Close Remembrance

Chapter 2-1

Chapter Two

“There’s nothing to worry about,” Korum said soothingly, placing a white dot on Mia’s temple. “They will love you, just like I do.”

Mia nervously twisted a strand of hair between her fingers before tucking it behind her ear. “They won’t mind that I’m human?”

“They won’t,” he reassured her. “They know all about you already, and they’re very happy that I found someone I care so much about.”

After she’d arrived home from work, Korum had surprised her with the news that he wanted her to meet his family as well. So now he was about to take her into a virtual reality setting where she would meet his parents. Supposedly, the environment was very lifelike, and she would be able to interact with his parents there as though they were meeting in person.

It was also on Krina.

“Are you sure I shouldn’t change?” Mia knew she was stalling, but she felt ridiculously anxious. “And won’t your mom mind that I’m wearing your family necklace?”

“You look beautiful, and the necklace is perfect on you,” he said firmly. “My mother will be quite pleased to see it around your neck; she gave it to me explicitly for that purpose—to gift it to the woman I ultimately fall in love with.”

Mia took a deep breath, trying to control her rapid heartbeat. “Okay, then I’m ready.” At least as ready as she would ever be to meet her extraterrestrial lover’s parents—who resided thousands of light years away.

Korum smiled, and the world around her blurred for a second.

Feeling dizzy, Mia closed her eyes, and when she opened them, she was standing inside a large, airy building that vaguely resembled Korum’s house in Lenkarda. From the inside, it was fully transparent, and she could see unusual plants outside. Most of the flora was a familiar shade of green, but red, orange, and yellow hues also proliferated. It was strikingly beautiful. The inside of the building had the same ‘Zen’ feel to it as Arman’s house. Everything was a beautiful off-white shade, and the sunlight streaming through the clear ceiling reflected off a gorgeous flower arrangement right in the middle of the room—the only touch of color in an otherwise pristine environment. The flowers seemed to grow right out of an opening in the floor. Along the walls, there were a few familiar-looking floating planks that served as multi-purpose furniture.

“It’s lovely,” Mia whispered, glancing around the room. “Is this your parents’ house?”

Korum nodded, smiling. He looked quite pleased. “It’s my childhood home,” he explained, reaching out to take her hand and squeezing it lightly.

As usual, his touch made her feel warm inside, and she marveled again at how authentic this virtual reality felt. Somehow, this was even more convincing than the club where he’d taken her once to satisfy her fantasy. All her senses were fully engaged, as though she was physically present here, on a planet in a different galaxy.

Inhaling deeply, Mia realized that the air was a little thinner than what she was used to, as if they were at a high altitude. She actually felt a bit light-headed, and she hoped she would adjust to it soon. The temperature was pleasantly warm, and there seemed to be a faint breeze coming from somewhere, even though they were inside the building. There was also an exotic, but appealing scent in the air. Likely from the flowers, Mia decided. The aroma was almost... fruity. She’d never smelled anything like it before.

As Mia studied their surroundings, one of the walls dissolved, and a Krinar woman walked in. She was tall and slim, with a supermodel’s leggy build and shiny dark hair. Her eyes were the same warm amber color as Korum’s. It could only be Korum’s mother; their resemblance was unmistakable.

At the sight of them standing there, a huge smile lit her face. “My child,” she said softly, her eyes shining with love as she looked at her son, “I’m so glad to see you.” Like all Ks, her age was impossible to determine; she didn’t look a day older than twenty-five.

Letting go of Mia’s hand, Korum crossed the room and enveloped his mother in a gentle hug. “Me too, Riani, me too...”

Mia watched their reunion, feeling like she was intruding on a private family moment. She couldn’t imagine what it must be like for his parents, with their son living so far away. Yes, they could meet in this virtual way, but they still probably missed seeing him in person.

Turning toward Mia, Korum smiled and said, “Come here, darling. Let me introduce you to my mother.”

Curving her lips in an answering smile, Mia approached them, noticing the way the K’s eyes examined her from head to toe. Her palms began to sweat. What was this gorgeous woman thinking? Was she wondering how her son had ended up with a human?

Pausing a couple of feet away, Mia smiled wider. “Hello,” she said, uncertain if she should reach out and brush the K’s cheek with her knuckles. She’d learned in the past couple of weeks that it was the customary greeting among Krinar females.

Korum’s mother had no such reservations. Raising her hand, she gently touched Mia’s cheek and smiled in return. “Hello, my dear. I’m so glad to finally meet you.”

“Riani, this is Mia, my charl,” Korum said. “Mia, this is Riani, my mother.”

“It’s such a pleasure to meet you, Riani.” Mia was starting to feel more at ease. Despite the woman’s luminous beauty and youthful looks, there was something in her manner that was very soothing. Almost motherly, Mia thought with an inner smile.

“Where’s Chiaren?” Korum asked, addressing his mother.

“Oh, he’ll be here soon,” she said, waving her hand. “He was delayed at work. Don’t worry—he knows you’re here.”

Chiaren had to be Korum’s father, Mia decided. It was interesting that he called his parents by name, although it made sense too. As long-lived as the Ks were, the lines between generations were probably much less defined than for humans. Although Korum had mentioned once that his parents were much older than he was, she guessed that the difference between two thousand years and a few thousand years was not all that dramatic.

