Nanny for the Alien Lord by Tammy Walsh

Belle

I couldn’t sit stillafter he left.

I paced up and down the front entrance, unsure whether to head further into the house—his house now, as it was no longer the dilapidated remains of my home—or to storm out of the door and head…

Where?

Abbie remained upstairs for some time after that.

She must have heard our argument and decided it best to give me some time and space.

I marched into the front room and threw myself into an empty armchair, my legs jittering and unable to stay still for a moment.

I got up, marched into the kitchen, and saw that it too had been gorgeously refurbished.

I slammed a fist on the countertop and swore—inwardly at least—at the male that’d done this.

Damn him.

Taking us into his home had been more than enough.

He’d lied to us when he said workmen were fixing up the house…

Fixing up.

There it was.

He hadn’t lied to me after all.

But he’d used the words fixing up on purpose!

He knew what he was doing!

He knew I wouldn’t like it!

But he went and did it anyway!

What did you call someone like that?

Considerate?

Driven?

No!

An asshole, that’s what!

I threw myself onto one of the stools tucked under the kitchen island and once again, my legs continued to shake.

The elevator sat down in the hallway and the door hissed open.

Abbie rolled toward me and knocked on the doorframe before peaking around it.

“Is it safe to come in?”

It was always safe for Abbie to come in.

I leaned back on the barstool, let out a deep breath, and nodded.

Abbie wheeled inside, still giddy with excitement at our new digs but doing her best not to show it.

She spotted the coffee pot and the huge bag of coffee beans under the kitchen cabinet.

She filled it up without asking if I wanted one and set to locating where each of the cooking utensils had been stored away.

As expected, all the important items had been placed under the cabinets within her easy reach.

She filled two cups of coffee and handed one to me.

I took it, the thick-lipped mug was comforting.

I clutched it between my hands and forced myself to forget this was similar in design to the one in Tauas’s house.

The mugs were exactly like his too.

Even the coffee was the same imported brand.

It tasted delicious but I wouldn’t let myself admit it.

“He only did it because he cares for you, you know,” Abbie said, breaking the silence.

“I never asked him to do this.”

“Of course you didn’t!”

Abbie placed a hand on mine.

“You never ask anyone for help. Ever. Even when you really, really need it.”

I focused on her thumb pressuring the back of my hand.

I could see she was right, that what she said was the truth, but that didn’t make it any easier to swallow.

“I wanted him to let me live my life,” I said. “My purpose was fixing up this place”

“No, it wasn’t. Your purpose was taking care of me. Now you don’t need to do that anymore. I have this beautiful house and intend on paying Tauas back every penny that he invested into it. A girl has to have her pride! And my fashion show’s next week. After that, Iatell says I should start seeing some orders coming in.”

The giddy excitement on her face was infectious.

I smiled over at her.

Then Abbie took my hands in hers.

“You’ve taken care of me this long, now it’s my turn to take care of you.”

Okay, so I hadn’t expected that.

“What do you mean?” I said.

“I should be earning a decent amount with sales and I know that you’ve always wanted to go back to school and finish studying. Beginning next week, I’ll earn enough to support not only myself but pay for you to go to school.”

I withdrew my hands from hers, aghast she would offer such a thing.

“I’m not taking your money!”

“Why not? I’ve been taking yours for years. This is my gift to you, thanks for all your help. I know it hasn’t been easy—”

I pulled back from her, the stool honking across the hard stone floor.

“You’re my sister! You don’t need to thank me or give me anything!”

Since when had the world turned topsy-turvy?

It was as if I had entered a new realm where I was a stranger and nothing made sense any longer.

I wanted things to go back to the way they’d been, back to me supporting Abbie, not her and Tauas trying to protect me!

I was the protector!

I didn’t need protecting!

“No,” I said shortly. “Thank you, but no. They offer good loans and I’ll take one out. I can’t take your money.”

Abbie looked me over, perplexed at my response.

