A Mind Bender

Laying on the bed, Gen was neither looking at weapons nor vehicles. She was texting her brother, Mind Bender. She had begun with a message referring to her date.

Gen: Wtf. He's gay!

Mind: I'm a good brother.

Gen: U suck

Mind: I don't like misspelled words. And most abbreviations/acronyms.

Then, the "u" changed into a "you," and he added an exclamation point. He also erased "wtf." Gen cursed and sent another text.

Gen: Dude, why do u always hack my phone? Is it necessary

Mind: "u" and "?"

Gen: Fine! Why did you hack my phone?

Mind: Not your phone.

Gen: You don't know that.

Mind: Do you want me to explain? Last time you blocked me. And so I locked you out of your phone. Lol.

Gen: Nevermind. Pls don't.

Gen: please*

Mind: I'm fine with "pls." You no longer understand me. Have you forgotten me after finding your prince? I want my innocent little sister t.t

She scoffed. He was playing dumb, a sure sign he knew her date was gay.

Gen: Why did you set me up with a gay man?

Mind: I <3 you.

She snickered. "I <3 you," Mind's classic way of saying, "It was an accident but not really."

Gen: Come on. Tell me why.

Mind: Fine, but only because I'm obedient. Look at how great of a brother I am! It's because I miss you.

Gen: Mind, I'm growling at you.

Mind: No you aren't. And it really is because I miss you.

Gen: Did you hack the starship? What happened to your "I don't like hacking things cuz there's scary shit"?

Mind: "because" and no swearing.

She groaned then tapped out another message.

Gen: I'm losing patience.

Mind: And so are the readers of our messages :P

Gen counted out loud, "10, 9, 8, 7,..."

Mind: Fine! You caught me red-handed. I hacked the ship and your phone. But only because it was bugged with outdated software! Did you know their refrigerator might be part of a bot army? It's sending funny data. I'm going to make it a turncoat.

Halfway through the message Gen slammed her forehead into the soft bed sheets. She groaned because all her suspicions were true.

She didn't need to ask Mind whether or not he had hacked the starship or her phone. She always assumed he did, because his habits spoke of him constantly watching.

A small part of her loved the gesture; it made her feel not so alone and that someone always had her back.

With Law dead, Mind was her only family. No, there was also her nephew and sister-in-law but contacting them without Mind's help was difficult.

If anyone else spied on her, she would gut them alive.

She scowled at her phone's camera. Aether had bugged it like some perverted playboy-stalker. She was flattered but would rather have the jerk dead.

Why had she agreed to work for him?

For hot men, she told herself. For Joule...and that new Nightingale. And her childhood dream of being an aura knight.

She opened her contacts. There was one entry: Hubby Aether. A weird name, but she attested it to being a traditional Planet Name name. Or so she hoped.

She changed it to "Hot Jerk" but then hesitated. It was a name with little class; it didn't fit him and couldn't compare to Sexy's.

Ding! Another message.

Mind: "Hot Jerky." Continue texting me or I'll throw a tantrum.

She smiled. That name did him justice. Aether made her drool, but she felt something was off about "Hot Jerky."

She shrugged, set Aether's name to just "Jerky," then sent a message to her brother.

Gen: Did you squash the bug?

Mind: It's still transmitting. But I'm intersecting the data.

Gen: Be a good brother and tell me honestly. Why did you set me up with a gay man?

Mind: I miss you, and his sister reminds me of you. I like her ^-^

Gen: I'm concerned O.O

Mind: Please! You need to help me! I have a tiny request...teeny tiny one.

Gen: Date Fenri? No.

Mind: Just distract Prince Aether. I'll help you cover Dessy's tracks.

Dessy was Descending Rook's nickname—the name Gen used when she dressed as a woman and the name of her nonexistent sister. Dessy was the third reason why Gen decided to work for Aether; somebody had to keep the playboy in check. If he ditched Dessy to go hang with some other woman, her plans would spoil, so she needed someone—herself—to stop him from doing so.

