Page 45 of Made For The Alien Warrior

“Ah.” The Healer bobbed his head. “From Leel.”

“This has nothing to do with her.”

“Neh?”

She noticed a bug that looked almost like a butterfly hovering close to the flowers. Her eyes caught on the colorful wings. “I’ve never been in a relationship, but I did like someone once.” Symphony inhaled a deep breath as she revisited that wound. “He was kind to me. One time, these girls knocked into me and all my folders went flying in the hallway. He stopped and helped me pick up each one.”

“Sounds like the Plutonian way,” the Healer said.

“Yeah, well… he wasn’t a good Plutonian. He was just pretending to be one.” She scowled. “I confessed that I liked him and he made fun of me. Said ‘this is why you shouldn’t help freaks’.”

The Healer’s jaw clenched. “Did you stab him with your spine dagger?”

“No.” She chuckled. “I quietly packed up my feelings and tried to avoid him. It hurt when I saw him with other girls.”

“What does this matter have to do with Tiegan?”

“Leel and I are in the same sorority.” Her eyes lifted to the sky. “Or something like that. There are only a few of us girls on this planet.”

He bobbed his head.

“It hurt me so badly every time I saw that guy with another girl. His laughter,” she looked at her feet, “made me want to run and hide. It tore me to see him looking so happy while I was so miserable.”

The Healer watched her intently.

“I don’t want to do that to Leel. I don’t want to inflict that kind of pain on anyone. It’ll hurt her to see me and Tiegan.”

“You are an empathetic creature, Sim-pony.”

“Me? No, I’m not.”

“Acknowledgements make you uncomfortable?”

“It doesn’t feel like something that needs acknowledging. I’ve been invisible and looked down on all my life. I won’t ever forget what it’s like. And I can’t turn my back on the people who are still struggling.”

The Healer touched her shoulder. “Tiegan made a good choice.”

“What choice?” She snorted. “I could be overthinking all of this. He could dump me and skip into the sunlight with some other girl.”

“These words… I understand them, but they do not make sense. Tiegan would not choose someone else after choosing you.”

“He hasn’t officially said he liked me.” She shrugged. Apart from a few longing gazes and a husky promise to ‘take care of her’, she didn’t have much evidence outside of her own imagination.

“Then why have you invested so heavily in self-reflection?”

Her cheeks went hot. “I’m being cautious.”

“ThatI do not believe.” He lifted a hand. “However, I will not interfere in the matters of a Plutonian and his mate. Tiegan will need to speak for himself.” Gesturing to the exits, he smiled. “I came to fetch you for a meal. The other females have gathered.”

“Thanks.”

He turned to leave.

“Wait, Healer.”

“Yes?”

“What do you think Adhi calling us to this planet means?”

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