Worse than that, she looked hurt.

“I just wanted to help you.”

I fell to my knees before her and placed my cheek on her hands.

“You are helping me. You’re enabling me to share your amazing gift with the world.”

Abbie said nothing for a moment before pulling my hands from her.

“So, it’s all right for you to help me but not for me to help you?”

“That isn’t what I’m saying—”

“Oh, I think it is.”

Abbie had a fire and fury in her eyes that I’d rarely ever seen—and never in my direction before.

“Is that all I am to you?” Abbie snapped. “A needy case?”

“Of course not. You’re my sister.”

“And you’re mine. We’re supposed to help each other. We’re sisters, not mother and daughter!”

“I know that!”

Abbie wheeled around and headed toward the door.

She peered back at me over her shoulder.

“Do you know that? I’m not so sure anymore.”

She broke my heart.

“Abbie…”

Without looking back at me she said:

“My show’s next week. I would really like it if you came before returning to Earth.”

“Of course I will!” I said, on the verge of tears.

To this, Abbie said nothing and slowly wheeled down the hall, leaving me alone.

Totally and completely alone.

I fell back onto the stool and buried my face in my hands.

When had everything gone wrong? I wondered, trying to pinpoint the exact moment everything had turned to shit.

Sometime over the past two weeks, I decided.

From when Tauas entered my life.

From that point, nothing had been the same.

Now, I had lost everything I had ever cared for.

I poured what remained of my coffee down the sink and wanted to throw the mug in along with it, and would have if Abbie wasn’t in the house.

I calmly put it down, washed it, placed it back in the cupboard, and headed up to my bedroom.

It was perfectly restored and looked like it belonged in Tauas’s mansion rather than my former dusty old room.

I placed the pillow over my head and screamed into it.

I screamed until I could scream no more.

The next eightdays were consumed with me filling in application forms for the course and applying for the student loan.

I was applying late but as luck would have it, there were two empty spaces on the course still available.

A couple of students had dropped out at the last second.

It took two days for me to find somewhere to live.

As a (mature) student, I didn’t want to live with a bunch of sexually promiscuous kids.

I paid for the first month’s rent in advance and signed the contract online.

I booked my ticket back to Earth and had two days remaining before Abbie’s big event took place.

Those two days were the longest of my life.

Abbie was gone most of the day, spending all her time at the Warehouse to prepare for her upcoming show.

She returned late most nights.

I wasn’t sure if it was due to work or if she just didn’t want to speak to me.

She headed straight to the shower and got to bed.

Other days, she never returned, and I was distraught with concern.

I messaged her and she responded almost at once.

I’m staying with Iatell, she’d said.

Just like that, I’d been replaced.

I tried to harden my heart against being sore about it, and failed.

I broke down in tears.

Finally, the night before the fashion event arrived.

I stayed up and waited for her to return.

When she did, she’d clearly been drinking and hanging out with her fellow designers.

Still, I wouldn’t let that stop me from saying what I needed to say.

“I wanted to wish you luck tomorrow,” I said. “You’ve worked hard for this and deserve every success you get. No matter what, I will always wish for you to be happy.”

Despite the alcohol in her system—or maybe because of it, as she hadn’t always been the most emotionally outspoken person in the world—she broke down in tears.

We cuddled and hugged, kissing and muttered words neither of us could comprehend, and yet understood the emotions beneath them perfectly.

We went to bed together the way we used to when we were kids.

By morning, everything had returned to the way it’d been before our argument.

Abbie eyed my suitcase warily from the kitchen.

“Do you have to leave right away?”

“My course begins next week,” I said. “Actually, it’s already started and I daren’t miss more than I already have.”

We shared a big breakfast of bacon, eggs, and Tauas’s imported coffee.

Then I helped her get dressed for her big show.

I was glad I was there to see it.

It was the perfect end to my time on planet Zev, even if it had been a bit rocky in places.