Page 29 of HaL

Dawn wobbles again, and I tighten my arm around her.

“Easy,” I murmur.

Troza barely acknowledges me, completely focused on what she is doing.

“How does it feel? Is it too tight anywhere?”

“No, it fits pretty well. I will admit that it being all one piece is going to suck when I need to pee, though.”

“Here is the part you are really going to enjoy.”

Troza has smiled more in these last few risings than I believe I have ever seen, and I wonder whether she is as fascinated by Dawn as I am, or if it is something else. Dawn’s small hand has remained on my arm this entire time, as if her body is reassuring itself that I am still here. She glances up at me with a look of wonder on her face when the suit starts to heat up.

“Oh my heavens, the heat … Ughh, it’s wonderful! I don’t know how it works, but this is damn awesome. I want one in every color.”

“We have silver.”

Her smile dims for just a tic.

“Then I will have to settle for that, won’t I? Do you guys have a grievance against other colors in the spectrum?”

“No, but silver helps us blend in and at one time on Hallister, that made the difference between life and death.”

“Is that going to be a problem for me, as my hair is somewhat noticeable among this white world of yours?”

Troza looks up at me, neither of us entirely sure how to answer that.

“Okay, you both have these funny looks on your faces. What are you hiding from me?”

“You have just awakened and are still healing, Dawn. You have nothing to fear, as I will never be far from your side. There are some large predators on our planet, but unless provoked, they tend to keep to themselves. Your coloring is hard to miss, and many will stare simply because they have never seen anything like you before. It is not like this is a vacation spot, and we get a lot of visitors on Hallister. Most have never and will never leave planetside.”

Troza interrupts.

“Speaking of healing, you need to get back in the bed, as you call it. That arm still needs a full rising before I can take the cast off, and your vitals are not yet stable enough for me.”

“Can I keep my onesie on?”

“I would prefer you to keep the warming suit on whenever possible. Right now, it is the only reliable way we have to regulate your body temperature and continuously keep you warm. We have kept all these rooms warmer than usual because we are trying to accelerate your healing, but once you are released, most of the places you will be staying in are going to be considerably colder.

You will need to be careful with HaL, too. He can become ill if he is kept overheated for too long. The problem is that his beastly form will instinctively endure the discomfort rather than risk making you uncomfortable. He’ll suffer in silence if he thinks it means keeping you warm.”

“Troza, we should not bother Dawn with such trivial matters.”

“Your life is not trivial HaL, and I know you will wither away before causing her an ounce of distress.”

“Hey y’all, invisible redhead standing right here, so stop talking about me in the third person. Thanks for telling me Troza, since I don’t just know things. I’m a stranger here and have no idea about your customs or dangers. Please don’t forget that fact. I’m destined to screw up many times, but knowledge is power. The more you guys tell me, not only about yourselves but also your culture and this world, the fewer mistakes I’m gonna make. The last thing I want is to offend a creature/person that could break me in half with very little effort on their end.”

CHAPTER 10

HAL

Even though I can tell Dawn is trying to be strong, I can see the fatigue plaguing her body as she fights to stay standing. Once Troza double-checks the seams on the warming suit, I pick her up into my arms and head back into the main healing chamber. For once, she says nothing, simply lays her head against my shoulder. I glance down and notice her eyes are closed, her long eyelashes lying against her sharp cheekbones. She opens them the tic I go to lay her down.

“Thanks for the ride. I thought the bath had woken me up, but it seems I’m still running on fumes.”

Just as she says that I hear a growling noise come from her stomach. Leaning down, I put my ear against her, only to look up, horrified.

“Why is your body so angry?”