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Chapter 9: A New Perspective

They went to the glowworm wall every night for a month. They would sit and talk quietly: about their day, about their past lives, about anything they could think of. Sometimes they would run out of things to say and they would stare ahead of them at the artificial stars the glowworms created. Keeper liked the silent moments best of all; she seemed much happier when she wasn't complaining or thinking about anything that upset her.

Things had calmed down a bit for her, he was happy to see. Most of it was due to the fact that she'd finally found her niche. A few of the men had come back from a raid two weeks ago, Jared with a badly injured bicep from trying to change a tire on one of the trucks. Candy had suggested the "primitive" treatment of peroxide and a bandage because they were running low on canisters. Runs as the Lizard had fixed that problem with one quiet statement.

"You don't have to use more than a little spray," she had said. "Our medicine works much more effectively in small amounts. And your supply won't run out as fast, and you won't have to risk your lives to steal more."

She'd hesitantly healed Jared with the little bit of "Knit" and "Heal" that they had left. Jared had grunted a "Thank you," grudgingly admitting his arm was completely better. A day later, she was called to Jeb's office and given a job as Doc's assistant, should he need her and Candy to take care of things.

"Just make sure he's doing his job," Jeb had told her with a wink.

So far all she'd treated were Lacey's headaches, but since she'd been overseeing her roommate, the shorter woman was spending far less time laying around. A few people, namely Melanie, weren't sure if Lacey being forced to work was a good thing, but she was learning not to complain. Not too much, at least.

Keeper was in for his monthly checkup, something everyone in the caves needed. He wasn't terribly fond of being at Doc's, even if the Souls' medical procedures were all near painless. He hated the smell of sterilization, of everything always being clean. It made something in his stomach churn.

"Hello, Keeper." Runs as the Lizard smiled at him as he stood in the threshold. She'd completely dropped using the formal Soul names by now. "Here for your checkup?"

"Yes."

"I'm going to have you sit on one of the cots. This shouldn't take too long. Jared was able to secure us a few of the health scanners." She held what looked like a canister in front of her; when she pressed the button, a silver light shot out, running across his body. He held himself still, waiting for her to read his vitals.

"Looks like you're a normal height and weight, body temperature's good, blood pressure's low, no infections, heart rate's at a normal level…you're good to go."

"That's it?"

"Yes. Were you expecting something else?"

"Well, before we had the scanners, Doc and Candy had to check us over with different tools. They had one for temperature, one for blood pressure, one for the heart…and they had funny names, as well." He chuckled. "I'm just glad this was much more efficient."

"Well, Doc says it means we won't have to spend an entire week checking everyone over."

"More time to yourself, right?"

She shrugged. "I suppose."

"You know…you're always welcome to join us in the game room."

She frowned at the floor. "That's very kind of you to say, Keeper."

"I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it."

She didn't reply to that, and he took it as his cue to leave. "I'll see you tonight, then?"

She nodded. "Of course."

"Your girlfriend too scared to hang out with us?" Melanie asked later that day.

He shook his head in response, turning back to where Ian, Kyle, and Jared were kicking a soccer ball around.

"Earth to Keeper!" Melanie shook his shoulder. "What's the deal with your girlfriend?"

"She's not my girlfriend."

"She may as well be, the way you two have been acting."

"Mel, leave him alone," Wanda said from his other side. "They're just really good friends, is all."

"Going to the glowworm wall every night to talk for a few hours tells me they're more than 'really good friends'."

"Human customs are different from Soul customs," Keeper mumbled.

"Okay, if you pull that on me again, I'm going to call bullshit." Melanie folded her arms. "The sooner you two admit you're official, the better. We're all waiting for it."

"We are not." Wanda wrapped a lock of pale blond hair around her finger nervously. "Keeper, you and Runs as the Lizard take your time, okay?"

"We're not even going to -"

"Right, sorry. Then you keep being friends and we'll leave you alone. Won't we, Mel?"

"Maybe you will. I won't shut up until the two of them move in together."

"Melanie Stryder!"

"What?"

Keeper felt his ears turn red. "I'm going to take a walk," he said stiffly, getting up. He narrowly avoided being hit by the ball, and even then he could hear Jared say something about "his girlfriend".

Really, if they kept this up, he wouldn't hesitate to join Runs as the Lizard in the library.

It was another night of quiet contemplation for the two of them. Even sitting as close as they were, they never made contact like they did the first time there. He found himself missing it, wanting to take her hand again. He'd found that when he did, a funny feeling kindled in his stomach, one he had feared at first, but quickly learned to love. It only happened when he was near her, and even then it wasn't as strong as when he was touching her.

Was Melanie right, then? Did he really like Runs as the Lizard the way she assumed he did?

He certainly enjoyed her company. Now that she had stopped shutting everyone out, they could talk for hours without her clamming up. She was consistently interested in how he was doing, always asking questions about him and his past lives. She wasn't as bitter as she had been, allowing him to see that she loved her parents and her books, and that she was even starting to warm up to a few more people here.

She was his friend. Why was that so hard for Melanie to accept?

His eyes kept glancing sideways at her, wishing he was brave enough to reach out and hold her hand. He should ask first, in case she didn't want him to. But his throat was mysteriously dry at the thought of even doing so. And he refused to sit and do nothing about it, he wanted, he needed that odd wonderful feeling again -

Maybe Melanie was right. Maybe he saw her as more than someone to talk to. Maybe he wanted…

"Keeper?"

He jerked his head at the sound of his name. "What?"

"Your hand's been like that for a few minutes now."

He glanced down, realizing he'd unconsciously raised his hand a bit. He quickly brought it back down. "Sorry."

"Did you need something?"

"Yes…I mean, no. I…no." He swallowed loudly. "I'm fine."

"You're certain?"

He nodded. "I just…"

She looked at him expectantly, her eyes faintly glowing in the dim light. He felt his heart skip a few beats.

"I was wondering if I could hold your hand."

"Oh." Her brow creased, and he was about to tell her to forget it, it wasn't that important, when a little shock went up his arm. She gently slid her smaller hand into his larger one, and for a moment they both looked at their twined palms. Keeper breathed in, trying to calm his now racing heart.

This felt…right.

"Keeper?"

"Yes?"

She bit her lip. "I've been thinking…about my name."

"Oh. What about it? I think it's beautiful -"

"Well, yes, it is. But…" She sighed. "Melanie's right, it's a bit much to say. So…" She paused. "I think, for everyone's sake, it will be much easier to use a nickname."

"Is that what you want?"

She nodded. "Yes. I…I sort of like the name 'Lizzie'. It's cute." She smiled, and he felt his heart stop again. "I wanted you to be the first person I told."

"Why me?"

"I'm not sure. I think it's because I talk to you the most. It felt natural that I tell you first."

He smiled at that. She trusted him enough with something that had been plaguing her since her first week here. Maybe she wanted something more, as well.

"You're my friend, I suppose."

Or maybe she didn't.

Either way, Keeper studied her for a minute, her eyes glowing a little brighter than they had been moments before. He boldly moved forward, kissing her forehead, his lips tingling at the contact.

"Lizzie," he whispered. "It suits you well."