Page 36 of Collateral Omega

Holi

“Holi? You know what’s supposed to happen, right?” Saki asked, handing him a glass of water. Holi stared at it. He wasn’t thirsty, sleepy or hungry. He was just… numb. For hours, he’d stared at his father’s lifeless body until Saki dragged him out of the room to the cooking station where she begged him to eat. Sleep. Do anything, but stare into space like an emotionless doll.

“Holi?”

“I…” his voice caught, feeling like he hadn’t used it in a long time. “I know. I need to connect with the authorities, report his death and then pay for transportation and cremation services.”

“Good,” Saki said. “Let’s do that. I’ll connect with the authorities. You go make the payments.”

Holi nodded. He went in search for his father’s data reader in his room. Holi tried his best not to look at the still body as he searched around the bed. He found the data reader and quickly rushed out of the room. Holi leaned against the wall as he clicked through the data reader to his father’s credit account.

Holi’s heart froze when he saw the balance. He couldn’t be seeing right, could he?

There was nothing. No credit, no savings…nothing. His father’s account was in overdraft.

No, this can’t be right. Holi searched for another account, but there was nothing on the data reader that indicated that his father might have had a second account.

Holi stared at the data reader, his mind spinning.

This can’t be happening, he told himself over and over. But it was fucking happening. He had no credit. Nothing.

Holi slid down the wall and sat on the floor, defeated.

“Holi? What’s going on?”

“I checked father’s credit account. There’s nothing. I don’t have any credit to put him to rest or to pay you for this month or to live. I don’t have anything. This is…” Holi shook his head, trying so hard not to cry. He couldn’t break down.

Not when there was so much to do. But he needed credit. At least there was something coming his way. Holi didn’t even know what influenced him to ask the pod operator for a refund. It was embarrassing as hell, but he was glad he did it. At least he would have credit for transporting his father’s remains. He would sort out the rest after. Saki pulled him into her arms and held him tight. Holi sat ramrod straight, not sure why she was holding him like that.

“You can cry if you want to,” she whispered, rubbing his back. “Don’t keep it all in.”

But Holi was too numb to cry. He had to keep moving.

“I’m fine,” he said, pushing Saki away gently as he got to his feet.

“Holi…”

“No. It’s time for me to grow up and make my own decisions. I can’t sit here and cry. My father is gone. Tears won’t bring him back.”

“That’s good and all. But you can’t do this alone, Holi,” she said.

“But I must.” He couldn’t rely on Saki. What if she leaves too?

Fear gripped Holi. All his life there was always someone there. Someone to think for him. Someone to hold his hand and tell him what to do. He had to learn to stand on his own while Saki was still there.

“I’ll help you then,” Saki said.

“Okay. May I use your connector?” Holi said. “That’s all I need.”

“Holi…”

“Please,” he said, tears prickling his eyes because he wanted to lean on her, to cry until he couldn’t cry anymore. To let the tremors going through his body take over. But he couldn’t, not if he wanted to survive life out there. Without his father there, he couldn’t stay in the house. Or he could get bonded to Saki – she might be way older than him, but she was a good alpha. She would be good to him. Holi shook his head, before the idea took shape.

Holi wanted a male alpha. He’d never dreamed of a female alpha, and he wasn’t attracted to them either. He craved a male alpha with his mind and body.

Saki walked to the cooking station and came back a few minutes later with her connector. She handed it to him. Holi took it and made his way to his room. He stepped inside the room and froze for a second as he stared at his empty bed. His father’s lifeless body still lingered in his mind. He quickly looked away, clicking through the connector. He searched for the health centre’s code on their site and asked for Sirhe.

They told him to wait.

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