Back in Flight by Julie Steimle (best classic books to read txt) 📕

“Nearly all black and brown skins are beautiful, but a beautiful white skin is rare.”—Mark Twain—

Alea Arden came to pick up Zormna Clendar from the uppercity workers’ apartment the evening of her release. With her month in exile up, he was anxious to see her, especially considering the method of her removal when she had been sent out into the world. He rode up on his flight scooter to the tall pristine looking building, glancing up at the clear uppercity sky panels before landing on the curb across from where he spotted the petite, banished Surface Patrol officer outside the building, accompanied by three People’s Military officers. Looking at her posture, he could tell that she was in one of her moods; sulking, rolling her eyes, and all around irritated at what they seemed to be saying to her. But the moment she spotted him, her eyes brightened, a relieved smile spreading her flushed lips apart.

“Alea Arden!” She hopped out from the cluster of P.M.s, rushing over to him.

Their eyes settling on him also, the People’s Military officers scowled. Alea Arden spotted Dural Hendron among them and gave a nod. The man frowned.

“Ready to go?” Arden said to Zormna, ignoring her escorts.

Zormna nodded while placing her duffle bag onto the back carry-all rack. As she did this, Dural Hendron stepped over to her and placed his arm on her shoulder, holding her back. Alea Arden saw Zormna clench her teeth and drop her head with a shiver down her arms.

“Remember what I said, Zormna,” Dural Hendron said, still gripping her shoulder.

Zormna jerked away from and climbed on the flight scooter right behind Alea Arden, wrapping her arms around his waist somewhat tightly. Without looking back, Zormna whispered in his ear. “Let’s go.”

“Keep her out of trouble, Alea!” Dural Hendron said just as the Alpha Alea lifted off the curb to go back into the uppercity traffic. Arden looked back only once, wondering at the P.M.’s intent stare on his subordinate.

They rode on towards the Surface Gate for just a few minutes before Arden gave up waiting for Zormna to speak. “What was Dural Hendron talking about back there? Since when was he so protective of you?”

He could hear Zormna mutter unintelligibly. Taking this as a sign that it was something she did not want to talk about he changed the subject.

“Ready to get working on those new ship interiors?” he asked.

Zormna still muttered.

Alea Arden wondered if she even heard him. “I said, are you ready to get working on those new ship interiors?”

He could hear Zormna sigh. “I’m stuck on K.P.—Kevin’s orders.”

Alea Arden grimaced. He forgot.

They rode in silence until they reached the tunnel to the Surface Gate, where Zormna spoke up. “Dural Hendron asked me to marry him.”

Involuntarily, Alea Arden jerked the flight scooter controls. It sped up with a lurch, making him nearly crash into the flight car in front of him.

“He what?” He regained his control over his flight scooter and himself.

“He proposed to me, just like thirty other men in the uppercity.” She moaned.

He sped up, maneuvering into higher traffic towards the bright opening that was coming quickly at the end of the tunnel. As soon as he reached the end, Alea Arden veered off to the side into the Surface Gate then parked out of the traffic.

Zormna glanced around and then stared back at Alea Arden. “Why are we stopping? I want to get home.”

Alea Arden shook his head and turned around. Gazing at her he asked, “You’re telling me that nearly thirty men proposed to you in just one month?”

Leaning back from him, Zormna gave a frank nod, examining his surprised expression with her own growing amazement.

“That’s nearly one a day!” he said, dropping his jaw. He stared at the twelve-year-old girl and wondered how it was possible, gazing at her down-turned face full of dejection. He had known her most of her life. He watched her grow up. He knew her personality, her quirks. He even knew she admired him and at one time had a childhood crush on him, but she was ten Parthan years younger than he was. To him, she had just been a cute kid with a penchant for trouble. The idea that thirty grown men, uppercity men which included People’s Military officers, wanted to marry her seemed ludicrous.

“Actually, it went more in spurts,” Zormna said with a moan. “In the beginning I was proposed to by total strangers nearly everyday, sometimes twice a day. It got weird when people I knew started to make offers. They just stared at me as if they never thought of me as a woman before because of my uniform, and now all they do is ogle me.” Zormna groaned louder. “Can we please go home, Alea Arden?”

Blinking at her, Alea Arden smirked. “You don’t want to even stop off at Sandi’s?”

Zormna tilted her head, her mouth contorting to the side also before a smile spread across her face. She nodded. “I have missed Sandi’s.”

Revving up his scooter, they flew through the large hall to the second level to their favorite hang out besides the docking bay, which was her favorite place to be. The glowing entrance strobed with multi-colors in some parts to get passerby’s attentions, reflecting on the white sheen to their vehicles. They parked to the side of the doorway where rows of flight scooters were already parked. In places like these, most of them were Surface Patrol flight scooters though there was an occasional middlecity scooter set in place. Zormna smiled at them all and hopped off the back to go inside. Alea Arden swung his leg over, grinning at Zormna as she lifted her duffle off the carry platform.

