Michael stood up. “Richard! Christ! The guy’s dead.”

“Dead?” Richard echoed. The finality of the word shattered Richard’s self-absorption.

“Well, almost. His head’s caved in. He hit the goddamned table.”

Richard staggered back to where Michael was standing and looked down at Sart’s motionless form. “Holy shit!” he said.

“What the hell are we going to do?” Michael demanded. “Why’d you hit him so freakin’ hard?”

“I didn’t mean to, okay!” Richard shouted.

“Well, what are we going to do?” Michael repeated.

“I don’t know,” Richard said.

At that moment Sart’s battered body let out a final sigh and the gurgling stopped.

“That’s it,” Michael said with a shudder. “He’s dead! We got to do something and fast.”

“Maybe we should get outta here,” Richard said.

“We can’t get out of here,” Michael complained. “Where are we going to go? Hell, we don’t even know where we are.”

“All right, let me think,” Richard said. “Shit, I didn’t mean to hurt him.”

“Oh, sure,” Michael said sarcastically.

“Well, not that much,” Richard said.

“What if someone comes in here?” Michael questioned.

“You’re right,” Richard said. “We’ve got to hide the body.”

“Where?” Michael demanded urgently.

“I don’t know!” Richard yelled. He looked around the room frantically. Then he looked back at Michael. “I just got an idea that might work.”

“Good,” Michael said. “Where?”

“First help me pick him up,” Richard said. He stepped over the body, rolled it over, and then got his hands under Sart’s arms.

Michael got Sart’s feet, and together they hoisted the boy off the floor.

CHAPTER TWELVE

The new day arrived gradually just as it would on the earth’s surface. The light slowly increased in intensity, causing the darkened, vaulted ceiling to lose its stars. Its color went in stages from deep indigo to a rosy pink and finally to a pure sky blue. Saranta began to stir.

Suzanne was the first of the earth surface visitors to awaken with the arrival of the artificial dawn. As she scanned her room, taking in the white marble, the mirrors, and the pool, she realized with a start that the surreal Interterran experience had not been a dream.

Slowly she turned her head to the side and gazed at Garona’s sleeping form. He was on his side, facing her. She was amazed at herself for having allowed the man to stay the night. This was not her norm. The only way she’d shown some restraint had been by staunchly refusing to remove her silken tunic and shorts. She had spent the night with her clothes on, such as they were.

Suzanne wasn’t sure she could blame her decision to allow him to stay on the small amount of crystal she’d drunk or whether it was simply Garona’s handsome looks and winning flattery. As much as she hated to admit it, when it came to men, physical attractiveness was important to her. In fact, it had been part of the reason she’d remained mired in a volatile relationship with an actor back in L.A. long after it had ceased to be healthy.

As if sensing her gaze, Garona opened his dark, liquid eyes and smiled dreamily. It was difficult for Suzanne to feel much regret.

“I’m sorry if I woke you,” Suzanne managed. He was as handsome in the first light of day as he’d been the night before.

“Please, don’t be sorry,” Garona said. “I appreciate being awakened to see that I am still with you.”

“How is it you always say the right thing?” Suzanne said. She was being sincere, not sarcastic.

“I say what I would like to be told,” Garona said.

Suzanne nodded. It was a sensible variation of the Golden Rule.

Garona rolled toward her and tried to envelop Suzanne in an embrace. Suzanne ducked under his arm and slid off the bed.

“Please, Garona,” Suzanne said. “Let’s not replay last night. Not now.”

Garona flopped back onto the bed and stared up at Suzanne.

“I don’t understand your reluctance,” he said. “Could it be that you don’t care for me?”

Suzanne groaned audibly. “Oh, Garona, for all your sophistication and sensitivity, I can’t imagine why this is so hard for you to grasp. As I told you last night, it takes me a little time to get to know someone.”

“What do you need to know?” Garona questioned. “You can ask me any personal question you like.”

“Look,” Suzanne said. “I certainly care for you. Just letting you stay here is a testament to that. It’s not usual for me when I’ve known someone for such a short time. But I did let you stay, and I’m glad I did. But you can’t expect too much from me. Think of everything I’m trying to take in.”

“But it’s unnatural,” Garona said. “Your emotions should not be so contingent.”

“I disagree!” Suzanne remarked. “It’s called self-protection. I can’t go around allowing spur-of-the-moment desires to dictate my behavior. And it should be the same for you. After all, you don’t know anything about me. Maybe I have a husband or a lover.”

“I assume you do,” Garona said. “In fact, I would be surprised if you didn’t. Anyway, it doesn’t matter.”

“That’s nice.” Suzanne put her hands defiantly on her hips. “It doesn’t matter to you, but what about me?” Suzanne stopped herself. She reached up and rubbed her sleep-filled eyes. She was getting herself all worked up, and she’d only been awake for a few minutes.

“Let’s not discuss any of this right now,” Suzanne said. “This day is going to be challenging enough. Arak has promised to answer our questions, and believe me, I have a lot.” She walked over to one of the many mirrors and cautiously moved into the line of sight of her image. She grimaced at the reflection. Her mind might have been in a turmoil, but there was one thing she knew for certain: she did not look her best in inch-long hair.

Putting his legs over the edge of the bed, Garona sat up and stretched. “You second-generation humans are so serious.”

“I don’t know what you mean by ‘second generation’,” Suzanne said. “But I think I have reason to be serious. After all, I didn’t come here on my own accord. As Donald said, we’ve been abducted. And I don’t have to remind you that means being carried off by force.”

As he had promised, Arak showed up just after the group had eaten breakfast and asked if everyone was ready for the didactic session. Perry and Suzanne were demonstrably eager, Donald less so, and Richard and Michael completely uninterested. In fact, they acted tense and subdued, hardly their normal brazen selves. Perry assumed they were suffering from hangovers and suggested as much to Suzanne.

“I wouldn’t doubt it,” Suzanne responded. “As drunk as they were it stands to reason. How do you feel?”

“Great,” Perry said. “All things considered. It was an interesting evening. How about your friend, Garona. Did he stay long?”

“For a while,” Suzanne said evasively. “How about Luna?”

“The same,” Perry said. Neither one looked the other in the eye.

As soon as the group was ready, Arak led them across the lawn toward a hemispherical structure similar to the pavilion although on a much smaller scale. Perry and Suzanne kept up with Arak. Donald lagged a few steps behind and Richard and Michael even more so.

“I still think you should tell Donald,” Michael insisted in a whisper. “He might have an idea about what to do.”

“What the hell is that bastard going to do?” Richard responded. “The kid’s dead. Fuller’s not going to bring him back to life.”

“Maybe he’ll have a better idea where to put the body,” Michael said. “I’m worried about the kid being found. I mean, I don’t want you to find out what they do down here to murderers.”

Richard stopped short. “What do you mean, me?”

“Hey, you killed him,” Michael said.

“You hit him, too,” Richard said.

“But I didn’t kill him,” Michael said. “And the whole thing was your idea.”