Footsteps slapped on the gleaming and recently cleaned floor. How did I know it was cleaned? Because a cleaning bot had slowly worked back and forth over the floor before disappearing from sight. That had been the sole moving thing I’d seen in two days. Tinlorray hadn’t shown up, and none of my doctors had seen me, even for treatment on my muscles. I was left alone in a tiny cell with a bed, toilet, and TV the size of my thumb that displayed a view of a forest. A cubby in the wall would generate food and water twice a day.
The wall facing the hallway was a force field, keeping me locked in. I had no idea how long I’d been here or how long since I’d last seen Fyn. No one would tell me any information abouthim. Of course, they might not know. He was a prince, and I wasn’t sure how much information the palace shared about the royals’ daily lives.
I’d wandered the universe for years, never staying in one place, driven by a need to see everything. But none of that knowledge helped me right now. I was trapped—trapped like a bug under a glass.
I plopped on the bed, then jerked upright because needles shot up my spine, only to groan from the sudden movement as my breath turned harsh. The shuttle accident had done severe damage to Yolkeltod’s body. I couldn’t make any sudden movements without triggering pain of some kind.
I’d never known there were so many varieties of agony until now.
I couldn’t walk for long distances, my wings didn’t work, not that I knew what to do with them. My tail had also been damaged, making it even more sensitive. My head always ached, edging on a migraine no matter what anyone did.
Basically, I was a ball of pain that barely moved.
Clearing my throat, I tried to force the drakcol vocal cords to correctly pronounce English. All of the words sounded grumbled and harsh, but I refused to forget my first language. “I am Caleb Smith,” I said, repeating what I did every day. “I am human. I am from Earth. My parents are John and Eden. I have three brothers. I died falling down the stairs. I wandered the universe. I met Zoltilvoxfyn. I fell in love with Fyn, and he fell in love with me. He is my mate. I am Caleb Smith, not Yolkeltod.”
No matter what the doctors told me, I wouldn’t believe differently.
“Are you really not Yolkeltod?” Tinlorray asked from behind me. Stiffly and with a deep grimace, I turned. Tinlorray stared at me with glassy eyes, tail coiled around her ankle.
“I’m not Yolkeltod. I met him, briefly, when I was wandering your planet. You were his tether. What tied him to this plane,” I explained. “He asked me to take care of you before he moved on.” I’d told her as much before, but she hadn’t believed me. Maybe she would this time. I hoped to god she would believe me this time. I needed someone, anyone to believe me. “I was the one in your house. I was the one who tried to comfort you. I’m sorry.”
“Then why are you in this body and not him?” she demanded, tail thrashing.
“I don’t know,” I answered honestly. I had no clue. None. “I touched the Crystal, and here I am. I have no idea why Yolkeltod left, and I’m in his body. I don’t have any answers, Tinlorray. I wished I did.”
She stared at me. “You have to be Yolkeltod.”
“I’m not, Tinlorray,” I said, my voice turning pleading. “I know he was everything to you, but I’m not him and I never will be, no matter how long you keep me here that will not change. I will always be Caleb Smith.”
“I must be insane to even contemplate this.”
“You’re not. As odd as it is, this is happening. Honestly, I would have guessed such things were common for a species as advanced as yours. Weird stuff has to happen all the time, right?”
Tinlorray scoffed. “A human soul being trapped in my little brother’s body normal? No.”
Forcing Yolkeltod’s body to stand, I shuffled to the force field and placed my hand on it. The invisible wall vibrated slightly under me. It was so faint, I wasn’t sure if I’d still been in a human body that I would've felt it—not that I remembered what being in a human body was like anymore.
“I wish I could bring him back, but I can’t,” I said, pulse racing. I hated it. I hated it all. I would give Yolkeltod his bodyback and return to my previous ghostly state if I could. “You were everything to him. He loved you. That’s why he asked some random spirit to watch over you.”
She swallowed, and tears slid down her scaled cheeks.
“He loved you, Tinlorray,” I repeated, slower, “but Yolkeltod is gone.”
Tinlorray swiped the tears away. “I don’t know why, but I believe you. You don’t feel like my brother. I see you in front of me, but here,” she rested a hand over the center of her chest, “I know you’re not him. It’s like I’m looking at a stranger, and stars, it hurts. It hurts so bad.”
“I’m sorry, but IamCaleb.”
“Caleb,” she said, voice breaking into a sob. “Greetings. I’m Tinlorray.”
“Hello, Tinlorray.”
She broke down, tears streaming down her cheeks. Her arms wound around her waist while her tail curled about her calf. She crouched, sobbing, shoulders shaking.
Once again, I was a voyeur to her grief. I shouldn’t be here, watching this, but I literally couldn’t go anywhere else.
When Tinlorray’s cries subsided to quiet tears and heaving breaths, I said, “I need out.”
“They’re not going to let you out,” she replied, getting to her feet. “The doctors are afraid you will harm yourself or attempt to harm Prince Zoltilvoxfyn. Our appointed guardian agrees with them.”
