The Monster Behind the Mask

Chapter Nine - Inhabitants

Nova

Fog is everywhere. In my ears, in my eyes, in my fingers, toes, arms, and legs. Everything is cloudy.

I blink a few times, but the scene in front of me doesn't grow any clearer. I am on my side, that much is for sure, but things swirl around in my vision so much that I cannot make them out. I try to sit up, but a dull ache in my wrist prevents me from pushing too much. A soft hand touches my shoulder, but I pull away, unaware of where it came from.

"Woah, it's okay," a soothing voice whispers to me. I dont know this voice, and it scares me even more.

"Who is there?" I jolt up, crouching away from where the voice is coming from. I see a white robe against a tan background, but I cannot make out anything else. I continue to blink repeatedly, trying to make out the scene.

"It's okay, your vision will come back shortly. Its a side effect of the medicine." The voice assures me,

"What medicine? What did you do to me?"

"We didn't do anything. Some of our scouts picked you and your friend up on the outer rim of our territory. You were both injured, him more than you." The voice tells me. I can make out the tone of the voice, and it is most definitely a she.

"Where is he?" I question.

"Just let yourself relax for a bit. He is alright. Both of you are lucky to have survived." She tells me. I grimace, I dont know if that is a good thing yet.

The woman stands up and I struggle to watch her figure walk away. I pull myself into a ball, wrapping my arms around my legs. I close my eyes and will the fogginess to go away. I hate not being able to tell my surroundings.

An hour goes by, and slowly, my vision clears. I continue to blink, and finally when it is decently less cloudy, I look around at where I am. A tan tent rises above me, acting as a ceiling. The cot under me is soft and sturdy. I pull myself to the edge of it and place my feet on the floor. I try to look around, but I am not fully recovered yet. My eyes scan over a figure laying in the cot across from me. The long body wears black shorts and a black shirt. I suddenly remember Kylo.

I stand up and rush to the figure. When I reach the other cot, my balance fails me, and I go tumbling to the floor. Lifting myself up to investigate the cot, I can now see Kylos face. His dark locks cascade to the cot around his head and he looks at peace. I take in the moment – I will probably never see him this relaxed ever again. Then, I look down to his thigh. The place where the wound was, is wrapped tightly in clean white bandages. He is okay. I drag myself back to my cot and crawl inside of it. The effort of that took the wind out of me. I fall back on the cot and drift off to sleep.

I am awaked by a soft hand lightly brushing the hair out of my face. When I open my eyes, I can finally see clearly. But what I see is the face of a stranger. I reel away from their touch, afraid of what they will do.

"What do you want?" I ask. the figure puts up its hands as if to show that they are harmless.

"Nothing, I was just checking in on you." The woman who was above me claims. I recognize the voice as the one that was speaking to me before when I couldnt see. "How are you feeling?" She asks. I look her up and down. The womans skin is the color of the sky, and she wears tan and white rags for clothes. Her long yellow hair is tied up in a braid and her big eyes are the color of sapphires. The equipment around me in this tent looks outdated and old, like it came from a long, long time ago. Everything looks so primitive.

"I am okay, why wouldnt I be?" I respond, confused as to why she asks.

"When we found you both, your wrist was broken, and your whole leg was dislocated." The woman reaches for my hand and lifts it up. I hadnt noticed before but it is wrapped in clean white bandages like the ones on Kylos thigh. I look down at my leg. It is not wrapped, so they must have put it back into place already.