Void

[24] Nova

Chapter 24 - Nova: A star that flares up to several times its original brightness for some time before returning to its original state.

Edmund

Fluorescent lights, pain in my chest, and being rudely shaken form the brief moment between being woken up and being awake. That second in between is enough to forget everything momentarily.

My memories race to catch me up as my eyes open. I remember what we lost, why I was hurt, and walking to the infirmary with Lia. I remember her telling me sleep was the remedy. I remember her pulling up a chair to the foot of my bed and insisting she wouldn't leave until I was 'cured'.

"You slept for nearly twenty hours," Abdeben is next to me, shaking my shoulders. "We need you."

My limbs feel heavy as I sit up. "Five more minutes?" Then I notice his face. "Are you alright?"

He nods like I shouldn't notice that he looks like a dead man walking. He's skeletal, alarmingly so. "After Noelle, the SSRC shut off the cameras. We don't need to worry about them anymore."

"So," I pause. It won't feel real until I say it around. "There's just eight of us now, is that right?"

"I don't know how much longer we can take this. We should get off this station while we still can."

"Yeah," I say slowly. Abdeben's words hold a weight to them. "But we're trying everything. Cece and Cedric are working on the ship we came here in and Damien is building that radio. We'll leave when everything is ready."

I don't see Lia leaning against the wall behind us until she steps forward. "Tell him, Abdeben."

Abdeben just shakes his head and goes mute.

I stand and meet her halfway. "He said you needed me?"

Lia is silent for a long time and I begin to notice the little things. Her hair, which is usually wavy to her shoulders, is full of tangles. She's wearing wide rim glasses that cover her eyes, now slightly red. Even her perfectly applied lipstick is fading, and there's a strange stain on the sleeve of her otherwise pristine white lab coat.

She clears her throat, looking me up and down. Lia studies me until she's satisfied. "You look well."

"All thanks to a certain doctor." She offers a slight smile as I say this. It's forced.

The smile quivers as she whispers, "Edmund, we lost another."

And then she's biting her lips and her cheeks are wet. Abdeben pushes past her, exiting for the hall.

"We need you, Edmund," She says. "You need to talk to Anne."

---

I arrive at Anne's room and knock twice. She looks worse than Abdeben, but I almost don't notice because all my focus is on the cut on her cheek.

"Come on in-"

"What's this?" I say, placing my thumb against the scratch.

"I told Lia not to waste bandages on it, in case we need them..." Her voice trails off. She nods for me to come in and closes the door behind us. Her room's a mess, papers everywhere. And strangely, a rose sits on her desk, a sheet covering part of it.

"She told me to see you," I say.

"You should be resting."

"I fine. What happened?"

Anne winces at a memory. "There's no easy way to explain."

"Then give it to me straight."

She motions for me to sit next to her and I do. "I was helping Damien last night with the radio." She explains. "It was late, so he told me to go to sleep. I was exhausted, but I found myself waking up a few hours later. I don't know what it was..."