Captain Lena Wood

Epilogue

"You were great." Omega says to me. "How did you do it? How did you have the guts to do that?"

"I don't know. I just emptied my mind." I say. "I guess I just took your advice and used it."

"Imagine that no one is there."

"Yes."

She hugs me and I hug her back. "I'll miss you." she says. "We won't see each other for another three years."

"I know."

I pull her away, hold her shoulders and say, "I'll be there for you no matter what."

"Will you mail me?"

"Every week."

"Thanks."

There's a knock at the door. Both Omega and I clean our faces, to remove the tears. "Mira hide."

Mira crawls under the bed and stays super quiet. I walk over to the door and open it. It's the Sorter. He says, "Miss Wood." He looks over at Omega, "Miss Windlow." He looks back at me. "Miss Wood-"

"You can call me Lena sir." I interrupt him.

"Lena, I'd like to see you in my office. I'd like to show you something."

"Okay."

I walk out of my dorm room and follow him. What does he want to show me? Is this a trick? Is it bad?

I follow him down a long hallway with pictures of the past sorters. At the end of the hallway, one picture catches my attention. He has a small head and ears, a white beard that goes up to his white head. He has a buff, bulky body, and light green, radioactive-like eyes. He's definitely an Anguis species. He's actually kind of scary looking.

The Sorter opens and holds the door open for me. I walk in and look around. There are books every where. There's scrolls on the shelf to my left. His desk is in the center of the room, in front of a huge window, looking out at the whole campus. He walks over to me and says, "Here, sit."

I take a seat in his super comfortable chair, in front of his desk. He walks around and sits down in his chair and says, "You're an extraordinary girl. You've come so far. You've also dealt with big challenges. I find it amazing that you know how to deal with them. I wish that I could do the things you can. You're brave and you're willing to sacrifice yourself for others. Your parents did the same thing for you."

I ask, "What happened to them?"

"That's what I want to talk to you about. Your parents were on a mission to explore the lost planets of the universe. Your father was the captain and your mother was his first mate. I'm sure that you already know that this galaxy dislikes humans."

"Yes sir, I do."

"When they arrived on this planet, their crew were held as prisoners. All but your parents were sentenced to death. Your parents were held for questioning. Since your parents wouldn't tell the Council anything, they were tortured until they answered. Your parents were strong."

"What about me?" I ask.

"They knew that your mother was pregnant. She was about seven months. They never cared about you. I'm surprised that she didn't have a miscarriage. They hit her, punched her, and shocked her in her stomach. One month later, she gave birth to you. It was a miracle. You are a miracle. Your mother died minutes after you were born. Your father died a few days later."

"What did they die of?"

"Your mother wasn't strong enough to give, but she didn't give up. Your mother was a fighter, just like you. Your father was a strong person too, but his body was weak. Everything in his body failed."

Why does this have to be so horrible? I begin to cry. I take off my glasses and wipe my eyes. I put them back on. He continues, "A day after your father died, a woman named Artha, found you and took care of you. Even though it's against the law."

"Everyone in my life was willing to sacrifice everything for me, but why?"

"Because they loved you and they knew that you would make a difference."

He opens a drawer in his desk. He pulls out a beige folder. He hands it over to me. He says, "This will answer all of your questions."

I take it and look at it. I don't open it. I don't put it down I just stare at it and wonder what's inside.