Molly's Miracle Colonies

Azure Makes Me 18

 I took her hand. "You want a room? There's no rent, no utilities, and food's free. Check this out!" I waved up, and a menu had food from a lot of restaurants. More than last time I ate!

"Yes! I don't want to stay in that homeless shelter! Do I have to see a social worker?"

"Let's ask a lawyer." I brought Tan, who walked out of a room that had him and Lili on it.

He trembled all the time, kind of like her. "Hallo, I am Tan Links. What can I do for you, Miss?" He shook hands with her.

"I'm 16 and my mama died, and my grandparents died last week, and my social worker wants to put me in a homeless shelter, and I want to stay here! Can I?"

"Who has custody of you?"

"I think I'm a ward of the state now. Medicaid's gonna take my grandparents' house." I sobbed.

"This is not right! Who is your social worker?"

She got out her wallet and gave a card to him.

"Tomorrow, I will make an appointment with her. You are welcome to stay with us tonight. Will you come and meet my wife? If you like us, perhaps we can apply to be your foster parents--"

She gasped. "But, I'm—I hear things that aren't—voices talk to me, and my aunt, didn't want me--"

"Young lady, I am sorry these things happen to you. We have progs to prevent harm. May I show you?"

He waved up a screen. Showed her that if a person can't tell what reality is, it brings a healer—hers is Pas—and gently holds the person so they can walk, but can't hurt themselves or anyone else. Pas hummed and erased scars on both wrists from lots of suicide attempts. She smiled. "Oh, please, run it! I said lots of things that hurt Granny's feelings—I can't do that if you run it."

He showed her how to set it, so she could choose what it did, whether to just let her take a walk outside or keep her in her room. Soft barriers would prevent bruises. She wanted to stay in her room. And choose music to play. Mozart helped, sometimes, but I couldn't play anything when I was out of it.

Pas showed her new meds. Choices of whether to sleep or just have something to make her calm, and someone to sit with her. Those green eyes lit up! Her family got scared or hurt her feelings.

"I can sit with you, or I'm sure my friends would help. Samtych, or Angel, if I can't come. I'll ask 'em. They all live here on the ship and they like helping." I hugged her.

"Thanks!"

She took my hand. "Want to be 18?"

"Yes! Pirad says he can't—"

"All we need is—hi!" She reached out to a lady healer.

"Need you healing? I shall bring Pie to you, for I nae know—"

"You miss your parents. Pirad can wake them now, but you need to be 12. Molly's 12. I can swap your timelines. You'll be 12, for your parents, they'll need you to be young. Like they remember you."

The girl, like me, had red hair and green eyes. That's a really weird color for a Zheien. Half-Elshar and very light-skinned like me.

"How know you this?"

A holo came up. In an instant, she shrank to my size. I still looked like a little kid. But, our Unified records came up. I'm 18! All my clones are now 18, except the ones who wanted to be little. This healer, Siluka, Healer Of MarKu, was 12. Her title of healer was still on it. And, her master healer's worry that she should change her occupation. She stepped into the holo and her parents embraced her. The holo closed. Now she can have Decision again. She chose healing when her parents died.