Saphora vol.1 Retention

by Jaz Johnson

“What is all this stuff?” Saphora asked, sitting on Maverick’ sofa.

  There was a pile of books to her left, piled up against the end table that was beside the arm rest. Most were thick, but some were thin. There were various objects spread about the floor across the room. Things from scrolls to vials, jugs of water to what looked like weapons. There were candles, bags, tubes, and things that couldn’t even be described by Saphora’s vocabulary.

  “Would you believe I didn’t hear her moving any of this last night?” Maverick chuckled, sitting on a stool that was beside a bar in the kitchen. His elbow was propped up on the bar and his palm was leaning against the side of his face, watching the women in content. Saphora looked over at him with slight bewilderment at his carefree behavior.

  “Maybe it’s him that needs therapy,” she mumbled to herself. Hydra nodded, picking up the book she had been looking for.

  “I’ve considered the fact that perhaps the boy is in a state of carefree denial. A form of the body’s self-defense, in order to keep from losing his sanity,” she explained, glancing over at the observant Maverick. Saphora nodded slowly, taking that into consideration.

  “Yeah … What are you doing? Where did all this stuff come from?”

  “The aircraft I used to travel here. I transported the things here last night.”

  “You mean there’s a rocket parked somewhere out there?”

  “Not too far, yes,” Hydra answered, flipping through pages of the book. Saphora’s chest heaved in anxiety.

  “You – You can’t just park a rocket in the middle of town! A rocket carrying who knows what! What if someone finds it? What if someone finds you? Us?” Hydra shook her head.

  “They are not going to find it,” she reassured, looking back down at the book.

  “You don’t know that.”

  “I do.”

  “How?”

  “Because it is not on the ground.” Saphora paused, her brain thrown for a loop.

  “What do you mean it’s not on the ground? What’d you do, park it in a tree?” Hydra laughed.

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” she noted, turning another page. “It’s hibernating in the sky. Naked to all eyes.”

  “Naked … Hiber- what?” Hydra sighed, her hand stopping.

  “Is how I park really important right now? We’ve all got our preferences.”

  Saphora couldn’t help but let out a sharp laugh at the comment.

  “I don’t care how you park. I care if someone finds an alien spaceship in the middle of a small town that already has prank crop circles and a girl with mint hair walking around suspected of murder!”

  “Prank?” Maverick uttered.

  Saphora sighed, leaning back against the sofa in exhaustion. Her head tilted back against the soft cushion as her temple pounded in the beginnings of a headache. She breathed through her nose, trying to ease the pain, and lull it away. Maverick grimaced, seeing Saphora’s rising frustration and got up, walking over to the sofa to sit beside her.

  “Hey, try to relax … Naked to the eye just means it’s invisible. Especially if it’s in the air,” Maverick said, trying to comfort Saphora. And for good reason. Saphora’s head rocked from side to side against the sofa as Hydra continued flipping through the pages in search of something in particular.

  “This can’t be happening,” Saphora refused, with somewhat of a laugh.

  “Denial will only make this process harder,” Hydra noted aloud. Saphora jerked up, agitated with Hydra’s blunt responses.

  “And what am I supposed to do? Just sit here and accept the fact that my life is never going to be the same again? Just sit here and … and –“

  “Yes. You’re supposed to accept the fact that your life is going to change. And then you have got to decide whether you are going to let people help make it for the better, or allow your denial to make it for the worst,” Hydra said with an almost alarming volume. “I was not sent here to help you wallow in your own self-pity. So choose. Will you stay a victim? Or will you rise to the task given to you and go home to your world – your mother, and help save her?” Saphora’s heart leapt in her chest at the mention of her mother, and the matter of her being in danger.

  “Save her?”

  “If you do not come back, stronger than you are now, the Kiran kingdom will fall. And it will mean her death, as well as countless others.”

  Saphora fell silent, her eyes wide in dismay. She swallowed hard at the decision presented to her, and sighed. She felt Maverick’s hand slide onto her thigh, and her head immediately turned to him. He had a soft smile on his lips. And in the mists of all that, it was nice to see a smile. Even if it was coming from someone who had nothing to do with anything she was going through.

  “Hey … I know I probably don’t have any stand in this, but I think if you put your mind to it, you could pull this off. I mean, look at Superman, or like, the Hulk. They had to go through some tough things before being able to control anything,” he said, his smile widening. Despite her desire to write off the tales, seeing his smile eased her. “Maybe if you just … think about doing it for your mom and dad. Make seeing them your goal, you know? Your motivation. No matter what happens, if you think, if I can get through this, I’m going to see my parents,” he continued. “Then I think you’re going to be amazing. I mean, isn’t that who you were trying to remember all this time? Your parents?” Saphora nodded, almost ghostly as she stared in admiration at the speech.

