I continued to consume the heaven that was in my hand, silently.

Realising that I was being looked at, I turned and met Rafe's gaze. I thought I saw something in his gaze, but when he realised I was looking at him, it was gone.

I looked down at the fruit in my hand...then looks back to at him. Then back at the fruit. Then I held it out.

"Would you like some?" I asked.

Rafe's expression went blank and the softness behind his eyes shuttered and I stilled, unsure of what I'd just done that had caused this change.

"Do not flatter yourself." He said, his expression matching the cold, detached look I had seen on the Ass (the blonde C'Riel who was around Kylee all the time).

I held my hands up, fruit and all, in the universal surrender gesture.

"I didn't mean whatever you think I mean," I told him.

His eyes narrowed, "And what do you think I am thinking?"

I shrugged and continued eating, my gaze trained out of the translucent space on the wall of the Hover that allowed the passengers to look out, "I don't know what you're thinking, but clearly I said something that pissed you off."

"Pissed me off?" He asked, pronouncing the words slowly-slower than usual.

I threw him a glance.

"Yes," I said, before realising he wanted me to elaborate, so I added, "Angry."

His eyebrows pulled down slightly.

"Why did you say pissed off if you could have said angry?" He asked me.

I shrugged, looking at him, "Figure of speech." I said, before turning to look outside again.

I finished the fruit in my hand and then looked at the alien next to me.

He was still looking at me, his gaze a mix of seriousness and curiosity.

"What do you really know about the C'Riel?" He asked me.

I blinked, turning a little so that I could face him.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

His brows furrowed further, and I had the unreasonable urge to press my index finger to the furrow and smooth it out.

"Amour," he said and in that second when he said my name, he had my absolute and utter attention, "Do you know nothing about us?"

I blinked. And blinked again.

"Just the basics." I admitted.

Rafe continued to look at me and I felt compelled to continue.

"That you're similar to us in most basic needs. You need oxygen, you need water, you need air..." I trailed off when Rafe turned to mirror my pose.

"And?" He asked, prompting me.

I looked at him.

"And...that's all." I said, wondering what the hell else could be there for me to know about them.

A small smirk lifted his lips up and he murmured something in his own language.

My eyes narrowed and I held a finger up.

"Stop speaking in your language around me. What did you just say?" I asked, my eyes glaring razors into his.

His smile lifted up some more and his eyes trailed up my face to the top of my head.

"Take your hair down." He said.

I stared. Did he just ask...?

"What did you say?" I asked again.

"I said, take your hair down." Rafe said, his eyes still trained to my hair that was still bundled up at the top of my head.

"I wasn't talking about that." I growled at him.

His eyes slipped back to meet mine.

"I said, 'This is going to be interesting,'" he said, eyes going back up, "Now take your hair down."

I let my eyes widen, "Oh, your Majesty! Just as you wish!" I said, then rolled my eyes and leaned back onto my seat again.

He seemed to be waiting.

"Don't hold your breath," I told him.

He huffed out a breath softly and turned back, leaning against his seat as well.

"You are the most..." He seemed to be struggling.

I turned to look at him, "Is your Highness in need some assistance?" I asked.

He threw me a sideways look, "Peculiar." He said, finally.

"You are the most peculiar girl I have met."

And I obviously had to ask this.

"Peculiar good or peculiar bad?" I asked.

As the Hover slowed to a stop, he started to stand.

"I am not sure." He admitted, his expression one of confusion before it settled back to its usual calm look.

I stood as well.

"Ah, your Highness, I'm all aflutter." I said fanning myself and waiting for him to move. When he didn't move I looked at him.

He was in my way and the only way I could move is if I pushed him. Which involved me touching him. And I don't think I wanted to touch him. Also, I'm not sure he wanted me to either.

He slowly stepped back, and people behind him moved to accommodate him.

"So what's with you and touch?" I asked as I carefully stepped forward and turned towards the exit, waiting for the people in front of me to get down.

"You really do not know about us." He mused from behind me.

"I thought we already established that." I said, throwing him a disgruntled expression over my shoulder.

He gave me a quick bright smirk and I blinked. It was almost like going blind. A flash of lightening. A sudden ray of sunlight in an otherwise cloudy sky.

I turned back around and got down from the Hover.

I stepped aside and Rafe followed me. He was closely followed by Anya, who was giving me a very guarded expression.

I raised my eyebrows at her and Rafe looked behind him and nodded his head at Anya when he noticed her.

She opened her mouth and started spilling words in quick jets in their language.

I turned around and started to walk away, when I heard my name being called.

I turned and my eyes met grey ones if Wolf.

I stopped and grinned at him.

He came to stand next to me, his hand cupping the back of his neck.

