When he disappeared around the corner, she returned to her thoughts and following the lights. There were still wars, Evelyn had confided, even though it was frowned upon by the Council.
Another giant of a man passed her, and she shook her head, amazed. The warriors never spoke or even gave her more than a passing glance. She continued down the hall, watching the lights. They stopped a short time later and surrounded a metal door. She waved her arm band, and the door opened. The room she stepped into was triangular shaped, consisting of a wall of angled windows, small tables against the other wall, and round seats facing the windows. The galley was occupied by three hulking men at a table.
She gazed out the windows, unease making her stomach churn. She couldn't help feeling disappointed; space looked no different than it had when she was lying on the roof of Evelyn's house. She expected real space to look closer if nothing else.
Which way was home? She didn't see any glowing blue planets. She sat in one of the chairs and slid down in it until her head rested against the back. They seemed to be moving very slowly for being on a spaceship, she mused.
"I thought you would come here eventually." Evelyn's voice was soft. Kiera grunted without turning. Evelyn slid into the chair beside her. "You okay?"
"I don't know. I can't make sense of things," Kiera said.
"You overanalyze things. Don't try, just accept," Evelyn advised.
"Is that what you did?" Kiera glanced at her.
"Don't give this blonde the credit for thinking too deeply."
The three warriors at the table relocated several chairs down.
"Take off your earpiece," Evelyn whispered. Kiera did so and set it carefully on her knee. It would blend in with everything around her if she dropped it.
"Neat little things," Evelyn said with some excitement as she placed hers on the chair's slender arm. "I see you're not wearing black today."
"Too depressed," Kiera said. "Needed some color."
"Don't think they like not knowing what we're saying," she said with some satisfaction. "Romas isn't bad, but I can imagine most of these guys have a bit too much testosterone."
"Romas has too much testosterone," Kiera retorted. "I bet this was his idea, wasn't it? Dragging me away from home?"
"No, it was mostly mine," she said. "He agreed you needed a real life, though."