Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 108211 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 541(@200wpm)___ 433(@250wpm)___ 361(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108211 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 541(@200wpm)___ 433(@250wpm)___ 361(@300wpm)
“Of course and thank you for everything,” Andi had said politely, taking the ticket, which was good for one female and one Manimal passenger. “I appreciate all you’ve done for me and for Cade.”
“Anything for a guest,” Goodie Bo-long remarked coolly. Then Andi had seen Flow-da waving at her and she’d gone to the back of the Emporium while Goodie Bo-long stayed up front to speak to Goodie Oo-lah.
Now that she saw her friend and had her ticket in her hand, Andi could almost taste freedom. She thought she’d never wanted to leave anyplace as badly as she wanted to leave Zo’rath Three.
The only worry still niggling at the back of her brain was the fact that Cade still wasn’t back to himself. She told herself it was a good thing—she didn’t want him coming back to his right mind while they were still on Oblivion where he might get re-infected by the spoors. But still, she couldn’t help feeling nervous and worried, wondering when—if ever—he would come back to himself. She had so much explaining to do and she wanted to do it before they went back to the Mother Ship!
Speaking of Cade, he was a few feet away, cautiously sniffing a display of leather Manimal collars. Andi noted that he was careful not to get his nose too close to them—clearly he remembered the nasty shock he’d gotten the first time they’d been to the Emporium.
“Well? Aren’t you excited?” Flow-da demanded, breaking into her train of thought. “I know you want to get away from this town as much as I do. I thought you’d be jumping with joy!”
“I am—I am excited,” Andi assured her. “I’m just worried about Cade.”
“Oh, why? Is it because you’re afraid he’ll start trying to mount you on the Moon shuttle?” Flow-da frowned sympathetically. “Because I promise you, they’re used to that kind of behavior from Manimals. As long as he’ll hold still during the initial take off, everything will be all right. Once we get past the atmosphere and out into space, you can take him to the back where they have a special area for Manimals who just can’t wait, if you know what I mean.”
“They do?” Andi was startled. She’d never heard of a mode of public transport where they had a special humping section. But then, she supposed it must be a necessity in a place like Zo’rath Three.
“They do,” Flow-da assured her. “So don’t worry! And just think, in only a few hours we’ll be walking on the moon.” She got a hungry look on her face. “The very first thing I’m going to do is find a hotel room where Hartford and I can get some alone time together.” She nodded at her Manimal, who was rubbing his head against her leg.
Andi bit her lip.
“Flow-da, what if I told you there was a cure for Hartford?” she asked, keeping her voice low.
“A cure?” Flow-da looked confused. “But Hartford’s not sick.”
“No, I mean a cure for Manimalism. Look, I can’t tell you much while we’re still here on Zo’rath Three, but I can tell you there’s a cure and I’ve given it to Cade. I’m expecting him to come back to his right mind any time now,” Andi murmured. “That’s why I’m worried about him—I’m waiting for him to come back and I don’t know when it will happen.”
Flow-da gave her an incredulous look.
“A cure for Manimalism? Why would you want that?”
“Well…I mean, don’t you want to bring Hartford back to his normal self?” Andi asked her.
“This is his normal self!” Flow-da exclaimed.
“But…don’t you want a deeper connection with him?” Andi asked. She couldn’t help remembering her longing for a soul-deep connection with Cade—the intense desire she had to look in his eyes and feel that he understood what she was saying to him as he made love to her.
Flow-da, however, didn’t seem to share this feeling.
“I’m happy with our connection just like it is,” she told Andi. “Look, think about it—Hartford is a few years older than me. He was around thirteen when The Incident happened and that’s what age his mind was frozen at. If I was able to bring him back now, I’d be dealing with an adolescent in a grown man’s body. Would that be fun, do you think? Because I sure don’t think so,” she said, answering her own question.
“Well…I guess you have a point,” Andi conceded reluctantly. “But still—”
“Plus, I remember how my father used to push my mother around and hit her and treat her just horribly,” Flow-da went on, heedless that Andi was speaking. “While Hartford remains a Manimal, he’ll never treat me like that. He’s sweet and kind and loyal and loving and that’s all I want in a man—I don’t need him to have higher brain function to be happy.”