Chapter 5
CHAPTER 5
Lauren
I wake up disoriented. I am strangely warm and comfortable, and it feels foreign to me. It’s also quiet, and I slowly open my eyes. Not wanting to set anybody off or alerting them to the fact that I’m waking up.
My stomach feels empty and I feel a bit weak, but I don’t sense any discomfort or pain at all. It also seems like I am lying in a bed. My eyes scan the room I am in, and when I see the light in the corner, yesterday comes back to me. I move to sit up and my hand rests on something very firm, not bed-like at all.
I blink and then I see I am lying on top of the alien warrior. I gasp. I want to scream but I am too scared to react. What is he doing here, what happened? I stealthily crawl out of his embrace and sit at the edge of the bed, blankets cover my clothed body. And then he opens his eyes and looks at me .
“Please do not be afraid,” he says. “You were hurting, in the night, in your dreams.”
I blush, of course I had nightmares. I have them almost every night, but I can’t remember them waking me up, come to think about it. I cock my head and study him.
“You helped me,” I say. He nods and I continue. “You held me.” And then I sigh. “I remember being so warm, so blissfully warm...”
He grins. “That would be me, L’Ren. You were cold, and I am sorry I touched you when you were not aware, but I had to help you. I did not know any other way. When my touch seemed to help, I stayed.”
His words are simple, but they shake me up. Could it be true? Could his touch have comforted me? It makes sense, I guess... He makes me feel safe, for a yet to be unraveled reason, so he could have been able to calm me down in my terrors.
“Thank you,” I simply say.
He blinks. “You are welcome."
I get up and walk towards the bathroom. I self-consciously point at the door. “Bathroom,” I whisper. He doesn’t move, just watches me go into the room.
After I do my business, I look into the mirror. Those injections they gave me must have been some very advanced tech, because I look so much better than I thought I would. There’s no bruising to be found and although I am way too skinny and my eyes look sad, I do look… good. Healthy.
I decide I don’t want to dwell on how I must have looked yesterday and instead focus on the mess that is my hair. It’s all tangled and it looks like quite the bird’s nest to me. I sigh, maybe I should ask D’Var to cut it off? He must have a sharp enough blade.
When I enter the bedroom again, D’Var is already up and about. The bed is made, and the blinds are up. All my insecurities disappear in the face of what is outside of the windows and I gasp at the beauty. I don’t know what I expected to think of outer space, but it is stunning.
I am entranced by the view as I walk up to the window, putting my hands on the glass. It’s almost as if we are hovering silently in space, but if I pay close attention, I can see some of the stars moving slowly towards a new position. As if I’m on the highway and slowly passing the trees on the horizon.
The sky is extraordinary. A deep rich black filled with stars. Some are so bright they seem white, others a deep orange or red. Then in the distance, I can see what looks like a space nebula. Deep blues and purples covering the edges. It’s unlike anything I have ever seen before.
I feel D’Var’s presence besides me before I hear him speak. “Beautiful, isn’t it?”
I nod. “I have never seen anything like it.”
He cocks his head and I feel his gaze on me.
“Have you not seen this view before?”
“No,” I say absent-mindedly my entire being focused on space. “I have always been locked up.” The second the words leave my mouth, I regret them. I don’t want to be whiney... I also don’t want to think about that part anymore.
D’Var stays silent and I turn my head towards him. It’s his turn to look out at space then he looks back at me.
“Come with me and let me get you something to eat, and then I can tell you a bit more about us, the Warriors of Arracate?”
My stomach feels awfully hollow at those words, and I quickly agree. Together we leave the room.
When we enter the Command Center, I see one of the others is already there. It’s the big scary one. I really want to channel my inner bad-ass bitch, but she is still in hiding and I huddle closer to D’Var .
“I will not hurt you,” the big guy says. I blush, am I that transparent? D’Var looks at me funny.
“What is wrong with your face, L’Ren?” he asks. I giggle at the absurdity of that question and then I figure he probably has never seen a human blush before.
“Um... when humans get embarrassed, their cheeks can flush. It’s called blushing. I was feeling ashamed because your friend called me out on me being afraid.”
“There is no need to feel shame, my Zarra,” D’Var tells me. “Many fierce warriors are terrified of the name T’Rak alone. Our captain has once held the front lines of our fleet in battle and his name was whispered amongst our enemies.”
“You have enemies?” I whisper. D’Var nods and looks grim.
“The history of the Arracate is not a happy one, I must admit. But we will speak of that later, when you are not distracted by hunger.” He winks. And I melt. There go those conflicted feelings again. I really need to talk about that, this pull, why his nearness makes me feel better. But he is right, food first.
“Where is your kitchen?” I ask. D’Var blinks.
“Kit-Sjen?” he asks.
“Yes, kitchen,” I say. “The place where you prepare the food. Maybe um… what’s the word… Right, a mess hall?” I feel proud. See how useful Star Trek can be?
“We do not have a mess hall,” D’Var says.
“Well, where do you eat?” I ask.
“Here,” he states, and I blink.
“This is a Command Center,” I start slowly and D’Var nods, clearly having no clue as to where I am going with this conversation.
