Amber Lynne
I was still confused about the female Zenkian. Why had she come up to Gina and me the way that she did? It was something that I could not stop thinking about for the rest of the day. The next morning, I found myself excited to go to work. I wanted to see him again. I knew that it was dangerous to think this way, but I could not stop thinking about him. This blue alien had occupied my mind. I couldn't get around it. He was all that I thought about. Now the only time that I could see him was when I was treating him. His injury was getting better very fast. Today could be the last day that I treated him, or possibly the next day. I wished that it would be longer, but there was nothing that I could do about it.
“Human female. What is your name?” I heard a voice say. I looked up to see the Zenkian female standing in the hallway.
“I should've known that it was you. I can see why he would like you,” she said looking at me up and down.
“What are you talking about?” I asked feeling a little scared by this large tall female that obviously had a bone to pick with me.
“I don't know what you're talking about,” I said trying to walk past her. She grabbed my arm.
“I saw him leaving your living quarters the other day. So do not pretend that you do not know him,” she said.
“Your husband? Telon?” I asked, remembering the name of the new husband that she had. Her eyes grew wide and then she narrowed them at me. That only pissed her off.
“No, my former husband, Commander Nykon. Don't play dumb with me, human,” she said.
I yanked my arm out of hers. “What do you want?” I asked cutting to the chase.
“I want you to stay away from him. He has a son. I cannot have him getting in trouble. My son will lose his father; think of that,” she said.
I suddenly felt like a fool. I thought she was going to be the jealous crazy ex-wife type. But she was only thinking of her son. And she was right.
“There is nothing happening. There is nothing for you to worry about. He simply helped me with some heavy items that I could not carry. I treat him in the treatment areas; that is how I know him. Now if you'll excuse me,” I said walking away.
“That better be the truth. I don't want to hear anything else,” she said as she walked faster and past me. Her long legs made her strides rapid, and before I knew it, she was out of the hallway before I was. I stopped walking and leaned against the wall. That was close. Too close.
I waited for Gina out in the courtyard. She lived down a completely different hallway. I realized that was how the wife had narrowed it down to me. She said that she saw Nykon in my hallway, my living quarters. I felt sick to my stomach. I wanted to run to Nykon and tell him about threats, but I knew that would be a dumb move. We were supposed to cut off all communication except for in the treatment area, my work. Running to him and telling him what happened, would only lead to more attachment between us. I decided to keep it to myself. I definitely could not tell Gina.
“Are you all right? You look flushed,” she asked, and she came up to me.
“I am fine. I was just running late, so I had to do everything really fast and run out here,” I said to her.
“I understand. I overslept the other day. It's an easy thing to do when you live in these cool cave-like dwellings,” she said as we began to walk to the training grounds.
We walked across the training grounds and into the treatment areas. But we were surprised that this was not going to be an ordinary day.
We walked in to see Leader Hirun talking to the doctor. They were whispering in the corner. It was a rare sight to see a leader in this area. In fact, I had only seen them during ceremonies. They barely walked the marketplace and open areas. It was considered too dangerous for them to do so.
Finally, they finished their conversation and the leader left. The doctor came out of the corner.
“Gina, Amber, come with me,” he said as he walked into a back room. There were already several assistants sitting down on benches. But these assistants were Zenkian, not human. Gina and I were the only human females in the treatment areas. We sat down on the benches with the rest of them.
“I have news. It is going to be announced today that the Grantsions will be competing against the Waysaw in the upcoming war games. We are to go with them. We are to assist in injuries during the games,” the doctor said.
A chill ran up my spine. This could not be happening. I had run away from the Waysaw city; now they wanted to take Gina and I back? No way.
“The leader cannot expect Gina and I to go. We are human females. We escaped from there. It is absurd to take us back there,” I said feeling a bit shaky.
“I understand your fear. The leader wants both of you to go. The Waysaw have guaranteed a time of peace. That includes that they will not try to take you as slaves. It would be against the rules that they have laid down for this time of games. You do not have to worry,” the doctor said.
Gina and I looked at each other. We were pissed off. If we went, we could possibly become slaves again. If we did not go, then it was possible that we would not go back to Earth, not for over a year.
“I will leave it up to you. But know that not coming with the team will result in consequences. Now, we will be working hard over the next few weeks. The games are in one month. Right now, the training for the games has started; that means that our most skilled soldiers will be training and getting injured. We must attend to their injuries with the utmost care. They are the ones that are going to be fighting against the Waysaw, and we have to make sure that they are in the best shape possible. Pay attention to your work. This is training for us as well,” the doctor said.
The female Zenkian had no objections to this news, but they weren't in as much danger as Gina and I were.
“What if this is a trap, Doctor? What if we go and the Waysaw have tricked us, and they start a real battle?” I asked knowing exactly how sneaky and manipulative the Waysaw could be because of my own experience with them. I had experience with the two Waysaw that were in charge. I knew how they thought, and this sounded like a trick of theirs to me.
“That is no concern of ours, human. Leave that to the leaders. We will do as we have been ordered. Now go and do your work for the day. See to your assignments,” he said and then walked out.
“Unbelievable. Fuck. What are we going to do?” Gina said looking at me.
“I don't know. What can we do? Let's do our work right now and will talk about this later,” I said standing up and walking out. I was furious.
An hour later, I was treating Commander Nykon, just as I had been the last few days. He was lying on the table; he was quiet. He wasn't trying to tease me or make any sort of moaning like he had before. I wanted to tell him that his ex-wife had threatened me. But I did not know how to tell him. Perhaps it was best if I said nothing at all.
My hands worked on his body; the injury was no longer purple, and it was pretty much healed. This would probably be the last time, I thought.
“So, I hear there is to be an announcement about the war games,” I said.
“Why would he do that? The leaders have not even announced it among the village yet,” he said.
“Because the leader has asked the doctor to take a team to the war games to attend to the wounded,” I said.
“A medical team. That makes sense,” he said. He released my hand, and I continued massaging.
“Yes, it does make sense. But it does not make sense to make human females go. Especially because we were already slaves of the Waysaw.” I said with anger.
“I mean that the doctor is making his team go, and that means Gina and me. Two human females that were slaves of the Waysaw,” I said.
“Forbid it? You have no authority to stop it. I refused, and they said I would not be able to go back to Earth if I did not go to the war games. I have to go,” I said.
“No. I do not want you anywhere near that city. I will not be able to concentrate on winning the games if I know that you are there and I have to protect you,” he said.
“Winning? Do you mean that you are going to be one of the soldiers to compete?” I said as I stopped massaging.
“Yes. I have to. I am the best of the best here. I have to go and fight,” he said.
I was silent. I did not want him to go. I had seen the war games before when I was a slave. They were awful. There was only one winner per round and the loser died. It was like the gladiator games of Rome on Earth.
“Do you really have to? Why are you? I know you say you are the best of the best. But have you seen these games? Zenkian die in them. It is a fifty-fifty chance that you will live. You have a son.” I said to him.
“I know that. But it is no different than when I go to battle. It is a fifty-fifty chance that I will return from battle. I have thought it through. I have to go. I have to win. But I do not want you going, Amber. I will see what I can do. I will talk to the leaders and tell them it is a bad idea to send human females to the city,” he said.
“Yes, I will. But say nothing to no one. Just continue as you are,” he said.
“I will. Thank you, Commander,” I said. I continued my work on his injury. I was hopeful. I hoped that he could get me out of it. I did not want to go back to the city. Just thinking about it made me feel sick to my stomach.