Lightyear

.Chapter 2

I stumbled in and out of consciousness, with every part of my body aching. In this state it was hard to distinguish reality from hallucinations. I saw my mom stand before me. I saw the young guard who shot me slip in and out the doors. I saw my dad sitting beside me, humming a familiar lullaby. I couldn't tell which of these, if any, was actually happening.

When I was finally awake enough to sit up. I found it hard to move. I moved my head to the side to look at my hand and something hit the floor. It was an ice pack. I looked at my hands. They were wrapped in orthopedic, lubricated, medical cloth. My ankles were wrapped too , as was my head.

There were bandages on all my bruises. Some mysterious person had treated all my wounds. My bets were on that guard.

I tried to sit up again. I manage to do that but I'm so sore I just let my body sag limply against the metal wall. My body is still slightly numb from being shot with what I'm pretty sure was a Stunner - stun gun -. My fingers and toes feel like they are buzzing.

The doors to the cargo deck slid open and footsteps become audible. Someone whistles. I should move in case it isn't the guard, heck, in case it is the guard but I'm too lazy and surprisingly tired to do anything but slouch there.

It is the guard, I can see as he comes in carrying a large silver tray. He steps over a few boxes and turns to maneuver through a line of boxes and barrels. Finally he sees me, slumped against the wall. He smiles, warmly and puts the tray down. I don't bother to look at it.

"Oh! Good your up!" He says cheerfully.

" Get away from me!" I growl. Slowly I rearrange my self so I can try to crawl away. When I move the world around me buzzes and turns.

" I wouldn't move if I were you!" He says. " The Thareglithamin is grade three. It has a very dizzying effect. You should try to sit still. If you just listen to me I can explain everything."

" I don't want to hear anything from you." I spat. " Just get away from me! You bandaged me up. Your conscience should be at ease now! Now you can turn me in to the captain, move up a rank, get some brownie points. Whatever it is you soldiers do."

" Look I'm not going to turn you in. I'm not even a soldier. I'm sure that the medicine is causing some delrium.Your not thinking clerarly."

" My thoughts are perfectly clear! You can't keep me here, if that is what your trying to do. Even if you drug me, I'm not... doing you any...favors."

It took him awhile to figure out what I meant but when he did his face flushed down.

"I wasn't asking for any favors! Look I can explain everything for you if you'll just give me a chance!"

"I trusted you! You hurt me." I snarled. " I didn't do anything to you but you hurt me anyway. Now you fixed me up to ease your conscience just like another selfish man I've heard of. So go ahead and turn me in!"

The boy rested his head in his hand, like it hurt.

"Do you not even care that I saved you! You wouldn't even be on the ship if it weren't for me!"

"Fine! Hold it over my head! Here is your chance so speak!"

" I had to stun you so I could bandage you up."

"That doesn't even make sense! Your lying!"

The boy finally lifted his head. Even though I was furious, He smiled at me. He had a nice smile but there was nothing behind it except controlled anger He was looking up at the small circular windows. "You want to see something cool?" he asked his eyes glittering like priceless jewels under sunlight.

Before I could think of anything to shout at him. He leapt up and moved to the farthest window. He pushed a small button which revealed a small lever, almost a handle. He pulled on the handle, hard. Then I saw that I had been deceived. The six or so small windows were not so small. They all hid something much greater behind their innocent demure. For it seemed They were not small windows after all but indeed one very large window.

The window took up almost the entire wall. It betrayed all the stars behind the rolling wall and even seemed to magnify them. We both stared out the window, silently. I no longer felt like continuing my rant.Instead the most unlikely of feelings washed over me. Homesickness.

It reminded me of when I was six. My mom, like always, was working and I was home alone. I had gotten bored of the puzzles. Even though I had liked it when The characters Holographic emitters turned on, when you were done and they thanked you for putting them together again.

I went to my mothers bedroom and activated the Holovision. I spent almost half an hour surfing channels but nothing was on to watch. Then I said something that the Holo recognized as a command to open the locked channels. When it asked me for the password. I felt so betrayed. My own mother didn't trust me. When I confronted her she said that wasn't it. She said what had really happened was she didn't want me stumbling upon something inappropriate and that it had nothing to do with me not being trusted. I didn't know whether to believe her or not. Really I wasn't sure that was important. What I was angry about was that I had been tricked. There was a whole world out there I didn't know about. Maybe for a second I felt I had gotten the short end of things. I guess that was the point. Maybe there is no point.

The boy was the first to talk. "Why are you so rude?" he asked. Piercing through the silence. " I let you on the ship. I didn't turn you in! You haven't even said thank you. Not even once!"

" Oh! Yeah! Shooting me, quite the hospitality!."

"I chickened out, okay! I felt bad and I was going to turn you into my father but I didn't!"

"Who's your father? Head soldier?"

"No! If you just let me tell you the whole story you would know that I am not a soldier! My father is the captain of this ship."

"Oh."

"I took you in and I don't even know the whole story. And I just  thought... Never mind, forget it. We need to focus on the task at hand. I was going to try and sneak you into the Star Academy." He looked down st his hands.

"Just thought what?"

"I just thought you would be grateful!"

''I am grateful!"

"Well you have a funny way of showing it!"

I was quiet for a second. I wasn't sure what to say.

"You were right," I sheepishly admitted. "I'm sorry...Thank you!" He blushed.

"Yeah, well! ..." He started but he was interrupted when his comm. device crackled to life.

"Leo! Leo! Where are you!" a female voice called out. The boy, Leo maybe, pressed a button on his device. Then he looked at me one more time before standing up.

"I have to go. That's my girlfriend." he said, a chill in his voice. My eyes opened wide. I wasn't sure if it was the fact that he had a girlfriend or the fact that I felt a pang when he said that, but for some reason I was very surprised. I couldn't like him. Could I? Why did I care if he had a girlfriend.

He put the silver tray down and turned away. "I'll try to come back." he states. Then he calmly walked out of the room, leaving me alone. Sitting by myself I let my guard down. How had I gotten myself into this mess? Slowly, I curled up into a ball and cried myself back to sleep.