Caressa Moon (Princess X)

  CAREASS MOON

  By:

  RASHEEDH PRIOLEAU

  EDITED BY:

  LAUREN HUNTER

  Chapter One

  Caressa took a deep breath and closed her eyes as she took a seat next to the lake. She opened her eyes and looked towards the moon of Eveanus, her home planet. She remembered all the times she’d walked underneath that same moon and taken it for granted. She tried to capture the image of the moon over the endless expanse of the lake before her. It was an image that would have to keep for a long time.

  She stood and felt her way into the water, its coolness sweeping over her toes like a welcoming friend. She stepped gingerly, feeling the smooth, soft, and squishy sand at the bottom of the lake. The quiet of nighttime underneath the moons of Eveanus was disturbed only by the gentle lapping of the water around her as she stepped further into its deceptively gentle embrace.

  Her artificial lenses, her only means of sight, displayed the beauty of the water in a way that only they could: a sea of sparkling diamonds, pristine white as it stretched into the darkness towards a foreign horizon. The low-riding waves traveled towards the bay, swirling into a mixture of icy blue and frosty purple. As the water settled and flowed, making landfall, it changed from calm pink to rosy red.

  She loved the lake. She knew the colors she saw were unique to her. No one else in the village compound on her colony of Elle Star had the lenses. But also, no one else needed them. They were shipped in from Earth, which was several months’ journey from Eveanus.

  Her father had volunteered to be the first Sovereign to colonize the planet, which was far outside of the Universal’s current System. She remembered the pain after the surgery that placed them over her sightless irises, and the surprise of colors that followed after.

  She could see things coming towards her, but was not always sure what they were. It took time to learn the colors and shapes that she now saw, but sounds were her salvation. They were what made the difference between males and females, animals and humans, windows and doors. When she came to something that she could not interpret through her eyes, she closed them and listened.

  Step-by-step, she watched the swirls of colors in the lake and moved further into the tide. Just around her ankles, the reds of the calm water swirled into pink and purple. She watched the display of the colors as she stepped even further and the cool water rose over her calves, thighs, and hips. She listened to the water lapping hungrily around her, as if ready to swallow her up. She closed her eyes, equally ready to be devoured.

  Closing her eyes and taking in a deep breath, she lowered herself into the water. She allowed the flesh around her face to adjust to the cool temperature of the water, and then opened her eyes, which were protected by the artificial lenses. She watched the symphony of colors surround her in a sporadic ritual, as they had from the time she was twelve. It was her selfish escape from the real world--if only to think, if only to dream, if only to hope, if only for a little while.

  On the day of her father’s funeral, she ran into the woods just beyond the village compound. At the age of twelve, she had never left the compound before, and had always been warned to stay out of the woods. She had been promised safety and security inside of the compound walls, but when her father passed away, every illusion of security died with him.

  As she held that first breath, she remembered his casket being lowered into the ground…

  Eight Years Ago…

  … She’d looked up, trying to find meaning in the overwhelming sense of loss she felt. She took note of Waylon, her father’s security chief on her left. She listened as he occasionally cleared his throat and sniffed back tears. Her servant, Risa, was less discreet, and her sobs broke time and again throughout the short and all too inadequate ceremony meant to lay Caressa’s father to rest.

  She looked up as she made out the gloomy gray outline of her father’s casket disappearing into the ground. It didn’t seem possible that the larger than life center of her universe was now and forever incased in that container. It was hard to believe she would never again hear his warm voice or feel his comforting embrace. She shook her head against the wrongness of it all.

  As she looked up, she took in the edge of the forest line, finding comfort in its wooden solidarity. Its thick, off limits magnificence was alluring in its certainty to stand even long after she herself were gone and buried.

  Never once had she set foot in the forbidden woods, having been assured of the untold dangers that lurked within. She wondered in that moment what could be more dangerous than the heartbreak she now felt? What could possibly feel worse than the feeling of being left all alone? Before she could reason herself out of it, Caressa took off and ran into the dark folds of the forest.

  Once out of the open air and exposure of the dry sun, the cool air of the forest enveloped her and immediately set her at ease. She could hear the commotion of those that had witnessed her flight into the woods. Waylon’s shouts to the soldiers of the Universal, now under his control, propelled her slim legs forward. Ignoring the ache in her lungs, and the scrape of low branches over her arms and legs, she ran. Ignoring the sound of voices in her head that told her that no matter how far she ran, her father would never come back, and that she would always be all alone.

  Soon the pain in her body became a comfort, surpassing the emotional pain of her father’s death. She couldn’t hear anything other than the thunderous rhythm of her pulse inside her ears. She was uncertain of the length of time that had passed when she suddenly came to the opposite edge of the forest, and for the first time in her life heard the vastness of the lake that now lay before her. Its crashing waves were at once foreboding and enticing.

  Unsure of what was before her, her lenses registered the pristine whiteness of the lake under the sun and the high yellow tide that crashed into orange waves hitting the bay. She hurried forward and stepped one foot into the water and then another. She wasn’t sure how far she wanted to go, but she could not stop. She had to go forward: away from the grave, away from the death, away from the pain, and away from the loneliness.

