Gundar Read online

  Contents

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Chapter Twenty-six

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  About The Author

  Preview: Junrig

  ©2017 Loretta M. Johns

  This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters, and incidents are either used fictitiously or are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced without the prior written consent of the author except for brief quotations included in critical articles and reviews.

  First published in the United Kingdom, 25 August 2017.

  To my own soul mate. Thank you for believing in me.

  Chapter One: Darla

  Three thousand and fifty-eight dollars. Nineteen-year-old Darla Levin stared down at the reply that she had pinned so many hopes on. The number on it didn’t change. Hot tears pricked the back of her eyelids. All of her hard work, studying hard, taking advanced classes, doing extra community service hours, and it came to this. A financial aid report telling her that out of the seventeen hundred and seventy-five dollars she needed to pay for a semester at the only college in her state to offer the degree she wanted, she qualified only for three thousand and fifty-eight dollars.

  Darla looked around the bedroom that she shared with her three sisters. The furniture was old and the room was small, just like the rest of the apartment. Public housing wasn’t luxurious by any means.

  I can’t ask Mama and Daddy for any more money. They barely make enough to pay for things as it is. As for my money in my own bank account, there isn’t any. I have to help buy my own clothes and stuff. Guess I’ll have to just go take nigh classes at the local college and see about working to try to save up. If I can’t earn enough to cover going to where I want in two to three years, I can always go to state college and study regular old astronomy, I guess.

  She looked up from the paper in her hand and up at her bedroom door when she heard a sharp knock. If it had been one of her sisters, they’d have come right on in. Only one of her brothers or her parents would knock.

  “Baby,” came her mother’s voice. “Was it good news?”

  Darla opened the door. “I got some scholarship money, but it wasn’t enough,” she said dejectedly.

  “Oh, honey.” Her mother looked at her sadly. “You applied for everything?”

  “Everything I could,” Darla replied.

  “What about, you know,” her mother’s voice dropped to a whisper, “that one. I mean, you’re wanting to study one of their sciences, so couldn’t you apply for that?”

  Darla looked at her mother, shocked. The ‘that’ her mother was referring to was the Bride Lottery Scholarship. Fifteen years ago when the Mylos had appeared, they’d been looking to expand their genetic diversity. In exchange for a bride lottery, they’d agreed to share modest advances in science, technology and medicine as well as open trade and cultural exchanges. As a result, not only were goods being traded, but thousands of women had gone on to apply for the Bride Lottery. These included women who wished to study at one of the universities lucky enough to teach some of the alien sciences and who took advantage of a scholarship the Mylos offered. In exchange for registering, they received a free education.

  “And what if I got matched?” she demanded, astounded.

  “Oh, pfft,” her mother snorted. “Thousands and thousands of women around the world have registered and out of them, what, maybe two hundred have been matched? And they say that those who have been, still got their education. They just got a soul mate as well. Not everyone is lucky enough to find their soul mate, you know.”

  “You and Daddy did,” I pointed out.

  “Yeah, but look at everyone who thinks they have and end up divorced or just getting along,” her mother said. “I don’t understand the ins and outs of it, but the Mylos haven’t been wrong yet. If they just wanted baby mamas, they’d have snatched up a lot more of the women who’ve applied. So, odds are, you won’t be matched anyhow, but you definitely would get to go to school.”

  Darla chewed her lip. “What would Daddy say?”

  “Oh hush. He don’t need to know. You know how he is when you and your sisters bring a boy around. You apply and get your money. Al he needs to know is you got enough scholarship money to go, unless you get matched.”

  “Yeah, no way around not telling him then,” Darla said. “I’ll think about it, all right? That one doesn’t have a deadline. You just walk into the local Bride Lottery Center and register and that’s that.”

  “Okay then. Keep your chin up,” her mother said affectionately. “I’m going to go tend to tonight’s dinner. I left Brianne grating the cheese and Thomas chopping the tomatoes, so I best go brown the meat.”

  “Oh yeah,” Darla’s face brightened. “It’s Tuesday.”

  “That’s Taco Tuesday!” her mother called over her shoulder airily as she walked towards their tiny kitchen.

