I sat with Tim-something until he left. Unable to stop it, my thoughts turned to Kal. I was it for him, which oddly made my heart pound, though at the same time freaked me the fuck out. I didn’t want to hurt him, but I couldn’t live my life for someone else. I’d tried that before, multiple times, and it had never ended well.
Ready to return to the apartment, I buried my hands deep within my pockets and gripped the touchstone. Its presence was comforting. A subtle reminder I wasn’t alone. Withoutcontemplating that thought too deeply, I headed toward the elevator, not deviating from my earlier path so I didn’t get lost.
This time, I was not alone.
A male drakcol stepped into the elevator after me, wearing a blue uniform with a single brass button in the shape of a wing on his stiff collar. His bubblegum-pink hair was cut short on the sides and longer on the top. His scales were lavender with glimpses of gold and magenta. He was taller than me, but not so much that he towered over me like many of the other drakcol, and his form was slimmer than the others I‘d seen.
He pressed a button, and I didn’t say anything, unable to open my mouth to ask for NAID to take me to my floor. The man bowed his head in my direction. I nodded back.
“Same deck?” he asked when the door opened.
“Sure.” I stepped into a hall and didn’t recognize anything. I was about to turn around and go back into the elevator, but the man popped open a wall panel and began to work. On what exactly, I had no idea, but I wasn’t going back into the elevator. There should be another one. Somewhere.
The hallway boasted a few doors but no windows. Monitors were scattered on the walls along with plants. One showed a schematic of the ship—a ball with a ring around it, almost like Saturn. Unfortunately, the schematic did not show which floor I was on, or if it did, I had no idea how to read it.
I came around the curve to another hallway, spotting a long window on one side. Even though I saw the void of space every day, the experience was still disconcerting. The stars gleamed in the distance, cold and foreboding. I placed my hand against the glass like I could touch the twinkling lights.
Having no idea where I was, I explored. None of the doors opened automatically. Every door and corridor had a blue label, but I had no idea what they said, and everything looked identical, barring the different colored potted plants.
Every time I passed by someone, they would bow, and I would nod, growing more and more uncomfortable.
After I wandered for an hour or so, I came to a familiar schematic of the ship. I stared at it, frowning. So I was walking around in circles, and I still couldn’t find the elevator I’d originally exited from or another one.
I rested one of my elbows on the metal rail running along the window and inhaled the floral scent from the many blooms hanging on the surrounding vines. My fingers tightened around the touchstone before I drew it out of my pocket.
“NAID?” I waited, but she didn’t respond. My heart pounded, but I told myself I was being ridiculous. The touchstone would work anywhere on the ship.
“NAID?” I asked, palm slick around the stone, but she did not respond.
There were four choices before me. First, stand here until I died. Second, wait until NAID responded. Third, ask a stranger for assistance. Or fourth, call Kal. None sounded appealing. But the least horrible option was Kal, if he would come.
“Kal?” I asked, then remembered I had to use his full name. “Kalvoxrencol.”
Less than a second later, his voice resonated in my ear. “My Seth. What’s wrong?”
“I’m lost, and NAID isn’t responding. Could you come and get me if you're not busy, or something?”
“I’m coming.”
I raced to the door. “NAID.”
“Yes, Prince.”
“Where’s Seth and why didn’t you respond to his pings?” I demanded as I rushed to the lift.
“He’s on deck two, near the outer hull.”
“And you didn’t answer him why?”
Amusement lined her voice as she said, “I kept watch on him. He’s safe, but I knew he would reach out to you.”
“NAID,” I growled.
“You need all the help you can get,” she commented before ending the conversation.
A truth I couldn’t deny, but I didn’t like her ignoring Seth when he needed assistance. And she shouldn’t be able to. Her coding prevented it. Then again, she shouldn’t be expressing emotion. I made a plan to talk to Doctor Qinlin.
I jabbed the button for deck two. My tail swished and my foot tapped. I needed to reach Seth to make sure he was safe. The image of him not breathing as he clutched the front of his jacket flitted through my thoughts and made my soul pound.