  She forced her small legs to ignore the cold and pushed back the instincts signaling danger as she moved forward, further into the water, fighting against the current. Each next step seemed more difficult and then became nearly impossible, until the current seemed to give way. Instead of fighting against her, it moved with her body. The water began to pull her in. When she was finally scared and ready to turn back, the strength of the lake’s current forced her into the cold and unwanted embrace of wave after wave.

  The cold water quickly rose up over her legs and hips to her waist. She felt her feet slip and clearly registered the icy chill of the water rising up over her chest and shoulders. The water claimed her up to her chin, and then she was underneath, locked in its icy grip before she could think to scream or cry out for help. She held her breath as time seemed to slow down, and the treacherous coolness of the water transformed into a peaceful and comforting calm.

  Closing her eyes, she felt her small body giving into it. She wondered if this peace she felt were the peace of death that Waylon and Risa assured her that her parents now felt. For a few moments it was beyond beautiful, the numbness of becoming nothing. But her lungs began their protest for air and the beauty turned to horror. She moved her arms and legs to fight for the surface, to fight for that next breath, and to fight to live.

  However, as she began her struggle for life with her eyes shut tight, she felt the tender brush of a hand against her cheek and heard a voice, a smooth crystal voice, in no more than a whisper. The voice was beautiful and unintelligible. Caressa imagined it was the voice of an angel with a message from her father. She opened
her eyes to see a face surrounded by light.

  As she reached towards the face, however, it began to fade. As she tried to move towards it, a powerful arm encircled her waist, pulling her up and away. She was powerless to resist as the face and light disappeared. She was pulled to the surface and into Waylon’s powerful and protective arms.

  She clung to him, coughing and gasping for air. She felt Waylon allow himself, for a moment, to cradle her as he would one of his own daughters. Before she passed out, she was sure she heard him whisper, “It’s not your time, little one.”

  She woke up in her bed, back in the apartment of the village compound assigned to the Sovereign. Risa sat at her bedside. Caressa watched as the blue outline of her servant rose from her chair and came towards her.

  “Risa.” Caressa’s voice was weaker than she’d expected.

  “Stay calm.” Risa said. “You’ve had a fever for the past two days.”

  “Father?” Caressa asked, wondering if his funeral and death had actually been real.

  She watched the withering demeanor of her servant and new at once that it had.

  “What will happen to me?” Caressa asked.

  “We do not know.” Risa said honestly. “Waylon has sent word to the Elders. But, it may take months before we hear what they decide to do with this colony.”

  Caressa sighed. The continued uncertainty of what would ultimately happen to her was crushing.

  “Until then, you are to act as Sovereign in your father’s place.” Risa continued.

  “What?” Caressa thought of the silliness of the idea. “Risa, I’m still a child. And I’m blind.”

  “Caressa, you are not blind.” Risa grunted. “A blind person could not outrun an entire squad of soldiers through the woods.”

  That seemed to remind Risa that Caressa had broken a rule.

  “By the way, young lady you will be confined to the interior of the village compound for at least a week after you recover from this fever.”

  “But, I’m acting Sovereign.” Caressa said.

  “I’m acting guardian of the acting Sovereign.” Risa countered.

  Caressa smiled a little.

  “I think I can handle one week.” She conceded. “Thank Waylon for saving my life.”

  Chapter Two

  Three Months Ago…

  Michyle stepped from his space ship and onto the flight deck of the under developed colony of Elle Star. After nearly a three-month journey from Mars, he was dismally disappointed at the lack of welcome. Merda and Kopha unloaded the ground transport vehicles and gave them a final check for possible damages sustained during the journey. When none were found, they loaded up the luggage and supplies meant to last the entire length of his three-month engagement, if all were to go well.

  Michyle took the forward passenger seat and marveled at the near wilderness of the trail that led from the overgrown flight deck to the exterior wall of the village compound. He wasn’t sure he’d ever seen so many trees in his entire life. He reflected on his early childhood as an orphan and child of the Universal on Earth. The Earth was barren and gray. Not a single tree or any other vegetation could grow after the nuclear holocaust, which had ruined the Earth forever.

  When he’d mercifully been adopted at the age of ten, he’d made Mars his home and began a career in Nanophysical technology to the benefit of his adopted father, Sovereign Benhot. He had turned out over a thousand patents to the Sovereign in the following ten years and finally had a collection of more than a hundred of his own. As he looked around the untouched country of Eveanus, he realized now why the current Sovereign was so interested in a marriage to him. His technology could bring this planet back to the attention of the central system.

  The ground transport arrived at the exterior of the village compound and came to a halt. He looked at his driver Merda as they simultaneously realized the ground transport was not going to make it through the gate.

  “I suppose it’s on foot.” Michyle smiled. “You and Kopha can manage the bags, right?”

