Stellar - Planet Venus: Part Two (Chapter Eight)
If you are reading Stellar for the first time, here are the previous chapters:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7
Jordan stared out at the dusty city, his hands shoved in his pockets as he and Megumi walked. They had yet to run into another person -- whether they were real people or not, Jordan didn’t know.
“D’you think if we both help the same person, we both get the good deed?” Megumi asked, breaking the heavy silence between them.
“I dunno,” Jordan said, shrugging his shoulders. He kicked a rock that had found its way under his foot. “Maybe? I don’t see why it wouldn’t -- as long as we worked together to get the job done, anyway.”
He glanced at Megumi. She had her hands in her straight black hair, perfectly manicured nails standing out against it. As she raked her hair back, her eyes seemed to lock onto something, and Jordan looked forward, his slight frown deepening.
“Is that -- is that Peter?” she asked, her eyebrows bunching together.
“Looks like it,” Jordan answered, tilting his head slightly. “Who’s that with him?”
Jordan and Megumi stopped, their feet kicking up some more dust. They saw Peter standing with a woman, one a little less heavy than he was. She wore an apron -- one she undid and then slung over her arm. Something about her movements struck an odd chord within Jordan, and he found himself jogging towards the two of them.
“Hey, Peter!” Jordan called, waving to him. “What’s going on?”
Peter jumped, turning on his heel. The woman jumped, too, her eyes searching frantically for Jordan’s voice. She looked to Peter and muttered something Jordan couldn’t hear, but Peter turned to her and took her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “Just helping a friend,” Peter said, smiling at Jordan.
Jordan nodded, glancing at the woman yet again. She stood behind Peter, one arm threaded through his as she clutched her apron tightly to her chest. “Shouldn’t we get going, Pete?” she said, her voice quiet but still shrill to Jordan’s ears. “I don’t want to hold you up.”
Peter turned to her, a slow smile breaking out over his lips. “Don’t worry, Gi, you’re not holding me up, okay? Just doing what I gotta do.” He then faced Jordan, his expression changing, somewhat. “I just gotta help Gina out real quick and then I’ll be back on the train. You guys have any luck with your deeds?”
“No,” Megumi answered, causing Jordan to jump. She frowned. “We can help you guys out, if you want. The quicker we get done our deeds, the better, after all.”
“I don’t think it works that way, Miss,” Peter said, his smile fading somewhat. “Anyway, I best be going. I’ll see the two of y’all around.”
Jordan and Megumi shared a glance before nodding. “Alright, Peter,” Jordan said, shoving his hands in his pockets. “See ya.”
They watched as Peter and Gina then turned down another street, moving quickly out of sight for two people who were heavier set. Jordan raised an eyebrow before shaking his head slightly and turning to Megumi. “Did -- did something seem off about him to you?” he asked.
Megumi pressed her lips together before opening her mouth. “Don’t really know, don’t really care, honestly. Whatever he’s doing, he’ll probably get a good deed out of the deal, anyway, so if it works for him, it works,” she said with a shrug. “Don’t know the guy, y’know? I can’t tell you if he’s acting strange or not.”
Jordan snorted, a slight smile overtaking his features. “You got a point,” he said, kicking another stray rock out from under his feet. The pavement here crumbled with every step, as if it, too, were made of dust. Or maybe it just had that much dust over top of it. “Let’s get going.”
Megumi nodded, slipping her arm in the crook of Jordan’s. Jordan blinked and furrowed his brow at her, but otherwise said nothing as the two of them continued to walk down the street. His dark skin hopefully disguised the heat he felt in his face like it had in the past.
They would find someone to help eventually.
***
“Where’re you takin’ me, Pete?” Gina asked, her steps sounding hesitant as the two of them walked along. She tugged on his arm, halting his next step. “We been wandering the city for what seems like hours. What gives?”
Peter frowned and glanced down at his hand. One solitary ring still gleamed on his fingers, though the sun still hadn’t come out from behind the clouds. He would say that it was getting darker out, but the clouds above remained the same rusty color as before. “I’m looking for the train,” he admitted finally, his brow knitting together. “I might’ve missed it, though.”
“I don’t think the Challengers can see the train -- not until they do what they gotta do,” Gina murmured, tugging on the sleeves to her shirt. Sweat rolled down her face, her eyes taking on a hollowed look. “Pete, I should just go home. It’s not like you’re gonna be able to protect me. You don’t got the time for that.”
