Beyond the Empyreal Stars

25.

25.

Not knowing how long she'd been in the metal holding cell, Odette found herself lying on the cot and staring up at the ceiling, the string of lights overhead flickering every few hours. She should have been curious about the humans' new home in New York City's Grand Central Terminal and every area they occupied. She should have asked why there were so fewer humans than the feeds had described, maybe less than a few hundred compared to the thousands indicated. She should have asked about Lizzie and Alanna and Maeve and...and Graham.

But she didn't.

She hadn't spoken a single word since they were in the back of the trailer with Carson, Tansy, and Cliff. That had been three days before. Her tears were the only show of her still being alive, but those had dried up the previous day. She felt like crying still, but she was just too exhausted to.

She hadn't even moved, not even when Tansy came in with food at regular intervals. Though the smell of the soup and bread made her stomach rumble at first, she was immune to it now. The hunger pains were gone, leaving a trail of fog through her mind. She could tell what the days' long fasting was doing to her body. She was slower in thinking and moving, but she didn't want to do either, so it was fine with her.

The slight screeching of the metal door opening told her it must have been time for Tansy to bring her more food. She would be greeted by the tray she brought hours before, still untouched, just like she had every time she came in.

"Tansy said you weren't eating," a voice said softly from the doorway. "But I thought I'd bring you something anyway."

The voice...Odette knew that voice. She tried to recognize it through her foggy mind, but it wasn't until she slowly turned her head on the pillow and saw Graham that she finally did.

"Graham," she rasped out as he set the tray on the ground by the end of the cot. "Graham..."

She pushed herself up, only to find herself falling as her head swam. Graham's arms caught and steadied her as she clung to him, trying to find her equilibrium. Slowly, he lowered her back down and adjusted the one pillow under her head before sitting down beside her. It wasn't until she was able to focus on his eyes, his graying beard and hair, and the scar that cut along his neck that she was able to concentrate.

He took hold of her hands, bring them up to his face to kiss the backs of them.

"You are still here," she whispered. "You are still alive."

"Of course, I am," Graham smiled, nodding. "But you...you need to eat something."

He wasn't taking no for an answer, tearing off a small chunk of the grainy bread. Shaking, she took it from him and ate. It took a moment for the small pieces of bread hitting her hollow stomach to not make her queasy. But with every bite, she could feel her mind clearing. When he started feeding her a spoonful of the broth at a time, she found the strength to sit up and lean against the wall. She couldn't keep her eyes off him as he helped her finish off the bowl.

This was her father, sitting right in front of her, caring for her like any parent would their child.

"How are you feeling now?" Graham asked, setting the tray down on the floor.

"Better," she nodded. "Much better."

"Well, when you haven't eaten and barely slept in days, it'll do that to you," he told her, brushing her hair behind her ear. "You have no idea how amazing it is to see you all again, to know you're still alive."

"Trust me, I know." She reached forward and grabbed one of his hands in both of hers. "After what happened when we left Terra and having five years pass in a moment...I thought you were all dead. There was no way you could have survived...but you did."