"We cool?" He asked.

"Coolest ever." I said, pulling his arm down and locking elbows with his.

He used his other hand to tug on the bun on top of my head and my hair tumbled down my shoulder.

"Seriously?" I asked him, punching him in the stomach.

He rubbed his stomach after making a "Oomph!" noise and grinned at me.

"Your hair is pretty." He said.

"You're just fascinated because it's red." I said.

"It's more than red. It's like blood. And gore. And-"

I held up a hand.

"Trust me, I get it."

__ __

Yesterday was uneventful after we came back to our resting stations. Wolf, his friends, Freesia, Kylee and I had our lunch, spent some time together laughing at silly things and behaving like dorks; by which time dinner rolled in after which we were back to our assigned rooms to sleep.

I didn't see Rafe after our Hover talk.

The next day our schedules were officially a go.

We were all at our Education Centre and Freesia and I had just gone to our first class and we'd been given our basic necessities (which was basically just a data pad) and told that in some of our basic classes we would be sitting with younger kids.

We waited for the punch line. We didn't get one.

We really were sitting with kids for our basic math and other elementary classes.

I turned the little data pad is been given over, scrutinising it, pulling out the little stylus that was attached to it in the side and looking at it.

Freesia, who was next to me, was doing the same thing.

A hard nudge against my shoulder had me stumbling back and I looked up, wondering what the hell just happened.

The guy who hit me, human, turned around apologised and jogged away from me, heading to the direction opposite of where I was going. I noticed several others doing the same.

I frowned and shared a confused look with Freesia.

We continued on our way and turned down a corridor and I noticed down the end of the corridor four people were walking slowly as others sped towards where we were standing and ran past us.

Where were they going?

Then I recognised two of the four figures who were walking slowly, purposefully with determined faces.

Rafe's parents.

Something was wrong.

I whipped around and followed the people who were rushing towards a particular part of the corridor.

I had a bad feeling about this.

I turned into two more corridors, following the small excited crowd running before me.

I rushed faster with Freesia at my heels when I heard the unmistakable sound of "Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!" echoing through the corridor when I saw a crowd standing around something.

I pushed through the crowd, ignoring who I was touching for the first time since I came to this planet. When I got to the centre of the circular crowd I gasped.

Rafe.

Wolf.

Blood.

Fight.

What was happening?

I started to step forward when Freesia caught my arm.

"Are you crazy?" She asked, "You'll get caught in between."

I had to do something! His parents were coming.

I quickly stalked to the crazy testosterone addled idiots and pulled on Wolf's hand, ducking when one of them threw a punch.

Wolf was blind to me. He hadn't realised I was here, nor had he realised I was trying to help. He was too busy getting pummelled.

So I did the only thing I could.

I quickly caught Rafe's hand, my fingers tangling with his for a second, before he whipped around, his fingers ripping away from mine as if I had burned him, and every single ounce of his anger he unleashed on me through his gaze.

"Do not ever touch me again," he said to me, the hatred in his voice evident as his eyes glared black holes into me. I couldn't see any amber in them.

The shock that whipped through me clashed with the hurt that tried to gain victory over it.

He had just hurt my feelings.

I knew that it had reflected on my face because his gaze locked to my face and didn't move.

I nursed my expression to match the cool calm that he usually adopted and looked around for-

Anya.

"Get him out of here." I told her, my voice coming out hard and cold even to my ears, "His parents are coming."

Anya's eyes widened and she caught hold of Rafe's hand and tugged.

Ah. So her touch he doesn't mind.

I walked towards Wolf, ignoring Rafe who was resisting Anya's insistent words and gestures and was looking at me.

Wolf looked...

His right eye was going to swell, his lip already was and he was bleeding from his knuckles, his suit had torn in places, his skin had broken in many places on his chin, cheek and forehead.

I sighed and reached a hand up to touch a bruise on his forehead. He winced but gave me a wide grin anyway, his lip cracking a little and small droplets of blood squeezing out of them.

I pressed my lips together, letting my hand drop to his arm.

"Amour..." Rafe said from behind me.

"Anya, get him out of here," I said again, ignoring the need I felt to look at him just because he'd called me Amour.

I heard quick shuffles of feet and realised more people were helping Anya get Rafe out of here.

Letting out a breath, I turned around just as four figures walked through the crowd which parted like the sea for them.

Four pairs of eyes zeroed in on Wolf...and me.

"Who hit him?" Rafe's father asked, his eyes glaring at the everyone standing around us.

"I did." I said, meeting his eyes when they whipped to me.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

*falls asleep*

Tired.

Sleep.

Must.

Sleep.

Until next time! Vote and comment cuties!