She sheepishly grinned. “I don’t want to risk getting my things stolen.”

He shook his head, and they walked inside.

They walked to the left side of the doorway where most of the Surface Patrol gathered, rather than the right side where a general crowd of undercity and middlecity people ate. There were very few High Class people around there at that hour, as they didn’t like to mingle with the lower classes. Alea Arden looked for a table.

“Hey Arden!” One of the officers called to him, waving. “Come on over! Who’s your girlfriend?”

Zormna blushed and was about to turn around but that incomparable waitress Sandi called out with a smile, “Zormna! Where have you been? I haven’t seen you for a whole month.” Then Sandi looked down at the plain-clothes, peach suit Zormna was wearing, immediately looking confused. “Where is your uniform? Don’t tell me you have been discharged.”

With a blush, Zormna opened her mouth to answer, but before she could get even one word out, a loud roar of laughter burst from the Surface Patrol side of the restaurant.

“The Kevin’s Zormna?”

Zormna recognized the annoying voice of Anzer Tellovii and closed her eyes. Alea Arden looked over to where he was standing with friends. Stepping out of the crowd with a stagger, Anzer Tellovii peered over Zormna from head to toe, grinning. “My heavens, it is! Ha!”

And he kept on laughing as if it was amusing to see her like that.

Rolling his eyes and turning his back on Tellovii, Alea Arden led Zormna to a table, glancing back at the crowd who all seemed to suddenly gawp at her.

“What is the big deal?” he muttered.

Anzer Tellovii was more than glad to answer him, following them over to their table with an extravagant fling of his arm at the returned officer. “Look at her! Alea Arden, are you blind? Her hair is not even regulation. It hangs to her shoulders now. Her clothes aren’t stiff uniform. They’re rather sexy actually.”

Zormna glowered, folded her arms across her chest.

“She looks like someone else entirely when she isn’t standing at attention and marching around. She looks like a girl I might actually consider marrying,” Tellovii finished, still laughing as he broke into song. “Green as the trees she looks where she please. Full puckered lips, pink as the rose. Hair as yellow flowers, curling bouquet bowers, but she was dressed in military clothes!”

The entire Surface Patrol side joined him, singing, “Those eyes, those eyes, sparkling like fire. Those eyes, those eyes fill me with desire. Those—”

“That is it!” Zormna shouted, pounding her fist on the table. “That is it! I have had enough that! And I have had enough of that stupid song! I want a citric tsilk and a bit of silence!”

Their half of the room hushed, smothering laughs mostly.

Zormna whipped around to growl at Anzer Tellovii, Zormna. “And you, Tellovii, if I ever hear you talking like that again about me, I’ll flatten you so hard you’ll be in the infirmary for months.”

Tellovii only smirked, sauntering back to his table with one more glance at her figure.

Alea Arden just blinked at him then at the nearly strawberry red Zormna whose hands were balled into fists. Same temper, same rivalries, yet everyone was staring at her differently. If anything she was just a little taller and shapelier. A cute kid, nothing more.

Zormna turned back towards the table to glare at it, even as Sandi inched away from the solider with a nod for the kitchen to send a tsilk to their table. Alea Arden looked up at Sandi and gave his order for the usual, trading glances of confusion and concern with her. She slipped off to collect the food, returning not two minutes later, setting all three items on the table.

Looking up with a tired, yet sympathetic gaze, Zormna said to Sandi, “I don’t envy your job.”

Sandi raised her eyebrows, peeking at Alea Arden for an interpretation.

“How do you stand it? How do you stand serving these idiots and flirts?” Zormna let out an exasperated sigh and glanced around the room. “I could barely do it for a month, all those perverts grabbing my butt and making come-on’s at me.”

Sandi smothered a laugh.

Alea Arden’s eyes widened at Zormna.

“I never knew how much protection wearing my uniform was until now.” Zormna slumped against the table, wrapping her fingers around the stem of her glass. “I mean, people have hit on me before but not to such an extent. What do you do, carry a laser pistol?”

Still smirking, Sandi replied, “People aren’t so forward in the Surface Gate, Zormna.”

Zormna shook her head. “Yes they are. They are just as forward. I’ve seen it.”

Sandi tried to smile but somehow it faltered as if Zormna had said something wrong. She leaned down, whispering in Zormna’s ear the plainest answer before walking away. “You are simply prettier than I am.”

Zormna’s head popped up, watching Sandi leave as if irritated. Normally, very little bothered Sandi. She was like a person strapped with bungees, always bouncing around. Zormna slumped back down and looked at Alea Arden.

“I didn’t mean to hurt her,” she said, starting to stir her tsilk.

Giving a shrug, Alea Arden he dug into his kalp lovad. There was no way he would try to understand a woman’s thinking, including Zormna’s who didn’t get all prissy. Her moodiness