Earth

Chapter 3

"A teen girl has been found in the woods, naked and alone, unseen green, black and red burnt skin on a lot of her body. The female, aged around 15-20, has not woken up yet, but is being kept in the best care possible. That is all for now."

I blink nervously, wincing as I lift a hand to run through my hair. Then I pause. My hand is wrapped up in a white material. I look down. Both of my hands are. In fact, both of my feet are. And my ears and chin. And... I frown. A long, white length of cloth covers my body. I feel suffocated. What is it? Some kind of torture?

In fact, where am I? I look around, my eyes not adjusting to the bright light or harsh white surroundings. I'm on a hard metal bed in a tiled white room with no windows. I scream, loudly. "WILLOW", I yell. "ASH"!. A woman in yet more white - another white cloth..and it's on her head..walks forward. She's pretty - for a human, anyway. She smiles.

"Well hello, Jane. I'm Lois, your assistant nurse. Your top one will be along in a minute. I blink. Did she call me Jane? Then, another woman walks in, who is really ugly, even for earth standards. She has a huge nose and a massive wart on her chin, with grey hair in tight curls to the nape of her neck. Her skin has an unhealthy pastor to it, and she has what looks like a permanent scowl on her face.

She comes over to me and scans me, then pulls me up. I immediately fall over, and she laughs. Oh, she can laugh, but if my wounds were inflicted on her, she'd be dead. I frown, hauling myself up. I just about manage to stand up, although it's a huge strain.

"I am Nurse Perkins, and I will be your supervisor whilst you are here at Miselwithe Hospital. Now Jane, I want you to think. Who are you? What is your name? Where do you come from? How did you end up in the forest, naked and burnt?".

I swallow. I can do this. "My name is Lira, and I am Sixteen. I come from the planet Duversa. I'm an Elder, by the way. I came to earth on the last ship, and it exploded and so an ichor fire started. I made my way out of the ship, and that's the last thing I remember.".

The two nurses exchange glances. I grit my teeth, irritated. "It's the truth! I have powers - look!". But try as I might, I can't my strikes. Nurse Perkins gives me a fake, sickly sweet smile and shoves me onto the bed. "Have a nice sleep, Jane", she calls.

The next day, and every day of the next three months, are the same. My nurses come to my room. They rub me with a damp cloth. They put this stuff into my mouth. They ask me questions, and I reply honestly.

Replying honestly never seems to get me anywhere, though. So on the day that marks my four month anniversary there, I decide to change things.

"OH MY GOD", I shout. "NURSE PERKINS!". She runs in. "What, Jane", she asks in an irritated voice. Jane is the name given to all amnesiac patients in America. I force a smile. "I've remembered everything! I'm sorry about lying. I was just bored. I'm seventeen and my name is Lira. Lira...". I scan the room, looking for clues. I don't have a last name.

"Lira Woods", I say. "I was in a house fire, and I ran away. I can't remember anything else.. But could I be released now?". She nods. "In a few days, yes". I hesitate then smile.

That night, I facecall Ash, and to my surprise see his father, A. A smiles. "Hello, Lira.". I raise my eyebrows. "H..hi?". He smiles and clears his throat. "So, no time to waste. Ash has told me everything, and frankly, I think it's amazingly interesting that you're the only one from our planet on earth!". I frown. "How did you..?". He shakes his head, dismissing it. "Oh, you know how I am with research. But anyway. I am prepared to help you survive on Earth. At the moment, you know nothing. Nothing. But when you get out of there, you'll be given a flat of your own, and you'll have to get a job, buy clothes and go to school. I'll facechat you when you get to your apartment. And don't worry. I'll know when".

I wrinkle my nose. What the hell was that about?. Shaking my head, I lie down, thinking about the time when I get out of here.