Catalon (Imitai Book 7)

Chapter Eight

I stepped out of the small home in my now clean clothes. Weapons still on me as there was no telling when we could be attacked next. Slowly but surely, I walked over to the festivities.

Kids ran up and down the streets. Adults and teenagers hung outside their homes. The smell of cooking fish and gathered vegetables reached my nostrils.

Taking a big whiff of it, I smiled. "Nothing beats home cooking. Especially if you've been away for so long!"

Well, I can say that again. Being me and either being at the studio or touring so much, there was no time or place for cooking. Instead, it was ordered delivery by chefs or food chains. Flarephone delivery is a must for the mid-twenty-first century.

But this? We weren't even in a kitchen let alone indoors. This was even rarer. People nowadays were rarely given the treat to dine the way these land Catalonians did.

Catalon was different though. Obviously, it was backwards given the geographic and political scenario. The rich would rarely surface compared to the king himself. And the king spent no more than a day on land just to tan.

Land people on the other hand, tanned each and every day no matter what. Mainly because they were stuck under the sun. sea people were probably pale, but the lighting which was dimmer than the Quorit sun could not show me their actual skin tones.

Nonetheless, none of these planets could compare to the planet where I was born and grew up on. Earth, the center of the universe, is even more diverse than any other planet. Though, it is hardly as advanced as most of the Allied Planets, I still call it my favorite planet.

Of all the planets that could have stepped in, none did when my sister Asami and I miraculously survived an attack on our biological family. Instead, the humans who were aware of the situation did. A sailor and his doctor wife took me in first.

Alfonso, now a commodore in the United States Navy, took me in. Lorenza, a doctor, helped raise me. They were the only two whom I saw as my parents until the Generians barged in and stole Christmas.

They stole New Year's too.

But before that, everything was simple. I had no problems as long as I went to school. As long as I studied and fulfilled what was ask of me as a student. Obviously, I was still a kid.

I'd start the day eating breakfast at the kitchen table. Lorenza would be there, helping to prepare me for school while she gets ready for work. Alfonso would already be at work, but he would be home around the time dinner was ready.

Depends on the days. Some days it was different.

I found a seat by the fire. Some villagers brought me food and I ate with. When I finished, they gathered around me for stories.

Though, my mind continued to think of Alfonso and Lorenza. They were the first adults and still are the adults who I feel closest to. Many would assume I am close to Empress Yuruca as she is my biological mother, but they are wrong.

My foster parents showed me the world and taught me what I know. They took turns taking me for martial arts lessons from pre-school until middle school. Also, they took me places. Together and individually depending on their schedules.

Everything was much easier as a kid. Even though I became even more privileged after the invasion. At least I didn't have to deal with a lot of extra attention.

Well, it died down a little over the years, but I still was never the same.

Before the invasion, I spent my vacation days traveling or focusing on improving my martial arts. My time of from school went to my fighting skills. Some summers, I traveled.