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“Yeah?” Turning around, I finally met her eyes.
“Take it easy tonight, okay? Maybe go see your mom or sister.”
Nodding, I unlocked my door and climbed into the driver’s seat. Rose didn't get into her car until I drove out of the parking lot. It was hard to look away from her slumping form as I left. She looked how I felt—hopeless and really sorry. Mr. Duncan had been fine when he came to see me a week ago for a follow-up.What did I miss? Did the infection start then?
When I arrived in front of my house, I didn't move for a long time. My mom's number appeared on my phone screen andmy legs were suddenly too heavy to move. She knew. Everyone probably did by now. Although I wasn't there when it happened and had zero control over whether or not he did what was instructed to take care of the incision site at home, it still felt like my fault.
Not ready to deal with my mom’s questions and worrying, I let the call go to voicemail and messaged Edgar.
Me: When are we leaving again?
Edgar: Is that a yes?
Me: As long as you're sure we can get a hold of some of that healing water, then yes.
What if it really did have healing abilities? What if what others said was true? A friend from work said it healed you from the inside out, keeping you in good health for years to come with only one sip. Someone else said it took drinking it every day, while a neighbor told me once every few years. It didn't matter as long as it worked. Think of the lives it could've saved. Lives like Mr. Duncan’s.
My phone vibrated again.
Edgar: Yeah, my monster friend says he knows a guy who can make sure we do. He's known as The Trader. Usually, he requests things from our world in exchange for things that you can only get in his.
Me: Good. Once your friend puts you in contact with him, tell me what he wants, and I'll make sure I bring it myself.
Edgar: I'm so glad you finally came to your senses. What made you change your mind?”
Me: You were right about the hospital needing better medicine. If there's a chance to help people more than I have been, why not take it?
Edgar: I'm glad you're finally seeing things my way. Pack your shorts and T-shirts. It's very warm where we're headed. I'll tell my friend's roommate you're looking forward to meeting her.
Laughing, I shook my head and for a moment I forgot about all the bad that had happened that day. Leave it to Edgar to flip my mood around, even if it was only for a moment. I needed those moments a lot it seemed. Maybe stronger medicine wasn't the only good thing that could come from the other side of the wall. Maybe I should meet his friend's roommate and give her a chance too. I was already stepping out of my comfort zone for the possibility of helping my patients more, so why not have an open mind when it came to love. The spark I've been waiting for most of my life could happen.
Like Edgar said, “Two birds with one stone.”
What if I really was missing out on so much by playing it safe all these years? At least after this trip I'd know for sure if I truly was or not. Yes, I'd lived a very ideal life but what if it could be more than that?
Two
Nova
Chirping came from outside my window, but I ignored it, tossing what humans called a chip into my mouth. I was almost out of the food I’d traded from a guy on base last week, and I was unsure what to ask for next, so I told him to surprise me. In exchange, I gave him some anti-aging mud from one of the nearby swamps. They weren’t all the same and you had to know which was which. Who better to know than someone who'd lived out here for the last six years? Any stranger who tried to collect it might reach into the wrong swamp and end up as someone's snack or get dragged under by drowning vines.
I didn't travel as much as I used to. Not after I’d realized how unsafe it was and outrun many things much bigger than me with sharp teeth. It was survival of the fittest out here sometimes,but my old master had managed to find us the perfect hideaway space in the center of large moss and singamell trees. Some snapped at you if you were a stranger, while others hung you by their vines. I kept them fed and watered, and in return they kept unwanted creatures from intruding into my yard or sneaking up on me.
Occasionally the small ones would slip through but that's what the traps were for, along with my pet slugra, Ollie. He reminded me a lot of the dogs I'd seen humans have in movies. Except, instead of barking he made a deep howling sound whenever he heard or smelled something he didn't like, and looked similar to what humans called a slug but a hundred times bigger. He was a good boy and my only friend. I’d saved him when he was only a baby, a month after my master died. It was still hard to think about how I’d killed Leland. I was me, but I was also someone else.
I was always a mixture of people, but occasionally one overpowered the others and the one who’d taken over that day wasn't my favorite. He was triggered by anger and pain, only coming around when he felt needed. I guess that was the result of being made up of ten different people.
I didn't always know which personality I was going to get, and because I didn't want to bring harm to the human world, I’d been honest about it when applying for my visa. Popping another chip into my mouth, I stared at the large envelope I’d picked up from the base library. I had mail delivered there on occasion and Portia, the librarian, let me use their address. Not all the humans there treated me nicely, but she was one of the very few who did.
Ollie slobbered all over the envelope before bringing it to me. Sighing, I crunched down on another chip, staring at what could be my chance out of here. It was hard to be hopeful after already being rejected four times. I wasn't ready to give up though,hoping for a new life. A better and safer one. There were so many experiences I wanted to have, and I couldn’t have them here.
Taking a deep breath, I slid my nail under the back opening of the envelope and ripped it open.
This is it. I can do this. Who gets turned away five times?
Hope fluttered in my chest as I unfolded the paper, but my smile faltered the moment I read the top of the letter.
I'm sorry to inform you . . .yada yada.
