A Changed Linda
“Alita!” Alita jumped at the sound of her name she slipped the papers back into the folder and put the pen back in its cup. She pushed the chair back and slipped into the office the brushing her fingers along the name plaque as she pushed the door open.
“Yes my Zotac?” She said as she entered.
“What is my schedule for tomorrow?” An arm shot out of Alita’s chest as she pulled the schedule from her pouch.
“You have a meeting with the Fena of Pookum and 10 he wants to talk about Tuli regulations something about the laws for stealing being to harsh, then at 1 you have that meeting with Samna, something about the dangers of eating goobie eggs then at 3 you have another meeting with Pino.” Leena sighed and rolled her eyes.
“If I’ve told him once I’ve told him a thousand times the fence stays.”
“Yes and you’ll probably tell him that many more times.”
Leena sighed “Anything else?”
“Nope, after that it looks as if you’re free.” Alita closed down the screen and pulled the screen back inside her arm pouch.
“Good I’d planned on meeting Temal for dinner.”
Alita tried not to show any emotion at this remark but Leena didn’t miss the sudden change in Alita’s eyes. “What is it Alita?” Her face had softened slightly.
“It’s nothing Leena don’t worry about it.” She pretended to focus on a statue of a dragon that sat on the Zotac’s desk but Leena didn’t fall for it
“I know you better than that Ali.” Leena had come around the desk now and had stepped in front of the statue giving Alita no choice but to look her friend in the eye. “Come on Ali, what’s up?”
Alita shifted uncomfortably but didn’t answer the question.
“This is about Temal isn’t it?”
Alita still didn’t answer.”
“Ali how many times do I have to talk to you about this? Temal is a good man.”
“I don’t doubt that Leena, it’s just…”
“Just what Ali?”
“I can’t help but think that you’re using Temal in order to forget about a certain young man who left you 3 years ago.”
Linda shot an angry glare in Alita’s direction then walked to the big window overlooking the courtyard that had been completely gated in. Metal windows, metal doors, metal walls and a bared ceiling, it had even been stripped bare of trees. Her silver dragon lay there as calm as she’d been all day. No one but Leena dared to even enter the dragon’s cell and even Leena only did so on rare occasions.
“I’ve told you before Ali, it was a mutual agreement. We both knew that it would never work; the best thing for both of us was to go our separate ways. He belonged on earth, he had a family and friends to worry about and an education to finish and I had a planet to run, I still do. He’s probably a successful astronaut by now, married and with 5 kids.”
“But what if he’s not?”
“When you get right down too it Ali I don’t love him. I’ve got Temal now.”
Alita knew it would do no good to argue. Leena always won. The phone on the desk rang Leena moved to pick it up but stopped before she reached it. “The truth is Ali it was Matthew that I used.” She waved for Alita to leave as she crossed to the other side of the desk and picked up the phone.
Alita left without another word. She slipped out of the offices and out to the West courtyard. There were three courtyards in the mansion. The South was the one that held Seurmiera the dragon, the West contained hundred of fake flowers and was probably the prettiest of the courtyards and the North was empty except for one tree that sat in the middle and housed Tidwit, Leena chimp.
Alita walked to the middle of the courtyard and sat down on one of the four benches. She closed her eyes and imagined Rowel coming around the corner and asking her what was wrong. She could almost hear his voice as he encouraged her, almost feel his arms around her.
“Leena says you guys got in a fight what happened?” She imagined him saying
“It was about Temal.” She said quietly turning toward the place he would be sitting
“Of course it was that’s the only thing you two ever fight about anymore.” He had always pointed out the obvious.
“I mean is it just me or am I the only one who finds it strange that she hasn’t introduced him to any of her friends. I mean she’s the Zotac for crying out loud she can’t just hide the guy forever.” Rowel would have understood, he always understood.
“I know what you mean Lita and I agree but she is the Zotac she has the right to hide him if she wants.”
“It makes me wonder if the guys got something to hide.”
“Maybe he’s just got problems with going public.”
