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I gotta learn to forget, there's no future in the past, only memories that fade.
Sonique
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I woke up as an arm shook me. "Harper! Harper!"

"Yeah?" I opened my eyes to see Trance looking very worried.

"Do you know where Lise went?"

"She's gone?"

"Yes, she's gone."

"Are you gonna tie her up, too, when you find her?"

"This is serious, Harper. She could have relapsed back into her previous state or even worse."

I was worried, too. Probably even more worried than Trance. 'She probably just went to find something to eat or something,' I assured myself.

"Trance, I need you at the end of the Medical Deck corridor immediately! Come prepared for a patient with severe wounds caused by a stabbing with a dagger that's possibly poisoned." Beka's voice filled Medical Bay.

Trance grabbed several pieces of equipment and flew from the room. I kept telling myself it wasn't Lise, but I knew I was lying to myself. Beka would have said if it was Tyr or another crew member. I had become numb inside. I didn't want to cry, but I couldn't bear the thought of losing this again. Once had left me broken inside for years. I didn't even want to think about twice.

Beka and Trace entered with Lise on a stretcher. Blood was everywhere, and her skin looked deathly pale. Trance moved her into the room where she performed surgeries. I wanted to know who had done this to Lise. I wanted to murder them with my own hands.

"What happened, Beka?" I stayed strong, hiding all of my pain.

"One of the Messinans attempted to attack me. She yelled for me to watch out and threw herself at him. He stabbed her and that gave me a chance to shoot him. She saved my life."

"It doesn't look good."

"Trance doesn't know if she'll pull through or not. She lost a lot of blood, and the dagger had a potent poison on its blade."

I nodded, and Beka walked out.

An hour passed. The longest hour of my life by far. Trance emerged from the room. She didn't say anything to me at first, and I expected the worst.

"I've done all I can do. Only time will tell." She plopped down into a chair, exhausted.

"Can I go see her?"

"She's not conscious, but you can."

I walked into the room Lise was recovering in. Her eyes were closed, and she was connected to a life support unit. The series of soft bleeps were comforting. She still had a chance. I walked to the head of the bed and took one of her hands in both of mine.

"I know you can't hear me, Lise, but I need to tell you this in case I don't have the chance again. There's a reason I risked myself to go in your mind and save you. I haven't told anyone this, and it isn't easy talking about it. Seven years ago, I left Earth on a shuttle with twenty other people. I met this girl. She was just amazing. We both ended up going to work on a freighter as engineers. Her name was Delaney. Del, well she and I were the only people from Earth on the freighter. So we spent a lot of time together and eventually fell in love. It was like some sort of fairy tale come true. I wanted to be with her forever. We spent a year together on the freighter. It was a horrible job to have and the living conditions were hell, but it was the best year of my life. Then, the freighter was attacked, and I lost Del. You're probably asking yourself what any of this has to do with you. Well, I was in your head and I know you better than I know myself. Every nuance of your personality, your body, just everything...it's what Del was. I don't know how or why, but you're exactly like she was. And I love you like I loved her. Maybe you got put in that biostasis unit to give me some sort of second chance. I don't know what I'll do if I lose you, too. Lise, I love you." I knew it wasn't like me to pour out my emotions to someone. I felt like a fool for telling all this to someone who probably couldn't hear me. I hadn't been at all like myself lately. But how could I be myself when the only women I ever really loved was back from the dead?


I calmed down and left her. Trance watched me strangely as I sat down on the edge of my bed. I felt so lonely and empty inside. Why did Lise have to suddenly appear, just when I had started to bury the memories of Del? And if she lives, she will end up on some planet somewhere, and I'll never see her again. Every story ends with a broken heart for me.

"Harper, you'll feel better if you sleep. Do you want me to give you a sedative?"

I had always refused sedatives in the past. They left me groggy and incoherent for too long. But now I would appreciate those effects more than anything. "Yeah."

Trance prepared and gave me a hypo of sedative. I grew tired quickly and drifted off into a dreamless sleep.