by Hana Starr
As she poured herself a cup, she let its rich, herbal aroma waft up to greet her, and she breathed deeply, eager to draw as much comfort as she could from it. Holding the mug in her hands and relishing in its warmth, she sipped at the smooth, full bodied black tea, letting it warm her very soul in an effort to feel something, anything but this aching emptiness.
Even after she had stood there, staring at nothing and not letting anything fog her mind, and drained her entire pot of tea, she couldn't find it in herself to feel anything but the pleasant, if fading warmth of the tea that she had drank. A little disappointed, she sighed and moved to head to the shower. Perhaps scrubbing at her skin hard enough to make her feel at least a little clean again.
The water was hot enough to scald her skin, and she scrubbed at it rough enough to leave it pink and tender and still she felt nothing but empty. As she toweled off, slipped her gloves back on, and pulled on a pair of comfortable yoga pants and an oversized shirt, frustration began to gnaw at her gut, not knowing what it would take for her to feel something but this disparaging void that had taken the place of her heart.
Just as she was about to throw herself onto her bed and scream until she couldn't make a sound, she felt a faint tingling sensation on the palm of her hand. Startled, she looked down at her gloves, alarmed at the sensation. It was almost as though someone had lightly caressed her hand, and she had never felt them do that before. What did it mean?
She frowned, and brought up the computer to see what it meant. Instantly, the computer flickered to life, faithful and ready to serve as ever, and showed her what the source of the feeling was; nearby hailing beacon, not a block from her home, just outside of her apartment complex and further into the wooded areas behind it, beckoning her to it.
Ordar.
Her bare feet were pounding against the grass of the field leading to the forest behind her apartment complex before she had even fully grasped what it was that she was doing. The one rational part of her brain admonished her for rushing into it, fearful that it could be another Almer luring her in for capture – or, more likely, her execution – but she bade it no mind; all she knew was that she needed answers.
As she cleared the field and broke through the line of trees to enter the forest, the caress on her palm became more prominent, and the screen showing her the source of it guided her to a small patch where the trees had thinned somewhat. She diligently followed, and before long she didn't need her gloves to see what was beckoning her: another Almer escape pod.
Heart thudding wildly against her ribcage, she approached the unopened vessel, only vaguely aware of how sore her feet were from stepping on twigs and rocks but still she paid it no mind as she neared it. Her entire being and sense of awareness zeroed in on that pod, and what it could carry inside of it – it was either all her hopes and dreams, or her death. There was no in between at that point.
She would welcome either at this point.
The door opened, and a large, grayish purple hand was the first thing that she saw reach out and grip the edge of the doorway. She sucked in a breath and held it, waiting to see what body came following it. Precisely one heartbeat later, she saw an achingly familiar head of faintly glowing hair and searching eyes as Ordar stepped out of the shuttle, and it was all she needed to see.
He felt her connect with him solidly before he saw her, as she had barreled into his side, arms latching around him in a desperate embrace that contained all of the anxious energy that she hadn't spent. He let out a wheeze of laughter and held her properly, bringing her to his front and lifting her off of the ground effortlessly.
“I told you I would do all I could to find you, Mary Ingram.” He said, his voice a mixture of laughter and tears. She felt his cool lips press against her forehead, and she nuzzled her head into his chest, grateful to feel him against her, solid and proud and alive. In that moment, as they held one another like they were all they had in the world, she realized that the void in her chest had closed, and for the first time since she had been put in the escape pod alone, she felt whole and content.
They had made it.
They were home.
The End
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About the Author
Hana Starr is a romance author living in the Pacific Northwest. She spends her day at tech startups and at night she day dreams what is beyond our skies – she recently started to puts those dreams on paper to share to everyone. When she is not busy writing, she loves escaping in a book, traveling, and just enjoying life with friends and family.
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