  “Mama! Thomas keeps stealing the cheese!” Darla heard Brianne complain. Darla laughed as she closed her door. She had about twenty minutes before being called to dinner. She decided to use the time to call her best friend, Angie, and tell her the news.

  “Hey!” Angie answered. “Did you get your letter today too?” She and Darla had applied to the same college, Darla to study the life cycles of stars and systems and Angie to study exo-languages.

  “Yeah. You?”

  “Um, about that...” Angie’s voice trailed off. “I, uh, got scared that I wouldn’t get enough so I kinda applied for another scholarship today.”

  “Another scholarship,” Darla replied, flatly. “The Bride Registry one, by any chance?”

  “Yeah,” came the reply. “I didn’t have a match, as I expected, what with the odds and all, but they gave me a letter of credit to give to the financial aid office.”

  “You know what’s weird?”

  “What?” Angie asked hesitantly.

  “Mama was just in here suggesting I go down and apply too.”

  “You didn’t get enough either?” Angie sighed. “I came home and had my letter too. My other aid was only a couple thousand bucks. So, it was a good thing I went.”

  “Same. Three thousand and fifty-eight dollars. That’s it. I saw it and damn near cried. Then I thought maybe I could do night classes locally for a while and work during the day. You know, to save up.”

  “That’s a lot of money to save up while trying to afford to live too.”

  “Yeah. So, um, they really gave you your school money right then and there?”

  “Yeah, well, a letter of credit anyways. The financial aid office enters the payment code or something to get the money. You just go in, let them swab the inside of your cheek, answer a questionnaire about your hobbies and interests and they enter that information into their database, along with the DNA from the swab. You wait about twenty minutes and then t
he computer tells you if you have mate among the registered Mylos. Oh, and you can get a living allowance paid too, if you let them send your information on to Mylos itself for a possible later match. Seems that back on Mylos, guys register for a groom lottery and if matched, go where ever the bride is from in order to claim her.”

  “So, what, this groom lottery back on Mylos holds your data to see if they have a match?”

  “Yep. For each semester that you claim the living allowance, your DNA stays in the groom registry there, just like until you graduate your info stays in the Bride Registry database.”

  “And how many have been matched that way?”

  “Dunno, but I’ve certainly never heard of anyone, have you?”

  “No, but maybe they include the numbers with those who are matched through the Bride Registry. I mean, it sounds like an extension of it.”

  “Yeah, true,” Angie said. “I didn’t think of that. But still, it must be a really low number, right?”

  “Well, yeah. So did you do it?”

  “I did, yeah. This way I’ll get my own apartment and have everything paid for. Rent, cable, internet, utilities, and even a food allowance More room for everyone at home and they won’t have to feed me. They even pay for clothes.”

  “Are you serious?”

  “Yeah. The guy there gave me a card to use. It’s good for five thousand dollars worth of clothes and shoes. He gave me a list of stores that take the card and everything. I was thinking of getting myself some jeans and stuff and then taking Allie and Tanisha to get some school clothes and shoes.”

  “You can do that?”

  “Yeah. He said that it was for me and my household. They get applicants with families already, it seems.”

  “Huh.” Darla thought about what her friend revealed. Could this be the answer?

  “You should do it,” Angie was urging. “We could go together just like we’d always planned.”

  Darla’s youngest sister, ten-year-old Crystal, poked her head in the door. “Mama says come eat.”

  “Be right there,” Darla told her sister. “Talk some later, okay, Angie? I’ve got a lot to think about and Mama just called me to dinner. It’s Taco Tuesday and if I don’t hurry up, there’ll be nothing left.”

  Angie laughed. “Okay. Call me soon, okay? I’ve got to make a trip back to Union and give them my letter and see about getting an apartment. I thought I’d go down on Wednesday.”

  That was only two days away. “Will do. Bye!”

  Chapter Two: Darla

  The dinner table was a riot as usual.

  “So, your brother tells me that you got a letter today, from Union. It about the scholarships?” her father asked her as she reached for the plate of taco shells.

  Darla inwardly sighed. Outwardly, she gave him a fixed smile while taking a couple shells to fill. “Yeah. It was.”

  “Good news, I hope,” he grunted before taking bite of his own food.

