Total pages in book: 37
Estimated words: 34527 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 173(@200wpm)___ 138(@250wpm)___ 115(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 34527 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 173(@200wpm)___ 138(@250wpm)___ 115(@300wpm)
“Thanks, Sin.” Devin sticks a finger on her tongue and makes a gagging motion. “I’m never calling you that, for the record.”
“I didn’t ask,” I tease back, since she seems in a cheery mood. “In fact, I have not even agreed to destroy this innocent tree you seem intent upon killing.”
“It’s for Christmas, and we need one!” Her look grows determined. “What will it cost me?” She flutters her lashes in a suddenly flirty sort of way. “A kiss?”
“Ugh. No.” I have tried kissing a human before and it was revolting. And slimy. And full of bad breath. “Anything but that.”
Devin glares at me and gives me a shove. “Just get in the car, Sinath.”
“Car?”
“Air-sled! What-the fuck-ever! Just get in or I’m leaving you behind and going on a tree-killing spree.”
“Why are you mad? What did I say?”
She ignores me and slams the door on the driver’s side of her air-sled.
Chapter
Four
SINATH
Devin is grumpy and no longer laughing as she steers the sled low over the ground, heading toward what looks like a cozy farm up a hill. She passes by it and heads farther along, and I see a few small trees in the distance, none of them tall enough to provide a bit of shade.
Big trees aren’t native to this part of Risda. The landscape here is rolling plains and grasses, great for farming, not great for forestry. These trees would have been planted here by hopeful hands who wanted to see large greenery, and it seems like an awful thing to destroy them, even if, according to Devin, it would make the sad Liesje smile.
“Which one do you think is best?” she asks, bringing the sled to rest in front of the row of trees.
“None of them. They look quite happy here.”
Devin bites her lip as she studies the trees, a worried expression on her face. “It does feel wrong to kill one. We always had a fake tree when I was a kid. And none of these look particularly like a pine, but I just know she’d love a tree and some decorations. It always made me happy. Made it feel like the holiday really had arrived.”
She gets out of the sled and approaches the trees.
Reluctant, I follow after her. “Perhaps I will understand more about this need for destruction if you explain to me why you think it would bring Liesje joy. Because right now, I do not like the thought of killing a tree. On Homeworld, there are no natural plants left. They are only in gardens for the very wealthy. It feels wrong to destroy one.” I don’t point out that I didn’t see a tree in person until I came here. She will think that I came from the most backwater of stations…and she would be right.
“It’s not that I’m revved up to kill one,” Devin explains, her arms crossed over her chest as she shivers in the cold wind. It occurs to me that she did not bring the appropriate clothing for an icy day. Actually, I do not even know if she has the appropriate clothing for an icy day. Liesje was dressed similarly, and I make a mental note to visit the warehouse stores back in Port and find thick ponchos for them just in case. I take off my outer jacket and hold it out for Devin to borrow.
She takes it from me with surprise on her face, and wraps it around her. It’s far too big, but the smile on her face tells me that it’s warm. With one long, floppy sleeve, she gestures at the trees. “So on Earth we have a holiday called Christmas. One of the big things is that you put up a big pine tree in your house and decorate it with colorful ornaments.”
“Why?”
Devin pauses. “I…I don’t know why. You just do. And you hang stockings on the mantel and put garlands on the walls. It’s festive.”
“It’s festive to hang your socks over the fire? Are you trying to make the entire house smell like hot feet?”
“Not socks you wear! Stockings! Christmas stockings!” Her mouth twitches. “They’re special stockings and on Christmas day they’re filled with delicious treats.”
I make a horrified face. “I would eat nothing that came out of a sock.”
Devin breaks into laughter at that. “No, no. No one is wearing these socks. They’re special ones, just like the tree skirt.”
I eye her clothing. “You put a skirt on the tree. Why not put the socks on the tree, too? And a tunic? Give it an entire outfit.”
She clutches her sides, leaning over and laughing hard. “No one’s dressing up the tree!”
“But you said yourself that it needs to be decorated. Why give it only the skirt?” It sounds like a nonsense holiday, and I’m certain I’m getting the details wrong, but I love the sound of her laughter and I want it to continue. “Next you’ll be telling me the tree gets invited to dinner.”