“Then he chose the wrong girl.”
“This is about Matthew isn’t it?” She tried to remember the passion in Rowel’s eyes but the picture eluded her. He had always seemed to know what she was thinking but now she couldn’t even conjure up a mental picture of him when she needed it most
Alita shrugged “Maybe!”
“Come on admit it.”
“Ok your right the truth is I think Matthew is perfect for her and for this country. He may be a human but so what. No one on this planet cares for her or for this planet as much as he does.” She stopped then and her shoulders slumped slightly as she thought about what Leena had said an hour earlier.
He would have called her by her pet name then. The name that he had always called her ever since they were 12. “What is it Lita?”
“Leena’s right: Matthew’s probably forgotten all about us.” Rowel would lean back and smile then. “What?”
“He hasn’t forgotten about her.”
“What do you mean?”
“Matthew. He hasn’t forgotten about her. He cares about her as much now as he did then.”
“How do you know?”
“Because he’s here on Imaginess.” Oh how long she had wanted to hear those words. How romantic it would be for Matthew to come back and to profess his undying love for Linda. But she knew it would never happen.
Alita opened her eyes and the image faded. Rowel was no longer sitting on the bench beside her. The bench was as empty as it had been for the last 3 years. Tears filled her eyes but instead of letting them come she blinked them back and walked out of the courtyard.
It was late when Sira hung up the phone. She had just got off the phone with Alita and she could only hope that Linda would exhibit the same excitement as Alita had when she had found out that Matthew was on Imaginess. Matthew had gone to sleep right after dinner. He had been exhausted from all the driving he had done in the last day or so.
Sira walked into the living room and smiled when she saw her husband and 3 year old daughter lying on the couch asleep. The book he’d been reading lay on the ground and his dead arm hung over the side of the couch at an odd angle a painful reminder that the arm would never move again. His other five good arms were wrapped securely around his daughter’s waist so she wouldn’t fall while they slept. His cane leaned against the side table where he could easily reach it and his mouth was…it would have been curved down in a frown but her mind wouldn’t allow her to see it. It had been 3 years since she had seen her husbands bruised and battered body and she wished for all the world that she could have it back again
She would have watched his chest rise and fall for a moment as she always did before waking him up. It was her way of reassuring herself that everything really was ok and that Adan hadn’t really died in the accident 4 years ago. No, he hadn’t died in the accident. He had just been eaten by some creature in the woods same as her brother. She watched her daughter for a couple more minutes before crossing the room. She leaned down and kissed her gently on the forehead. “Mella honey, wake up.” She moved slightly and then opened her eyes. She sat up and rubbed her eyes and groaned lightly. “Mommy can I sleep in your bed?” the little girl asked looking up at her mother with her precious, sleepy eyes. It would’ve been hard for Sira to deny those eyes even if circumstances had been different. But since her husbands death it was impossible.
It didn’t take long for Sira to get Mella tucked in and get into bed herself. Mella had been asleep before her head hit the pillow. Mella’s deep breathing lulled Sira into a fitful sleep. She wished everyday could be like this. But she knew that was impossible for tomorrow she would have to face her cousin, Leena, Zotac of the entire planet.
Matthew paced back and forth across Sira’s living room. Little Mella sat in a corner playing with a dollhouse filled with little Imaginese figures. Occasionally she turned in his direction and watched him curiously but eventually she turned back to her dolls. The sound of a latch being lifted sounded in his ear and he raced to the door. Sira entered through the front door her husband close behind her. She ignored Matthew for a few moments as she placed her things down and greeted her daughter.
“Well? How’d it go?” Sira ignored the question “Sira?” She looked up at him, “How’d it go.” A flash of something ignited in Sira’s eyes: Anger. She stood up and motioned for Mella to go play outside for a little while.
When they were gone Sira turned to him. “Why don’t you sit down Matthew?” Matthew hesitated for only a minute before doing as she said and taking a seat. “Matthew there’s something you should probably know.”
Matthew tried to steady his suddenly shaking hands but he found it impossible. “What?”