  Michyle was out of the vehicle before the thick man with a pink complexion set against red hair could respond. He walked up to the gate and was surprised as it opened unceremoniously for him. He stepped into the village compound square and was amazed at the intricate details in the inner landscaping and simple open architecture. He had to admit to admiring the splendid simplicity of the surroundings.

  As he made a lap around the square, he took note of a beautiful tall woman with light brown skin and thick woolly hair hurrying towards him.

  “Michyle Behnot?” She asked when she was within shouting distance.

  He smiled and nodded. “Yes. You must be the Sovereign’s Aunt Caroline.” He identified her.

  “Yes.” She nodded and extended a hand as she reached him.

  He took it and was surprised by the strength of her grip.

  “Thank you so very much for coming all of this way. How was the journey?”

  “Long.” was the most appropriate one word reply he felt would sum up the journey. “I have two of my guards with me. We would like to rest and have a meal before meeting the Sovereign.”

  “Oh, Caressa?”

  Michyle was taken aback by the lack of respect the elder woman showed when speaking of the colony’s Sovereign.

  “No, I mean Sovereign Fanza.” He said with an air of authority that immediately put the woman on the defensive.

  “Of course.” She quickly said. “My niece is looking forward to meeting you. I will show you to an apartment that has been renovated specifically for you.”

  By that time, Kopha and Merda had managed to carry out the majority of their luggage. They followed the rapid pace of the woman through the nearly deserted compound walls and took turns looking around and at each other in odd confusion. Aunt Caroline showed them to an apartment that was elegantly styled with four bedrooms, a kitchen, and living space.

  Michyle immediately claimed the room furthest to the back with a balcony that overlooked the beautiful wilderness behind the village compound. He closed his door without another word and collapsed on the bed. He flipped the dial on the image projector he kept close to his heart, in the breast pocket of his jacket. For perhaps the millionth time, he projected her image in front of himself and smiled. Dressed in white, she leaned into a tree, seeming to look towards an unseen horizon. A sweet and unguarded smile played against her lips. He always wondered what it was she thought about. What made her smile like that?

  When he had decided he wanted to get married, he’d gone to a matchmaker and Caressa’s name came up almost immediately. He had learned that she was the mostly blind daughter of a former Sovereign on a colony far outside of the central system; and young compared to his twenty-five years, but fierce. She’d claimed and held onto the title of acting Sovereign from the age of twelve and as her eighteenth birthday was just shy of one year away, she was set to take on the full reigns of Sovereignty with her only perceived disadvantage being that her legal guardians had squandered a great deal of the inheritance her father had left behind.

  He had never met her, and once he’d read a little of her file, he found it strange. Technology existed to completely correct blindness. As the daughter of a former Sovereign, she should not have gone past the age of six without seeing. He flipped through image after image of her, small and alone. Remembering his early youth as an orphan, he wasn’t sure if he felt more than pity for her.

  Michyle heard a terse knock on the door followed by Kopha’s gruff acknowledgment that snacks had been brought for him.

  “I’ll be out in a minute.” Michyle called, and put the image projector away. He stepped onto the balcony and looked into Eveanus’ setting orange sun. He thought about everything he would give up to marry Caressa and call this place his home. As she still had more than a year until the title became official, they had agreed if all went well, she would journey to Mars and become acquainted with all possible technologies first hand.

  “When we
claim the colony once again as our own,” she’d said, “we would have already mapped out the beautiful road to its future.”

  Michyle had smiled at the certainty and determination in her voice. He had not been sure if a marriage would be possible. But he was certain that he would help the young Sovereign as best he could in any capacity. That is what made the long journey worth it: finding a project and a people that could truly benefit from the achievements of his life’s work.

  As he looked into the wilderness, he took note of a woman emerging from the woods dripping wet, and quickly making her way towards a back gate just off of the forest line.

  He watched her carefully determined steps and looked on as she reached a hand in front of her and groped in the air for a moment before her fingers landed on the gate door. He immediately realized that this was Caressa. He wondered where her security was. As the acting Sovereign, she should never be without a trusted someone by her side.

  Her hair hung heavily around her and she seemed to hop towards the entrance of the interior compound. She was in a hurry and he knew it was because she’d been caught off guard by his arrival.

  He smiled and hurried to collect his clothing before taking a shower and getting ready for the mostly blind acting Sovereign to see him.

  Chapter Three

  Michyle watched from the woods as his fiancé of three months stepped into the water. He had discovered shortly after his arrival that she liked to run into the woods and swim in the water at odd times of the night. He was happy that she’d accepted his marriage proposal on the first day of their meeting. He wasn’t sure what drove him to offer it. But, he could not quell the impulse to make her his as soon as possible. Her golden brown face, the fierceness of the multicolored lenses on her eyes, and her lean strong body were all too much for him to resist.

  Immediately he’d assigned five of his own guards to be by her side day and night as needed. She hated the idea but agreed that she should get used to it if she truly expected to make this colony thrive. It was the night before their wedding and the guards had come to inform him once again that she had gone to the lake. He rose from his bed and let them lead him to her.