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I just shook my head.
Ever the optimist, that Lea.
Chapter Two
Mya
The rest of the day passed quickly. My sister and I were given leave to enjoy the time together and we watched old movies and played some games together using the agency’s total immersion virtual reality gaming system. Together, we defeated the evil lord and rescued the princess from the enemy. The entire afternoon was fantastic, and I almost forgot that I was being sent away to somewhere unknown the following day.
We stayed up late into the night, wondering if my alien match would have horns, if he’d be ten feet tall, if he’d be blue or red or purple or even green. The two of us both shuddered at the mention of tentacles.
“Ewwww,” Lea shouted at the top of her lungs and we descended into a fit of giggles. Moments later, an automated noise detection system powered on, and a robotic computerized voice scolded us for our behavior and we laughed even harder. A quiet lavender mist spray floated down from the vent in the ceiling and we both sighed, soothed by the aromatic scent.
My lids grew heavy and I realized there was probably some sort of sleeping medication in the mist; the two of us grew quiet. I fell asleep a very short time later.
When we woke in the morning, I felt fully rested and rejuvenated.
I climbed out of bed and approached the automated food delivery teleporter. Using the touch screen, I ordered a cup of black tea for myself and a sweetened coffee for Lea. The machine whirred to life and within ten seconds, two steaming cups showed up in the teleportation window. I opened the glass and took both back to the coffee table in front of our small loveseat.
“Come and get it,” I said softly while my sister groaned. She rubbed her eyes and looked over at me.
“Only a few more hours,” she whispered sadly, climbing out of bed and moving slowly toward me. She lifted the cup of coffee from the table and sat down beside me.
“Have they given you any data yet?” she asked.
I passed my finger over my wristband, looking at the counter that now only showed ninety minutes. I realized it was later than I thought and that the two of us had missed breakfast. It was Saturday though, and the rules were a little different on weekends, plus the two of us were on special leave for a little bit longer.
Until I matched, anyway.
I knew they’d call me soon, for processing.
Last-minute examinations, treatments, my translator implantation. The works. I chewed my lip and stared down at my tea nervously. Was I ready for this? Did I want this to happen?
Lea placed her hand on my thigh and squeezed gently.
“It’ll be fine. You’ll see,” she whispered softly, almost as if she understood how anxious I was feeling then.
My screen flashed before my eyes as I sipped my tea.
It was time to go. I turned and looked at Lea, feeling my skin run cold.
My sister kissed me on the cheek.
“It’ll be just fine. Trust in the process,” she whispered.
I forced a smile on my face and squeezed her hands in mine.
“I love you,” I whispered, straining to keep tears from falling. I loved my sister. She’d been my world for the past ten years. My only friend and confidant. And now we were being forced apart. I’d known this was coming though. I should have been more prepared for it, but what could I have done differently? How can you prepare for that kind of loss?
“I’ll come visit when I can,” she whispered. I hoped she was right. I hoped we’d be able to see one another after everything. After I matched. And after she matched.
“Let’s go. I’ll walk you there,” she added.
She took my arm in hers and led me down the hallway to my fate.
Lea led me down halls and corridors I’d known for what felt like a lifetime, but it was all a blur. I didn’t keep track of right or left turns, just focused on putting one foot in front of the other. In what felt like a snap of the fingers, we were standing at the entrance to the medical wing.
My countdown clock now said sixty minutes. I knew how the process worked. How once I was matched, I’d be sent off in a spaceship to the planet I’d been matched to, where my alien husband would be there to fetch me.
