2132:Phoenix

Chapter 24

We were sitting in the void of space debating where to go next. Calepus wanted to go to his homeworld to show his so-called council what was going on. I just wanted to hide though. Obviously, they weren't on their own. Someone in their government had to know what was going on, and if they were powerful enough to hide such a large endeavor they were powerful enough to kill them the minute they stepped foot on the planet.

"Would you want to go home," Calepus asked?

"I..." Did I want to go home? Go home without anyone, and have the shame of being the only one to escape. No one would want to celebrate when they're still missing their own child. Why would I make them grieve again? "I don't think so."

"Okay. I think we need to stop the program though."

"Don't you have some intergalactic council? A Senate? Somewhere that is more than just the Torexx?"

"The only thing like that is the trade council, and they wouldn't get involved."

"You were prepared to run away in our mind. Why can't you just do that again?"

"Lex..." He was sympathetic to my cause, I knew that, but he also was sympathetic to the others.

"They don't want to leave anymore. They're happy, brainwashed or not, stopping it now would only hurt them more."

"What about their families?"

"WHAT ABOUT ME?" Calepus roared in pain and fell to his knees cradling his head. His scales glew an angry red. Tears were pouring down my face from anger, but I wanted to know what was wrong with him. I'd never seen him that in such agony. "Cale?"

His scales were still glowing, but the intensity faded as he looked up. Tears fell uncontrollably down his face.

"What's wrong?" I knelt down to cradle his head as well, but he clung to me like a child does a toy before it was taken. His hands tangled in my hair as he kissed my scalp. His other hand held me against him tightly.

"How do you live like this," he questioned softly as he turned my body into a hug. I hugged him tightly, but I felt him shaking.

"Like what?"

"All of that fear and anxiousness. It can't just be from today..." His scales started screaming red again. His grip tightened around me and more tears dripped from his face.

"Get out of my head, Cale."

"I'm trying," he sobbed. He was breaking from my emotions, but... he'd never acted this way before, and he'd always been able to pull out.

"It's going to be okay." I rubbed his head gently and tried to calm myself. I hoped if I relaxed even a bit, he would too.

The wind stirred against the swamp grass as the moon rose over the treeline. The sky was a light lilac color with pastel blue following the moon's ascent. I was sitting on top of the roof, above most of the trees on the island. The egrid's were making their nightly path back to their nests. My parents had gone out for dinner that night, and the house was quiet as the sky darkened. The shingles were warm from the passing day and kept off the chill breeze of the coming night. No cars were around to interrupt the sea grass's song as it whispered over the island. I probably would have fallen asleep if not for the ever-lurking truth that I was sitting on the roof of a two-story house. It didn't scare me, but it made me aware enough to stay awake even with the ever-darkening sky.

The scene disappeared, and I was once again sitting with Calepus on the floor of the ship. He was breathing deeply, his hands slack around my waist as he slept off whatever happened. I took all my strength to lay him down on the floor to go get blankets. There was no way I was getting him into bed, and he needed to sleep after an attack like that. I grabbed as many pillows and blankets as I could carry only to drop them on the floor and spread them out like a bed. As gently as I could, I rolled him onto the blankets. I had never realized how heavy he actually was. I covered him up before finding a nice spot to lie down beside him.

I didn't sleep much that night. Calepus slept fitfully; turning from side to side and the occasional whimper worried me. He usually slept soundly, no matter where we were. He tried to tear at his face at one point. I grabbed his hand to keep him from hurting himself and he calmed a bit. He had his moments, but for the rest of the night he slept peacefully, but I still couldn't sleep correctly. Why would he have such a fit? Some emotions are a butt harder to process, but he's a mind link. He had experience dealing with those emotions, even my strongest hate shouldn't hurt him like... He was in so much pain. Maybe I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that I could hurt him like that. I had to learn to reign in my emotions for him.