At her words, I stared at Kiara in disbelief. There was no way she believed I could pull this off. "Are you sure this is going to work?" I asked for the tenth time, biting my nails.
She brought her fingers to the bridge of her nose. "You're certainly gonna show up in better shape. Even with that little Zenith face of yours, those scars, messy hair, and dry skin have to go." Kiara gestured. "At least for now. Let's take advantage of your contract being suspended. Nobody's after you."
My lips were bleeding from how much I'd bitten them. "I'm not sure this is going to work. You're expecting a lot from me."
Kiara was betting too much on me. Even I didn't expect that much of myself. Me? Breaking into Parliament? This was absurd. Even I didn't have that much faith in myself. How could she?
She gave me a stern look. "Get some rest. Starting tomorrow, we'll take care of this, alright?" She raised her eyebrows, as though she would only accept a yes.
I nodded, but accepting things as they were frustrated me.
Kiara placed her hand over mine and flashed a leonine grin. Even her smugness resembled Maia's. "Hey, I know this might cheer you up, so once we're done with this, we'll go after the things Maia left you, okay? I know you want that. I know you need it."
I smiled, eager. "Alright."
I knew we would do it anyway. Kiara knew mentioning Maia lifted my spirits.
I tapped the headboard to clean the bed. A thin stream of water emerged, followed by a nanolaser, and within seconds, the mattress looked new. I switched on the heating, letting it warm up, and lay down.
The neon shimmer across the ceiling's metal distracted me. I thought of Maia and how she had considered this place a safe haven, somewhere she used to spend her time. Somewhere she used to stay.
I smiled. My heart happy at the simple thought of being in the same space she had been.
The flow kept its rhythm. One whole solar cycle. I tried to lull my feelings to sleep, to convince myself that moving on was right, but my heart felt differently. With every mention of her, every story, every place that held her presence, I fell in love all over again. It was like rekindling a flame that had always burned, as though she were still here.
I know she had her reasons, but I would still have followed her. If she had asked, I would have gone. Without hesitation. Onward with her. But she didn't ask. And now all I have left are the memories and this emptiness that fills me. My heart warmed at the memories, then soon grew cold, remembering that was all they were: memories.
Joy and sorrow fought within me, and I wasn't sure which one I wanted to win.