Caressa Moon (Princess X) Read online

  Giving birth to her daughter without Michyle by her side was painfully lonely. She managed to give herself to caring for her daughter, Mikaya. She convinced one of the women to bring back an image projector from the surface and played the image of Michyle for her tiny daughter. She smiled at all of the features she had inherited from him.

  Her eyes were a vibrant blue set against her golden brown skin. Her hair, the same soft texture as his, was a mixture of hues spanning from light brown to jet-black. Her jawline was square and her fingers were long like his. Caressa found herself crying herself to sleep night after night for the first three months.

  Chara helped her as much as she could, but the sadness and depression Caressa cloaked herself in sent Chara to seek friendship from the other ladies who showed off supernatural powers. Caressa became a little jealous of Chara’s closest friend among the women, Silva.

  Silva had a magnetic charm that Caressa knew left Chara spellbound. She would spin tales of countless men she’d snared and released. Caressa finally snapped out of her depression when she saw that Chara was beginning to turn melancholy.

  “What is the matter?” She asked, and realized the question took Chara by surprise.

  “I spent a night with Silva.” Chara said. “I thought it would make me feel better but, I just want to go home.”

  “Me too.” Caressa said.

  But when she went to Magla with a request to leave, Magla relayed the message from Peshra that it would not be safe for her to return for quite some time. She had eyes on the surface that watched both Jobarus and Michyle in their tireless hunt for Caressa.

  Michyle found himself losing hope. When more than a year had past, he found himself wishing he’d never set eyes on the enchanting Caressa. Wishing he knew nothing of the baby that was born somewhere, part of some family, without him. His hair grew white at the temples. A beard covered the bottom half of his face.

  Finally, when he returned home, he was a stranger to his adoptive family, his once closest friends, and to himself. He packed a few belongings and took the two young spies home again. Not wanting to abandon the tiny comfort of knowing that Justun knew what he was feeling. He sent word to her aunt and uncle, informing them of what had happened to Caressa, as well as a team of his own people to begin the work that Caressa would have wanted.

  In the years that followed, Justun and Michyle brought advanced technology and development to Justun’s home colony. After five years, Michyle knew it was time to return to his own home and face the world, alone.

  Caressa counted every day that she was away from Michyle. The impulse to leave the protection of the cave was strong,but she knew that she could not risk taking her young child, nor could she leave her behind. Chara was a great help to her in raising the child, but Caressa knew Chara was nothing more than a prisoner in these walls. In a sense, they both were.

  She played with Mikaya, and taught her to read, telling stories of when she was young and what it was like to go through life without the choice of sight.

  “Where is my dad?” Mikaya asked for the hundredth time.

  “He is above, you know that.” Caressa reminded her daughter.

  “Why can’t we see him?” Mikaya pressed. She usually accepted the first answer without further questioning.

  Caressa could not bring herself to scold the child for her natural curiosity. She patted her head and let the question stay unanswered. Mikaya had a bold nature that Caressa knew must have come from Michyle. Later as the child took a nap, Caressa called for her mother and soon found herself at the lake, with the others in her lineage.

  “I cannot hold her from him.” Caressa said without preamble. “She has a right to know her father.”

  “You cannot think like a human, Caressa.” Lania began, but Caressa held a hand to stop her reasoning.

  “How did you do it?” Caressa asked and watched as disappointment and understanding washed over her face at once.

  “I was foolish, Caressa.” Lania said. “I always thought there would be time to come back.”

  “How did you do it?” Caressa asked again.

  “You were not born yet.” Lania said. “My mother was still alive so she held our energy signature. As long as she was alive, I was untraceable.”

  “I have to take a chance,” Caressa said, “for my daughter’s sake and for Chara. It’s time for her to go home as well.”

  Lania remained silent for a long time. Caressa was ready to give up when she finally broke the silence.

  “Tell Peshra you want to take the child to see her father.” Lania said. “She will let you go, but the power she gives you to cloak yourself will only last two weeks. Most of us that go above are not recognizable. They know if you return, you will contact him. They are watching him.”

  “How do you know that?” Caressa wondered.

  “It does not matter. Peshra will let you go. She will let you take Mikaya and Chara. But, you must come back.” Lania urged. “Stay in contact with me, and I will assure Peshra that you are fine.”

  “Thank you, mother,” Caressa said and gave her a hug.

  “You must come back.” Lania reiterated.

  Chapter Twelve

  Michyle sat in the best box in the house. It overlooked the stage as well as the orchestra that played in the pit. Flora, his friend and companion, sat next to him. It was nice to have a new friend. Someone who had not known him before his marriage, and therefore wasn’t afforded the opportunity to be disappointed in the person that he had become after he’d lost her, his Caressa.

  He’d met her in the market square picking through packages of withering flowers.

  “What are you doing?” He was annoyed enough to ask.

  “None of your business.” She was rude enough to inform him.

  “Do you know who I am?” He asked almost humored.

  “The question is, do I care who you are?” She replied.

  He was stunned by the blatant rudeness and then relieved. She was the one person on the entire colony that would not pity his loss.

