Planet 49

Part 10

Every day after Jordan had found that girl in her parent's science lab, she visited her. They would talk; sometimes Jordan would sit beside her silently and listen to her sleep. The girls name was Amelia; she was eight, only a few years older than Jordan. They quickly became friends, Jordan would confide everything to Amelia: how her day went, her past memories, and her secrets, and when Amelia was awake she would tell Jordan the few thoughts she had, many of which were spoken in a language entirely her own.

Jordan didn't mind watching this girl die; she didn't understand. Amelia was nice, but Jordan liked having a secret to keep, too, so she made sure that she never told anybody, not even her parents. Some days when Amelia was feeling better, Jordan would sit on her bed and they would make up stories about princesses and kings and dragons. Or they would tell jokes, but Jordan quickly learned not to do that when one day, Amelia laughed so hard that she began coughing up blood.

Two months. That's how long Amelia was in Jordan's life. Each day Jordan came, she noticed that Amelia was progressively getting worse. She couldn't sit up or eat, and occasionally slept through the times when Jordan came to see her. Amelia's skin turned papery, her eyes were sunken, and her hands were thin and frail. The day before it all ended, Jordan came to sit by her. This time, Amelia was awake.

"Hey Ame-"

"Tomorrow." Her voice was raspy and dry, like a dead leaf scraping the pavement. "Tomorrow, I want you to end my pain, Jordan."

There was silence. Jordan didn't understand, she could barely count to 100, how could she end pain? "Do you want some applesauce, Amelia? It always makes me feel better when I have a headache." Amelia turned her head- a slow process that was physically taxing- and a weak smile broke across her face.

"No, thank you Jordan, but there is something I could use." Her voice was even quieter now. "Across the room, there is a box with a syringe in it. Will you grab it for me?" Jordan walked to the tall counters and climbed a chair. A large metal box was waiting patiently. When she brought the syringe back, she expected Amelia to take it, but Amelia couldn't even lift a finger.

"Jordan, you are a very sweet little girl and I greatly appreciate all the time we've spent together." The sound was just a crackle now. "Put that in my arm won't you? I'll feel much better when it's over. I'll miss you."

Jordan woke in a cold sweat; her breath was coming so fast, it burned her throat. Calm down, Jordan, calm down. She told herself over and over as the memory slipped away. There were goose bumps on her arms and she was shivering. Her blanket was in a heap on the floor, she must have kicked it off during the night. Jordan looked to the window.

"It's open." She said to herself as she got up to close it. The sun wasn't quite up yet, how? Jordan had no idea. She walked back to her bed, but stopped when she noticed the table. A fresh loaf of bread and a bowl of fruit had been neatly placed in the center along with a yellow, folded piece of paper. Jordan grabbed a handful of small, round, purple fruit and slowly ate them, eyeing the paper.

A minute passed before she picked it up and unfolded it. 'He's been asking for you.'. - Lectus. Jordan's stomach dived into the deepest, darkest trench in the ocean. "Charlie." All this time, she'd been celebrating and trying to forget about him, while he'd been thinking about her. She hit herself in the head with the palm of her hand. "Stupid." She mumbled before rushing out the door.

The ground was cold and stung her feet as she maneuvered through the densely packed streets of the village. It had been almost a month since Jordan had found the village. For a minute, Jordan thought she was lost, until she saw the crisp white walls of the hospital. She hesitated, "what do I say?" she asked herself. An alien was pushing a cart of brightly colored flowers. "Flowers say it all?" She shrugged and grabbed a handful of purple orchids. "Thank you, sir. Or ma'am?" the creature angrily hissed but Jordan left before she could get into any trouble.