Page 19 of LeX

“Letme see,”Hestands there quietly for a moment. “Ahyes, thankfullyIam able to verify that she is indeedRylieElizabethHicks, approximately thirty-three years of age.Bothparental units passed before earth was destroyed, andIhave no siblings on record.Shehas several medical degrees, but this one in particularIbelieve will interest you the most.Shewas a surgeon in the maternity ward of her local hospital.Thatis only one of two medical degrees she had achieved; the more important oneis in prenatal care.Inother words, she had a lot of knowledge on the younglings and the skills to care for them and their mothers.”

“Wait, then how or why was she working in theScientificcenter withQwin?”

“Thecompany records show she had an outstanding attendance and work record, up until she suddenly resigned and relocated to a different part of her state.Theydo not tell me what or why, simply that one day she packed up everything and left the area.Iam sorryIcannot provide you with a more detailed history.”

“No,Iappreciate you taking your time to come here personally.Itwasn’t the helpIwas hoping for, but any information is better than none.Howare the humans adjusting in your care?”

“Somebetter than others.Iunderstand why the scientists took such extreme measures to save theHumanrace, butIdo not think they thought past that point.Somewill never adaptLeX, andIfeel those will be the ones that have it the hardest moving forward.MeKis en route to their new habitat, but he is not the most personable.Ihave askedCommanderDaRto see what other sons or acquaintances might be in or around the area that could help quicken the reconstruction of their world and possibly make their views of other races more common and less terrifying.Hewas reaching out to several others whenDestinycommed me.”

“IknowKyTandBuK’shome planets are close to that sector, they might be able to help out.Ihave not seenKyTsince our holiday dinner several orbital rotations ago.Heis not one to leave his home planet frequently, but that is common in our family.Someof us are just closer than the others.Pleasekeep me posted if it is not too much troubleANDI.”

“Itwill be my pleasureMedicLeX, andIwish you great success with your mate and her speedy recovery.Duringthis spare moment,Iwill chat with myLittleBeamofLightin the sky.”

Ijust shake my head whenANDIpops out of existence.Ido believe that male could give the rest of us pointers on how to sweet talk our mates.Withno other course to follow,Isit down to initiate the last transfusion.Oncewe are hooked up,Isettle the scanner on my head and pick up the holo pad.

Ifeel a small hand on my nose. “Hey, you still in there?”Petalis trying to get my attention.

“I’msorry,Izoned out on you.Thatjust brought back so many memories.Thepuppy’s name wasRocky.Healways played with me whenIwas little.Man,Iloved that dog.Hewasn’t a puppy though, he just thought he was.Hehas been gone for years.Inever wanted another dog after him.Nothingcould replace him in my eyes.”

“Iwondered whyIhadn’t seen that puppy in quite a few seasons, and to think of it,Ihaven’t seen the older lady this last season.Isthis why you’re so sad?Maybeyou should cry.Ihave always felt better after a good one.”

“Yeah, that was my grandmother, and she is the reasonIhave been so out of it this year.Imiss her so bad, butIhave never been much of a crier.Myemotions never seem to come out that way.Itend to let things build up until they’re more in control of me thanIam of them.Butanyway, she would have loved you.Wesearched every year in the blooms, trying to find a fairy.”

“Weknow,SpiritMotheralways enjoyed the stories your grandmother told.Alot of evenings, when we were all settled down in the leaves for the evening, she would tell them to us.So,you see,Ihave been talking about you for seasons.Iwatched you grow up, more or less.”

“Howdo you explain the 122-season thing?Anddon’t give me that look.Itold youIwas gonna have a hundred questions.”

“Well, how doImake you understand?”Shewas tapping her finger on her forehead. “Ok, for example, at the end of a season, let’s say like spring, summer, or even when one falls too soon likeIdid.Whenwe touch the ground, our spirits are absorbed back into theEarth.SpiritMotherkeeps all of our spirits alive in her seeds for the next year, or shouldIsay for her future blooms.Whenthe time is right,MotherEarthpushes her essence out into the roots of all trees, including mySpiritMother, and her essence brings the blooms back to life in the form of us.”

Thistime whenIenterRylie’sworld, it is not as vibrant as before, but her tree seems to be lit up from inside.Ican see the tree’s inner roots moving water and minerals all the way to the top of its canopy.Thesight is beautifully odd and at first,Ido not seeRylieright away as she is laying so close to its massive trunk, asleep.Decidingnot to wake her,Iwalk over and sit by her side, watching her as she lays there peacefully.Myeyes roam around the inner workings of her mind, wondering if this is a place she has been before.

“LeXis that you?”Hereyes are big like she has been startled suddenly.

“Itis, are you wellRylie?”

“Idon’t know anymore, something is wrong.Ikeep having these terrible dreams and every time it happens,Isee those dark clouds in the distance.Theyfrighten me, andIdon’t know why.Ihave always enjoyed the smell of rain on a hot summer’s day.Therain always seems to pass through the area, cleansing the world as it goes.Often,Iwondered how far the rain clouds traveled only to decide to release their heavy load all around me.Butthose storms in the distance, they’re bringing change.”

“Isthat bad?”

“Idon’t like it; change always brings pain.Myheart is heavy already, do you know why?Ican’t seem to remember, butIknow it has something to do with these dreams.”

“Doyou really want to know?Toremember?”

“Ifeel likeIshould, but … sometimes it’s just easier not to.WhenItry to recall howIgot here, there is nothing but blankness.Sohow do you recollect, or believe anything is real or make believe if there isn’t anything to show you the way?Idon’t even know if this is real.It’slike my dreams are having dreams or as ifI’mstuck in some sort of simulator.Iwish someone would notice and turn it off.Igrow tired of all this confusion.”

“Rylie, this is your happy place.Noone is pushing you to do anything, and you can stay here as long as you like; rest your thoughts until your mind clears.Wouldyou like to take a walk with me?”Shenods her head and this time whenIreach my hand out, she puts hers in mine andIlift both of us to our feet.

Wewalk silently hand in hand for a while andIdon’t push her to talk.Isimply enjoy her company as we walk slowly.Shedoesn’t seem to notice that nothing is moving around us, that no matter where or how you look it’s all still the same.Asmall stream appears in front of me and asIglance down,Ican see myself standing next to her clearly.Istart to step back becauseIdon’twant her to ask me to leave again, butIknow she needs to face what’s coming.

Rylieleans down, her fingers pausing just above the water’s surface when she sees my reflection.Sheglances up, butImust appear differently in front of her than in the water.

“LeXis this you in the water?”

“Yes.”

“You… are yellow.”

“Yes,Iam.”

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