Page 45 of Slavic

Walkinginto the weird alien bathroom,Istep up onto the stool that magically appeared afterIasked for it and stare at the dark marks on my skin.Rubbingmy fingers across my neck, you’d never knowIwasn’t born with this mark, as it seems to be imbedded within my skin.Insteadof it being huge likeSlavic’s, it’s daintier.Justfollows the outline of my collarbones before merging between my breasts.

“Mysister is going to flip out when she sees this.”

Notbeing much of a morning person,Iwalk into the strange, steamy shower and stand there.Lettingmy body soak up the heat before washing all, andIdo mean all, of our combined funk off.Flippingit off,Istep out to dry myself; my mind strangely quiet, all things considered.Wrappingthe towel around me,Istep through the bedroom and intoSlavic’scloset.Expectingto see the mess that was in there the last time,I’mshocked to findall of my stuff hung up neatly on one side, and everything else put in its place.

“He’snot only a monster in bed but can clean and do laundry.Keeperif there ever was one.”

Grabbingthe first thingIsee;Islide the gown on before returning to the mirror to do something with all this hair.Runningmy fingers through it until it’s untangled,Istart picking up bottles untilIfind something close to a leave in conditioner.OnceI’veapplied it,Iquickly braid it over my shoulder, then walk out the door, only to findSlaviccoming toward me with a huge tray in his hands.

“Whatway you headed good lookin?Youwant some company?”

Hesmiles again andInotice he’s doing that a lot more lately.Hebends down, kissing the top of my head while managing the tray. “Youlook lovely,Starshine.Come,Iwant to show you something.”

“Doyou need some help with that?”

“Weare not going far.”

Tomy surprise, we only walk two doors down before he skims his palm over the door scanner, unlocking it so it silently slides open.Thelights are dim, but it’s easy to see it’s a very small space with nothing inside it but a large chair.

“Ifwe’re going to do the dirty in here, we’ll need to get creative.”Whenthe door slides closed behind him, the room brightens and suddenly we are surrounded by a landscape. “Awesome, what is this?”

“It’sa hologram simulator room.Rightnow, it is set to my preferences, but we can change or add anything you would like.”

Fora few minutes,Ijust sit there watching the entire room change from one scene to the next. “Thethings it’s showing, are they real places?”

“Yes, the one there now is of my home planet,Uzrul.Everyso many ticks, it changes to a different location throughout the known galaxy.Faloninstalled this quite some time ago, as we were all getting what they call space sickness.Weare a race born and raised planetside and the confines of this ship, including the intense darkness of space was negatively affecting us.Someof these are so realistic you can feel the breeze and smell the air projected on the screens in the walls.Thiswas the only open area on theZeniththat was not being used, so that is why it is so small.Sit, we will eat and admire the beauty around us.”

“Thisis really cool.Inever dreamed that things like this would’ve been needed, but it makes perfect sense now that you explained it.”Sittingdown,IhelpSlavicmaneuver the tray until he settles beside me in the chair.ScootingcloserIglance down at the food. “Isthat a piece of pizza?”

“Iam not sure.Falonacquired the materials the replicator needed to provide your species with its preferred sustenance.”

“Let’sjust see.”Imoan out as the not-pizza melts in my mouth.

“Doesthis mean it is acceptable?Iknow you and the others have not been consuming much.”

“Foodhas been the least of my concerns since all this happened.Thelittle bar things you gave me tasted like dirt but quickly filled me up, so they were fine.Ihad already accepted thatIwasn’t ever going to have another good meal, but you’ve redeemed yourself with something that looks like pizza but tastes like chicken.I’msure if you show me this food thing, with a little bitof tweakingIcould come up with all kinds of goodies.Ohh, look at this one.NowIwouldn’t mind lying on that beach.”

“ThatisTargresFour.Itis a vacation moon on the other side of the universe.Theonly reason we know of it or have these images, is the ship thatFalonbought this from was aBanhancruiser.Itwas being stripped piece by piece of its parts, but that race patrolled everywhere before their ship was destroyed.

“Thereare so many different species out here.Iknow that’s normal for you, but not whereIcome from.STOP!”,Iyell out when what appears to be the redwoods ofCaliforniascroll across the screen.

“Isthis, … or was this your world?Ihave often wondered where this was when it flashed upon screen.Thissector has nothing like it, and it is unlabeled.”

“Ibelieve it is.Personally,Iwas never able to visit that specific area, butIalways wanted to.It’scrazy to think about it all being gone now.Eventhough you’ve told meEarthwas destroyed, that’s more unbelievable than me being here with you right now.Howdoes an entire world just go away?”

“AllIknow is rumors that say … it was a planet destroying storm.Iwill requestBikarto investigate this further if you would like me too.Iam sorry that anything that beautiful is now gone.Theplanet had to be magical in order to have created you and the others of your kind.Iam sure there are many things that you will miss.Youhave not really spoken much of yourself up until now.Iam not prying, just curious.”

“Iwas always the one with impossible dreams and no real roots anywhere.Asa young girl,Iwas determined to forge my own dreams, yet despite moving, changing jobs, and dating,Ineverfound them.Thenlife changed three-sixty for me.Oneday,I’mon the run trying to save my sister, giving up allI’dever worked for without a second thought, in order to keep her safe.Thenwe’re lying down in bed after traveling for days, believing we’re finally safe and waking up in a cage surrounded by snakes.JustwhenIthought all hope was lost, in you stroll, … growls and all.WasIterrified?Damnstraight!Bothmentally and physicallyIwas done, andIhad no more to give at that point.Nowjust days later,Ifind thatIdon’t ever want to wake up anywhere else, but in your arms.It’sstrange how quickly things can change and how little it takes to adapt when you have to.”

Lookingup at him,Ican see the concern in his eyes. “Slavic, this might sound cold, or unfeeling, but the momentI… we were taken, … that world died to me.ButifIdwell on it anymore,I’llgo crazy.”

“Thereused to be people that would preach the end of the world every time a disaster, or something unspeakable happened back home.Iwould get caught up in the turmoil, the news, and all the chaos, just like everyone else.UntilIlost mom, that’s the dayIrealized when the world truly ends, it wasn’t just becauseI’dlost her.Thatwas painful enough, because in that moment it all stopped for her.Thesecond you take your last breath is the end of everything for you.Thatway of life and world ended for me the momentIwoke up in that damn cage, staring at a snake man.Istill have no idea how they were able to get to us in that cave.Imean, we were underground for heaven’s sakes.”

Slavicpauses as he lifts another piece of dark meat off the tray. “TheJega’shome planet is mostly rock, and they seem to be able to compress their bodies down to incredibly small sizes.Youthought you were safe, but instead it was in an easy location for them to infiltrate.”

“Well, that explains that, then.”Iwatch asSlavicrubs his chest. “Areyou feeling alright?That’sthe second timeI’veseen you do that since we’ve been in here.”

“Itis the heartbond.Iam feeling some of your emotions.”

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