Undefined - The Zephyr Book 1 ? (completed)(#Wattys2016)

Chapter 31 - Cello

31 - Cello

In the morning, I'm woken by Tiger. I'm lying on the bench and my whole body aches. Tiger's standing over me, looking at something down the corridor. Wincing, I sit up, trying to loosen the knots from my shoulder. I've never slept on something this hard before, maybe the floor would have been a better alternative. I look to see what Tiger is staring at. A bed is being wheeled away and on it lies a human-shaped form covered in a sheet.

"Seran's dead," Tiger says.

I frown, I didn't know Seran, but someone dying isn't something you want to hear about the moment you wake up. "And the other one?"

"Jika? Well, he's healing quite well. They say he'll even be able to go home by Thursday."

"Do you know all the Jewels?"

"No, there are over ten thousand of us; I just knew those two because we arrived around the same time."

I try to stand up but find that my legs are asleep. "Were they friends of yours?"

Tiger shrugs, I don't know if that means a yes or a no. I guess it means both. I try to stomp the pinpoints and needles out from my legs. "So, will there be a funeral? Is there a cemetery where Jewels are buried? Does his family know?"

Tiger looks at me from the corner of his eye, "You always ask so many questions."

I look up at him, trying not to glare with my blurry early-morning eyes. "How else am I supposed to get answers?"

"Are answers really worth anything?" Tiger sighs. He looks tired, but I probably look worse. "Okay, so the answers to your questions are: no, no and no. They'll just burn the body and throw the ash and the Jewel into the Zephyr."

"Seriously?" that option never crossed my mind. "So if I die, my mom will never know."

"What good would knowing be for her?" Tiger stifles a yawn; he looks moody, nothing like his usual self. "Whether dead or alive, it's all the same, you know? She won't ever see you again anyway. There's no reason to waste sentiment and commemorate your existence. We're just embodiments of the same souls; our existence is short and temporary."

"So you believe in that cosmic nonsense? I would never have imagined you would."

"We're living proof of it, kid." He thrusts a bundle of clothes at me, "Minty told me to deliver this to Syianne. You give it to her, I'm pissed."

He turns and walks away. I take it he's sad about his friend dying, I tell myself that if I see anyone from our team today I'll ask them about how to deal with Tiger when he's in this sort of mood. He's one big guy; I wouldn't want to find myself on his bad side.

I knock on Syianne's door, but there's no answer so I let myself in. The moment I open the door, she turns over, but her breathing suggests that she's still asleep. Quietly, I walk to the side of her bed and sit on the stool, placing the Zephyr uniform and other things delivered by Minty on the table next to her.

I watch as she stirs and opens her eyes, wrinkling her forehead when she sees my face, and surveys the room. It takes her a moment to remember where she is and why. "Morning sunshine," I say cheerfully.

"Mmm," she croaks back.

"Minty sent you a uniform."

"You look terrible Cello," she says hoarsely as she props herself on her elbow, squinting her eyes at the door. "What time is it?"

"6:30 AM. Want some breakfast? Maybe we could go have some at the dining dome; I'll ask them if you can get discharged or whatever they call it here." I start to get up, but she grabs my arm. "Wait." She looks at me, and then looks away, "I had a bad dream, could you talk to me until I'm completely awake."