Kindred Souls

Chapter 3

When his alarm went off, Mitri opened his eyes to a day that didn't feel new. He hadn't shredded a drop of exhaustion during his attempt to sleep.

He sat up and ran a hand down his face, hoping to shake off some of his tiredness. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a ball of blanket slowly rocking. He got up and approached the ball. He lifted the blanket and found unblinking red eyes staring back at him.

He asked, his voice hoarse from sleep, "How long have you been awake?"

Nina didn't make any movement to respond.

Mitri sighed, "I have to get to work but it'd be a bad idea to leave you here alone. I'm going to get dressed first but I'm going to come back and dress you. Then we'll both go. Is that okay?"

She nodded.

"Good," he rubbed her cheek, where tear tracks remained. "I'm going to take a shower. I'll leave the bathroom door open in case you need me."

She nodded again so he left without noticing a large portion of the blanket was gone. What was left covered a series of cuts in the bed. Mitri left her alone before realizing how much damage her dreams had done.

He didn't dare take long. He couldn't imagine her calling or walking to him if she did need him. It was sad that he didn't even know if she was capable of it. He was out the shower in minutes and came back to see Nina still rocking. He took a deep breath and prepared for another emotionally exhausting day.

Before leaving out the door, Mitri told Nina, "I need to use my hands today. Will you be okay with sitting around my neck?"

She nodded and slid on easily when he bent down. When he rose back up, he heard a giggle and felt hands patting his head. A breath he didn't know he was holding rushed out of his chest and he smiled. "Don't have too much fun up there."

Hands reached down and patted his face.

Mitri huffed a laugh, "Weird kid."

As Mitri expected, as soon as he walked out his quarters, people were staring dumbly at the child on his shoulders, but sharp glares kept most of them from commenting. He managed to make it to his office before Venniel found him.

The man came to a stuttering stop at the doorway and stared. "Jaron, is that the child from last night?"

"I don't answer stupid questions."

Venniel scowled, "Okay, then why do you still have her?"

Mitri scowled right back, "Because your Captain thought it'd be cute to make me her guardian."

Venniel let out a nervous laugh like he thought Mitri had just attempted to tell a joke. Then his jaw slackened in disbelieve, "You're serious."

"Are you here to report or stand around like an idiot?"

"Has the Captain gone crazy? Why would she make you a parent? Why isn't the girl in," he stopped, "Right, Dracox empire. Yeah, I get that, but we're heading to the Vetrian Galaxy. There are plenty of reputable orphanages there."

Mitri replied coolly, "If you want an explanation so much then please, visit your Captain and ask her what possessed her to make such a ridiculous decision. For now, either deliver your report or get out of my sight. You're wasting my time."

"Okay, fine," He lifted his holopad and listed off the engines and their statuses as of that morning. "The problem is engine twenty-two A. The warp generator is down a cylinder. Harvis is prepared to replace the cylinder at your okay. Though, I would recommend that you re-assign the job this time."