaying shadows, painting
them brilliant hues of indigo and hot pink. Fog rose through the air like embodied spirits reaching for freedom.

Scarlett was overcome with the surge of adrenaline that seemed to waft through the room like
the drug delirium was being filtered through the vents, twisting into her system and shaking away any reservations she may have had. It was known to happen. Just because the world no longer existed didn’t mean people didn’t enjoy their drugs and there was always people who made sure that was one thing they didn’t run out of.

“Come on!” Hunter had to shout over the pounding base to be heard. He grabbed her arm and pulled her inside. The doors slipped seamlessly together again,
trapping them in the madness.

Releasing her hand, Hunter did a shimmy
- wiggling his hips, shaking his shoulders, and waving his arms like wet noodles. He twirled and smoothly glided toe-over-heel backwards into the crowd, who seemed to part as if expecting him.

Scarlett giggled, pressing her fingers to her lips. He motioned her over with a beckoning finger and took her hand when she got close enough to grab. With flawless maneuvering, he spun her under his arm, making the skirt of her dress flare out around her legs. Scarlett laughed, head rushing deliciously.

Time melted together, becoming one massive blur of faces, bright lights, and thumping music. She couldn’t count the number of songs they danced to, but she was drenched in sweat, her sides ached, and the heavy blanket of smells had her pulling away from Hunter’s hold.

“I need air!” she shouted straight in his ear, fanning a hand in front of her face in indication.

“I’ll wait for you here!” he said back, pointing to the ground.

Scarlett nodded, turning to cut a path through the grinding figures around them. Somehow, at some point, they had made their way from the outer edges of the floor to dead center, surrounding themselves with a wall of people that didn’t like being told to move. But she elbowed, ducked
, and shouldered her way through, stumbling free at last on the other side. She followed the flashing red sign over the oxygen chamber and slipped through the door.

The air smel
led like a meadow of wildflowers in July. It was crisp with the scent of fresh grass, sun baked dirt, and blossoming trees. She sucked as much of it into her lungs as she could hold before letting it go and finding herself a seat along the far wall.

The room was just large enough for the ten or so people already claiming the wooden benches nailed into the four walls. It was dimly lit
to help the eyes adjust, but just bright enough to bath each figure with a soft, orange tint. Several, she noted, needed all the oxygen they could get what with the way they were sucking on each other’s mouths … and other body parts. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, careful not to make eye contact with anyone.

She stayed for only a few minutes, the moaning and inappropriate displays of coupling finally driving her to her feet. She made it all the way to the compartment doors when they parted and a tall, broad figure stomped inside.

“Public displays of indecency is punishable by two nights in the pen.” That was all that needed to be said.

There was a mad scramble of bodies jerking apart and clothes being readjusted as couples darted out of the oxygen chamber, careful to make no eye contact with the figure standing in the doorway.

Scarlett and two girls remained, but they rose and scurried out as well, which made her wonder what they’d been doing to run off at the first sign of a marshal. She stayed, if only because she suddenly needed the air and because to leave would mean having
him
in her personal space.

Rolf watched the last person exit and turned those beautiful eyes on her. They drank her in as they always did and she felt a stab of frustration laced with the usual surge of desire. He had no right to look at her like that when he was so clearly taken. But like the coward she was, she never said a word about it. It was sick and twisted, but she liked it. God, she was a horrible person. There was a four letter word for people like her and it usually started with an
S
and ended with a
T
.

Shame and guilt had her dropping her gaze. She fidgeted with the skirt of her dress.

“You look beautiful.”

Scarlett forced herself to glance up, to meet his eyes. “Thank you. My grandmother gave it to me for my birthday.”

The door clicked closed behind him when he moved off the sensor and started towards her. His duty issued boots thudded with every purposeful stride. He looked gorgeous in his uniform. The dusky brown reminded her of the desert at dawn. It brought out the warmth in his eyes. The black band marshals wore was pinned to the bicep of his right arm. His enforcer hung against his right hip from the thick belt cinching his narrowed waist. Each large hand was encased in fingerless gloves. She had always wondered how the leather would feel against her skin. There was something about him in full uniform that made every sensitive inch of her tingle. The recycled and generated oxygen was suddenly not enough. Her lungs begged for more.

