But I didn’t. That’s how badly I want to know about Ava, but she just isn’t opening up to me.
And she doesn’t have to.
Quickly, I stand, place the rest of the carcass on the plate on top of the meat I already cut off, rest the plate on a rock, and chase after her.
“I’m sorry, Ava. I didn’t mean to pry. I should’ve stopped asking questions.”
She stops walking, but she doesn’t turn around. As much as I want to touch her shoulder, to ease her to turn around, I don’t dare because I don’t want to set her off.
“You clearly don’t want to talk about your past now, and that’s fine. Maybe we can talk about it later, or maybe never. Whatever you want. We can talk about the future instead. What do you want? Besides to punch me in the mouth.” I grin at the back of her head, feeling like an idiot.
She stiffens, but she doesn’t react otherwise.
"I can tell you what I want. I want to be a pilot, but I also want to stay here on Earth, not on Kuria. I spent a lot of time here as a kid, and it always felt like a second home. Now, though, I think I want it to be my permanent home. It's appealing here. Maybe it's because I do want to explore, but I think I want to explore more than just Kuria and Earth. The stars have always called me. I guess I get that from my dad."
Ava tilts ever so slightly toward me, but she’s not looking directly at me. Her side profile reveals that she’s still furious.
"Ava, I really am sorry. I didn't mean to push you, to pressure you into—"
"That's all guys ever do. They push, and they push, and they push. They take, and they take, and they take." Her scowl is fierce, and her eyes contain no flames at all like they do when she's happy. No, her eyes are ice cold. I almost don't recognize her.
“You don’t have to tell me anything, but I don’t want to push you to do or say anything you don’t want to. I don’t mean to take. I just… It’s not about what I want. It’s about what you want.”
“Is it?” she bursts out, whirling on me, jabbing her finger to my chest. “Is it about what I want? Because you had to realize that I wasn’t answering some of your questions, yet you kept asking them. Yes, I asked you uncomfortable questions, but you didn’t have to answer them. You could’ve said no or stayed quiet.”
"Yes, the questions were a bit uncomfortable, but I want you to ask me anything. I'll answer. I'll even tell you my cock size." I wait for a second. "That was a joke."
“Not funny,” she hisses. “You want to know about my parents? I never met them. I don’t know who they are. Maybe my mom died giving birth to me. Maybe she abandoned me and stayed with Dad and have a family far from here. Maybe she found another guy and ditched me to be with him and start a new family with him. Who knows? Maybe I do have siblings or half-siblings out there, but I’ll never know.”
“Ava…”
She holds up a finger, a warning for me to back off and not get to close. “You want to know who raised me? I did. I had to get myself clothes and food and everything. Shelter, an education… I taught myself how to use electronics and how to fix them so that I could have a way to barter with people for what I need. That’s how I started down the path toward becoming an inventor. I’m not ordinary. I’m not normal, and I make no apologies for that.”
“You shouldn’t have to. You don’t have to,” I try to assure her.
She just shakes her head. “I don’t have any friends. Not really. The one time I let a guy close, a guy who I thought saw me for who I am… He ran off with everything I had. My first prototypes, my very first ones? He stripped them for parts and sold them. Took the money and got a ticket and flew the coop. I don’t know where he is right now, but if I ever see him again…”
I gape at her. “I’m so sorry.”
“And the worst part about it? I think he did all of that for revenge. Why? Because I wouldn’t sleep with him. I liked having him around, and I liked that he gave me attention, but I wasn’t really attracted to him. He just… He made me feel special, and I like that even if I didn’t like him in that way. I didn’t love him, and I didn’t think he loved me. He probably didn’t, probably just wanted to take as much from me as he could, and that included my body. So he tried to come at me, and I used that bat and broke his ribs. At least the crunch made it sound like I broke them. I tried to stay awake all night to make sure he didn’t come around, but I fell asleep anyhow and woke to find everything gone, everything but the clothes I was wearing and the bat. I guess he didn’t like that it was stained with his blood.”
“Ava, that’s terrible.”
“That’s the story of my life. I had to build everything up, had it all stolen away, and had to rebuild. I’m jaded, and I hate most everyone, and despite all of that, I want to share my inventions with the world. I want to make the world a better place. My name to be mentioned in every household like all of the greats. I want to become someone special.”
“Ava, you already are special,” I whisper.
She barks a bitter laugh. “Is that so? You really think so? Oh, let me forgive you? Here, I’ll fall into your arms,
