Caged With The Alien Warrior

67.

Aanya

Lani really was like a fully human baby– she ate, she slept, she cried, and she pooped. Like a lot. I wonder what it'd be like when she started using those wings of hers.

I fixed Lani's diaper and washed my hands, thinking.

A flying toddler was not someone I think I could keep track of, but Ronan and Vrux would just have to step in on that front. I could tell her about her period and they could grab her when she flew too high, easy peasy. I froze, thinking about Lani as a little toddler. Would I still be with Ronan by then? Or would I be schlepped onto a new husband?

God, I hated how little I knew about all these alien rules and laws and shit.

I sighed. I'd woken up alone, Ronan long gone with his side of the bed cold. Though, my cheeks heated when I remembered our activities from last night.

Shaking myself, I focussed back on my task at hand, of feeding Lani and myself.

I mixed up some formula for her in our little kitchen and walked around with her while she nursed the bottle. When she was all done, I burped her then went about using the fabricator to make some basic food.

I made something, that was for sure. A breakfast bar, if you could call it that? It looked more like a brick to me but it was edible.

I would have gone to the caf but I didn't want to go because A) I had no idea how to find the caf on my own because this ship was a motherfucking maze and b) people might stare at me again and ask me to sing with puppy dog eyes that I couldn't refuse.

Tying Lani to my front with a spare blanket like I'd done on our three-week trip, I decided to just start wandering around the ship rather aimlessly.

I could totally ask someone for directions if I needed help getting back later on, right?

I paused to catch my breath after fifteen minutes. Jesus, I needed to start walking more and exercising. Being held captive in a tiny cell had really deconditioned me, not that I was a star athlete before being imprisoned. I used to be able to do my half an hour walk to work though without being so out of breath.

While I was paused, I got a glimpse into a control room. I couldn't help my nosiness when I saw their screens.

Were they watching me?

A video of me singing yesterday in the caf played on some of their screens. Wowza. Was I good enough for them to be sharing the video? A mixture of pride and embarrassment heated my cheeks.

Turning on my heel, I continued on. Lani took everything in with her big owlish eyes, oblivious to my whirling thoughts.

Were they really listening to my singing? I couldn't believe that.

I kept strolling, pausing again at a big viewport. The view was nothing short of awe-inspiring. We flew past the edge of some celestial phenomenon, a vast nebula of swirling colours and ethereal lights. I pressed my nose up against the clear material that wasn't glass. Jeez.

How lucky was I to witness this cosmic ballet of gaseous clouds and radiant hues? Glittering stars poked through the nebulous formations, adding pinpricks of brilliance to the cosmic tapestry. Occasional bursts of vibrant energy erupted within the nebula, casting ephemeral flares that illuminated the nearby space.

As we drifted through the outskirts of the celestial masterpiece, distant planets came into view, their surfaces bathed in the glow of nearby stars. Massive, alien structures orbited some of these celestial bodies. I wondered what they were for.

Wow. The galaxy was so vast and I was so small. Looking out helped me gain some perspective. I was just a little speck in the grand scheme of things. So, my singing brought joy to some people. I didn't need to be embarrassed about that.

Before I could keep walking, Lorcan Madden ran up to me with Aster Fox trailing behind him.

"Stars, where have you been?" Lorcan gasped out. From what I understood, he preferred his first name, Lorcan, and Aster Fox preferred his last name, Fox. I'd try to remember that.

I blinked at him. "What, was I supposed to be somewhere?"

"Yeah," Fox smiled, shaking his head at my confusion with light laughter.

"Oh." I scratched my head. Nobody had mentioned anything to me. "Where?"

Lorcan motioned at my wrist. "Did you not check your comms?"

"... no." I shrugged.

He looked at me, exasperated.

I held up my hands like 'what can you do?'

I lifted my wrist and tried to figure it out. "What was my comm supposed to tell me?"

"Your daily schedule." Lorcan came closer, looking like he was itching to show me how to use the thing. "And the guards who are meant to accompany you."

Ah, Lorcan and Fox were assigned to me and stressed when I wasn't where I was supposed to be. Understandable.

I held up my comm to Lorcan. "Would you mind showing me how to access my daily schedule? I only know how to send and receive messages."

"How do you not know how to do anything else with your comms?" Lorcan stared at me in disbelief.

"I'm human, remember?" I raised a brow. "We have different technology where I'm from."

"Right, right. I'm curious about what humans have discovered." Lorcan pursed his lips, thinking.

"I'll tell you all about it sometime." I gave him a small smile and then he helped me to figure out my comm while Fox played some kind of alien version of peek-a-boo with Lani, who was still tied to my front. He seemed like he was good with kids.

When Lorcan finished showing me, I adjusted Lani. "Did you tell Ronan that you couldn't find me?"

"No, do you think we want to be murdered?" Fox joked.

"Yeah, I guess he can be a bit overprotective. Two guards at all times?" I shook my head in disbelief. "That's a bit overkill. But it was an honest mistake. I won't do it again. Purposefully," I amended. I would still mess up using their alien tech, I was sure of it.

"Right." Fox grinned. "So we're in agreement that we won't be telling Ronan about this little miscommunication?"

"Yup." I popped the 'p.' "We're in full agreement on that."

It was sweet how Ronan came to check on me when I was stressed in the caf but he didn't need to do that. I was a big girl and could put on my big girl pants and deal with shit. I'd been doing it for twenty-one years and could do it for twenty-one more.

Then, Ronan ran up to me again, the second time in two days. He stopped in front of me, just barely out of breath but I could see the stress cording his muscles.

My heart rate shot up and I held Lani closer to my chest.

What happened? 

✶ ☾ ✶

AUTHOR'S NOTE

GASP whaddya think is going on???

Thoughts on Lorcan and Fox? 

How're you doing on a scale of 1-10? I'm a 10!! Or at least I'm trying to be positive and manifest that I'm a 10 lol

Comments and votes are much appreciated.

Virtually yours,

Ro