Every Man's Fantasy Ch. 21

After a few minutes, the smell was not so oppressive and Yael attended to what Kelly was saying, which was that she wanted Yael to have the beauty-treatment that the women of Celetaris enjoyed. Yael was keenly interested, of course, and eager to learn. For the moment, she forgot the oppressive smells.

They went through to a back room, which had flat black benches curtained off from each other and staff with gloves and laboratory coats. Beside the benches were machines with dials and suspicious-looking spray-like extensions. There was less perfume back here, but other smells, more like cleaning chemicals.

Yael was told to strip naked, to put on a blue cloth gown, open at the front, and lie back on one of the benches. She did so, completely unembarrassed about her nudity in front of Kelly and her friends; but she sat up again when she understood that the machine with the spray attachments was for a laser-waxing and would be used on her crotch.

Yael objected, thinking (rightly) that pubic hair is a beautiful thing on a woman. But she also remembered what Yumi said about it hurting. She was persuaded to compromise. Yael would have her pubic hair trimmed into a neat triangle and the hairs on her legs and inner-thighs removed. She even allowed her armpits to be laser-waxed.

The treatment was quick and almost painless. Afterward, Yael said she liked the smoothness of the skin on her legs. She sat on the edge of the bench and stretched out her legs, pointing her toes, admiring the effect.

With the waxing a success, Kelly and her friends said Yael needed her hair cut and styled and her face made up, but Yael's money had run out. She rejected the offer of a loan from Kelly, not knowing how or when she could pay her back. The manager of the salon came to the rescue.

The visitors from Samothea were exciting news at the moment and here was one of them, a customer in her shop. Not only was she an interesting visitor: she was a real beauty and a source of good publicity for the salon.

There was a photographic studio next door. The manager told the girls to wait while she ran next door, returning with a photographer, who took one look at Yael and said, "God, yes!" He went back to his studio to prepare his cameras while the manager told Yael that she would do her hair and makeup for free if Yael agreed to be photographed and allow the photographs to be used for publicity for the salon and the photographic studio.

Yael checked with Kelly and her friends, who assured her it was unusual but entirely proper.

An hour later, Yael's long straight golden hair was trimmed and she had a side-parting, with half her hair falling over her shoulder and back as a kind of side waterfall, the other half braided and curled around her head. She looked gorgeous, of course.

Then it was the task of the makeup team to make a naturally perfect girl artificially beautiful. Luckily they were sensible and added only a few small dabs of make up to her cheeks, pale pink lip-gloss, some mascara and some eye-liner, which made her big brown eyes appear even larger.

Yael looked stunning and, taken next door to be photographed, smiled with real joy, adopting various unschooled poses that the camera seemed to like. Thin by nature and by virtue of an energetic open-air life (rather than from deliberate underfeeding or drug-addiction), Yael had a fit and healthy glow. With her gazelle-like eyes, she had a fresh beauty that was natural and artless, not pouty and bored.

At dinner that night in Danielle and Roger's apartment, everyone admired Yael's new hairstyle and wanted to know what else she had done that afternoon.

She told them about meeting Kelly's friends, about the shopping centre, her purchases and the beauty salon, explaining how she got the treatment done for free.

"I learned lots. Did you know it's the custom here for women to have most of their pubic hair removed by laser-waxing. I didn't want it completely gone, so I had it trimmed. Here, have a look."

She lifted her short skirt to show her triangular pubic bush.

Roger coughed and covered his eyes. Danielle was embarrassed but Ezra was used to the public nudity of the women of Samothea. He took a keen interest in his young friend's new makeover - until Danielle slapped him sharply on the arm.

"Yael, Sweetheart," he said, reminded where he was. "It's also the custom here to remain clothed in mixed company."

"But you've seen me naked a thousand times," Yael protested, earning Ezra another sharp look from Danielle, "when we go to the pool for a wash, or swimming or when we sleep together!"

"Sleep together?" Danielle asked pointedly of her brother.

"It's quite innocent, Sis," he explained. "The women of Samothea sleep naked for warmth and comfort during the freezing nights."

"Except you, Ezra," Yael corrected. "You always keep your shorts on."

"That's a relief, anyway," Danielle said.

"It doesn't make any difference," Yael told her. "I can see his cock through his shorts, especially when he has an erection."

