The Enemies

Assembly

Rhea

The sky jet lands on the roof of engineering center, the tall glass beast of a building in the center of Stolnter. I am too weak to use the stairs, so we patiently wait for the elevator to get to the first floor. As the metal doors slide open two young women at the reception area beam at us. The attention is quite aprehensive. It takes me a second to realize that it directed at Oden. Not me. They ignore me altogether. I feel my brows curl into a frown.

'Why are they staring at you? I am supposed to be the hero.'

My annoyed grumble only makes him smirk.

'I am the Drellian,' he says.

Karmians are never shy, and though Oden does look like Drellian with his tanned skin, in black jacket and pants, he is a very handsome man. Why would I never notice the obvious? Brooding and confident, no wonder he gets a lot of attention from the opposite sex, even from Karmian girls. He fails to take note though, gazing around him, taking in the surroundings, his usual self. Poised, reserved, and sublime, with his chin, tilted slightly up and an ever-present scowl on his face. His cold probing look scans the place, assessing it.

'I have been here with Evans,' he says.

I nod.

'That's where you get all your equipment and minor stuff.'

We exit the building and head towards the Assembly Hall, right across the street. In between there is a vast square with benches and acacias with lemongrass around them. The latter makes an odd view. Just like us. Rhea Flint and Oden Candred walk together into the Assembly building. The ancient concrete beast stares at us from afar. It is an old mansion, now used for the leader meetings in Stolnter. The structure decays, and even the new technologies can do nothing about small cracks that appear in the old cement. Decay is more evident in the broad grotesque stairs, leading to the massive carved doors and six enormous columns with the stone serpants twisted round them.

The chilly air and the dull Stolnter sun amp me up a little, but it is still not enough for me to march the stairs. So I slowly walk. Like the last time. The smile sneeks to my face from the memory. The first thing I do after my miraculous recovery is cavalier the Drellian to Stolnter, the capital of Karm. I can literally hear the question in the air – why is Rhea Flint beside that man? And my smile grows into grin.

Oden eyes me sternly.

'What are you smirking about?'

I don't reply, just giggle. He holts. I take several steps forward before I realize that he stopped. And suddenly get annoyed by this unexpected pause.

'What?' I ask.

'Come here.'

His scowl darkens, and he looks down. Is he worried? Did he change his mind? I feel light-headed, but it is no easy decision for him. Hesitating for a moment, I do as he asks, anxious thoughts plain on my face. When I stop in front of him, he cages the top of my head with his hands and kisses me hard on the lips. Caught off guard, I kiss him back with my eyes still open. Despite my expectations, he has no intention to let me go fast enough. He slides one hand into my hair and roughly presses my body to his with another.

Zero etiquettes.

Such type of behavior is unwarranted even for Karmians, I cannot fathom what Drellians would make of such an affectionate public display. But I disregard the thoughts. Only Oden matters. Closing my eyes, I clutch his jacket to draw him nearer. When he lets go of me, I am panting hard, and my lips are swollen. My utterly astonished mien says it all. So, of course, he starts laughing, his face inches from mine. When I look around, I see several people have stopped gawking at us wide-eyed. My cheecks heat and I need no mirror to know my face is the color of a tomato from embracement and confusion.