A quiet whoosh interrupted Mia’s musings. Turning her head to the side, she saw the wall opening again. A darkly handsome Krinar man walked in, dressed in typical K clothing. Swiftly crossing the room, he raised his hand and touched his palm to Korum’s shoulder, greeting his son.

Korum reciprocated the gesture, but he seemed much more reserved than he had been with his mother. “Chiaren,” he said quietly. “I’m glad you could make it.”

Something in the tone of his voice startled Mia. Was there some tension between father and son?

His father inclined his head. “Of course. I wouldn’t miss your visit.” Then, turning his attention to Mia, he c****d his head to the side and studied her with an inscrutable expression on his face.

Mia swallowed, needing to moisten her suddenly dry throat. Chiaren’s posture, the slightly mocking curl to his lips—it was all very familiar to her. Korum might’ve gotten his mother’s looks, but he’d definitely inherited some personality traits from his father as well. She found the K to be intimidating, with his cool dark gaze and lack of visible emotion. He reminded her of Korum when they’d first met.

“Chiaren, this is Mia,” Korum said, stepping toward her and putting a proprietary arm around her back. “She’s my charl. Mia, this is my father, Chiaren.”

The K smiled, suddenly seeming much more approachable. “How lovely,” he said gently. “Such a pretty human girl you’ve got there. How old are you, Mia? You seem younger than I’d imagined.”

“I’m twenty-one,” Mia told him, aware that she probably looked like she was in her late teens. It was a common problem for someone of her petite build—a problem that would now never go away.

Chiaren’s smile widened. “Twenty-one...”

Mia flushed, realizing that he thought her little more than a child. And compared to him, she was. Still, she would’ve preferred if he hadn’t looked quite so amused at her age.

“Mia, dear, tell us a bit about yourself,” Riani said, smiling at her with warm encouragement. “Korum mentioned that you’re studying the mind. Is that right?”

Mia nodded, turning her attention to Korum’s mother. She wasn’t certain how she felt about his father yet, but she was definitely growing to like Riani. “I am,” she confirmed. “I started working with Saret this summer. Before that, I majored in psychology at one of our universities.”

“How are you finding it so far? Your apprenticeship?” asked Chiaren. “I imagine it must be quite different from anything you’ve done before.” He seemed genuinely curious.

“Yes, it is,” said Mia. “I’m learning a great deal.” Feeling much more in her element, she told them all about her work at the lab, her eyes lighting up as she explained about the imprinting project.

Afterwards, Riani asked about her family, seeming particularly interested in the fact that Mia had a sibling. Marisa’s pregnancy appeared to fascinate her, and she listened attentively as Mia detailed the difficulties her sister had gone through before Ellet’s arrival. After that, Chiaren wanted to know about Mia’s parents and their occupations, and how human contributions to society were typically measured, so Mia spoke for a while about the role of teachers and professors in the American educational system.

Before long, she found herself engaged in an animated discussion with Korum’s parents. She learned that they had been together for close to three millennia, and that Riani was almost five hundred years older than her mate. Unlike Korum, who had discovered his passion for technological design early on, both Riani and Chiaren were ‘dabblers.’ Most Krinar were, in fact. Instead of specializing in a specific subject, they frequently changed their careers and areas of focus, never fully reaching the ‘expert’ level in any particular field. As a result, while their standing in society was quite respectable, neither one of Korum’s parents had come even close to being involved with the Council.

“I’m not sure how we managed to produce such an intelligent and ambitious child,” Riani confided, grinning. “It certainly wasn’t intentional.”

Seeing the puzzled look on Mia’s face, Chiaren explained, “When a couple decides to have a child, they usually do so under very controlled conditions. They choose the optimal combination of physical traits and potential intellectual abilities, consulting the top medical experts—”

“Most Krinar are designer babies?” Mia’s eyes widened in realization. This explained why all the Krinar she’d met were so good-looking. They had taken control of their own evolution by practicing a form of genetic selection for their children. It made a tremendous amount of sense. Any culture advanced enough to manipulate their own genetic code—as the Krinar had done to get rid of their need for blood—could easily specify which genes they wanted in their offspring. Mia was surprised it hadn’t occurred to her earlier.

Chiaren hesitated. “I’m not familiar with that term...”

“Yes, exactly,” Korum said, giving Mia a smile. “Few parents are willing to play genetic roulette, not when there is a better way.”

“But we did,” Riani said, looking a bit sheepish. “I got pregnant by accident—one of the few accidents of this kind to occur in the last ten thousand years. We discussed having a child, and we both went off birth control, planning to go to a lab like every other couple we knew. Statistically, the odds of getting pregnant naturally in the first fertile year are something like one in a million. Of course, this was during my musical mastery period, and I got very caught up in vocal expression, to the point that we put off our visit to the lab for a few months. And by the time the medical expert saw me, I was already three weeks pregnant with Korum.”

“I’m a throwback, you see,” Korum said, laughing. “They had no control over which ancestor’s genetic traits I inherited.”

Mia grinned at him. “Well, I think it’s pretty obvious where you get your coloring from.” He could’ve been Riani’s twin brother, instead of her son.