Danielle gave Ezra another hard stare but he shrugged and, eventually, she laughed.

"Yael," Danielle said in a somewhat indulgent tone, "please never go anywhere near a news reporter. Do you promise me?"

"Yes, Danielle," Yael agreed meekly, not really understanding why.

"I can see the Institute's Board of Directors cancelling the whole Samothea Project due to that one item of information alone," Danielle explained.

Yael was about to ask some questions but Ezra pre-empted her, saying:

"Tell us what else you did today, Yael. Whom did you meet?"

"Boys! I met dozens of boys."

Now Ezra was apprehensive. He dreaded to think what Yael got up to with boys. Like all the women of Samothea, she had an abiding interest in sex. She interrogated all Ezra's bedmates and even spied on him while he was making love.

Nor did she have the restraining shyness many girls of her age had. If Yael was interested in something, she would simply go up to anyone and ask. She never thought herself stupid not to know something. If she wanted to find out what boys were like, she would find lots of willing subjects to enlighten her.

Worse was that Ezra's version of the sex-talk, advising her to be careful and suspicious of boys, seemed to have made Yael even more curious about them. Luckily, he needn't have worried.

"Oh, God!" Yael complained. "Boys are so stupid! They talk about such childish things."

"They're only interested in football and musical bands. And they're always showing off with their hover-boards; or they stand around posing in their crumpled clothes. Most of them have floppy hair like a girl, or wispy beards, not a proper beard like Ezra grows. And they're worse when you talk to them about sex. They go all shy and embarrassed. I haven't had sex yet, neither with a man nor a woman, but I know lots more about sex than they do."

Ezra was relieved but wisely said nothing.

******

Next day, Cassie reported moderately good news about Annela. She was still in a coma but the tumour was slowly shrinking. Her immune system, enhanced by the nanotech-robots, was making slow and steady progress. Cassie warned against becoming too optimistic at this early stage.

That afternoon, Yael met Kelly and her friends again. This time they went to a different shopping centre, though as far as Yael could tell, it was exactly the same as the other one. They hung out in a cafe and talked about boys, makeup and clothes. They nibbled chocolate, which Yael had never eaten before. She thought it was the loveliest thing she'd ever tasted. Better even than the pheasant she shot and roasted herself.

Gloria and Rosa Silverstein came to dinner that night but Yael only pushed her food around on her plate and ate nothing. Danielle was the first to notice.

"What's up, Yael?" she asked. "You haven't eaten anything."

"Sorry, Danielle. I'm not hungry."

"Don't you feel well?" Ezra asked. He'd never seen Yael neglect her dinner before.

"No."

"What is it? Where does it hurt?"

"My stomach."

"Was it something you ate?" Danielle asked. "Did you and Kelly have anything at the mall?"

"Yes, chocolate."

"What else?"

"Nothing else. Lots of chocolate. Oh, God! It was so delicious, I almost had an orgasm!"

"What's a 'norgasm'?" Freya asked.

"A very happy feeling, Darling." Danielle answered quickly. "Yael, you've never had chocolate before, have you?"

"No."

"It's like an over-dose. I think you should come with me now. Come along, Sweetie."

Danielle led Yael away to the bathroom and helped her make herself sick. When she had thrown everything up, Yael was pale and exhausted but no longer in pain.

She came back to the dining room feeling very sorry for herself. The others were still at their meal.

"Ezra?" she said in a plaintive voice.

He understood. He put his cutlery on his unfinished plate and got up.

"Danielle, thank you for a lovely meal. Do you mind if I go a sit comfortably?"

Danielle excused him and Ezra sat on the settee in the window. Yael sat on his lap. She rested her head on his shoulder. He put an arm around her waist and talked comfortably to her, gently stroking her hair.

"Do you feel any better?" he asked.

"A little. ... Why didn't you warn me that chocolate was poisonous?"

"Sorry, Sweetheart. Best you avoid chocolate from now on, and all sweets, cakes and biscuits. ... You too, Freya. Nothing sugary for you except fruit - and not too much of that. Stick to meat and vegetables."

"Yes, Daddy."

With Yael discommoded, Freya insisted on doing both girls' chores that night. When the table was cleared and the dishwasher loaded, but Yael still recuperating, Danielle took Freya for her bath. Clean, with dry hair, sparkling teeth and in her pyjamas, Freya came back to the living room for her evening cuddle.

