Page 38 of The Space Traveller's Lover
Suddenly, he hears the cell door opening, and then he feels his neck burning. As he tries to grab the twisted sheet, it disintegrates into charring embers. He turns towards the door, dazed and bewildered, his eyes stinging as he opens them wide.
A sprightly figure is standing in front of him. His heart jolts as if nearly coming out of his chest, and his jaw drops in disbelief.
There, in front of him, is the sweet welcoming smile of his dear friend Erin. He can discern the shape of her body as it softly glows against the darkened walls.
“Are you real?” he mouths very slowly.
“Yes, Sam. It’s me, Erin.” She puts her hands on her chest while smiling even wider.
“Oh Erin!” He jumps off the bed and runs towards her.
But as he extends his arms to touch her, he cannot feel her, his fingers sliding down an invisible barrier.
“I cannot even touch you. I cannot feel you. But I can feel this subtle energy coming from you. What is this barrier stopping me?”
“It is my body-shield,” she starts explaining as she gently pushes him onto his bed and makes him sit down next to her.
“At least I can sense your presence … so I guess you’re real,” he says hesitantly, his eyes fixated on her.
“My biomagnetic shield …” she pauses, trying to find the right words to explain. “It protects me from this atmosphere.”
From Sam’s puzzled expression, she can tell it will be quite challenging to make him understand everything she wants to say to him.
“I’ve come to get you out of here. And there was no need for that,” she scolds, pointing at his bruised neck as she grabs the rope’s remnants and burns them with her gloved hands.
“I thought you were dead.” He moans. “I felt so helpless, so inadequate.”
“I understand.” She looks sympathetically at him. “But now you see I have returned. You’re not a liar. It did happen. What you saw—it was real.”
“You certainly came at the right time. What took you so long?”
“I was learning to use my new body. Training to be a true Rom-Ghenshar.”
“A what?”
“I am one of them, Sam, a Rom-Ghenshar, as it happens … they created me.”
“Ha! they created you …” Sam frowns at her in distrust. “How do I know you’re Erin, anyway? You look similar, but you’re not the same. Your hair is white. Your pupils glow too brightly. You even look taller.”
“Ask me a question only you and I would know the answer to,” she dares him.
“What did you tell me when I tried to kiss you?” he asks her, trying as hard as he can to conceal his anxiety.
“I didn’t have time to respond. The currents dragged the boat away.”
“Answer me now, Erin,” Sam pleads. “I’ve been waiting for your answer since then.”
“It doesn’t matter anymore,” she whispers, turning her face away from him and looking down. “I’m not the same girl you used to know.”
“In what way?” he asks her in dismay.
“I mean …” She hesitates, looking poignantly at him. “It will never work.”
“Yeah. So he took you, changed you, Erin. Now he owns you—”
“But you’ll always be my best friend, that’s for sure!” She cheerfully says, but Sam’s face is only getting gloomier.
“What has he done to you? Who are these aliens?” he grumbles, standing up and leaning against the wall with his head down, his arms folded as if in complete denial.
