Total pages in book: 141
Estimated words: 130947 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 655(@200wpm)___ 524(@250wpm)___ 436(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 130947 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 655(@200wpm)___ 524(@250wpm)___ 436(@300wpm)
“They look great,” she said, reaching for one of the conjoined fruits and taking a big bite. Her mouth was immediately filled with a sour, bitter taste like lemon juice and aspirin. “Ugh!” It was all Liv could to do not to spit out the bite.
“Ooo—sorry!” Jillian said anxiously. “I should have warned you right away—you don’t eat the flesh of the twin fruit, you eat the pit.”
“The pit?” Liv managed to say after choking down the tart, bitter bite. “Really?”
“Like this.” Jillian picked up one of the fruits and peeled back the blue-green skin and juicy flesh expertly, exposing two rounded pits that looked a little like very large black pearls. She popped them both into her mouth and crunched contentedly before nodding at Liv. “Now you try.”
Doubtfully, Liv picked up her fruit and peeled away the ripe flesh just as Jillian had done. She decided to start with one of the pits instead of eating both but once she popped the first into her mouth she changed her mind and ate the other as well. “Mmm…” she said, swallowing. “Has a texture like pecans—”
“And a flavor like spiced peaches,” Jillian finished for her. “And once again, hardly any fat.”
“It reminds me of my grandma’s peach apple crumble.” Liv helped herself to another double fruit. “Really good.”
“I know.” Jillian sighed happily and reached into the bowl again. “Oh, look—a three part one!” she exclaimed, pulling out a fruit that had three globes joined together instead of two. “Oh, I have to save this one for my guys. It’s considered very good luck to find one—like finding a four leaf clover on Earth, you know?”
“Why is that?” Liv asked, taking another fruit for herself. In their own way, the twin fruit were almost as addictive as the Grieza worms.
“It means happiness between you and your spouses. Anything in threes is considered unusual and lucky in Twin Moons culture. That’s where the Take-me’s originally came from. They domesticated them because of their three eyes on each head, you know?”
“Mmm.” Liv sighed and sat back some. “No more. I was already full and now I’m just making a pig of myself.”
“I won’t tell if you won’t.” Jillian giggled again and then glanced at the chronometer she wore on her wrist. cocked her head to one side. “Hang on—I promised my mom I’d call her around this time. You don’t mind, do you?”
“Uh, no—of course not.” Liv watched, mystified, as her hostess hopped up from the table and fetched a thin silver wire. Placing the wire around her forehead and pressing it against her temples, she closed her eyes and began to murmur in a low voice.
“Mom? Everything okay down there?” What she heard seemed to reassure her because she smiled and nodded. “Yeah, I know Lucy’s wedding is in a few days and don’t worry—the guys and I will be there. The Council agreed that a mating ceremony was an important enough event to grant a special pass for. Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Look, Mom, I kind of have company right now. Can I call you back in a few? Okay, yeah, I promise. Love you too. Bye.”
Opening her eyes, Jillian slipped the thin sliver wire off her head and laid it carefully on the table. “That was my mom—she’s going nuts trying to plan my little sister’s wedding and she’s constantly wanting to talk about the details. Makes me so glad the Kindred don’t do big ceremonies—although they will if you want them too. They’re really good about being accommodating on a girl’s special day, you know?”
Liv was less interested in what Jillian’s mother had had to say than she was in exactly how she’d said it. “What is that thing?” she asked, pointing to the circular silver filament. “I mean, how does it work? Are you the only one who can use it? Do only the Twin Kindred have them or what?”
“What, a Think-me?” Jillian picked it up delicately between thumb and forefinger. “No, of course not. All Kindred households have one. It’s like their version of a cell phone.”
Liv frowned. “But I thought there was no way to talk to anyone back on Earth. Baird told me the holo-link only worked on board ship.”
“Oh, it does. That’s because it’s for formal communication, between people who don’t know each other very well. It’s considered very rude to bespeak someone you don’t already have a relationship with.”
“But you just talked, uh, thought to your mom,” Liv objected. “Or, uh, bespoke her, I guess.”
“Well, she’s my mom. I mean, of course I know her well enough to bespeak her.”
“Yes, but I mean, she’s on Earth, right? So how can you contact her?”
“Well, technically you’re not really supposed to.” Jillian looked a bit guilty. “But I was so sad about never getting to see her that my guys made an exception for me. Honestly, I got the impression that lots of the Kindred are doing that—letting their brides use the Think-me, I mean. It’s kind of an open secret, you know?”