EvO (Darverius, House of DaR #16)

Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

QWIN

Sipping on the sweet tea-like drink. I don’t know how long I lay here staring up at the ceiling lost in my own thoughts when suddenly a groan catches my attention. Turning towards the other bed, bright yellow eyes seek me out the moment they open.

Swallowing , I force the words out. I am determined to see him as a person, not an alien or something to be scared of. “ Thank you, I don’t know why you did what you did, but thank you for saving me.” He doesn’t answer me at first, as he is having to tilt his head back to see me clearly.

“ Lex , can you move our beds more parallel? Then turn the lights up slightly.”

“ I will as long as you agree to remain in bed.”

“ LeX , I have no place I would rather be right now.”

The room lightens up enough that I can see him better, and I duck under the covers, trying to hide the blush I know is all over my face when his bed settles only a few feet away from mine. Glancing back up, I find him lying on his side simply looking at me, a small grin on his face. “ Well , at least you’re not running away screaming, that’s a good thing. How is your translator working?”

“ It’s odd, the words don’t match your lips, but I’m not complaining. It’s much better than not being able to understand anything at all. Things are odd enough already without that issue.”

“ Understandable . I think you are doing quite well considering the circumstances. Not sure I would be as calm if our situations were reversed.”

“ If you look at it that way it’s a good thing we’re not on Earth , they would have captured you and probably cut you up in tiny little pieces in the name of science. You are not planning on doing anything like that with me are you? There are no dice up the human girl machines in this medical room, are there?”

“ No , I prefer you all in one pretty piece.”

I act like I don’t hear his compliment. “ Why did you do it? If where you found me was so dangerous, why would you take that chance for a perfect stranger.”

“ I could lie, I reckon. Tell you it was the noble thing to do and all that, but truthfully. I can’t really answer that. I woke up that rising and saw your pod right outside my quarters. The moment it started flashing yellow, well nothing was going to stop me from getting you out of that death trap. I was asked to let another go, but for some reason, it had to be me.”

“ I don’t know if, faced with the same decision, I would have done the same for you and now you are stuck here with me.”

“ True , but since the moment I heard about the possibility others of your kind were possibly lost out there. I’ve been on a mission. Pushing my crew and this ship to its limits every rising, refusing to admit defeat. Now that I think back on it, I knew you were out here somewhere.

“ It’s been such a long time since I’ve taken a moment for myself that I have forgotten how to relax. Now , being in here with you, I have no other choice. I am fascinated with your culture and your world, Qwin . If you feel like it, would you be willing to talk to me about it? You have traveled across the cosmos and survived. That in itself is a miracle.”

“ I feel like a circus animal that everyone is staring at. All of you wondering if I will adapt, or attack my caregivers.”

“ I’m sorry, I don’t understand what that means. If I am making you uncomfortable, I can ask LeX to put a divider in the room to give you some privacy.”

“ No ! Please don’t do that. I have been alone far too long already it seems, and that’s not simply the time I had in the pod on the way to here … wherever that is. Even though I am an emotional mess right now, I don’t mind your questions. I have several myself, but you may want to be more specific with what you would like to know about me.

“ Because right now my mind is having a hard time with the facts. I feel like I shut my eyes one day and then opened them here. I can come up with no reasonable explanation for where I am now. Technically , in my mind. I got up this morning and watched the news. Kissed Mom on the cheek, then scratched Emmy on the head before rushing out the door so I wouldn’t be late for work. I am not supposed to be … here.”

A sob leaves my throat and I blink away the tears, making myself calm down because crying won’t help anything. When I finally get ahold of myself, I glance back over at him. He hasn’t moved, but there is no missing the emotions on his face. He is as lost as I am on how to handle me.

“ Forgive me, I didn’t think past my own curiosity. The last thing I wanted to do was cause you more grief.”

“ It wasn’t my intention to fall apart, but I suspect this won’t be the last time it occurs, either. I am an emotional basket case right now and that’s really not me. I hate to cry, it always makes me feel bad afterwards, but I have no idea ‘ WHY ME ’. That question alone is bothering me more than anything else. So many others deserved to live, but here I am instead. A nobody, left to carry on the human race.”

“ We are not meant to understand the will of our god, but you are exactly where you are supposed to be. Fate weaves its threads tightly so that we can’t see the beginning or the end. Most of the time they are so twisted around we feel lost, but in the end, all things are answered. Instead of why? Ask yourself now what and step forward. Looking back will only fill your heart full of pain and disappointments. You have been given a chance to make a difference and change the things that went wrong.”

“ Just aren’t gonna let a girl wallow, are you?”

“ Never seen anything good come from guilt.”

“ I wasn’t ready. I didn’t even get to say goodbye, they took my choices away.”

“ There is never enough time, Qwin . If you had so many Orbital rotations you forgot half of them, we would still ask for more. My species is much longer lived than yours and still, our lives are gone in the blink of an eye.”

“ This translator thing isn’t getting all your words right. What is an Orbital rotation?”

“ Destroyer , do you have a time frame reference from Earth , can you clarify?”