  He was right. All this time, and all these therapy sessions were meant to help her remember her parents and what happened. And now that the opportunity was presented to her, she was so quick to dismiss it. She had to put her fear aside in order to obtain what she had been going after her entire life. Her jaw tightened at the frustration she felt for herself. Breathing through her nose, she looked away from Maverick, to the waiting eyes of Hydra. She couldn’t run away from this, which is what she was about to do. Maverick was right. She wanted nothing more than to see her parents again.

  “Okay,” she breathed. Hydra’s brows rose as Maverick’s smile grew. Hydra giggled, capturing their attention.

  “It seems he is of some use after all,” she commented. Saphora scowled at the mocking comment defensively, while Maverick seemed to be delighted.

  “What is that book, anyway?” Saphora asked, getting away from her momentary spasm.

  “A book on the language of the subconscious. I’m going to speak to yours,” answered Hydra. Saphora’s neck shifted instinctively with her suspicion.

  “You’re going to … speak … to my subconscious?” Hydra nodded. “What, like, there’s a language, for my brain?” Hydra looked up from the book, staring blankly, not understanding why there was any confusion.

  “Yes,” she answered, as if it were common knowledge.

  “So cool,” commented Maverick. Saphora shook her head, not wanting to believe what was being said.

  “How is that even possible? Brains don’t speak.” Hydra laughed.

  “Then how are you speaking now?”

  “Well – even if they did, why wouldn’t it be the same language as what I’m speaking?”

  “Because it is your subconscious.”

  “That doesn’t even make sense!” Saphora argued, her brows tightly knit together.

  “Your subconscious is an entirely different aura.” Saphora was silent in her confusion. Hydra shook her head, sighing as she returned her attention to the book, flipping through page after page. “Your comprehension of the subject does not matter. We’ll start with something small so you’re not overwhelmed with the experience.”

  “Experience?”

  “By your terms, it’s going to feel a bit like a lucid dream.”

  “I just better be able to walk after this.”

  “Should I move?” Maverick asked. And for some reason, that sparked a bit of anxiety in Saphora, which Hydra noticed. With a hesitant response, she shook her head.

  “No … It will work better with y
ou sitting there.” Maverick nodded, leaning against the back of the sofa. Saphora’s nerves settled as Hydra stopped on the page she had been looking for. “Are you ready, Saphora?”

  Saphora nodded with a held breath. Maverick kept his eyes on her as Hydra started reading in a language foreign to their ears. Almost instantly, Saphora’s head felt dense – heavy. Her eyes fluttered at the sudden impact of the feeling, her arm reaching out to grip the armrest of the sofa as if to keep from falling over. She groaned at the odd sensation, concerning Maverick. But he stayed quiet as Hydra continued to read, his glance shifting from her to Saphora. It wasn’t long before Saphora’s eyes began to glow, before her body went limp, laying back against the sofa. Her eyes remained slit open while her body laid motionless. Hydra stopped reading, looking up at her, while Maverick slowly started freaking out.

  “What’s happening?” he asked, as Hydra set the book to her left.

  “Her subconscious is revealing a memory to her.”

  “”Can … Can she hear us? Why is she limp?” he asked, reaching out to touch her arm.

  “Do not touch her!” she urged, making Maverick flinch. “You may alter something. She cannot hear us. But she can feel disturbances.”

  “What is she remembering?”

  “I don’t know. But the dialog wasn’t that strong. It shouldn’t be anything too traumatizing,” Hydra answered as she watched Saphora carefully.

  “Traumatizing?” Hydra allowed her gaze to shift to Maverick. The tone in it falling into a stern fix.

  “You should decide now how much you’re willing to put yourself through for her,” she said standing up and walking over to a jug of water. Maverick blinked, shaking his head some.

  “What do you mean?”

  “You are considering her for mating, yes?” she asked, picking up the jug of water and taking off the cap, turning to him. Heat rushed to Maverick’s face as he averted his eyes, stammering over his words.

  “Oh my – is this normal on your planet? To assume all these things? First she thinks I’m trying to sleep with her, now you’re talking about mating?” Hydra raised a brow.

  “Are you not?”

  “Well – I mean sure, it’s maybe crossed my mind, but-“

  “Then decide. Because a life beside her will not be easy.”

  “Why?”

  Hydra scoffed.

  “Besides the fact that she differs from your human structure in all ways but appearance?” she laughed, shaking her head before taking a sip from the jug. “For one thing, her mother will not be pleased.” Maverick laughed.

  “Well I think it’d be pretty cool to have an alien girlfriend. And I’ve dealt with moms that didn’t like me dating their daughter,” Maverick assured with a dismissive wave of his hand. Hydra lowered the jug, as her expression flattened, listening to his simple words. She shook her head, grinning.

  “May Vida have mercy on you.”