  “They are dying, you know?” He said of the flowers that she carefully picked through.

  “But, they are not dead yet.” She pointed out.

  “And what will you do with them?” He asked.

  “I make fragrances.” Flora answered. “This is my first time to this particular colony, and I have never seen these flowers anywhere else.”

  “Fragrances?” Michyle was puzzled by the thought.

  “Oils to be exact,” she specified.

  “My name is Michyle.” He said. “Would you mind showing me how you make your oils?”

  “Yes, I would, Michyle.” She said, making him laugh for the first time in a long time.

  Caressa took Chara home first. Chara was pleasantly surprised to see the changes that had taken place on her colony. Chara and Caressa toured the colony that had been transformed into a beacon of advanced technology.

  Chara’s sisters were now in a new apartment and working in the new downtown center. There was a medical center and a new flight deck. Shipments came in three times a week bringing food and supplies. Chara was not sure what to do with herself in this new reality.

  “Michyle is to thank.” Justun told them as they ended the tour. “He came and did all of this. He also sent a team of people to help Eveanus.”

  Caressa smiled. She hadn’t expected him to remember her home. But, he had. She also noted that Justun could not look her in the eyes.

  “He left here not too long ago and returned home. He’s not in the best shape, miserable actually.” Justun made a point to tell her.

  “Would he want to see us?” Caressa asked, needing to know if she could bear the thought that he hated her after all this time.

  “He wants to see you, but don’t expect too much. It has been more than five years.” Justun reminded her.

  Caressa stayed a few days and watched Mikaya as she began to glow in the healthy fresh air and under the warm rays of the sun. Her hair,
eyes, and skin came more alive than Caressa had ever seen them. She knew then how unhealthy it was for them to live underground.

  “Everything is so soft, and warm.” Mikaya said as Caressa gave her a bath before going to see Michyle. “Even the water,” Caressa took in a deep breath and smiled. She knew her daughter loved it here. Her daughter belonged here. When it was time for them to leave, Chara saw them to the flight deck.

  “I’m a stranger here.” Chara said. “I am a stranger to Justun.”

  Caressa could hear the anguish in Chara’s voice.

  “What are you going to do?” Caressa asked.

  “I don’t know.” Chara answered. “Will you be headed back underground after you see Michyle?”

  “Yeah.” Caressa said reluctantly. “You want to come back with us?”

  “No. I’ll give some time to Justun and my family. But, I know we’ve grown too far apart. I’ll find my way.” Chara gave Caressa a hug. “Keep in touch, okay?”

  “I will.” Caressa said.

  On the shuttle cross to Michyle’s home, Caressa tried to remember every detail of their brief time together. She marveled at the fact that they had only known each other a few months. She closed her eyes and tried to remember their introduction. What had he said?

  “It is a pleasure to meet you.” She remembered the words and the strange accent. She thought about that first kiss… so brief. She remembered pulling him back to her.

  She tried to remember the feel of him in her arms. Those days lazily crossing the stars were precious to her. What had seemed like endless lovemaking, had ended all too soon.

  She thought about Chara feeling like a stranger on a colony she had grown up in. What would Michyle feel like to her? What would she feel like to him?

  She stepped onto the flight deck of Michyle’s colony, not knowing that sometime in the previous five years Jobarus had coded the security surveillance to recognize her face.

  Caressa made her way from the flight deck and found herself standing on the door of Michyle’s home, holding Mikaya’s hand as a servant came to greet them.

  “May I help you?” The servant asked.

  “My name is Caressa.” She answered. “This is my daughter Mikaya.”

  The servant’s eyes widened and she quickly ushered Caressa inside.

  “What are you doing here?” She asked.

  “We came to see him.” She answered.

  “He will be home soon. He went out. We don’t expect him back until late.” The servant replied.

  “That is fine. Is there a place we can rest?” She asked.

  “I will prepare a guest room for you both.” The servant replied.

  “Thank you.” Caressa said.

  The servant prepared their rooms and offered to bring meals to them. Caressa finally, put Mikaya to bed as the sun faded away and they fell asleep on the child’s bed while waiting for Michyle.

  Michyle walked through the door exhausted but in good spirits. He’d seen Flora home and promised to be available for another outing at the end of the week. His servant quickly intercepted him on his way to his room.

  “Sir, she is here.” The servant warned him.

  “Who?” Michyle asked.

  “Caressa, and the child, a little girl named Mikaya.” The servant specified.

  Michyle took in a harsh deep breath and let it out in a grunt.

  “Where?” He asked.

  “In the guest rooms.” The servant answered. “They are sleeping.”

  Michyle hurried in the direction of the rooms and looked at the doors almost terrified to open them. He had to see his child he determined. He opened the doors softly, and stepped inside.

  He walked to the bed, almost as if to his own death. His heart was bruised with the reflection of his Caressa now within gaze, but it bled when he saw the tender face of his daughter, so much like her mother’s. He had loved this child, even if he had never met her. He would never let anyone take her away from him again.

  “Caressa.” He whispered and watched as her eyes popped open and focused on him for the first time.

  “Michyle?” She asked.

  “You can see me?” He asked.