“ I would be happy to, Captain EvO . Mistress Qwin , an Orbital rotation is the measurement around our present universe’s sun. On Earth , this would have been called a year. A Lunar rotation is the same as a month, and a rotation you would refer to as a single day. Captain , I would like to report that we have made it a significant distance since you retired last darkness. We will be approaching the edge of the Nebula within two rotations, if my calculations are correct.”

“ Thank you, Destroyer .”

I hear the speaker click off. “ Well , that was different, how did it know to answer you so quickly?”

“ She is always listening; all you have to do is say her name. Frack , my brothers have me calling the ship a ‘her’ now.”

“ I take it that’s a bad thing?”

“ No , just something I am going to have to get used to. We have so many sentient systems it’s hard not to see them as more than they are. Just wait until you meet SAGE , she is amazing, if not a little overwhelming. From my understanding, she started out as a simple dwelling program. Once father obtained Kira , the system took it upon itself to make Kira as welcome and safe as possible. Now each one of the females considers her one of their best friends and accomplice when they get into things they shouldn’t.”

“ Wow , I have no words. I really am in the twilight zone.” I curl on my side and just look at him. His face is so expressive, with a strong jawline and an amazingly small nose for a guy. “ How long were we out there?”

“ Time is different here, but I would think it was several of your years. The blast of the planet imploding sent a shock wave so strong that it forced all of you into a void. A black hole that spit you out into our solar system.”

“ So , I am not even in the same solar system? What became of the Milky Way ?”

“ I have no idea, but once we are free of this Nebula , I can ask for more information on it if you would like.”

“ Thanks , I am sure I’m not the only one who will be asking for as much information as possible. Did you find very many of us?”

“ We did, the Lord of Light guided our way, and just when I was about to give up hope, there you all were. It took everyone on this ship to gather the pods in and secure them to the haul safely, but I was very proud of my crew when it was accomplished successfully.”

“ Why can’t you bring them in? Isn’t there enough room?”

“ The Nebula is a toxic swirling mass of deceptive beauty. Her gasses usually dissolve anything within and few things are ever spit out. She has a rabid hunger and as she floats endlessly through the cosmos, she tends to eat up anything in her path. When we entered the Nebula , I ordered everything sealed, and under no circumstances was anything to be opened to the outside. Yet here you are.”

“ Here I am, and you were hurt in the process.”

“ What’s the price of a few scars, in terms of your life? My legs are and will heal. Yes , they are still slightly tender in places, but nothing unbearable.”

“ So , what happens to me now? I’ve spent my entire existence with a list of things that needed to be done. I’m not sure I’ll have any skills in your world.”

“ There is always a list to be made, and I am sure you will find something once we are out of here. Especially , when we start waking the others up. Familiar faces will help with the transition. You mentioned your mother and I believe an animal. Were you forced away from your mate as well?”

“ You mean a guy? No … Now that I think about it, the ironic part is that I was on a blind date when the government sent the original notice out on all TVs and cell phones about the destruction headed our way. He didn’t even spare me a second glance when the screens turned black. Before I could say a word, he was out the door, in his car, and gone. Leaving before I even had time to react to the news or him abandoning me there. Because of all the chaos, it took me forever to find a way home that evening. The world went to shit afterward quickly. I would have quit my job the very next day if they hadn’t promised a place for my Mother and me.”

“ He was unworthy of you, or any other, to leave you stranded like that. In my world, that type of behavior is not tolerated.”

“ Good to know, as it’s … well was a common thing on Earth . He isn’t the first guy to walk out of my life. My Father left when I was young. He tried the first few years to stay in touch, but a new job took him a few states away and we simply drifted apart. He would call from time to time, and always sent a card for my birthday, but we were not close like me and Mom .

“ Mom never remarried, didn’t date much either even though she was still young and quite attractive. The few times I brought the subject up, she would say she had everything she needed. Me and a good book. She loved to sit on the porch and read while curled up in a blanket. Mom seemed to thrive outside, and I wondered often how she was going to react to being locked up in a bunker for years. In the winter months because it was always cold and cloudy. She seemed to wilt like a flower seeking out the warmth of the sun, only to perk back up again when it got warm again.”

I wipe the tears away when I realize she will never see another sunrise. Nor will I ever hear her singing in the kitchen as she cooks supper. I won’t get those hugs that make everything ok. She died without me and now I am truly alone in a world I don’t belong. Closing my eyes, I fight the emotions flooding my mind. “ I apologize once again, EvO . I am simply overwhelmed. It’s just too much all squished together in my mind.”

“ Cry your tears, Qwin . Let the feelings out that are clouding your mind and thoughts. There is no shame in expressing yourself.”

His kind words open a flood that I can’t seem to stop. I can tell EvO is torn as he starts to get out of bed several times. LeX says something in the background, but I am so wrapped up in my head and all that I have lost. I can’t hear what he is saying. My arms start to feel cold and I find myself drifting off. I don’t question or fight it. I simply let it pull me under. The pain quiets in the darkness of sleep.