  “I got some money,” she hedged. Everyone looked at her curiously, except for her mother who instead looked anxious. “I’ve got to go talk to one of the people offering a scholarship tomorrow, to nail things down,” she said at last. Hr mother looked pleased.

  “Yeah, who’s that?” her father asked.

  “That foundation sponsoring the science she wants to study, right?” her mother interrupted smoothly.

  “Yeah. Just gotta go sign some paperwork so they can finalize the money,” Darla replied. Shit. I’m gonna go and do this, aren’t I? Don’t freak, she told herself. Odds are like a bajillion to one on getting matched. “Angie got her money too. We were just talking about how cool it is that we’re really gonna get to go to college together just like we’ve dreamed of.”

  “Makes me feel better about you going away like this, knowing you’ll be together. You two can look after each other.” Darla rolled her eyes at her father’s overprotectiveness. “I saw hat. I know you think I’m an old fuddy duddy, but things happen. I just want to know there’s someone there, helping you to be safe and sensible.”

  Thomas sniggered. “Dad, who even says ‘fuddy duddy’ these days?”

  “I just did,” her father replied.

  “What’s a fuddy duddy?” Crystal asked.

  The table erupted in laughter. Later that evening, Darla picked up her phone and texted Angie, squinting against the brightness of her phone screen in the dark and trying not to fumble so much as she chose letters from the tiny on-screen keyboard.

  Darla: Go w/me 2moro?

  Angie: Going to go do it?

  Darla: Yeah. College here we come

  Angie: What time? Opens at 9

  Darla: CU @8 @bus stop

  Angie: Roger that, good buddy

  Darla giggled at Angie’s reply. She just knew that with her bestie at her side, nothing could possibly go wrong.

  “The light hurts my eyes,” whined Crystal.

  “Sorry, sweetie. I just had to message Angie about tomorrow. Turning it off now.” Darla set an alarm on it and then pressed the button on the top of her phone, putting the phone to sleep and dimming the screen. Putting her phone down on the bedside table, she stared at it for a long moment before closing her eyes. Exhausted from stress, she fell asleep must faster than she anticipated. The next thing she knew, her phone’s alarm was ringing to wake her up.

  “Ugh, turn it off,” whined Brianne. “Some of us are on vacation!”

  “Unngghhhh,” Crystal moaned. “No school now, so let me sleep!”

  Darla silenced the alarm. “Sorry,” she said, hurriedly climbing out of bed and grabbing the clothes she’d laid out the night before. She took a quick shower then dressed in the bathroom. Going to the kitchen, she passed her father who was on his way out the door.

  “You’re up early,” he noted.

  “Yeah, I thought I’d catch the bus and get my scholarship sorted,” she explained.

  Her father nodded approvingly. “Yes, best to go let them know you accept as soon as possible.” He gave her a soft kiss on the cheek, his mustache tickling her.

  “She’s a good girl,” her mother agreed, coming out of the kitchen. Her father gave her mother a quick peck on the lips. “You charmer,” her mother told him.

  “Hey, two of my best girls right here,” he joked.

  “See you tonight,” her mother said softly.

  “Tonight,” he promised her, going out the door at last.

  “Want breakfast?” her mother asked her.

  “Just a piece of toast. Angie is meeting me at the bus stop at eight. We wanna get to the center as soon as it opens.”

  “Okay, but make sure you eat a good lunch,” her mother admonished her. “You sit here. I’ll make your toast.”

  Darla glanced at her phone. She had to meet Angie out front in twelve minutes. “Okay, but I only have a very few minutes.”

  Her mother disappeared back into the kitchen, reappearing after a moment with a small glass of Tang. “Here. Drink this while your bread is toasting.” She returned to the kitchen. Darla gulped down the Tang, not wanting to be late.

  “And here’s two pieces of toast, one with butter and the other with butter and strawberry jam,” her mother said as she emerged from the kitchen, before handing the toast to her on a paper towel.

  Darla stood up and took the toast from her mother. “Thanks, Mama. I gotta run though.” She kissed her mother on her cheek. “See you later.” She hurried towards the door.

  “It’ll be all right,” her mother called after her as the door swung closed.