  “Yes, Peshra fixed my sight.” Caressa said.

  “I see.” Michyle said curtly. “We should talk.”

  He watched as she carefully pushed away from the bed. She walked quietly behind him as she followed Michyle into the hallway.

  “Where have you been?!” Michyle hissed at her.

  “Hiding.” Caressa said calmly.

  “With my daughter? For five years?” Michyle grabbed her by the arm, harder than he’d meant to.

  “Ouch, Michyle. You are hurting me!” Caressa said.

  “Let me take your child from you for five years and then tell me what hurts.” Michyle pulled her through the hallway and to his room. He ignored the delicate aroma of flowers that drifted from her hair and wrapped around his senses. Of all the oils Flora created, none ever compared to the deliciousness of Caressa’s scent. Once in his room he closed the door and locked it.

  “I’m sorry Michyle, but I had no choice!” He knew Caressa was angered by his manners. “There were hunters after me and I could not let them catch me, I was pregnant.”

  “You didn’t even try to write and tell me that you both were alright. I had no idea if you were alive or dead.” Michyle began to cool down, but was not ready to forgive Caressa. Her eyes burned into his and he didn’t like that. Her sweet face was hardened in defense and he didn’t like that either.

  “So, why are you here now?” Michyle asked.

  “She was asking about you. I brought her to see you.” Caressa answered as if she now regretted it.

  “To see me, and then what?” Michyle asked.

  “We cannot stay, Michyle.” Caressa said. “Peshra’s magic can only cloak us for two weeks. Then we must return or…”

  “You will not take my child from me again.” Michyle said.

  “If I leave her here, eventually they will find her and she will be…” Caressa paused with a shudder.

  But, Michyle knew in his heart, she had been right to hide. He softened a little.

  “You could have at least written. You could have told me it was a girl and she was alright.” Michyle told her.

  “You don’t understand. I was not on vacation, I was in hiding.”

  Caressa looked at Michyle through her clear vision and could not read him. Slowly she closed her eyes and activated the lenses she had not looked through for more than five years. She watched the colors around her but focused on the colors that took over Michyle.

  “What is going on?” Michyle asked.

  Caressa smiled as the familiar colors filled him. She knew he was angry, but still there was relief in him that she was there.

  “Peshra gave me the ability to see with my lenses as well.” Caressa explained.

  “Why would you want that?”

  “This is what I am most familiar with.” Caressa explained as she closed her eyes and switched back to her clear vision.

  “What will you do after two weeks?” Michyle asked.

  “We have to go back.” Caressa said.

  “Do you think we should stay married?” Michyle asked shocking her.

  “Well. I…” Caressa had not been prepared for the question. “If you want to…”

  “It’s not fair.” Michyle said.

  “I know.” Caressa agreed. “We can divorce if you want, I will not stop that. I understand you cannot accept being with your wife two weeks at a time.”

  “Good.” Michyle said. “We will work something out with Mikaya.”

  “Yes.” Caressa could feel the air in her lungs dissipate.

  “May I meet my daughter?”

  “Of course. And, I want to thank you for sending help to Eveanus.” She didn’t wait for him to respond as she turned to leave his room before more emotion than she was ready to show could rise up.

  They walked from his room to the gue
st room and opened the door. Caressa placed a gentle hand on the child’s shoulder and rubbed it until she woke up.

  Mikaya’s eyes opened slowly then brightened at the tall man standing next to her mother.

  “Daddy.” She said and reached her hands towards him.

  Michyle picked her up and hugged her to him.

  “Mikaya, I’ve waited so very long to meet you.” Michyle said.

  “Me too, Daddy.” She whispered.

  Caressa watched the two of them and was certain the last thing she would ever be able to do would be to separate them.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Caressa woke up the next morning to a loud crash followed by the sounds of shrieks and laughter. She hurried from the room and followed Mikaya’s laughter to the dining room where she was demonstrating her skills in levitation with her breakfast.

  “Stop that, Mikaya!” Caressa felt her heart lunge into her throat as Michyle tried to console a young servant spooked by the display.

  Mikaya dropped her food and looked apologetic. “He asked me to show him.” Mikaya whined.

  Caressa looked to Michyle and shook her head. “You cannot ask her to do this.” Caressa was surprised by the anger that boiled in her. She had assumed he would understand the need to keep everything about them secret. “Michyle, her power can send off the same energy signal they are tracking.”

  Michyle looked stricken by the thought. “I’m sorry, I thought it would be masked.”

  Caressa took in a deep breath. “What about the servants?”

  “They already knew and I swear they are loyal to us.”

  “This was a mistake.” Caressa said.

  “Please get her a drink.” He asked the shaken servant hoping the task would still her nerves. He went to Caressa and led her to take a seat.

  “Calm down.” Michyle said. “I would never let anything happen to Mikaya… or you.”

  The servant brought the drink and handed it to Michyle. “We would never say anything to anyone about the two of you.” The servant assured her. “I was just startled.”

  Caressa looked the woman in the eye and nodded. “Thanks.” She took the drink and forced herself to calm down. “No more tricks.” She said to Michyle.