#julique

“Kalique,” he says in a low, throaty voice,“Mother would be most… disappointed… that you withhold her recurrencefrom me, but I hate to be rude.” He nods almost imperceptibly in herdirection, as if showing respect. “Mother will find her way to me. Youwill see,” he breathes, touching a disk behind his ear, and vanishing in apixelated blur as the last word fades.

“Jupiter,” Kalique pouts. “What did you thinkyou were going to do to a hologram?” She smoothes Jupiter’s hair and sweepsa few strands that have fallen over her chest back behind her shoulder.“Tsk, such anger will give you wrinkles.”

She runs a finger over the angry creases in Jupiter’sforehead, tracing the faint lines around her eyes with one long index finger.

“Being angry at Balem is tiring, isn’t it?”

Jupiter gives no sign of an answer.

“I can see it in your eyes.” Her finger sweeps thedark circle under Jupiter’s eye. “I can fix that, you know.”

“How?”

“We can fix everything!” Shetakes Jupiter’s hand and leads her back to the chamber where she has sorecently bathed in a pool that transformed her and moistens the same fingertipin the thick, slightly luminescent substance.

“Here,” she paints the liquid under both Jupiter’seyes, and immediately the area tingles, not unpleasantly, but in anunaccustomed manner, and Jupiter tries to rub her eyes.

“Oh, no,” Kalique laughs, catching herwrists once again. “You must let it work. It won’t take long.”

By the time the tingling stops, Kalique has returned with amirror, which she holds up and Jupiter inhales with surprise. The skin aroundher eyes is as pink and smooth as the day she was born!

“You can have all that and more, Jupiter. It’s allyours. Your rightful inheritance. And you can enjoy it forever.”

She’s standing too close when she says it. Her breath smellslike anise, and her breast brushes Jupiter’s shoulder. It crushes softlyagainst her and she becomes all too aware of the hard nipple grazing her skin unnecessarily through the flimsy fabric of Kalique’s gown. Whenshe stepped out of the bath, it had looked like a small, ripe strawberry andnow, Jupiter wants to taste it.

“Kalique,” she says, her voice husky.“Please, don’t..”

“Don’t what?” She runs a hand down theback of Jupiter’s arm and pushes her hair aside with her nose. Jupiter’s skinprickles and she feels her own nipples tighten and swell. She can’t resist thelure of Kalique’s hot breath tickling the nape of her neck.

“Don’t do this?” Her lips graze Jupiter’s neck solightly, she’s not even sure at first if she really felt it, and withoutrealizing it, closes her eyes and leans back to force a kiss, but Kalique pullsaway and moves to face her.

“If you wish, Jupiter. Our friendship is still young.We have all the time in the universe to get to know each other, and we aregoing to be such good friends.”She clasps both of Jupiter’s hands in her own, and her meaning is clear.Jupiter’s heart falls, even as other parts of her rise in anticipation.