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Stupid body. How dare it stop absorbing calcium and folic acid.
My hand hovered over my face as I stared at the screen, wishing the helpful tips would disappear. Today, my symptoms were back. My limbs dragged as if they were buried under a load of wet cement, and I lowered my wobbly arm to the bed before my wristport smashed me in the face.
As the morning wore on, Geo’s dogs’ barking broke me from my trance. I’d been lying in the guest bed, a carved-out hollow in the ground, staring at the dust motes. They floated in the light flooding through the bubble-shaped windows lining the ceiling.
“’Kay, guys. I’m coming already.” I lifted my sluggish elbows over the bedside.
No wonder I had trouble telling my best friend I was sick when it had taken me a month to download a silly app. When I opened the front door, a blast of cold air hit me, and I huddled into myself as the dogs darted to and fro in the front yard. As they frolicked and I shivered, my mind drifted.
Six weeks ago, after one too many days when getting out of bed proved impossible, I’d turned down my lead costume designer contract renewal. The film company wanted me back after I’d won awards for the costumes I’d created, especially the armor. They’d been a massive hit and it had hurt my heart to have to tell them no. The memory of the smooth texture of the gauntlets lingered under my palms even as I watched Pika and Charz rolling in the snow.
The truth was, saying goodbye had been like losing a part of my identity. I sucked in a thready breath.
The wristport Geo had loaned me pinged.
TeyTey: I’m free in two suns. Does that work for you? Don’t forget a helmet ??
When the notification closed, my screen saver photo popped up. In it, my best friend leaned into Makir, his new alien boyfriend, with a huge grin plastered on his face. I couldn’t wait for Geo to get back.
The translator behind my ear, combined with the wristport text conversion, made communication a breeze. Well, except when it came to JayJay. I frowned. All the technological advances in the universe couldn’t bridge the communication gap I had with that guy.
While I went to hurry the dogs inside, a new lightness filled my steps. No way would I let a stinking blood disorder stand in my way. I could push through the numbness and tingling. Shit, I better get my ass in motion.
“Charz, Pika.” I whistled. “Let’s go.” I had a lot to do in two hours, or ‘suns’ as they liked to say here.
Ginger: Woo hoo! I’m so freaking excited to see what it feels like to fly on my own.
Fake it till you make it had served me well in life.
Bright overhead light filled the bathroom, where I rifled through bottles and tubes, all the way to the lint-covered zipper at the bottom of my cosmetic bag. I opened the second compartment, closed my eyes and snuck a tiny tab under my tongue, hiding it as if ashamed. Then, I slid the zipper shut, concealing my medicine deep inside, and finished getting ready.
Why did I hate relying on medicine so much? I shook off my ridiculous behavior as I slipped my legs into my warmest tights and added a thick pair of pants overtop. Today would be a good day. Today, I’d learn to fly a hoverbike.
Geo’s heated floors helped ease the ache in my legs as his high-tech blender whirred in front of me. The time for taking charge was now. I ticked off leafy green vegetables and supplements from the drop-down menu on my new monitoring app.
A second notification pinged, and I glanced at my wrist.
TeyTey: I’ll take that as a yes. See you in two suns.
While I chugged my chalky green smoothie, I ran my hand over the soft linobee mittens stacked on one side of the long table. Linobee reminded me of beaver hide, only white. Myfinger trailed over a copper swirl, tracking the liquid that eddied beneath the table’s concrete surface as if alive. I scrolled through my mental agenda as I swallowed another mouthful of fortifying sludge. Make three pairs of linobee mittens, feed the chickens for the enforcers, walk the dogs…
How had I accumulated so much responsibility in such a short time? After all, I was just visiting. But just like on Earth, show an ounce of competence and you get a ton of work.
The last month had been crazy. Who would have guessed I’d have so much in common with Geo’s new Lornian boyfriend? I now shared a stall with Makir at the weekend market. Despite giving none of the rush of adjusting costumes at the last minute while filming, it satisfied what mattered—my need to sew and create. Though my mind thrived on a busy schedule, my body and under-eye concealer supply struggled to keep up.
“I’ll tell Geo I’m sick the moment they get back from welcoming Makir’s new niece or nephew on Lorne,” I told Geo’s Jack Russell terriers. The dogs ignored me. Charz scratched at the sliding door to the solarium, and Pika nosed a fur blanket.
Excited about my hoverbike lesson, I danced in front of the sink, thankful my medicine had kicked in. The bright bathroom light underlined the shadows beneath my eyes. They’d returned, but I excelled at pushing through discomfort.
Though skipping the third glass of wine at TeyTey’s last night might have been the wiser decision.
After tapping a little foundation from my dwindling supply onto my fingertips, I dabbed the colored cream under my eyes. “Fresh as a daisy.” I air-kissed the image of my concealed self, then bundled myself up in a linobee fur-lined hat and mittens. After leashing the dogs, I ventured into the blue snow.
Two hours later, with only a few minutes to spare before TeyTey’s arrival, I swallowed a yawn. The dogs had been walked, and I’d laughed over how the chickens had trailed me around the greenhouse while I watered.
My legs were like bricks from walking through the deep snow, and I plopped onto the fur-covered cushion topping the entryway bench. My head rolled back against the warm pink earthen wall of the entryway. I’ll just rest my eyes for a moment.
I jolted awake at TeyTey’s voice. “Ginger? Ginger…what in the universe is going on here? Are you all right?”
