Beyond our Earth

46: Aimless

~~~~SARA'S POV~~~~

As soon as I got back to the hotel the exhaustion hit me like a ton of bricks. I had been awake for more than twenty four hours so when my body touched the soft bed I went out like a light - without even thinking of turning off the lights. I slept soundly through the night, longer and heavier than I ever had before. It was the first sleep I'd had since returning to Earth. It was immensely different form using the regenerator. When I awoke late the next morning I experienced the sense of refreshment that only comes with true sleep. It was a feeling I missed and now cherished so much more.

I refused to let myself feel bad about the decision to stay on Earth. Besides, there was nothing I could do now. I was here and they were there. Regret would get me nowhere. So I embraced the morning and enjoyed it.

The first thing I enjoyed was the taste of the hotel coffee.

I sipped from my warm cup while sitting against the backboard of the bed, white duvet cover wrapped around me. 

Everything felt so much richer. Every moment was pleasurable and deep. Like looking back through an old photo book and remembering fond moments from your childhood, I was remembering Earth all over again.

Earth tasted so sweet.

When I finished my coffee I stepped out onto the balcony and into the glow of the morning sun. The view was nothing spectacular, not a scene from a postcard, but it was real. And I soaked in every inch of it. From the parking lot below me, to the dusty streets, to the feilds of grass and shrubs that stretched into the distance. Even the industrial building that ran along the street made me feel at home.

But the heat soon became too much and I retreated back into the air conditioned room.

I felt my stomach growl and realized I was hungry. Starving. So I ordered some room service and charged it to the room.

I devoured the club house sandwich, the spiced fries, and guzzled my soft drink in a heartbeat.

Then I turned on the TV and enjoyed some shows I'd never heard of before, which featured Aussies and their incredible accents that I just couldn't get enough of.

All in all it was pretty easy to spend the entire day hold up in my hotel room.

But when night fell and I contemplated going to sleep, I couldn't help but wonder how long it was supposed to be before Althazar, Elizabeth, and hopefully Braden came back. I was starting to worry it had been too long.