Page 45 of Einar

“Ido not have the time, or the inclination to leave med bay.MyStarshineis clinging to her sanity by a thread, andIdare not leave her.Youcan just fill me in afterKallentells you whatever it is that she has to say.”

Severaltics go by without a response, soIglance down at my wrist comm and see that the light is off.Bikarcut the line without replying to my statement.

Good!Ido not have time for his idiocy right now.

Ino sooner have that thought when my comm chimes a second time.WhenIignore it and the second chime,Bikaroverrides the privacy controlsIimplemented last night and his annoyingly perky voice floats through the air from the speakers imbedded in the ceiling, forcing me to listen to him over theZenith’smain comm system whetherIlike it or not.

“Goodnews,Einar.Youdo not have to leave the med bay at all!Everyoneis going to gather there forKallen’sbig chat, and before you snarl at me,Slavicis the one who told me to tell you to ‘make room for us.’”

BeforeIcan reply,Ihear the soft click of the comm cutting off.Frustrationrolls through me.Rowanbarely tolerates my company.Howis she going to react to a room pull of males twice her size?Theanswer is not well.Especiallyif things get loud.Shewill retreat even further into herself than she already has.

Decidingagainst pressuring her with my presence getting any closer to her,Imove around the med bay organizing and putting items in their place.Thehectic nature of the last several risings have taken a toll on my orderly space.Ido not needBikarorFalontouching things, so everything must be put rights.

Thankfully, my chore does not take me long.Rowanhas not moved from her corner, soIjog back into my room to hit the refreshing chamber before my brothers show up.Isigh in relief asIvoid my screaming bladder and hit the button to flush the waste away before moving over to the basin to cleanse my teeth.Imay not have the same type of hardware in my mouth thatRowanis used to, butIcan at least make sure they are clean as well as making sure my breath is fresh.

Rinsingthe tooth powder out of the basin,Iput my oral groomer away and leave.Pickingup the garments from yesterday,Igrimace at the scent emanating from them before tossing them in the receptacle for dirty linens.Thosedefinitely did not pass the smell test.Sheddingmy sleeping attire,Itoss it in the receptacle and enter my wardrobe to pick out a fresh set of attire for the waking cycle.

Donningclean trousers and feet coverings,Irush back out into my room to put my boots on.JustasIam securing the last clasp on my second boot, a booming knock from the primary door to the med bay announces the arrival of my brothers.

Huffingin frustration,Istomp back through the room, shoot a glance over at my mate (she still has not moved from her corner), and pause before placing my hand on the lock to release it.MaybeifIrefuse to let them in, they will take a fracking hint and leave me be.

“Einar, open the frackin door.”Slavic’sloud, rough voice reaches me through the closed door andIsnicker a bit whenIsee the lock turn red, denying his palm print access to enter the room.

“Notright nowSlavic, whatever is so important can be relayed to me at a later date.”

Iknow it is futile, butIhad to try once more.Rowanneeds the quiet.

“Rubywants to see her sister.Youcan either open the door and allow that, orIwill break it down and demand it.”

Growlingto myself,Irelease the lock and open the door a crack to peer out atSlavic. “Rowanis not handling this well right now, andIam scared you will only set her back further.”

Iam unsure what my face looks like, but the sympathetic winceRubygives me is telling and prompts her to help me.

“Getout of the way,GreenGiant, and let me talk to her.”

Ihesitate briefly before stepping back out of the way and fully opening the door for them to enter.Ruby’sface creases in concern when her eyes land on an empty bed.

“Ok, where is she?”

Wordlessly,Ipoint toward the cornerRowanis hiding in.OnceRuby’seyes land on her sister, her demeanor relaxes a little before she grabs a blanket offRowan’sbed, talking over her shoulder as she moves toward her sister. “Shit, she used to do this when we were kids.Youtwo just hang out, this might take a minute.”

Iwake up in a full-blown night terror induced panic attack.Robert’sfound me and he’s going to get me.Launchingmyself out of bed in this odd-looking room,Ilook around frantically for a place to hide.

There!

Acabinet is pushed against the wall, and sticks out a bit, making the perfect place to hide fromRobert.Runningover to my new hidey-hole,Islide down the wall until my butt hits the ground.Drawingmy knees up,Iwrap my arms around myself asIrock back and forth, trying to calm myself down.

“Rowan?”

Robert’svoice calls to me from across the room, but it sounds a bit off.Whimpering,Ishrink further into myself asItry to find the quiet place in my mind.Idon’t want to live through what he’s about to do to me.

“Run, run, hide away… the monster holds no sway…I’lllive another day.”

SeveraltimesIfeel a presence in the room, but it doesn’t speak.Whyis he waiting?WhatisRobertup to now?

“Run, run, hide away… the monster holds no sway…I’lllive another day.”

Suddenly, there’s a comforting darkness all around me andIfeel my sister’s warmth seeping into my freezing cold body.

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