Page 6

Story: Lost Companion

Chapter Two

The sleep that shegot was interrupted by minor house sounds, and she bolted upright more than once. By dawn, she was exhausted.

She was sitting up and had made her bed when Horib opened the door quietly. “Oh! You are awake.”

Riley nodded. “Yes. Sorry. I am not used to an actual bed anymore.”

The platform was raised and very comfortable, but she was used to the barracks at the station and sleeping rough on the ground. Comfortable was no longer in her wheelhouse.

She ran her hands through her hair.

“Did you sleep in the shift?”

“Yeah. I didn’t want to mess anything up.”

Horib paused as she set a tray on the small table. “And you only have one item of clothing and need to keep it in place if you want to run.”

“Yeah. That’s it.” She yawned.

“Sit, have tea. Relax. I will let Lady Ranna know to take it easy on you.”

“Thanks. When does the seamstress show up?”

“She’s on her way.”

Riley walked to the tiny table and sipped at the eye-opening tea that tasted like roses and kicked like coffee. There was a soft egg with a purple yolk, toast, and slabs of meat.

“Arro meals are heavy for breakfast, fruit for midday, and whatever you like for dinner. I gave you half of a normal breakfast serving.”

“Thank you.” She mumbled and ate quickly.

“Well, you don’t have ration lock, that’s good.”

“I have always been highly omnivorous.”

“That’s good. I am guessing it got you through.”

“That it did.”

Horib paused. “I read up on your world.”

“It’s dead. For the foreseeable future of everyone on it. First came the asteroid strike, then the earthquakes and roads tearing apart, then power went out, medications ran out, and then disease spread, and it spread fast at first, and without medication or heating, people died in the thousands.”

“Then starvation.”

“Correct. Then the station came, and my area was sorted in order of usefulness, so I lied and stayed with those I was with until we were brought onboard, and then I got outed as useful.”

“What is your skill?”