Soul Ties

Chapter 43: Layers Unfolding

As we soar through the galaxy, the captain and Scorpius both in the main cabin, I decide to stay in the only room available. Unfortunately for me, it's also the room I have to share with Scorpius when he decides to go to sleep. At least I don't have to sleep in the same bed with him like I did on Ocura. When I entered the room I noticed the medium sized bed first, and then I saw the long water pod on the opposite side. Maybe the Goddess really was in my favor at times.

Now I float in the pod, glancing out the window behind me, watching the stars and moons move around us. Observing the endless blackness of the galaxy gives me the small feeling of nostalgia. I didn't notice until now how badly I missed home. I remember the last night I was home, in my room with my mother eyeing through that window at the random fish that swam by. An ache in my chest grows.

I wonder what she's doing right now. If she's thinking of me the same way I'm thinking of her. I wonder where in this vast galaxy Seren ended up. We pass a planet but I can't remember which one it is. Oddly enough, I think of Barlow and wonder where he could be too. Was he the one to take Seren to her mates planet?

"I'm coming for you," I whisper through the water. "I'm coming, Seren." I twist my tail in between my hands, rubbing anxiously back and forth while I watch the sky through the window. Closing my eyes, I lean my head against the glass. I send a silent prayer to Thysus hoping for Seren to come back to me as soon as possible.

The door to the room opens and the sound makes me flinch. I'll never get used to that sliding metal. I don't move when Scorpius enters the room, keeping my face pressed against the glass and my back to him.

"Sorry," he apologizes quickly. "I didn't realize you'd be..."

"Naked?" In all honesty, until he pointed it out, I'd completely forgotten I was. I guess I was thinking too much about home and the feeling of being back there to notice. "It's fine."

I wrap my tail around my breasts and in front of my hips to cover myself. I'm sure Scorpius can handle seeing the rest of me without clothing, not that any of it should bother him in the first place.

"I can come back."

"Do whatever you want," I tell him, gazing out the window. "None of it matters anyway."

I listen to his footsteps moving across the room. The bed creaks under his weight as he sits down. From my peripheral I see him contemplating me and then shifting his attention to the window. He does this for some time, neither one of us saying anything.

"Do you miss home?" he asks me.

"Of course. Don't you?"

He shrugs, putting his elbow on his knee and his chin in his palm. "Since we just left, I'd say no. Although, I doubt I'll miss it very much at any point."

"Why's that?"

He shrugs again. "I don't really have much to miss."

"What about your father?"

He pauses for a moment, thinking over the question in his head. "I always knew I'd end up leaving some day. I think I came to terms with leaving him behind a long time ago."

"How did you become so emotionless?"

He turns to look at me, but I keep my eyes on the window. "I'm not emotionless. I've just learned to control my emotions."

"You seem to lack a lot of compassion."

His eyes shift back to the window as we soar by another star. "Is that what you think of me?" he asks.

"You don't want to know what I think of you."

"I really do."

"Why?" I press, turning my head to watch him. "You seem to only care about what you think of yourself. Isn't that why you do whatever it is you want?"