The Complete Lightning Touch Series Box Set

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

“Hey, umm, Callista, you’re kinda quiet this arvo. Is everything okay?”

I felt a twist in my stomach and sighed. You know me too well.

Javolo had just finished with the last load of Amakio from the vein he’d been working on since lunch. We were waiting for data to be sent through to the Nav Computer to pinpoint the next one.

I’d been trying to sound cheery, or at least normal, but it wasn’t working. Javolo had noticed my mood, and as hard as I tried, I couldn’t bring myself to tell him what was wrong. So much for me being able to talk to him about anything. I felt guilty. Why couldn’t I tell him? Every time I told myself to go ahead and tell him about it, I’d clam up. Nothing would come out of my mouth. It actually felt like my throat was closing up and preventing me from speaking.

“Cal?”

I jumped. I’d gotten lost in my thoughts and had forgotten that Javolo had even said anything.

“Yeah, I’m okay,” I lied. “Just a bit tired, that’s all.”

That was lame, I scolded myself. Just tell him. Who cares who’s listening!

But that was the thing. People were listening. I didn’t want them to know something so personal. I really didn’t have anyone to talk to about this.

Just a bit tired? Was that all I could come up with? I’d never been any good at lying, and I was kind of proud of that fact. I’d always figured that that made me a better person. Someone who didn’t have a problem with lying couldn’t possibly be a good person deep down.

“Oh yeah?” Javolo dragged the words out. “Late night with What’s-his-name, hey? Where did you guys go after dinner this time? The Big Screen? Out dancing?”

There was something in his voice. Something I couldn’t quite put my finger on. There was an emotion there I couldn’t place. Or maybe I was imagining it...

Malvolio didn’t dance anyway. That was something that had always bothered me because I absolutely loved dancing.

“No. We didn’t go anywhere after dinner. Just home...” I couldn’t think of anything else to add. I didn’t even have anything to say about Javolo calling him What’s-his-name for the millionth time. That was bound to raise some suspicion, but I couldn’t bring myself to defend him. Not after everything he’d said to me.

He’s such a jerk.

Why didn’t I tell Malvolio he needn’t bother with giving me a second chance? I didn’t want a second chance. I wanted out.

I turned my attention back to the computer, but my mind wandered. And I felt like there was a question hanging in the air. I could almost reach out and touch it. Javolo hadn’t said anything, but I couldn’t shake the feeling. Was there something he wanted to ask me? I couldn’t tell.

The information I’d been waiting for came through on the Nav Computer. I sighed again. Now I had something else to focus on.

“Cal?” Javolo asked tentatively.

“Got our instructions.” I knew I’d interrupted whatever he was about to ask me, but I didn’t want to have to answer any more questions — especially if they involved Malvolio. “Move forward from your current position about twenty metres, then turn to your left, then go another five metres.”

“Okie dokie.” I could hear the unspoken question still there in his voice. And... disappointment?

Why didn’t I wait and listen to his question?

It was becoming harder to keep focused on working when my world was falling apart. I just needed to get through the rest of today. And I didn’t like lying to my best friend. Lying by omission was still lying.

My best friend. That’s what Javolo was. The full reality of it hit me and I gasped. He really was my best friend — the best friend I’d ever had. Better than any I’d had in my childhood and throughout my schooling. And at this point in time, my only real friend.

I desperately wished that I could talk to him in person. In private. Although we chatted freely on almost any subject every day, we didn’t really have any privacy and that sucked. He may not have any answers to my problems, but that didn’t matter. I just needed an ear.

“Now what?” Javolo’s voice invaded my thoughts.

“What? Oh, sorry.” I sat up straighter and cleared my throat. “Can you see a small entrance to your left? I can’t make it out clearly on here, but I don’t think it’s big enough for the Mech-suit to walk through.”

“Yes, and no, it’s not big enough... yet.”

I knew he would be smiling as he started to dig to make the entrance big enough. I found myself smiling too, despite how bad I felt. Javolo enjoyed his work. I guessed it would be like a child playing in the dirt when he got the chance to dig holes under the ground.

While I waited, my thoughts kept returning to Malvolio. I couldn’t stop myself. I looked down at the screen and forced myself to think of something else. I closed my eyes and tried to picture Javolo digging and smiling to himself. I wish I knew what he looked like...

Then I thought of what Malvolio had said. I was supposedly having an affair with my best friend. What if I did go out on a date with Javolo? I imagined going with him to the Golden Palace. What would he say and do? I knew. We’d talk for ages about anything and everything. We’d tell each other stupid jokes and laugh ourselves silly. He wouldn’t be rude to the staff or try to correct me. He had a wicked sense of humour, so it would be a fun night.

I realised I had an idiotic grin on my face, but I didn’t care.

Then I imagined being in his arms, safe and happy. It was hard to picture clearly. His face in my mind was a blur. A generic man’s face with brown hair and brown eyes. I couldn’t imagine kissing him or anything when I couldn’t see his face. I knew it could never happen, but I could dream, couldn’t I?

