Lights and bright colors flow into view as my eyelids flutter open to reveal a familiar face. "Krystal, my dear friend. I am so happy you are okay," Zalu says as she smiles down at me. I smile at her, and the lack of pain in my jaw surprises me until I realize I am in the same room I came to cure my incurable cancer. "Where's Burk? Is he okay," I ask, and she nods while helping me into a sitting position. "He is still on Gafrop. Garlof was able to transport his entire battle group onto the planet, which created access for the entire allied force. The Gafrops are forfeiting as we speak. The Jahns and Muysocks have cut ties with them. Burk brought you to me a few minutes ago. He made sure I could heal you and then went back. He is making sure his men leave the planet unscathed. I, of course, healed your body. You will be fine now," Zalu explains, and I nod as relief flows through me. "Was the allied force unable to land on that planet before," I ask after a few seconds,
BURK POV "Krystal," I roar, worried, and my voice thunders through the practically empty building. Zalu pops out of a room, looking alarmed until her eyes spot me. "Where's my mate," I demand in a rather harsh tone, and the female straightens her back in response. "She is meeting with the high council, Commander. She asked me to arrange it. She should be returning promptly," Zalu explains in a rushed voice, and I nod once to show I understand. I don't trust my voice to be respectful enough to answer her with words. My adrenaline has not yet receded from battle, and a female like Zalu deserves my respect. "Would you like something to drink while you wait," Zalu asks just as the all too familiar sound of a transport meets our ears. I move past her without answering, eager to see my mate, and she follows. When I step into the medical room, relief flows through every cell of my body. My mate looks beautiful, healed, and whole even though her gown has been ruined and her
"Are you ready," Burk asks softly as he hands me my cup, and I nod even though I feel super nervous. The process of making the drink that will link our systems only required three buttons, and then it began dispensing as if this wasn't one of the most significant moments of my young life. I was expecting at least ten minutes to prepare myself, but it was more like twenty seconds. "Do not feel pressured, Krystal. We can wait. This has been a very traumatic day, and it is late. I do not want you to regret anything," Burk says softly as he watches me stare at my cup hesitantly. I bite my lip while I think over my options. I know that I want Burk. He is definitely the guy for me. I feel a connection to him. A connection that has pushed me to risk my life for him twice. I know my connection will only grow as time passes, so why wait? Yes, it is happening fast, but one thing I have learned in my nineteen years is you never know what will happen tomorrow. What if a bad guy kills Burk
The cold fluid seeps from the IV into my arm, and I press the button to call Kaci back into my room. She takes a few minutes to answer the call, but I don't mind. I'm used to it. "You buzzed, Honey," Kaci asks as she pokes her blonde head into my room, and I nod. "Yes. Can you bring me a warm blanket? This new bag is freezing. I can't sleep," I reply as I gesture to the bag of fluids hanging from my IV pole. She nods and shoots me a smile before leaving, and I lay my head back against the pillows I have fluffed a million times. This has been my longest hospital stay yet, and I am so done. I miss my soft bed and my pile of warm blankets. I miss homemade meals and mom's whistling in the morning. I miss being able to curl up on my window seat with a good book. But most of all, I miss having energy. I forgot how tiring chemo is. It zaps every ounce of strength from my body and leaves me feeling like a zombie. "Here you go, Krystal. Do you need anything else," Kaci says
I tilt my head and stare at my sunken appearance in the mirror. I look awful. I have lost so much weight since starting this last treatment, and it shows. I look similar to the black and white images of Jewish WWII victims. Even my hospital gown reminds me of them. I lift my hand and trace my cheekbones with my fingertips. It's been so long sense I felt beautiful. I cried when I relost my hair two years ago. I stopped doing by makeup shortly after because well what was the point. I had no one to impress and I was too tired to do it anyway. Maybe before I die, mom could have a make up artist come give me a makeover. That would be cool. We could do a photo shoot to give mom some more memories before I am gone. I smile at the idea, and watch as my dry lips crack a little. I will ask mom when she gets here at eleven. It will probably make her sad at first, but I think it's a good idea. I wash my hands and walk back to my bed. It's nice to be free of the IV pole. I don't hav
Flashback 6 years old "Mom, I want to help," I whine loudly, and mom shoots me a smile. She bends down and kisses my forehead gently. "I wish you could, baby. But mommy is using a knife," mom says, and I frown. I stand on my tippy toes and stare at the pile of celery. "I am big enough. I can help," I repeat, and mom sighs. She closed her eyes for a minute before lifting me up and placing me on the counter. "You can watch, my little Miracle. But keep your hands away from the knife at all times. You are still too little to cut up veggies," Mom says, and I smile while nodding. I love watching mommy cook. She makes the best food. I want to learn how to make yummy food. So when I have a family, I can make yummy food for them too. I will make all my favorites for them. When mommy comes to my house, she will smell the air and say, "mmm, something smells good." As I stare at the ever-growing pile of green vegetables, a drop of red liquid falls from my face and land
Colors swirl around me as my eyes crack open. The colors alone tell me I'm not in my white hospital room anymore. But instead of relief like Ms. Cummings promised, my body feels worse than ever. I can't even lift my head. I immediately get nervous and scared. Why did I believe her? I probably sold myself to some weird experiment place that tortures people in the name of science. "Hello," I croak, and I hear footsteps approach me from my left. Someone touches my arm, and I manage to roll my head in their direction. My eyelids flutter as my brain tries to recognize the face looking at me, but the person's appearance is all wrong... Their skin is a shiny light purple, and they are towering over me at such a high height. "Who are you," I ask, and the strange person tilts their head to the side before holding their finger to their mouth. I instantly shut my mouth in fear. I don't want to upset whoever this is, but I keep my eyes on the purple being. As I stare, my vision slowly
Zalu hands me a bowl of what looks like different fruits, and I stare down at the bright mixture curiously. "You brought up that Earth has starving people...Do other planets in the universe not have starving people? I mean, do you not have money or any type of economy," I ask as I pick up a squishy green piece of food. "We have something similar to your exchange policy, but unlike Earth, basic necessities are never something you have to pay for. Water and food are not owned. Food grows everywhere. We pick it, and if we want meat, we hunt. Our stores contain products, not needs," Zalu explains as she takes a seat in front of me. "Are you not afraid of over hunting," I ask as I bite into the piece of food. The green plant explodes with juice, and a tangy flavor fills my mouth. I hum as I chew. Whatever it is, it is way better than hospital food. "What do you mean," Zalu asks, and a few more people walk into the communal cafeteria Zalu brought me to. "Well, I mean, on Earth, we hav