Anith: Beyond Space

15

"Are we there yet?" She asked.

"Close," he assured her. "We'll be there soon,"

She closed her eyes. "When we get there, to Iohiri. What will you do?"

He sighed. "I'll start by settling you in, hopefully. Introducing you to some people. Making any changes you require. Then I'll go back to work."

She raised her brow. "What do you do again?"

He shrugged. "Assorted...tasks."

"Oooh, assorted tasks, so descriptive."

He chuckled. "I just...I do assorted tasks. A little law making here, a little science there, a little war there. I do a little of everything, I guess."

She yawned. "I wanna do some coding. You have that on Iohiri."

"Yes. You'll want to learn Iohorian first. A lot of Iohirian people don't know English. You like technology a lot huh?"

She nodded. "I love it. I understand it. People are complicated. People don't make sense. But code does. Ans if it doesn't work, then somethings wrong and you just have to find it," she explained.

He smiled. "I see."

She shifted. "So tell me some alien tech? Stuff we don't have on Earth?"

"I think you'd prefer to be surprised," he smiled. "I can think of a few things you'll absolutely love."

He imagined her eyes lighting up. She really loved technology.

"We could probably, travel," he mentioned. "Or you could if you wanted. Other worlds have different technology. Something new to figure out," he glanced back. "Things that make sense."

Roxanne just snorted.

"You don't even want me to go look for food. You think I'd just get in a spaceship and you won't even do that thing with your eyebrows?"

He frowned, touching his brow. "Well, I'd want to come with you. You're used to life on Earth. On being more independent. Not relying on anyone. Forcing my ideals onto you would be...wrong."

Roxanne smiled. "You're a good person, Anith. Ironic. The first good person I meet is an alien. Maybe there really isn't hope for Earth."

"You're from earth," he murmured. "And I think you're a good person."

She sighed, turning over. "I'm not. Trust me, Anith. I'm not."

• • •

"Just hang on! Hang in there I'll get you out of here. I'll keep you safe-"

Roxanne looked down at the woman, holding her gently.

"Please don't die. I can't bear it."

"Roxanne? Roxanne-"

She opened her eyes. He touched her face. "You don't have a temperature. No fever, chills, no cough. What's wrong, Roxanne?"

Anith stared down at her in worry. "You were screaming. Shaking. Do you have an illness I don't know about? Do you require medical assistance? Please tell me."

"I'm fine. I'm fine. It was a nightmare. A bad dream. That's all."

He frowned. "Your heart is racing. You're sweating, and your breathing is irregular. I should get you medical care, just in case."

She smiled, cupping his face. "I'm fine. Thanks...Anith. Breakfast?"

He held up a vacuum-sealed pack of food. "If you can call it that."

"I'll be glad when we get home. Iohiran dishes are full of flavor and nutrients. You'll like them,"

She smiled. "I can't wait."

She sat up, his hands hovering above her anxiously.

"And you're sure? That you're okay? I'm very worried," He frowned.

Roxanne just chuckled. "You're cute when you're worried, Anith. But really I'm fine. It's just a human thing."

Anith sighed. He thought she was sick. Maybe she was. He pressed his head to hers for a moment.

Iohirians ran cold because their atmosphere was so hot. He frowned. So that probably wouldn't work. He needed a thermometer.

"Anith," she reached out, taking his hand. "It's fine. Sometimes, with nightmares, people shake. Sometimes they scream. Sometimes they cry. Sometimes they talk. It's just a nightmare. Nothing fatal. Okay?"

He nodded slowly. "You're the human expert, I suppose."

He squeezed her hand. His heart pounded in his chest. It was scary. Iohirians rarely got sick, and because they were active, they didn't get ill often.

How scary. That such a thing like a dream could shake a human like that. He had to be more careful. Apparently, she wasn't even safe when she was asleep.

"Liking a human is stressful," he sighed.

She chuckled. "Yeah...it is."