Ill Fated: A Rejected Mates SciFi Romance by Athena Storm

Author:Athena Storm [Storm, Athena]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Athenaverse Press
Published: 2022-02-24T16:00:00+00:00

The song weaves in and around us. Tabisi doesn’t seem to even notice us, she is singing purely for herself. We are merely spectators for the message she brings from some mysterious realm.

I don’t know what the song, precisely, is about but something takes root in me. She sings of longing, of love, of not letting something go. And that, above all, you must trust the elements. You must trust all around you.

I do not know how long goes by as she sings, each ballad seamlessly morphing into the next. Finally, she sings a haunting dirge about a love that was left to die. For most of her performance, her eyes have been closed, her hair wisping around her as her body undulated to the rhythms of the music.

Now, however, as she reaches the end of her last song, her eyes fly open and she looks directly at Alkea and me. Her eyes burn with an intensity that almost makes me want to look away.

‘Islaqess, flower to make them all…..’

Her stare lasts all of a few seconds before she closes her eyes once more. Then, as the last note dies away, her whole body slumps as if all the energy has been drained from her. Applause, the kind that comes from a deep well of emotion, pours out of the diners and even the small staff of the restaurant. It continues for many minutes, even as Tabisi stands, packs up her stool and leaves quietly by a side door.

After she leaves, the applause tapers off and I look to Alkea. She has the same look of fascinated confusion on her face. Could it be….?

Before I can censor myself, I ask, “Did you feel…?

“Yes!” the word comes out in a rush, as if Alkea was reading my mind once more. “I did. She looked right through me. I…don’t know why but it felt….”

She stops, looks down at her plate, now empty, and blushes.

“No, don’t feel embarrassed. I felt it too. Like she was…”

“Talking to us. Directly to us.”

We stare at each once more, the need for actual words falling away. She felt it too. She feels it now. So do I.

But what does it all mean?

We finish the meal in relative silence. It’s not awkward, but we are lost in the emotions of Tabisi’s performance. And we both know our evening is soon coming to an end. I get the sense that Alkea dreads it as much as I do.

Putting my napkin down on the table, I look at her once more, this dazzling creature who can read my mind.

“I am not looking forward to leaving…”

She smiles, sadness prickling her eyes. “Neither am I.”

“Thank you for this evening. For everything, really. It’s been…”

“Let’s go for a stroll. The evening doesn’t have to end just yet.”

I smile broadly. She read my mind again.

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