The Greek Gods and the Apocalypse

Chapter 3 (Edited)

I wake to the sound of Peter ringing the bell and making the morning announcement. "Up, up, up, let's go people. I'm hungry," he shouts.

Morning has come too soon. This fact is driven home when the moment I start moving I am all too aware of my head. I feel like someone is striking a gong inside my head. I attempt to mask my headache and pull myself together but apparently, my headache is written all over my face.

Peter walks over to my section and leans in close. His sandy brown hair brushes my cheek. "Are you okay?" he says almost under his breath.

"I'll be fine. Just a headache". I reply quietly.

"I can manage things at breakfast if you need to see a medic," Peter offers.

"I'll stop in and get something for my headache on the way to breakfast. I won't be long. Thank you, Peter."

Peter steps away from me and announces, "Let's go people breakfast is waiting."

Even though the barracks are empty I draw the privacy curtain around my section. Dressing as quickly as I can. I can't help but replay the conversation I had with Shimmer. Comforted by the thought of her having a plan I headed for the hospital.

Luckily Shaneel has not left for breakfast. As I walk through the front door, I can see Shaneel leaning over her paperwork. Her black hair is in a pair of braids that wrap around her head in a halo design.

Looking up from her paperwork she asks, "Bad night Aurora?"

"I barely slept," I reply.

"Ah, I have just the thing." With that, she stood up and went over to the medication cabinet. She took out several items and came back towards me.

"Have a seat," she instructed as her hand full of medication pointed to a cot-style bed against the wall. I did as she said.

Shaneel pushed a stool on wheels over with her leg and took a seat on it next to the bed. After placing the medications next to me she went to work.

She started by handing me what looked like a thin piece of rectangular paper about an inch square. "Place this on your tongue. It should provide pain relief."

To my amazement, it melted almost immediately but it left an unusual texture and taste on my tongue. An almost sticky peppermint aftertaste.

Then she proceeded to apply a clear gel on my forehead from temple to temple with the fingers on her right hand. The gel was really cold but in a soothing kind of way.

Last she handed me a bottle of green liquid. "Drink every last drop with breakfast. It will help replace some of the energy you are lacking because of your restless night."

"Aurora do eat something even though you don't feel like it. It's important."

How Shaneel always seems to know how to help me is awesome, but how she sometimes seems to read my mind is a little creepy. In a good way, I guess. I didn't tell her I wasn't hungry, but she knew just the same. She probably knew I had a headache and how to fix it when she glanced up from her paperwork upon my entry. I guess that is why Shimmer made her the head medic.

Shaneel stands and cleans everything up including returning the stool to its spot near her workstation. "Let's go eat," she says way too enthusiastically for me this morning.

We walk to the pavilion together.

When we entered the pavilion, I noticed that Shimmer's table had been moved away from everyone else's. All of the other leaders are having breakfast with Shimmer at her table.

Shimmer is sitting alone on the bench at the back side of the table facing all of the sector leaders who are seated across from her. She is wearing her field clothes which consist of a t-shirt, khakis, and boots. The traditional field clothing for everyone. She must plan on getting her hands 'dirty' today I deduce. I catch Shimmer's eye and she motions for us to join her.