He stopped inches from her and
raised a hand. She watched with wide, curious eyes as he stroked the curve of her cheek with just his fingertips, pushing aside a tendril of hair that had come free of its pins. Her heart slammed into her chest with an audible crack. Her knees buckled under the electric shock that bolted down her entire body. She nearly gasped.

“
Will you meet me tonight?” His face hovered inches from hers.

She should say no. She should tell him to go back to his girlfriend, but again she couldn’t. She needed him as much as he needed her. There was no surviving the night without him. There may have been, but she wasn’t strong enough to risk it. Besides, it was harmless. They weren’t hurting anyone. She had no reason to feel so ashamed.

“Yes.”

His features softened. The tension in his shoulders loosened and she wondered if he really thought she was capable of turning him away. He clearly had no idea the affect he had on her.

With a will of their own, her gaze dropped to his mouth, full and firm and seemingly so unyielding. There was no denying she’d had more than one fantasy of that mouth on hers. Her own lips tingled just from the thought.

“I have to get back to patrol,” he murmured. “Be careful, please?”

She nodded. “You, too.”

With a last lingering look, he turned and walked out, leaving her dizzy and aching. She mentally kicked herself for being so weak, but she knew she would give him the same answer next year and the year after and the year after that, because the nightmares were worse than her guilt.

She left Hunter and Grams tucked away in their beds that night and dressed quickly in dark trousers and a black T-shirt. It really made no difference what she wore as most of the upper levels were brightly illuminated in case anyone was stupid enough to try and sabotage the ship. Marshals patrolled every square inch, but Rolf had told her the patrol routes so she knew when to move without being seen and questioned.

Not many people visited that part of the ship at that hour of the night.

Hair swept into a ponytail, Scarlett left the compartment. The corridors were dimly lit by emergency lights at every other interval. Her feet made no sound as she tiptoed her way to level nineteen—the control room, using the stairs rather than the closely monitored transporters.

It was a bit of a climb, six levels, and her lungs burned by the time she reached the top, but she slipped through the door and darted a quick glance up and down the curved corridor.

The stairway was tucked away in a corner, away from the enormous U that shaped the brightly lit corridor. From what Hunter had told her, the whole thing was one long oval. The hall connected all the way around with numerous doorways all along both sides, where even the novice operators were forbidden to hazard.

Scarlett had never ventured beyond the first set of doors on the left, but she knew from orientation that the operator center where the novices were trained was on the right. Further down that same hallway, behind heavily guarded doors, was the control room, the brains of the entire ship. No one but the captain and those cleared by the commanding officers were allowed through. The novices were given a tour on their first day, but they were watched at gunpoint. It was the one place mistakes were not allowed to be made.

Scarlett went left, staying on the balls of her feet as she kept along the wall. At the very end was an abrupt turn left and another set of doors, these ones unguarded. Inside was the observatory … and Rolf.

He’d opened the hatch and stood on the platform overlooking infinity. Stars glittered like a million diamonds against a backdrop of endless black. Swirls of colors bled together, creating a cyclone of light she was all too familiar with.

“I’m going to miss this when we reach the new planet,” she whispered.

Rolf turned. He’d changed into a pair of black cargo pants and a black sleeveless top that strained over the mouthwatering
planes of his chest and back. His marshal’s sash was tied around the bicep of his right arm.

He placed his hands on the railing encircling the platform as she started up the steps towards him. She studied the unnamed galaxy, all too aware of him studying her. She stopped at his side, careful to avoid the lump of fabric on the ground.

“We’ll find somewhere else,” he told her.

She glanced at him, marveling at the spray of colors flickering over his handsome face. “It won’t be like this.”

“No.” He turned and crouched down to adjust the small pile of blankets at his feet, laying them out. “But it’ll be somewhere equally special.”

“Because it’ll be new?”

She lowered herself down next to him and sat with her back against the railings and watched the stars twinkle outside the dome.

“Because we’ll find it together.”

She didn’t know what to say to that, so she said nothing as they fell into their comfortable silence. They watched whole worlds get built. They watched stars die and get reborn. Time turned and beat around them and they continued to sit and watch, both lost in the memory of times that no longer existed. She knew he was thinking of his family, a family she had never heard about, as she thought of her own parents and wondered how their silence could be such a comfort. They did this every year on that night. They sat there, watching the universe glitter around them, completely content in all the unspoken things. But it was different that night. Maybe it was the fact that it was their last night watching the stars together, but she wanted to shatter that silence with all the things they kept to themselves.