Peter glanced over at Gina, her words still tumbling and piecing together in his mind. After a moment, his face scrunched up. “You mean he’s -- he’s here with you?”
“Who’s with me, Pete?” Gina asked, crossing her arms over her chest. She didn’t meet his gaze, her eyes landing somewhere just beyond him. “I don’t gotta clue what you’re talking about.”
“Your -- your boyfriend,” Peter stammered, his heart waking up in his chest. His stomach joined it, twisting in time with the beat. “He’s here, too?”
“‘Course he is. It’s not like I can escape him, y’know? Not even when he killed me,” Gina said. She shivered, her arms tightening over her chest. “I told you I’m not worth it. Now d’you believe me?”
Peter stared at her, his jaw hanging open slightly before he snapped it shut, looking away from her. He glanced at his hand again -- at the single ring lining his finger. He needed another. Couldn’t leave this planet without it. This time, his eyes drifted to the watch wrapped around his wrist. Numbers blinked back at him, time moving backwards. A countdown.
He scrunched his brow at it again, mind tripping over the numbers and trying to divide them into days. In the end, he closed his eyes and shook his head, mentally brushing the numbers aside. He had time, and plenty of it. That’s what mattered.
“I’ll -- I’ll help you get away from him, too,” Peter said, his voice wavering. He looked Gina in the eye, squaring his round shoulders. Gina’s eyes widened before she frowned and turned her eyes towards the ground.
“You’ll just get hurt, Pete,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “You really don’t wanna do this.”
Peter reached for Gina’s hand, gripping it tightly. “Please, Gina. Let me help.”
Gina glanced down at their hands, her eyes filling with tears. She ripped her hands out of his, his nails scouring her skin on accident. She winced and hugged herself. “You’re just gonna get hurt, too,” she said, stepping away from him. “Just let me be, okay? I’m nothing more’n just a waitress, Pete. I don’t know why you even care.”
Peter scratched the back of his neck and felt his face heat up like it used to do when he was a child standing in front of a pretty girl. “You mean a lot more to me than that, Gi,” he admitted, his voice hardly louder than the wind. “I love you.”
“C’mon, Pete, you gotta be kidding me,” Gina said, a broken smile on her lips. “You just think you do. You don’t even know me.”
“I know you don’t deserve the way he treats you,” Peter said. “It’s not right, Gi. You know it isn’t. Come with me. I can give you some money to escape and then send you on a different train.”
“You don’t think I tried that?” Gina asked, frowning. “I can’t leave -- there’s no trains or anything that can take me away from here. And he always finds me, no matter where I stay.”
Peter frowned and let his hand fall away from his neck. He turned away from Gina, glancing down the empty street. Gina’s shoulders slumped, round like the crest of a hill. Her eyes were hooded again, her expression utterly defeated. “You can’t get on the Challenger’s train, either, can you?”
Gina shook her head. “This was the Judgment given to me by God, Pete,” she murmured. “I can’t escape it no matter how hard I try. I can’t even kill him -- and it’s not like I didn’t try that, either.”
“You -- you tried to --”
“Kill him?” Gina finished for him, a guilty smile gracing her lips. “I managed to get the knife from him -- stabbed him in self-defense. He bled out. And woke up the next day with a scar. He can’t die, Pete. And he always finds me, no matter where I go. So it’d be best if I just went home, okay?” She turned on her heel, her small heels clacking against the pavement. “For the last time, Pete. Forget about me.”
Peter gaped after her before giving himself a shake. Something scratched at the back of his skull, finding its way into the back of his throat. “What if -- what if I tried to...” he trailed off and found himself following her.
Gina stopped in her tracks, her eyes huge as she stared at him over her shoulder. “You wouldn’t -- wouldn’t do that for me, would ya, Pete?”
Peter rubbed his upper arm, glancing down at the ground and scuffing his feet against the concrete. “What’ve I got to lose?” he asked, hesitantly meeting her eyes. “I don’t wanna leave here knowing you’re gonna keep getting hurt.”
She looked away from him and her shoulders tensed. She hugged herself before hanging her arms loosely at her sides. “There’s no use in tellin’ you no, is there?” she asked, her voice as hesitant as her expression.