“After you left a lot changed. Linda…Linda isn’t who she used to be.”
“What do you mean?”
“She’s different. Most people like the way she’s become but those who know her personally no that there’s got to be something wrong but it’s like she doesn’t trust us anymore. She’s become all business minded if it isn’t for the betterment of the planet she won’t talk about it. She doesn’t talk about you or Earth or her feelings.” Sira paused now, “It’s like she’s a robot just going about her duties day by day not caring about any of the people around her. Well except Temal.”
“Who’s Temal?”
“The guy she’s been seeing for the last couple months. If she’s not talking about work she’s talking about him.”
Matthew felt as if he’d been stabbed in the heart and Sira was twisting it with every word she spoke. He should have known that something like this would happen it had been three years. But he had been unable to admit to himself that maybe Linda never liked him the way he had liked her. “So she’s moved on. I should have realized that it was possible.” He paused thinking over everything that had happened. “What’s he like?”
A shadow crossed over Sira’s face and Matthew felt another knife plunge into his gut. “I don’t know, no ones ever met him.” Twisting, twisting. “She doesn’t even visit her own family anymore. She hasn’t stepped foot on Earth’s soil in three years she won’t even acknowledge that they exist.”
“But what about the flower-nuts?”
Sira looked at him suspiciously before answering. “Alita sends them. She writes letters for her too. Leena doesn’t even know that her family has her address. Alita gets all the pictures all the gifts all the well-wishes and it all goes into a chest where it will probably stay until the day she dies. Meanwhile Alita’s sending gifts and letters and making about a million excuses a month so that the family never knows that Leena doesn’t care about them.”
Matthew didn’t know what to say the information was too much to take. He stood up and walked out of the room, stumbled to his own room and threw himself on the bed where he sat for an hour just trying to get his head around everything that Sira had just told him.
He had been laying on his bed for a little over an hour. Linda changed? He just couldn’t believe it, wouldn’t believe it… he had to find out for himself. He sat up and tossed his feet over the side of the bed. The sun was still high in the sky. He glanced out the window and saw Sira playing with Mella in the backyard. He padded to the door and opened it as quietly as possible and slipped out of the house. A cool wind brushed through his short-cropped hair and Matthew took a deep breath of the Imaginess air. It had been so long, longer than he ever wanted to be away again. He looked around and got his bearings and headed East in the direction of the mansion.
It took him about 15 minutes to get there but it felt longer. He had run most of the way. Now his legs felt like noodles, his lungs felt about to burst and his throat screamed for water. He stopped with his hands on his knees and took a couple deep breaths before continuing on his way to the front of the building. A guard stopped him and asked him his business and Matthew was relieved to see that it was a man he recognized. “Hey Brew” he greeted. “I’m just here to see Linda for a few moments don’t worry I remember my way.” The man just smiled at him and let him walk by obviously not aware of how much Linda had changed. Matthew halfway ran into the building finally stopping to breathe as he closed the door behind him. No one was in site but he could hear footsteps coming down the hall to his right so he dodged down the hall to his left.
Matthew knew this mansion like the back of his hand. Although it had been 3 years he still remembered every hall every room and every passage. There were 2 floors the top floor was almost like a house in itself and contained Linda’s personal living area. There were three main parts to the downstairs part of the mansion. The south side which had been to the right was where Linda’s offices were. To the North was the ballroom, grand dining room and hall of mirrors that Linda had installed for fun. The final part of the downstairs were the courtyards. 3 courtyards if he remembered right. One had held Seurmiera the dragon and Tidwit the chimp before they had both gone crazy and had to be kept drugged. The second was Linda’s personal courtyard and the third had been on the North side for parties.
He continued heading north; no one came to this side of the mansion unless they were preparing for a party. He passed the courtyard but was surprised to see that it was covered in curtains. He was just about to push back one of the curtains to look inside when he head footsteps. He quickly dived behind a large stuffed chair and sat barely breathing.