Yael was in Freya's usual place but the girl didn't mind. There were other laps to choose from. Gloria and Rosa sat on a settee and Danielle took up an armchair next to Roger, who had a huge volume of history on his lap. He was making notes on a tablet.

To Danielle's amusement, Freya ignored the vacant laps of the three women and headed straight for Roger. She climbed up the side of his chair and onto his lap, displacing the book that was already there.

"What?" said Roger, nudged back into the present moment. "Yes, all right," he added.

He tried to catch his book before it fell to the floor but succeeded only in knocking down the tablet and the side-table it was on. Smiling, Danielle rescued the book, tablet and table as Freya wriggled to make herself comfortable.

"Well hello, Niece," Roger said and put his arms around her.

"You can tickle me if you want, Uncle Roger," Freya said, which was more of a request than an invitation.

Roger tentatively ran a finger on her neck up to her ear.

"That's not how you tickle!" Freya objected, sitting upright. She took his hands and put them on her waist. "Tickle me properly!"

He did so. She giggled a little.

"Harder, Uncle Roger!" she complained. "Daddy tickles much better."

Roger made a better effort and, pretty soon, Madam Freya was laughing happily and squirming, wanting to be tickled but also trying to get away (though not completely away).

Despite Freya's noise, Yael went gently off to sleep. Ezra put her to bed. When Freya was exhausted from laughing, Roger carried her around the living room so she could kiss everyone goodnight. He put her in bed with Yael, who unconsciously moved to give her room. Freya cuddled Yael and went immediately to sleep.

******

Next morning, Yael had spots on her forehead and chin. She noticed them when she was brushing her hair in the bathroom mirror.

"Danielle! Danielle!" she cried.

"What is it, Yael?"

"Ow! There are things on my face and they hurt when I press them. Is it a disease?"

Danielle came to look.

"Oh! Sweetie. It's just some spots. They're probably there because of all the sugar you ate yesterday. They'll go away in a day or two. Here," she said, rummaging through a drawer, "you can stop them hurting with this cream."

Danielle applied the cream and then helped Yael cover her spots with make-up, though Yael wasn't worried about her looks, now she knew the spots were harmless.

She had a huge burst of energy that morning and spent it dashing around Fanshaw Park as fast as she could, until she had run ten miles fast, was exhausted and covered in sweat.

******

It was a tribute to Yael's vibrant health and vitality that the spots had cleared up by the time she met Kelly and her friends outside their school. They walked across the park toward the conference centre, where the hover-bus to Arts City stopped. As they walked, a few spots of rain began to fall.

Yael felt the drops on her face.

"What's that?" she asked.

"Just a little rain," Kelly said.

"Rain? During the day?"

Yael was alarmed. They were out in the open, nearer the woods than the buildings.

"Can we make it to those trees?"

"What for? It's just a few spots."

Yael looked warily at the sky and wondered why the others were so nonchalant. She pulled her jacket over her head.

"What are you doing?" Kelly asked.

"But it's raining!"

"So what? It often rains in spring. It doesn't last long. You'll dry out quickly. There's nothing to worry about."

"What about the cold?"

Kelly took Yael's hand and held it out. Drops of rain fell on it. Yael instinctively withdrew her hand but Kelly held it out again.

"It's warm!" Yael exclaimed, full of amazement. "How come it's warm?"

"Because it's spring, of course," Kelly said. "Don't you have spring on Samothea?"

Now Yael remembered what Ezra told her about the seasons and the rain.

"I guess it's always summer at home," she said, "but the rain comes at night and it's freezing cold."

Yael was so enthralled by warm rain that she didn't want to stand under the awning of the conference centre to wait for the hover-bus but stood in the rain, letting the water run down her face and soak her clothes. She took off her jacket so she could feel the drops on her bare arms and through her thin blouse.

To the amusement of her friends, Yael began to dance in the surprisingly warm rain, spinning, swaying, stamping her feet, doing her wiggle-dance. As she danced, one of the news media videographers saw her from the balcony of the viewing platform and recognised her as the visitor from Samothea.

He turned his camera on Yael as she span with outstretched arms, stepping out a pattern on the sodden grass with her feet, short skirt spinning up. Her golden hair flew out sideways, spraying a curtain of droplets that caught the sun in a thousand tiny rainbows.

