The following day I walk into the living room holding my back; my punishment is definitely these bruises I received from last night. The fort has been cleared away, and Niko is reading something on his tablet. I clear my throat, so he knows I'm there, but he doesn't look at me. "Good morning, Infinity," I laugh at him, trying to find his cup without looking at it. I slide it into his hand; so what's got you so focused this morning, "apparently, there was some vandalism in the pool room last night. It's closed until further notice. Pity too, I was going to take you there on a tour of the ship today" WOW! I try my best to sound surprised. Do they have any suspects? "No, conveniently, all evidence has been destroyed, and that's impressive, seeing as there are at least 25 cameras in that place."
I sigh in relief, knowing no one will know what really happened last night. I can just imagine the headlines, read all about it "Savior drowns in the pool while acting like a tart." My cheeks glow red at the thought. "So, how did you sleep?" his question is genuine, but my reply isn't; Like a rock, my smile goes from ear to ear. "Good, we've got a long day ahead of us. He waves his hand, and chocolate chip pancakes with whip cream, eggs, and bacon appear before me. I dig in immediately; swimming works up a big appetite.
When I'm finished, I go to the closet to select an outfit for the day; while browsing, Niko gives me a rundown of our plans. "Oh, make sure to wear something classy but inviting; we may stop by the children's classrooms today." I'm sorry the what!? There are kids on this ship? "Of course, this is a floating civilization; you haven't seen much of it, but it's rather large." I notice he is speaking with a slight accent this morning, Niko... Why do you suddenly have a British accent? He smiles at me sheepishly, "I fell asleep watching the great mouse detective" All I can do is nod and smile. Okay, then, I'm just going to leave that one alone.
When I'm finished, I step back and look at myself in the mirror; I picked a colorful summer dress, orange heals, and orange accessories; I turn to Niko for approval. This is inviting, right? he nods and claps for me.
Before we leave, Niko gives me a pep talk; I can tell this will be our new routine. "Remember to smile, chin up, friendly nods and waves; play the part, and this day will be over before you know it" I take in a deep breath. Niko opens the door for me only to find a guard standing in our way. Who are you? I question her. She bows, "Commander Sinumbra has assigned me to protection duty for you, ma'am." This woman is a classic special operations military trope, black clothes, black body armor, long braid down her back. She would be a shoo-in for the next tomb raider movie.
"Protection from whom?" Niko questions her. "With the recent vandalism, the Commander felt it would be best to assign Ms. Alexander a detail sir, That's all the information I'm allowed to disclose." She bows again and steps out of the way. I know who she's protecting me from, and it's no vandal. Niko brushes off the slight delay and ushers me forward. He turns and tells the guard to walk behind us a few steps. She takes three steps back, and Niko waves his hands at her to make her move back further, but she doesn't budge. I grab his arm and pull him forward, encouraging him to forget her so we can leave.
We walk the halls just like we'd done the previous day, but something is different. When I come close to people, I can see them whispering and snapping photos of me before they bow. Am I missing something, Niko? He signs, "your situation with the commanders has made it to the fleet boards." Fleet boards? "Yes, it's a message board, basically a gossip page that the fleets share, and you and the commanders are the talk of the town right now. Everyone is choosing sides and placing bets; it's a disgusting display, honestly. But don't worry, it's heavily monitored, so the moment someone tries to disrespect you, they will be dealt with swiftly." I mean, it's not like I care or anything but, who is everyone siding with? "It's almost a perfect 50/50 split, but our commander is slightly ahead at the moment." That puts a smile on my face for the rest of the morning.
YOU ARE READING
The cost of Infinity
Science FictionIn her family, Infinity is known for being shy, reserved, and insecure despite her beauty. But, once she is taken by an alien race to be studied and used for their breeding program, she has to find her inner strength and courage to stand up for her...