Peter offered her a slow smile. “There really isn’t.”
Next Chapter
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7
Jordan stared out at the dusty city, his hands shoved in his pockets as he and Megumi walked. They had yet to run into another person -- whether they were real people or not, Jordan didn’t know.
“D’you think if we both help the same person, we both get the good deed?” Megumi asked, breaking the heavy silence between them.
“I dunno,” Jordan said, shrugging his shoulders. He kicked a rock that had found its way under his foot. “Maybe? I don’t see why it wouldn’t -- as long as we worked together to get the job done, anyway.”
He glanced at Megumi. She had her hands in her straight black hair, perfectly manicured nails standing out against it. As she raked her hair back, her eyes seemed to lock onto something, and Jordan looked forward, his slight frown deepening.
“Is that -- is that Peter?” she asked, her eyebrows bunching together.
“Looks like it,” Jordan answered, tilting his head slightly. “Who’s that with him?”
Jordan and Megumi stopped, their feet kicking up some more dust. They saw Peter standing with a woman, one a little less heavy than he was. She wore an apron -- one she undid and then slung over her arm. Something about her movements struck an odd chord within Jordan, and he found himself jogging towards the two of them.
“Hey, Peter!” Jordan called, waving to him. “What’s going on?”
Peter jumped, turning on his heel. The woman jumped, too, her eyes searching frantically for Jordan’s voice. She looked to Peter and muttered something Jordan couldn’t hear, but Peter turned to her and took her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “Just helping a friend,” Peter said, smiling at Jordan.
Jordan nodded, glancing at the woman yet again. She stood behind Peter, one arm threaded through his as she clutched her apron tightly to her chest. “Shouldn’t we get going, Pete?” she said, her voice quiet but still shrill to Jordan’s ears. “I don’t want to hold you up.”
Peter turned to her, a slow smile breaking out over his lips. “Don’t worry, Gi, you’re not holding me up, okay? Just doing what I gotta do.” He then faced Jordan, his expression changing, somewhat. “I just gotta help Gina out real quick and then I’ll be back on the train. You guys have any luck with your deeds?”
“No,” Megumi answered, causing Jordan to jump. She frowned. “We can help you guys out, if you want. The quicker we get done our deeds, the better, after all.”
“I don’t think it works that way, Miss,” Peter said, his smile fading somewhat. “Anyway, I best be going. I’ll see the two of y’all around.”
Jordan and Megumi shared a glance before nodding. “Alright, Peter,” Jordan said, shoving his hands in his pockets. “See ya.”
They watched as Peter and Gina then turned down another street, moving quickly out of sight for two people who were heavier set. Jordan raised an eyebrow before shaking his head slightly and turning to Megumi. “Did -- did something seem off about him to you?” he asked.
Megumi pressed her lips together before opening her mouth. “Don’t really know, don’t really care, honestly. Whatever he’s doing, he’ll probably get a good deed out of the deal, anyway, so if it works for him, it works,” she said with a shrug. “Don’t know the guy, y’know? I can’t tell you if he’s acting strange or not.”
Jordan snorted, a slight smile overtaking his features. “You got a point,” he said, kicking another stray rock out from under his feet. The pavement here crumbled with every step, as if it, too, were made of dust. Or maybe it just had that much dust over top of it. “Let’s get going.”
Megumi nodded, slipping her arm in the crook of Jordan’s. Jordan blinked and furrowed his brow at her, but otherwise said nothing as the two of them continued to walk down the street. His dark skin hopefully disguised the heat he felt in his face like it had in the past.
They would find someone to help eventually.
***
“Where’re you takin’ me, Pete?” Gina asked, her steps sounding hesitant as the two of them walked along. She tugged on his arm, halting his next step. “We been wandering the city for what seems like hours. What gives?”
Peter frowned and glanced down at his hand. One solitary ring still gleamed on his fingers, though the sun still hadn’t come out from behind the clouds. He would say that it was getting darker out, but the clouds above remained the same rusty color as before. “I’m looking for the train,” he admitted finally, his brow knitting together. “I might’ve missed it, though.”
“I don’t think the Challengers can see the train -- not until they do what they gotta do,” Gina murmured, tugging on the sleeves to her shirt. Sweat rolled down her face, her eyes taking on a hollowed look. “Pete, I should just go home. It’s not like you’re gonna be able to protect me. You don’t got the time for that.”