The videographer zoomed in on her face. She was facing upward, her eyes shut, rain running down her cheeks and neck, showing a big beautiful smile. It was a picture of pure innocent pleasure, of overwhelming happiness and exalted joy-of-life.

As he filmed her, Kelly and her friends watched from under the awning of the conference centre, seeming to disapprove her childish joy at mere rain. But, with a quick glance at each other, the teenagers decided they were not so grown-up after all that they couldn't also enjoy dancing in the rain. They ran out and joined her. Soon a ring of girls were dancing around Yael. They splashed and laughed as the rain soaked them.

The video went around Celetaris and those outlets on nearby planets who followed the Samothea Project in close detail. People who disapproved of Ezra's polygamy now opened their hearts to the beautiful girl and her simple natural joy.

It rained again next morning and there were puddles on the ground when Yael took Freya to the park. When Mr. Fanshaw arrived with Charlie, the dog jumped straight into a puddle and soaked the girls. They splashed him back and had a hysterical time, with Freya yelping wildly and Charlie barking insanely, both caked in mud and soaked through.

Mr. Fanshaw usually called Charlie-dog a 'disobedient mutt' and a 'confounded nuisance', in impotent rebellion at his bossy nurses, who forced him out into the park twice a day for exercise. Today, however, the nurses would have the bother of cleaning him up, so Charlie was a 'good boy' as he gambolled in the mud.

Yael laughed at Mr. Fanshaw's explanation of his behaviour, wondering how such a dignified and venerable man could be so comically childish. He laughed with her. It was a moment of shared understanding that sealed their friendship.

The girls came home, holding hands, covered in mud, unable to stop smiling as Danielle told them to strip off and pushed them into the bathroom. Freya talked about the warm rain for days afterward.

******

Four days after the party arrived on Celetaris, Rosa announced that she was ready to send Robyn Bradford back to Samothea. Having Robyn's direct measurements of the x-rays from the black hole near Samothea, they had re-programmed the communications satellite that was to be deployed by the new beacon. Robyn was relieved, eager to get back to her crew, having impatiently kicked her heels in quarantine too long.

More tools and equipment were placed in the hold of the shuttlecraft, plus Yael's backpack full of presents for her friends in the Woodlander Tribe. Robyn was vastly relieved to blast off Celetaris at last and make her way back to Samothea.

A few hours later, there were satellites deployed at both ends of the hyperspace link. Now small comms probes could be launched both-ways through the beacons to transmit and receive messages without disruption or phasing out. There would be a twenty-second delay between communications over nearly two-thousand light-years. It was an amazing achievement.

That evening, when Gloria had a clear videotalk with her counsellors in the Cloner City, where the Petticoat Crew had set up the transmitter and receiver, Ezra and Yael joined her, so they could talk to their friends.

******

Cassie Leighton kept Ezra updated about Annela's condition and, almost a week after reviving her from suspended animation and operating on her tumour, she reported that it was safe to bring her out of the coma. The tumour was beginning to shrink, eaten away by the nanobots.

It would be best, Cassie added, if there were some familiar faces around her when Annela woke up. She would be disoriented and probably confused, waking up in such a strange place.

Later that evening, Annela woke up to see Gloria, Ezra, Yael and Freya at her bed, with Cassie Leighton, the doctor and a nurse in the background.

The room, the bed, the machinery, the opaque glass walls were all very odd and a little frightening, but Annela was too tired and too confused to be scared.

Having spent about eighteen months in the escape pod, she was physically weak and not fully able to focus. She remembered nothing of what had happened to her. She didn't recognise Ezra, Freya or Yael. Only Gloria's face seemed a little familiar, judging by the time Annela spent looking at her.

"Hello, Darling," Ezra said. "How are you feeling?"

She politely looked at him when he spoke but it was as if she couldn't understand him. Annela drifted in and out of consciousness and the doctor decided to let her rest for now.

Next morning, Annela sat up in bed and took in food and water. She was unable to remember anything of the last four or five years. She didn't know where she was: she thought she was dreaming it all.

The doctor, nurses and Cassie were very kind and Annela listened politely to them but none of it made any sense, so she just smiled and answered their questions as if there was a point to it all.

When Ezra and the others came again that evening, Ezra went in first and said:

"Hello, Darling."

Annela ignored him.

"Annela," he said.

She looked a little surprised that he knew her name.