Kristor frowned.
Great, now she’d trampled on his feelings.
“I think you’d better start from the beginning.” Her father cast a look in Kristor’s direction that was more than a little wary.
“Let’s all have a seat first,” her mother said. “Would you like something to drink or eat? I suppose Vickie Jo’s cookies are out of the question now since they’re scattered over the carpet.”
“Mother, come sit down.” Ron patted the cushion next to him on the love seat.
“Yes, I suppose that would be best.” Her hands fluttered about her face. Then she smoothed her collar, before placing her hands neatly on her lap.
Ria hated that her parents had to go through this, but they needed to know their daughter was an alien. It wasn’t fair to keep it from them.
Kristor sat on the sofa opposite the love seat. Ria sat on it as well, but kept a bit of distance between them. Just being near him made her knees weak.
“We just thought you were a nice young man,” her mother said. “We didn’t know you were an…an…” She cast pleading eyes upon Ria.
“Alien,” Ria spoke softly.
“I didn’t even know they existed,” she said. “Of course, everyone has heard of Area Fifty-one, and seen sightings of spacecraft, but I always thought it was nonsense. I guess I was wrong.” She looked at her husband as if silently asking for his help in understanding.
“Maybe you should start from the beginning,” her father said, looking at his daughter.
“I was out running when a hawk landed in front of me on the trail. Then a fog rolled in, and the hawk shifted into Kristor.”
“Then what you told Heath was true?” he asked.
She nodded.
Her father turned to Kristor. “Why now? What is your purpose with my daughter?”
“I’m here to take her back to New Symtaria with me,” Kristor told him.
Ron’s frown deepened, his face turning dark red. “I won’t allow it. My daughter’s not going anywhere with you, especially to outer space. It’s much too far away.”
“Dad, it’s okay, I’m not planning on leaving. You know how scared I am at the thought of flying.”
“True.” He relaxed.
“Her life is in danger,” Kristor said.
She glared at Kristor. Pulling his danger card out was not
“What!” Her father sat forward.
“Danger?” Her mother’s hands began to flutter again.
“Do you have to tell them everything?” Ria hissed.
The corners of Kristor’s mouth turned down. “You tell me to say I’m alien, then not to say I’m alien. Then when your mother’s friend comes over, you don’t like it when I’m honest. Then when I try to explain to your parents, you get angry again. Women are very confusing on Earth.”
“At least we agree on one thing,” her father said drawing frowns from both the women in his life. He cleared his throat. “Maybe you’d better explain more about the danger Ria is in. I don’t like the thought that harm might come to my daughter.”
Kristor quickly told her father and mother everything he knew about the rogue Symtarians trying to get rid of the impures. When he finished, her father stood, then went to the window. When he turned back around, his eyes looked sad.
“I always knew you would fall in love and get married. Probably move away. I just never thought it would be to another planet. If it will keep you safe, then you have to go with him.”
Chapter 17
Kristor breathed a deep sigh of relief. Good, her father understood the danger Rianna was in and agreed she needed to leave Earth. But when he looked at Rianna, she didn’t appear to feel the same way. What was it that she didn’t understand? He’d made it all perfectly clear. His patience would not last much longer.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Rianna said, crossing her arms in front of her and casting a stubborn look in his direction.
“It doesn’t look as if you have a choice,” her father told her.
“I can take care of myself,” she said.
“Ria, maybe your father and Kristor are right. I certainly don’t want any harm coming to you.” Maggie dabbed at her eyes with more tissue. “I’ll miss my baby. It’s not as though you’ll be across town. Or a phone call away.”
Ria went to her mother and knelt in front of her. “I won’t leave you, Mom.”
“Are there nice people on New Symtaria?” Ria’s mother asked.
Kristor shifted in his seat. Emotion ran high between the two women. He noticed the father didn’t look any more comfortable than Kristor felt.
“Rianna is of royal blood. She is a princess.”
The mother smiled through her tears. “You always loved pretending you were a princess when you were… were…little. You loved fairy tales. Now you have your own.”
“Maybe we should leave them alone for a while,” Ron said, looking uncomfortable. “This is a lot for Maggie to take in.”
Kristor breathed a sigh of relief. “That sounds good.” He had a feeling Ron Lancaster didn’t know what to do either when women became emotional. He was discovering it was a sickness that affected all men.
Ron went to the refrigerator and opened the door. “I can use something to drink. How about you?”
“Orange soda?”
Ron chuckled. “I think I’ll have a beer. I’m in need of something with a little more kick.” He handed Kristor an orange soda, grabbed a beer for himself, then shut the door. “Let’s continue our discussion in the backyard.”
They walked outside to a table and found seats. Kristor popped the tab on his drink and took a long swallow, then waited for the questions that he knew would come. Ron only needed a little more time to digest everything.
“I remember when we first brought Ria home from the orphanage. Maggie and I couldn’t have children of our own, but the minute we saw Ria, she stole our hearts. When she toddled over to where we were standing, we knew Ria had chosen us.”
Ron took a drink from his beer, then set the bottle on the table. Kristor knew he had more to say, so he waited.
“I went out and bought that silly little parakeet. I named the bird Fred.” He laughed. “It was the damnedest thing the way she seemed to communicate with it. I guess now I understand why.” He sighed, running his finger through the condensation that had formed on the side of the can. “How much danger is our little girl in?”
“The rogues have killed before. They murdered Ria’s biological father. Her mother left her at the orphanage. I think to keep her safe. She later died in a vehicular accident.”
“Ah, jeez. That’s too bad.”
Kristor looked Ron straight in the eye. “The rogues won’t be afraid to kill again. Impures don’t have the strength or abilities that a pure Symtarian has. Ria would not be safe on her own.”
“She’s afraid of flying, you know. We thought she would enjoy the air show since she liked birds so much, but there was an accident. The pilot parachuted to safety, but the plane crashed. She had nightmares for a long time. Ria has been afraid of flying ever since. We had to drive whenever we went on vacation.”
“She has to have the courage to connect with her animal guide, the hawk. If she doesn’t, part of who she is will die.”
“Animal guide?”
