I reached up and removed the dusty book from the shelf. The elderly Sputnee below just barely grew to my waist. White hair sprouted from his long, black ears and his silver eyes were watery and droopy.
"Thank you, kind stewardess," He croaked. I bowed deeply; the customary bow that all stewards of the Sanctuary are supposed to master at a young age. The old Sputnee hobbled away with the help of his cane. I turned on my heel and walked in a very orderly fashion back to my station.
I had been donated to the Sanctuary at a young age. My parents were, just like all the other parents nowadays, too poor to feed the extra mouths. So they donated me to a life of servitude and safety in the Sanctuary.
As I strolled my way to my station, I spotted the other stewardesses in my station. There was a middle-aged Sputnee with cursed golden eyes instead of the usual silver. There was another human by the name of Kaycee; she had been donated a few months ago. We all wore the customary black dress and black tights with plain heels and white gloves. We were all uniform at all times, as was required.
This life was all I had ever known, yet I sometimes got the feeling that I didn't belong here. I passed a mirror on my way to my station and out of habit, I glanced at it. Inside of the mirror, staring back at me wasn't my reflection.
The girl looked just like me. But while my dark blond hair was perfectly pinned into a sleeked bun, this version's hair was a tangly mess. Her blue eyes were frantic as she stared at me. I blinked calmly back at her.
This isn't you. A voice whispered into my ear. Even the voice sounded like my own. But it was an illusion. I had always lived at the Sanctuary. This version of myself in the mirror was nothing more than an illusion. The mirror image blinked and opened her mouth repeatedly, as if trying to talk to me.
You need to snap out of it and find the Doctor. This isn't you.
I blinked coolly at the reflection and proceeded on my way to the station. Suddenly, an alarm overhead sounded and I froze, waiting for orders.
"Stewardess number fourteen-twenty-two, there are two male specimens on the third floor that are in need of your assistance."
I turned sharply to the left and walked through a hallway, leaving the library section of the Sanctuary and entering the third floor. As soon as I entered the large, dome room, the two male specimens mentioned were waiting anxiously. I stood before their turned backs and coughed politely, as I was taught to.
The first male specimen was another Sputnee. The Sanctuary was right next door to the planet Sputnock, so most of our visitors were Sputnock-natives. It looked to be a particularly young Sputnee; no hair had yet grown inside its ears. That or it was not pure Sputnee.
The second male specimen looked to be human or some sort of humanoid. He was far taller than me with brunette hair that was slightly spiked and floppy at the same time. It would appear that he had suffered some sort of electrical shock; maybe that was why he was here. He was staring at me with wide brown eyes.
"I am stewardess number fourteen-twenty-two and I am here to assist you in any means necessary." I replied extremely smoothly with a hint of my familiar monotone-like voice. The man looked down desperately at the Sputnee, who took a few steps forward with padded feet.
"I am called Mercury, young stewardess," The Sputnee said. "I was wondering if you could give us both a history of the Sanctuary."
I blinked and motioned for both males to follow me. I led them to the grand and wide window that showed a map of the Sanctuary and its neighbors. "The Sanctuary was formed billions of years ago by scholars from all over the galaxy in search for a decent place to gather information, rest from weary days, and relax their worries away. Its neighbors are Sputnock, the Yellow Waste, and the icicle planet of Stiria. Most of the visitors to the Sanctuary are from these respective planets."
"And could you tell us more about the Sanctuary itself?" The Sputnee called Mercury asked. I blinked and nodded at the little creature. I ignored the looks the tall male was giving me; he was giving me a look of mourning.
"The Sanctuary is a planet composed of several hundred levels; five hundred and sixty-five levels to be exact. Every ten or twenty levels are dedicated to a certain field of study, relaxation, or fundraising events. Right now we are standing in the third level of the lobby."
The Sputnee called Mercury hesitated before asking another question. "And how are the stewards here donated?" The tall male threw him a sharp look.
"Most stewards are donated at a young age. They are either imperfect or disabled. Some stewards are taken as hostage from other planets for good behavior, but that has not been a case in several thousand years."
The Sputnee and the tall man exchanged a worried glance. I blinked at them and waited for my next command. The tall man walked forward until he was directly in front of me. I met his eyes evenly, as we stewards are trained to do so.
"Do you know me?" He asked.
"No; you have never checked into the Sanctuary before. I have lived here my entire existence."
The man looked miserable now. "You have not been here your entire existence." He told me sharply. "Your name is Anne Worthing. You are a human from the planet Earth. You are from a city called Burbank but we met in London, England, a place you hated. You slayed an Ala; you helped Medusa from herself; we switched bodies on a starship run by Sputnee; heck, you even snogged Edgar Allan Poe! You have to remember at least some of this!" He reached out and gripped my shoulders tightly. "C'mon Anne; I'm the Doctor. You just have to remember me."
The words he was saying were not making sense. I blinked. "I am stewardess number fourteen-twenty-two. You are making no sense at all, sir. Now I ask you politely to remove your hands from my body or I will have no choice but to summon security."
The man released me and gave me a miserable look. "I'm sorry Anne; I'm so sorry."