Secret Santa Surprise (Kindred Tales)

“I have to go,” she said and hurried into her bedroom.

“But where are you going?” Sonja demanded, following her.

“I don’t know…” Melanie was already throwing clothes into a suitcase. “Probably I’ll go to my Aunt Marge’s house early.”

“Well, are you coming back?” Sonja demanded. “I mean, you can’t avoid what happened last night forever. And I’m sure if you just talk to Strong and Clear—”

“Talk to them? I hope I never see them again!” Melanie exclaimed.

“Now, honey—you don’t really mean that,” Sonja objected.

Melanie rounded on her.

“Look, I made a complete fool out of myself last night!” she snapped. “I don’t know what got into me but the way I acted was mortifying.”

“I know how you feel, but running away isn’t the answer,” Sonja said, frowning. “Look at me and Sahran—we’ve already made up.”

“Sahran is your fiancé and you two are pretty much the same age,” Melanie pointed out. “I’m way older than Strong and Clear, and I barely know them. Well, I mean, I know Clear better than Strong, but the fact remains that I went over to their suite last night and did things you should not do with your coworker and your doctor who also happens to be your coworker’s twin brother!”

Oh God, she hoped that Clear wouldn’t spread rumors of her behavior at work! She would never be able to show her face aboard the Mother Ship again!

“Melanie—” Sonja began, but Melanie was already slapping her suitcase closed.

“I’ve got to go,” she announced. “Don’t try to stop me. I’m going.” She gave her friend a brief hug and then headed for the door.

“But when will you be back?” Sonja demanded.

“I don’t know. Probably never.” Melanie shot her a glance over her shoulder. “I’m sorry, Sonja—thank you for being such a good friend. You can let yourself out.”

The last sight she had before the door whooshed shut behind her was her friend’s face, filled with concern and anxiety. Then she headed down the long silver corridor towards the Docking Bay.

She needed to catch the next ship down to Earth and the way she felt right now, she was never coming back.

16

“How long do you think we should wait before going to see her?” Clear asked, for perhaps the fifth time since they’d woken up that morning.

Well actually, it was more like afternoon. Strong couldn’t remember the last time he’d slept so deeply and so hard. When he had finally woken up, he found he had slept through his alarm—by several hours. It was a good thing he had today and tomorrow off or he would have missed his shift at the Med Center!

“I told you,” he growled at Clear. “You have to give her some time. Human females don’t like to be rushed. So stop fucking asking me!”

His head was pounding and though he and his twin usually got along so well their interactions were seamless, this morning he felt irritated at almost everything Clear said.

“You don’t have to be so snappish,” the Light Twin said, frowning. “You’re really acting like an anus hole today, do you know that?”

“You mean an asshole?” Strong raised an eyebrow at him.

“Whatever the humans call it—yes. You are.” Clear glared at him.

Strong opened his mouth to give an angry retort…and realized that his twin was right. He was being an anus hole today. What was wrong with him, treating Clear like that?

“All right—I’m sorry,” he made himself say. “I just have the worst fucking headache today and I had strange dreams all night.”

“I had strange dreams too—I don’t remember them much, except I think they all had Melanie in them.” Clear frowned. “And my head aches as well. I feel almost hung-over, but I didn’t drink much at all yesterday.”

“Me either,” Strong growled. “Just a cup of that Goddess-damned punch. Maybe it was the Fireflower juice they spiked it with.”

“But we’ve had Fireflower juice before and it never made us feel this bad afterwards,” Clear objected.

“Who knows?” Strong shrugged. “Maybe it was really concentrated.”

“Maybe.” Clear sounded doubtful. “But if—”

Just then their front door chimed, cutting him off.

“Oh!” The Light Twin’s frown cleared at once. “I’m sure that must be Melanie! She probably wants to help us frost the Christmas cookies since we never got to that last night.”

He hurried to the door, but when he pulled it open, it wasn’t Melanie but Sonja and Sahran who stood there.

Strong felt his twin’s deep disappointment but he still tried to smile.

“Oh, hello…” Clear stepped back, gesturing for them to come in. “What can I do for you two?”

“It’s what we can do for you two,” Sonja said, stepping inside. She handed Clear something as she walked past him and he took it automatically and looked down at it.

“What’s that?” Strong came over to join him.

“The oven mitt!” Clear exclaimed, turning it over in his hands. He looked up at Sonja. “How did you get it? It was supposed to be my Secret Satan—I mean Santa—gift for Melanie.”