She narrowed her eyes.

Gen: Prince Aether?

Mind: Oh come on. You don't recognize him?

Gen wrinkled her brows then typed "Prince Aether" into the search bar. So many things came up that she was flabbergasted.

And then, as she continued scrolling, her frown deepened and her expression darkened. There was a reason she didn't recognize him; her mind had blocked him and all his achievements from it.

Mind: Before you throw a fit, please be aware that he likes you and his relationship to his cousin is unclear.

Gen: Wtf! He's related to the scum of the universe! I want nothing to do with him.

Mind: Please! I beg of you! Just help me with Fenri's sister. I think I have a chance, but I can't compete with Prince Aether. She's crazy about him. Please take him off the market! I'll do anything orz

Gen scoffed. Texting was too cumbersome to express her anger. She said, "You didn't want me to date Fenri. Did you do something to force Aether to get a Sparrow?

Mind: Maybe t.t

"And the chase?"

Mind: Nope! Not at all.

Gen raised a brow. "Then brother, how did you orchestrate it? Did you know he would recruit me into being his subordinate and make me his aura knight? Did you blackmail him?"

Mind: I had a hunch he would fall in love with you.

"Guh. Just because you love me, why do you assume everyone else would too? Many people hate me. Do I need to remind you?"

Mind: Everyone loves you. I love you <3

She rolled over and stared at the ceiling. It was off-white without overhanging lights. Unlike the pristine white walls of other starships, something was very homey.

It reminded her nothing of the hospitals she so hated.

Lifting her phone, she mashed out another text.

Gen: You better tell me about the relationship between Aether Puresoul and his blasted cousin Janus Puresoul.

Mind: Idk. "Aether Maelstrom." He prefers it that way.

She tsked. She didn't care for his name; he was a Puresoul, and she hated them.

Gen: Dig deep. Find their relation. Is Aether part of the scum's plans?

Mind: Do you hate me? I'll never do it t.t

Gen: I'm sorry :(

No response. Was he ignoring her or having a mental breakdown?

She sighed and covered her face. Why had she touched his trigger? She imagined him hiding in the corner and crying like a small toddler. It must have been dark in his room. He liked the dark; he said it hid the ugliness of the galaxy.

As a teenager he had found something—something that had broken him. Mind was a super-hacker, an aura-breaker with the skills to pinpoint weaknesses, but his greatest talents weren't used. He spied on her and investigated what he classified as "media friendly." He didn't do anything outside this comfort zone, unless it was to recruit kitchen utilities into his bot army.

Gen: I'll do it. And I'll make Aether fall in love with me then smash his heart. Not like he'd fall for me... Maybe Dessy, but not the true me.

Mind: ^-^

She chuckled. He had tricked her and was now gloating, so she hoped.

In the midst of typing a reply, she received another message.

Mind: Your prince is here ;)

Someone knocked.

Gen shoved her phone beneath her thigh then shifted her weight to cover it with her body. Mind would delete their conversation; he wouldn't let anyone have the satisfaction of spying on them. But, there was a certain joy to needlessly hiding the phone. The mere act excited her, stimulating her battle-hardened self to protect what's hers.

She and Mind lived in a world consisting of only them. Outsiders weren't allowed.

Aether furrowed his brows as he entered. He glanced at the poorly hidden cameras.

"Hey man, what's wrong?" Gen asked.

"I got you something." Aether smiled, and his forehead smoothed so quickly she doubted he had been worried.

On cue, her wrist bracelet dinged.

Twenty-five potted spider lilies. To be delivered to her new living quarters.

"Thanks," she said and rubbed her chin. Her mind churned. Was this a test of her intelligence?

What could the spider lilies represent? She recalled that some people planted them around graves and that the bulbs were poisonous.

They were a code to kill someone, she concluded. Was this prince a hitman or did he want her to do it?

