Here’s a short sample of a scene I’ve been working on. Tell and Lontano are flying to Atlanta, Georgia to record their new album with the band.
“I could definitely get used to this.” Tell dropped into the window seat and stretched out his long legs. He peered out the window at the tarmac, squinting at the early morning sunlight streaming through the red glass.
“The colony jets don’t have economy class.” Lontano explained as he stowed their carry-on bag above their seats. He sat quickly, clearing the aisle for the next traveller, a hybrid in a business suit. There were more velyr headed for the East Coast than he’d thought. He leaned toward his partner to speak softly. “Are you sure you turned on your transmitter?”
Tell patted his right-side jeans pocket. “On and sending my empty-belly rumblings straight to Soji and his crew. When’s breakfast?”
“I don’t know how you eat as much as you do. Probably as soon as we’re airborne.”
Tell flipped through the offerings on the screen in front of them. “Damn, they don’t have Animal Tracker. I wanted to watch last night’s episode.”
“That’s a velyr show. They have to keep this airplane human in case they get inspected.”
Tell looked up in surprise. “Didn’t think of that. Guess it’s a good idea, though. Can’t have shows that don’t exist on human TV.”
“Or anything in our language. Once we leave the airport, you and I are humans. We can’t say or do anything that might lead someone back to the colony.”
Tell leaned back in his chair, looking out the window once more. “That’s going to be hard, you know? What if I say something like what I just said? What if I slip up and talk about Shi or Hani?”
“So long as you remember Shi and Hani and everyone else who works for Darksyde is a totally normal human being, there’s no problem mentioning them. Just don’t start talking about what life was like in the colony and you’ll be fine. Maybe we should have stayed in the human apartments on the surface.”
Tell glanced at Lontano. “Somehow, I don’t think you’d have liked that at all, love. I think you needed these past few weeks with your own kind. I can keep my big mouth shut for once. It won’t kill me.”
Lontano watched the rest of the travellers board, full-bloods and hybrids both. Yes, he’d have had a much harder time staying in the human section of Darksyde. He hadn’t realized how much he’d missed the scent of other velyr, the sight of red sunlight, being able to walk outside without layers of clothing on. These past few weeks had been like rain on soil that had forgotten the very idea of moisture.