A servant entered the hall a moment later carrying a tray of food. She carefully unlocked the door and threw the food in slamming the door as quickly as she could. There was an unearthly screech and Matthew watched as Tidwit raced to the door and slammed on it with his tiny fists and picking up his food and throwing it about. The girl shuddered locking the door up again and dropping the curtain over the door and hurrying back down the hall from where she had come.
When she was gone Matthew slipped out of his hiding place behind the chair and moved across the room to the courtyard. He pushed back the curtain; Tidwit was eating his back to the window. The yard was an unkempt mess the pond in the middle was overgrown and nasty and he also noticed that all the walls had been smoothed and the windows had been bared.
He let the curtain fall back in front of the window and headed down the hall that the servant had disappeared down. How many other things had changed in the last 3 years besides Linda? What kind of a predicament was poor Seurmiera in being the more dangerous of the two? And did Linda even hold parties anymore? He passed the West courtyard and saw that it didn’t look much different.
He did his best to avoid the servants and soon made it to the south side without to much hassle. A plaque on the door read. De Lore De Zotac which he knew basically meant “the offices.” He was just about to open the door when the knob turned. He quickly dived behind a bush as the door opened.
A young man and woman stepped out. The woman was tall and delicate. Her hair was cut in a short little bob that Matthew saw frequently on the woman of Imaginess. Her hair was an orangish color with white highlights. Her back was too Matthew but even still he could tell she must be beautiful. The man had cyan colored hair and it was held up with Floop gel in another Imaginese style. He was strong and confident and Matthew watched as he leaned in and whispered something into the girl’s ear and she laughed.
The laugh tore into Matthew like a knife cutting fresh bread. The girl turned slightly to kiss the man on the cheek and that’s when he saw it: The scar along the girl’s right cheek. Linda. He couldn’t deny it this was Linda and the man next to her could only be Temal.
Matthew thought quickly he could beat them to the door. Linda had taught him all the short cuts and then he could pretend he had just come in. He waited until they turned a corner then turned and raced down another hall, turned left and slipped into a room on the right on the other side of the room was a secret door he opened it and slipped up a set of 10 stairs then down a shoot that led him outside. He stopped and counted to ten to catch his breath than jogged to the door and was just about to open the door when the door opened and there stood Linda and Temal.
Leena sat there stunned at the sight of seeing Matthew standing in front of her and at first she thought she might be dreaming but then Temal spoke from next to her and she knew she wasn’t imagining things. “Excuse me sir if you’re here to see the Zotac you’ll have to come another time.”
“Linda.” He caught himself and started again. “Leena, I need to talk to you.”
Linda was still unable to speak and she once again heard Temal speak for her. “That’s no way to talk to the Zotac and I told you you’ll have to come back another time.”
“Please Leena it’s important.”
Temal was beginning to get angry “I told you –“
Leena finally got control of herself “Wait Temal, I’ll talk to him. Would you give us a minute?”
Temal looked at her aghast and then did as she said and walked away. “I’ll wait for you at the gate.”
As soon as he was gone Leena turned on Matthew vehemently. “What are you doing here Matthew Baker I thought I made it clear that it was over?”
Matthew stood there staring at her for a moment stunned then he found his voice. “Do you have any idea what I went through to get here?”
“Does it look like I care? I never asked for you to come back.”
“I thought we agreed that if I ever found Christilone I would come back.”
“You’re still stuck on that. Give it up Matthew it’s been three years move on with your life, I have.”
“But that isn’t what your parents want and you know it.”
Leena was getting angrier now and she took a step toward him. “Don’t tell me what my parents want. You don’t even know them.”
“Yea but I know you…or at least I used to…before you changed.”
“Well meet the “New Linda”. The Linda who doesn’t care about earth or Christilone or you, Matthew. All I care about is this planet and the last time I checked you didn’t belong on this planet. So you might as well turn around and go right back to earth because if I find out that you’re still on this planet come tomorrow I’ll throw you in yole.” With that she spun on her heel and walked away leaving Matthew with a hole in his chest where his heart had once been.
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