Ezinne found Luna leaning against the viewing screen, the vastness of space behind her. Out there, there were infinite beautiful stars. Ezinne could only look at Luna. For a long time, neither woman said anything.
When she finally spoke, Luna’s voice was full of unshed tears. Her dark eyes shimmered. ‘Now you know,’ she said. ‘I wasn’t betrayed; I was the betrayer. My people trusted me. They trusted my judgement, and I let them down.’
‘By accident or…?’
‘I schemed behind their backs to replace our leader with my personal choice. Yes, I thought it would be better for them, but – let’s be honest – I did it for myself first. I wanted power, and I knew I couldn’t grasp it directly. So I chose a puppet who would do as I asked him, and I sought to give him the highest authority over our people.’
‘Why?’
‘Because I am not a good person.’
‘I don’t believe you. There has to be more to it than that.’
Luna pushed away from the screen. She took several steps away from Ezinne. ‘There wasn’t.’
‘The Luna I know wouldn’t do something like that.’
‘Then you don’t know me.’
Ezinne followed Luna down the clanking metal steps to the small snug surrounded by exotic-looking plants. Green foliage sprouted from the metal-grate walls. It might have been psychological, but the air tasted fresher here.
‘Luna, please wait. You’re not a bad person.’
‘If you think I’m a good person, it’s because I’ve tricked you. I wasn’t like this before I met you.’
‘Luna…’
‘Maybe you’ve changed me. Maybe knowing you has changed me… knowing all of you on that tiny blue planet of yours. I knew from the first that humans were soft, I just didn’t imagine it was contagious.’
‘So you’re leaving?’
‘Don’t worry, I’ll drop you back on Earth.’
‘That’s not what I’m worried about.’
Ezinne reached out as if to touch Luna. She stopped with her fingers hovering just inches from Luna’s skin. She couldn’t close the gap. Luna would have to do that.
Instead, Ezinne pretended to draw a line from the iridescent scales on Luna’s temple, along her cheek, and down her jawline.
Luna leaned into the touch for a few fleeting seconds. For those seconds, Ezinne had no doubts about Luna or her past. She had no doubts about the strength of Luna’s love for her. For those few seconds, everything felt present and real. Electricity flashed between them.
Luna pulled away.
‘I’ll drop you back on Earth,’ she repeated.
‘Where will you go?’
‘I’m a fugitive; I’ll go on the run. I can’t tell you where I’ll be, but I’ll be thinking of you.’
‘You will?’
The ship’s communication system bleated. A cheery recorded voice told them they were approaching Earth. A countdown started.
‘I’ll drop you off in the Northern Hemisphere, that’s where you live, isn’t it?’
For a split second Ezinne considered the impracticality of a journey home from somewhere in the Northern Hemisphere. Then she stopped herself.
‘I’m coming with you.’
‘What?’
‘You don’t need to take me back home. I’m coming with you.’
#
I Jaja 