I stopped and I gave myself a mental slap. He was my friend. A friend I’d never even met. I scolded myself for letting my thoughts run away like that. A lot of people say the best way to ruin a good, strong friendship is to turn it into a relationship. The last thing I wanted to do was ruin what we had.

If we were allowed to see each other, we could still go out together as friends and still have fun like I’d just imagined… purely platonic though…

I needed to focus on reality. Get back to work, I told myself.

As soon as I’d given myself that order, my mind started to wander again. I wondered what I’d say to Malvolio that night. I knew he’d come over. I wondered if he’d let me get a word in edgeways...

“All done!” Javolo announced, pulling me from my thoughts.

I looked at my screen again. “Okay, umm, now once you’re through, go straight about ten metres, follow it around to your right and head for the wall in front of you.”

“No problem, Boss Lady.”

I smiled. So now I was Boss Lady.

He sounded better. More cheery. All that digging must’ve been good therapy for him. Pity I didn’t have something to cheer me up.

I checked the readout again to make sure the information was correct. It was so hard to concentrate on anything. I had to force myself to do the most simple and menial tasks. How was I going to last till it was time to go home? Should I tell them I was feeling sick or something and go home? I took a deep breath and waited for him to reach the wall.

“Hey,” he said quietly.

“Hey.”

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

My chest tightened and I felt the sting of tears. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. I couldn’t answer.

“Cal?” It was almost a whisper over the Com.

“I... umm... yeah. I... I will be...” I was stumbling over my words, but I couldn’t say anything about what was really bothering me.

“Okay.” It was only one word, but somehow I could tell that he knew it was something I couldn’t talk about here. With The Company listening in.

My eyes were full of unshed tears, so I wiped them away and quickly got back to what I was supposed to be doing. I would get a roasting for this conversation. I could feel in my bones. Javolo would too. And there would be extra crap for me for being late.

“Are you at the wall yet?”

“Ah... yes. Been here for a while,” he answered sheepishly. It was like he’d forgotten what he was doing, too.

Dammit. How much trouble am I going to be in?

“There should be a vein there in front of you. Or close to you. The computer isn’t giving me all the info I need. Maybe one of the sensors is on the blink. I’ll have to run diagnostics.”

“There is something here, but it is further to the left than where you said,” he informed me. “About six metres over.”

Six metres? That wasn’t good. “Okay, so maybe there is a problem...”

Something was malfunctioning, so I needed to pinpoint which piece of equipment, and fast. There were too many safety concerns when one of the satellites or the sensors on the Mech-suit went down.

Javolo went to work and soon had the Amakio ready to take back to the waiting shuttle. Meanwhile, I’d been running diagnostics to try to find the source of the problem.

Malvolio’s face kept creeping into my mind. How could he give me an ultimatum like that? There was something cold-hearted about it.

I would be better off with no one. I should’ve stood my ground and concentrated on work. Now I wanted to be left alone. Was that too much to ask for?

I sighed. Apparently it was.

“Done,” he said.

“Okay, let’s get it to the shuttle.”

I continued to give him instructions as he walked back through the tunnels. The interference was highest down on the planet, so the GPS systems on the Mech-suits were useless.

Javolo changed the subject once he was on his way. “I’m thinking of what I want to do when my contract is up,” he informed me. “I would like to visit Earth, Savanna Five, then travel to Ocanas to see their magnificent sunsets.”

What made him think of that?

I sighed. “I heard they’re really spectacular.”

I’d seen photos of the two suns setting over the horizon on Ocanas, but I’d heard that the images did not do it justice. It was on my list of places I wanted to see one day.

“Maybe I’ll go home for a while first... What do you think?”

You’re asking me? “I don’t know... But I think it might be good for you to catch up with family and friends after being here for so long. I think that that’s what I’ll do, but my contract has only just started.”

Somehow, thinking about working for Katoa for another nineteen months no longer appealed to me — especially since eighteen of those would be with three other Diggers.

My heart sank. The thought of losing Javolo as a friend was too much right now. I would feel so alone out here without him. Tears stung my eyes, but I was determined not to cry. I told myself to get a grip. It was a whole month away.

“Well, I still have another seven months... but only one with you...” he said quietly.

He’d broken our unspoken rule. He’d brought up the forbidden subject. I couldn’t stand it. Not on top of what had happened with Malvolio. I couldn’t do this. But I held the tears back. I had to concentrate.

I wasn’t angry at him for bringing it up, it was just that it made me feel like my world was crashing in on me.

“Yeah...” I couldn’t hide the waver in my voice. It was barely above a whisper. Silent tears slid down my cheeks.

“Damn! I wish I could renew my Rotation with you as my Nav Operator.”

My chest tightened. I wished with all my heart that we could stay working together. “Me too...”

“Callista, you’re a good friend... I’m not happy about the fact that after the six months, we won’t get to talk to each other every day.”

“Stop it!”

“What?”

“You’ll make me cry!” I didn’t want him to know I was already crying.

Oops! I shouldn’t have said that with them listening... I’m such an i***t!