Peter glanced over at Gina, her words still tumbling and piecing together in his mind. After a moment, his face scrunched up. “You mean he’s -- he’s here with you?”
“Who’s with me, Pete?” Gina asked, crossing her arms over her chest. She didn’t meet his gaze, her eyes landing somewhere just beyond him. “I don’t gotta clue what you’re talking about.”
“Your -- your boyfriend,” Peter stammered, his heart waking up in his chest. His stomach joined it, twisting in time with the beat. “He’s here, too?”
“‘Course he is. It’s not like I can escape him, y’know? Not even when he killed me,” Gina said. She shivered, her arms tightening over her chest. “I told you I’m not worth it. Now d’you believe me?”
Peter stared at her, his jaw hanging open slightly before he snapped it shut, looking away from her. He glanced at his hand again -- at the single ring lining his finger. He needed another. Couldn’t leave this planet without it. This time, his eyes drifted to the watch wrapped around his wrist. Numbers blinked back at him, time moving backwards. A countdown.
He scrunched his brow at it again, mind tripping over the numbers and trying to divide them into days. In the end, he closed his eyes and shook his head, mentally brushing the numbers aside. He had time, and plenty of it. That’s what mattered.
“I’ll -- I’ll help you get away from him, too,” Peter said, his voice wavering. He looked Gina in the eye, squaring his round shoulders. Gina’s eyes widened before she frowned and turned her eyes towards the ground.
“You’ll just get hurt, Pete,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “You really don’t wanna do this.”
Peter reached for Gina’s hand, gripping it tightly. “Please, Gina. Let me help.”
Gina glanced down at their hands, her eyes filling with tears. She ripped her hands out of his, his nails scouring her skin on accident. She winced and hugged herself. “You’re just gonna get hurt, too,” she said, stepping away from him. “Just let me be, okay? I’m nothing more’n just a waitress, Pete. I don’t know why you even care.”
Peter scratched the back of his neck and felt his face heat up like it used to do when he was a child standing in front of a pretty girl. “You mean a lot more to me than that, Gi,” he admitted, his voice hardly louder than the wind. “I love you.”
“C’mon, Pete, you gotta be kidding me,” Gina said, a broken smile on her lips. “You just think you do. You don’t even know me.”
“I know you don’t deserve the way he treats you,” Peter said. “It’s not right, Gi. You know it isn’t. Come with me. I can give you some money to escape and then send you on a different train.”
“You don’t think I tried that?” Gina asked, frowning. “I can’t leave -- there’s no trains or anything that can take me away from here. And he always finds me, no matter where I stay.”
Peter frowned and let his hand fall away from his neck. He turned away from Gina, glancing down the empty street. Gina’s shoulders slumped, round like the crest of a hill. Her eyes were hooded again, her expression utterly defeated. “You can’t get on the Challenger’s train, either, can you?”
Gina shook her head. “This was the Judgment given to me by God, Pete,” she murmured. “I can’t escape it no matter how hard I try. I can’t even kill him -- and it’s not like I didn’t try that, either.”
“You -- you tried to --”
“Kill him?” Gina finished for him, a guilty smile gracing her lips. “I managed to get the knife from him -- stabbed him in self-defense. He bled out. And woke up the next day with a scar. He can’t die, Pete. And he always finds me, no matter where I go. So it’d be best if I just went home, okay?” She turned on her heel, her small heels clacking against the pavement. “For the last time, Pete. Forget about me.”
Peter gaped after her before giving himself a shake. Something scratched at the back of his skull, finding its way into the back of his throat. “What if -- what if I tried to...” he trailed off and found himself following her.
Gina stopped in her tracks, her eyes huge as she stared at him over her shoulder. “You wouldn’t -- wouldn’t do that for me, would ya, Pete?”
Peter rubbed his upper arm, glancing down at the ground and scuffing his feet against the concrete. “What’ve I got to lose?” he asked, hesitantly meeting her eyes. “I don’t wanna leave here knowing you’re gonna keep getting hurt.”
She looked away from him and her shoulders tensed. She hugged herself before hanging her arms loosely at her sides. “There’s no use in tellin’ you no, is there?” she asked, her voice as hesitant as her expression.
Peter offered her a slow smile. “There really isn’t.”
Next Chapter