“Yes, this is the Command Center”
“You eat in the Command Center? ”
“Is that bad?” he asks, speaking slowly as to make sure he doesn't say the wrong thing.
“Well, no…” I start, pausing to think. “But where do you prepare the food? What do you eat?”
D’Var shrugs. “Noodles,” he says.
“Noodles?” I parrot. He nods but stays silent. This is a very weird conversation.
“Would you like some?” he asks. I agree, still feeling stunned.
I sit myself down on the couch, and D’Var walks towards a side cabinet at the back of the Command Center. I see him fumbling about with a bowl and a package of noodles. I hear some sizzling and steaming and then he walks towards me with two bowls of noodles.
He sits down next to me, hands me my bowl and begins slurping his own. Which has me blinking again. The bowl is huge! I need two hands just to hold it. I have no idea how he expects me to eat it. Apparently not with cutlery.
“D’Var,” I begin, and he stops mid-slurp and looks at me. “Do you have a table or something? I don’t think I can eat it like that. I am a little bit smaller than you.”
He smirks at me. “That bowl too big for you, little one?”
I am so startled by his joke that I laugh. A sound that feels almost foreign. I honestly can’t remember the last time I heard myself laugh. D’Var must see my expression changing and he springs into action. Ten seconds later there is a small table-like crate in front of me and I put my bowl down.
“Do you maybe have a spoon?” I ask and my voice sounds hoarse and emotional. I hate it. All because I fucking laughed.
D’Var returns to the back of the room and fiddles a bit inside what appears to be a drawer. He comes back with some utensils. Not exactly a spoon, but they look like chopsticks. He sheepishly looks at me .
“I am sorry, L’Ren, I do not think we have something else. Do you think you can use them?”
I nod. “If my tiny hands can grab them, I think I’ll manage.”
He looks startled but then he laughs, and I feel like getting a small part of myself back with this interaction.
After we eat, I look around the Command Center with new eyes. I haven’t really paid attention to the ship, but I think the area is shaped like a small version of the ship. The front of the room is narrow and is also very literally the front of the ship. It’s all windows. The big seats are facing the windows, and as I am studying it, T’Rak seems to call up some data and a screen appears right in front of him. It is fascinating!
The back of the room is wide, like I imagine the back of the ship to be. The walls curve towards the back, giving it a futuristic vibe. Which seems logical, since we’re in outer space and all. The left wall has all control panels, and the right wall has a large couch. Cabinets line the back, and I guess that’s where they get their food and drinks? Come to think about it… I am parched!
“Do you have something to drink? Like water? Or maybe tea?”
D’Var jumps to his feet. “What do you like?” I shrug and he extends his hand to me. “Let me show you.”
D’Var’s enthusiasm at showing me is catching. I take his hand and he gently escorts me towards the wall. I see there are actual appliances embedded in the wall. D’Var shows me how to use the hot drinks dispenser and shows me the fridge. There is a big cabinet filled with noodles, another one with plates and bowls, but that’s it.
“Where is your other food?” I ask.
“Other food?” D’Var shrugs. “We do not need other food, noodles are plenty. ”
“That can’t be all you guys eat, right? What about greens, meats, fruits or nuts… You know. Healthy food.”
D’Var cocks his head. “Healthy food?” He looks puzzled. “What is this healthy food? Noodles are good for you. They have all the nutrition your body needs. Do you not eat noodles where you come from?”
“Well, on Earth there are lots of things to eat. We have vegetables, fruits, meat, fish, and everything in between,” I sigh. “Chocolate.”
“Chocolate?” he echoes.
“It’s a sweet to munch on.” I see him pondering this information.
“I will get you sweets when we are at the station to stock-up.”
I light up, not even freaking out about the fact that we will go to a space station. I mean, of course we have to go somewhere to buy food, so I guess it will be alright. I can hide in my room.
I shake my head, baffled that all these guys seem to eat are noodles. They remind me of a frat house back on earth, where all the men only know how to cook spaghetti. D’Var’s soft touch on my hair breaks my train of thought. I shamefully pull my hair back behind my ears and turn to face him.
“My hair is a mess,” I say and look at my toes. “Do you think you can help me cut it with one of your blades?”
“Cut your hair?” he exclaims. I can even hear a small hiss coming from the front of the ship, where T’Rak is seated.
“We can’t cut my hair?” I look up hesitantly and I see he is mentally chastising himself for his outburst.
“We Arracate never cut our hair. It is a sign of our strength. Of how successful we have been in battle. If you best an Arracate Warrior, you take his braid, and he has to go home with the shame of losing it.”
“But I am not a Warrior,” I say .
D’Var goes to place his big hand on my cheek, the question in his eyes so I nod. He tenderly caresses my cheek with his thumb and then he moves his hand towards my hair. He cups my neck and tilts my head up. “You are stronger than any other I have ever met. You may be too tiny to hold a big blade,” he winks at me, “but you are the fiercest of females there is. You have only been with us for a day, and I do not know what happened to you, but I know it was bad. It was very bad, and here you are. Standing tall and proud, like a true Warrior.”
He places his other hand on my chest, where my heart is beating a mile a minute.
“You are a Warrior in here. Your strength shows in your actions and in your spirit. I am in awe of you.”