Her eyes gleamed, and maybe she was a bit too excited. She didn't enjoy killing, but if it meant holding a gun and getting paid, she'd do it.

She would prefer to be a spy or a bodyguard-cum-chauffeur. Both would be cool. Or a star explorer, which seemed pretty fun.

But an assassin? It was at the bottom of the list, five occupations below "actress." But it made the list for one reason:

"Are we going to assassinate Prince Janus Puresoul?" she asked, half-joking and half-testing.

He flinched; his body stiffened.

"I'm kidding, man." She laughed, keeping a close eye on him. As he loosened, she added, "Wouldn't want to kill your cousin."

He made no reaction to her statement. "You recognized me?"

"Who wouldn't recognize Aether Maelstrom? The cold-hearted general and the star prince of young ladies' dreams."

"You know I prefer 'Maelstrom'?"

Her hands began to sweat, and she cursed Mind. Aether's response was odd, as if he wasn't supposed to be recognized. She thought back to the simple search of his name.

The only pictures of him were the ones where he wore a helmet.

Her lips twitched. How did a prince go about his life without showing his face?

She exaggerated a shrug then lied: "My riders like to talk about you."

"Who?" he asked. The room grew cold.

"Don't remember. Mostly drunk rich kids. The obnoxious ones who get their vehicles impounded."

He sat next to her on the bed, so close that the heat of his skin touched hers. Her heart thumped.

Alone, with him next to her. Pushing him down would be easy, just a little pulse of her aura break. She gulped.

He asked, "You like talking about me?"

She shook her head. "They're the ones who blabber. I saw your name then put the pieces together. I didn't recognize you at first."

"What do you like talking about?" He asked.

"What?" Her eyes widened. When had anyone been interested in what she wanted to say? The jerk was conscientious, and it swayed her. She attested this to hormones.

He repeated, "What do you like talking about?"

"I heard you the first time." She rose to her feet, placing him to her back so he wouldn't see her blush and broken facade.

She was tough, she told herself. A tough, handsome man with a female package. Aether was at most a target to destroy.

"I didn't mean to offend you," he said, standing up from the bed. He stood behind her, and his breath tickled her neck.

Playboy! Her mind screamed as she wrestled with her secret desires. Her thoughts went to an extreme to squash the bug gnawing at her heart.

Who sat beside a lonely woman then stood so ambiguously close? Only a lewd flirt. He possessed foul thoughts for tossing himself at any which woman. And to toss himself at her, that proved how low his standards were.

She pivoted to face him, blush long gone. She flashed a cocky smile. "I enjoy plotting the demise of playboys."

"Playboys?

"Yes. Playboys. I hate playboys."

He nodded, seemingly unaffected by her insults. Did he not realize she referred to him?

Aether said, "I hate gold diggers."

"Love should be strong," she said, suddenly recalling something Law had once told her. "It's the feeling that one would do anything for the other, even reveal their deepest, darkest secrets. It's a bond forged from truth and understanding. It doesn't mean no arguments, but that at the end of the argument, you would have learned more about yourself and your other half."

Aether lowered his head, as if he had been reprimanded.

"You'll find your love and settle down someday." Gen rubbed his head, but then paused, face paling. She had touched the star prince and had treated him like a kid. A fool's actions.

A fiery aura burst from Aether's body. It demanded of reverence, akin to an angel's holy flame. A flame, Gen might add, that wanted to burn her in hell.

The color of his orange eyes plunged, darkening to a midnight blue. They struck Gen as familiar, but she dismissed the sensation to focus on Aether's face.

Could a man become so red with anger? His cheeks and ears were burning.

Then, he stormed from the room, slamming the door behind him.

"Does he hate me?" Gen cocked her head then plopped onto her bed. She gazed at the ceiling.

What had she done? Was it the playboy comment? The assaulting of his hair?

Her phone dinged.

Mind: Why would he hate you? Wait fifteen seconds ;)

She rolled her eyes; she had spoken to herself, not him.