Free Alien Avatar: An Alien Sci-Fi Romance by Mika Tarkin

village?”
    “Dead. All of them.”
    There seemed to be very little doubt in Marko’s mind about that fact. From what he’d told her of the Wild, she was inclined to believe him.
    “What will you do?” she asked.
    “What do you mean?”
    “Well, they’re going home, how far are you going to take them?”
    Marko gave her a sort of sad, sympathetic look.
    “Our people drove them from their homes in the first place, and then refused to take them in. The least that I can do is to make sure they get home safely. I’m taking them all the way.”
    Naeesha didn’t like the sound of that. The Dynasty compound was hundreds of miles away, over rough terrain filled with unimaginable danger.
    “It’s not your fault, you know. You don’t have to repay the evil of others.”
    “We’re not innocent in this, Naeesha. Neither of us. Anyway, I’ve made up my mind. I don’t blame you if you don’t want to come.”
    She bit her tongue. She didn’t want to go. She wanted to be somewhere safe. Somewhere with Marko. But she knew he wouldn’t change his mind. That was impossible.
    “Hey,” she said. “I just noticed your nose. It’s crooked.”
    Marko looked at her out of the corner of his eye. The glance was a good deal less than friendly.
    “Maybe you don’t remember punching me? I’m pretty sure you broke it.”
    “Sorry,” she said. “I was pretty on edge.”
    “You were-” he cut himself off. “Yea, you were. What happened to you? After I left?”
    Naeesha put her head down and walked a little faster, eager to avoid the conversation. But Marko wasn’t having it.
    “You looked half-dead when you showed up. I just want to understand what you were going through. That’s all.”
    She looked up at him, but couldn’t hold his gaze. She lowered her eyes and kept walking.
    “I guess I just got lost.”
    “We all get lost, you know. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.”
    “I don’t know.”
    “I do.”
    She smiled at him, but said nothing else. They were both happy to walk in silence. Most of their time together had been spent like this. Some things just didn’t need to be said, and they both knew that. Or maybe some things just didn't need to be spelled out. It was whatever it was, and that was okay.
    Anyway, the quiet made it easier for her to think about last night. Before the attack. Gods she’d been so happy for just a moment. All the emptiness and worry and fear had vanished, pushed back by joy and belonging. At least for a few wonderful minutes.
    It still gave her hope. After years of trouble - they could still get right back to it if the time was right. She just wondered if the time would ever be right again. She wondered how much time they had left.
    As far as Naeesha was concerned, the world had been over for about three years now. The fleeting happiness that she’d had with Marko was so brief that it barely counted as a dream. Now she was back to reality. The world really was coming to an end.
    He went up ahead of her to help carry a wounded elder in a makeshift stretcher. He was so at home here. So comfortable with these people. The uncomfortable reality was setting in that Naeesha didn’t resent the Hala because of who they were. She hated that Marko had chosen them instead of her.
    A familiar shape dropped out of the long line ahead of her. Kiran. The child was all smiles, as usual, and beamed up at her as they walked by her side.
    “I’m glad you came to visit us,” Kiran said.
    Naeesha cocked her head and smiled.
    “Why’s that?” she asked.
    “Because you’re nice, and Marko is happy because you’re here.”
    She blushed.
    “How do you know that Marko’s happy because of me? Can you feel his feelings?”
    Kiran laughed.
    “No, I can just tell by looking at his face.”
    She wondered if it was true. Marko’s spirits had seemed high, all things considered, but she thought that was just how he was these days. It seemed like he’d been getting along just fine without her. Why should