Sap and Bone

  It had been a simple enough celebration. The Graduation party that the school had thrown. All the students were there, there were parents and friends of the other people. And Mar was rubbing shoulders so many strangers. He was on the edge of a panic attack after bumping into his third Floran adult when Ushi put an arm around his shoulders.

  “Hey, Mar, why don’t we go sit down over there,” with their free hand, they point to the old tree that was in the court yard, “seems to be fewer people.”

  “Floran likesss that idea…” 

  And so over to the tree they went. And sat upon the little stone wall around the back. They sit in silence for a moment. They started humming the song that was playing over the loud speaker and Mar joins. They both hum happily till the song is over.

  “Congratulationsss on graduating, Usshi.”

  “Why thank you, honorary first mate Mar.” They leaned against him with a hug, “You certainly deserve to be part of the crew. Not sure I could have done this without you! Just think of where we’ll go. So many planets so little time!”

  Mar was going to say something, but a shout came from the main party and the ground shook. Everything went crazy. Mar lost track of the events and of Ushi. And woke up on a total stranger’s ship.

  He kept trying to speak, but his throat hurt and an Apex kept shushing him. “You’ll wake the others!” they hissed, “And we want everyone to sleep for as long as they can. It’ll lessen the panic.”

  Mar doubted that. But he stayed quiet, even when his shoulder started to hurt. He watched everyone wake up and watched them all be shushed by the Apex. All was painfully quiet. 

  So they all heard the light cursing come from a Hylotl to had cut themself on a piece of jagged metal paneling. They all watched as they went over to the ship’s washroom and turn on the tap.

  ‘sshhhhhhhhhssh.’ The tap sounded like the Apex, Mar laughed to himself about this and so did a few others. Before the Hylotl started screaming. The suddenness of it startled everyone and several shouted back at the Hylotl, who would not stop screaming.

  The Apex who had been shushing them all stormed over to the washroom, after looking in and the door hissed shut with a panicked flip of a switch. Not before Mar could see in. The Hylotl’s eyes were running with water and were a different sort of red.

  “TURN THE SHIP BACK. TURN IT BAC-!” There was a bang on the door. And another and another.

  “LETMEOUTLETMEOUTLETMEOUT.THEWATERBURNS!” 

  Water was seeping out from around the door.

  The few other Hylotls edge back away from the water as it soaked the floor. The door creaked once. And it all went quiet. The only sound was the loud hum of the ship and the sound of the water.

  It stayed quiet for a long time.

  The room that Hylotl was in was locked down and everyone kept the tense silence. Some slept. Mar was handed a child to hold. He had no idea who this was or who they belonged to. But everyone who was still awake was being giving the children of those asleep.

  Even those fall asleep soon. Mar’s eyes get heavy as he hums to the little human child. And soon both were dozing.

  And then it hurt.

  Mar jerks awake, pain in his arm. Or the lack of pain? He tried to stand but there was a sad murmurer. The human child was clinging tight to his chest, hiding behind his arm. The one he could feel.

  He pulled away from a sort of pressure. Feeling a lack of something at his left side, he paid it no mind and he kept the child close, edging away from an unseen danger.

  Why was it dark?

  Where were the lights?

  It was quiet. The only sound was the whimpers of this human child he held and the drip of the water from the door. A light blinked, flashing and lighting the room for just a moment. The floor glistened wet and everyone was slumped against walls and floors, sleeping.

 Dark again. He stepped lightly over limbs and made his way to the escape pods. Even if everyone was sleeping, he was unsettled.

  And…
  dizzy…