Chapter 6: Crystals and Water
The two fell from the folds of space to stand off-centered on the opaque crystal ground. Bee, holding tightly on to Helystn's hand with both of her's, wobbled a bit before being helped steady by the alien beside her.
"Holy crap…"
Helystn nodded slowly, breathing deeply. He reached a shaking hand up to hold his forehead, where he suddenly felt a headache throbbing at his antenna.
"Helystn? Whoa! Dude!"
The man slumped and dropped to his knees gasping and trying to blink away the bleary vision that came over him.
"Are you okay? What's wrong?"
Bee's frantic questioning had him bite the inside of his cheek to grab some sort of awareness.
"Helystn?"
/I'm fine. I'm fine…/
"No, you don't look fine! What's wrong?"
He sighed and leaned back to sit down on the smooth, polished ground. /I, I haven't used my powers so extensively in a while. I'm not used to it yet./
"Oh…" she said, not sounding really relieved. "Do you need to rest? Or eat or something?"
/Rest./ He sighed through his nose. /I should be fine if I rest for a few minutes./
Bee tsked and looked him over, noticing that he still held his head in his hand. She realized then, that she didn't prepare for this trip at all.
No food, no water, no food. Damn, I didn't even bring clothes. Or money! How're we going to survive?!
Helystn looked up to see Bee fearful face and lidded his eyes. He could tell that she was probably beginning to worry if this escape was a mistake. Thinking of something to say that could put her mind at ease, he was startled when she sharply yelled.
"WE'RE GOING TO F-ING DIE!"
/Huwah? Bee, no, what?/ he stammered.
"I didn't pack! We have nothing! We're going to die, damn it!"
He swallowed his exasperation down and said, /No, no we're not going to die. I was prepared—/
"I swear," she interjected, "if you pull out a wad of cash or some fancy alien cube with a whole, fully loaded house in it, I will cry. Helystn. I. Will. Cry."
He paused, not sure if she was serious or not, but decided she was nodded and told her 'okay'.
/I do have money,/ he began, but stopped to raise a hand up to silence her before her squeak of excitement could turn into loud tears of joy, /but we don't need it right now. I have it, for emergencies. I doubt we'll use it though./
She sniffed. "How much?"
He scoffed. /All the money we made on missions isn't at your home. Where did you think I had it?/
"Oh my god, all that money?! You have your entire share of the payments?!"
He half laughed and rubbed his glabella, trying to rush the pain away from his head. As she stood there in complete disbelief at the information he revealed, Helystn readied himself to stand up.
/I think I'm good now,/ he announced before trying to raise up on his left knee. Steadied, he got up and stood next to Bee, taking a moment to gather his bearings.
"You sure?" Bee asked. She watched him take deep breaths, and fight through the pain that was shown evident on his face. "We can stay longer…"
He looked down to her and slightly frowned.
/Well, we aren't in any immediate danger…/
"A few minutes."
/A few minutes,/ he repeated.
Bee smiled and walked away to explore the shiny and reflective planet. Pink, gold, and purple hues played against the crystal swirling pillars dotting the area around them. Looking up, she couldn't see a sun, but the bright light around them suggested there had to be one. Smooth hills and mounds rose from the flat, glass ground and splinters of even more beautiful crystal could be seen in the near depths of them. It was like looking at the bubbles in a handcrafted glass ball from Earth.
Bee looked around in happy curiosity. Helystn sighed again, upset that he had to ruin the girl's exploration. He knew they weren't in danger here necessarily, but each lingering minute away from the edge of the universe spelled trouble.
I'm fine, he thought, flexing his hand and fingers. I'm just not used to it.
He stared at Bee's back, her brown curls bouncing as she walked.
Yeah… That's right. I'm just not used to it.
Bee turned around and caught Helystn's gaze. Quirking a brow, still smiling, she waited for him to catch up to her. When he did, she smiled wide.
"Ready to go?"
/…Yes./ He held out his hand and she took it familiarly.
Focusing again, Helystn searched with his mind as place far away. He probed the space further and further from them until he couldn't go any farther. With a gasp, he sent the two of them in a blink to a distant plant far out of the crystal planet's solar system. When the humid air hit their skin, his eyes shot open just as Bee screamed.
"WHY?!"
/Why what?! Hey! STOP!/
Bee shrieked as she clambered over Helystn who was struggling to stand and hold her to him above the water.
/Bee, please! You have to get off me. I might drop you!/
"YOU BETTER NOT! I SWEAR I WILL RIP OFF ALL YOUR FRICKIN' HAIR IF YOU EVEN TRY PUTTING ME DOWN."
Clenching his jaw, he didn't respond but instead surveyed around them to look for land. The water was warmer than the air and he felt put off by that fact alone. He had realized quickly that this was not the planet they should be on with Bee's extreme distaste for bodies of water. Helystn swallowed hard and squinted, trying to find relief in the knee deep ocean around them.
"OMG LAND!"
/Huh?/
"That Way. Go. NOW," she commanded, pointing in the direction behind him.
Helystn looked to where she pointed and sighed inwardly when he saw that she was right. Repositioning the squirming girl in his arms to hold her bridal style, he started the slow trek to the island almost a mile away.
"Go faster," Bee said in an even flat tone.
/I can't,/ he told her truthfully.
Scrunching her brows in confusion, she studied his face for a second before making a horrified expression.
"You better not pass out, I swear."
/Heh, yeah as if,/ he joked. /I'm cooler than that./
She blew a raspberry at him.
He deadpanned and ignored her. Even walking as steady as he could, Helystn still kicked up water to drop on Bee's exposed calves. Hissing, she raised her legs higher in his hold and squeezed his face in her grip. He spluttered at the feel of her chest on his mouth and cheek and tried to move away to see.
Blushing, he ground out, /Bee! Quit it!/
"Don't drop me!"
/I will if you keep moving like that!/
She rose higher, keeping her knees plastered against his ear and her arms wound tight about his head. Bee didn't notice his burning cheeks or his trembling hands as she continued to press herself further up against him. Poor Helystn couldn't manage any protest. He just jerkily trudged his way again to the island that was slowly, but surely, becoming closer.
"Are we almost there yet?" Bee complained, her chin digging into the top of his skull.
He noised tiredly a hoarse 'yes'.
"Please hurry, I need land…"
I think I need it more than you do, Helystn thought, trying to ignore the feeling of her chest on his face.
The island was about 35 feet away when Helystn's vision started becoming blurry again. He took deep breaths and focused on pacing himself for the last few feet. It was a tiny piece of land but he knew it would be just enough to sate Bee and give him a chance to rest. His wading through the lukewarm water was starting to become very difficult and his deep breathing was starting to become labored. Shaking his head a bit, he tired staying awake.
Ten more feet… Come on, Helystn. Come on…
Bee started getting fidgety and clawed into his hair.
He was heaving and wobbling five feet away and at three feet, he could barely lift his legs anymore. Helystn nodded off and tripped over his feet, stumbling to a heavy fall. Bee screamed again and leaped out of his limp arms on to the land. Scrambling to the middle of the soft, cream colored sand, she wrapped her arms around her knees protectively.
A groan from the water seized her attention and Bee looked over to see the sprawled body of Helystn halfway in the water.
"Oh dang."
She clacked her teeth nervously at the prospect of getting closer to the water to drag him on to the small sand mound. She stared at him for quite a while before deciding, her mind, to be merciful and drag his unconscious body on to her little beach. Determined, she stood up and tip toed closer to the tall alien. When she was less than a foot away, she kneeled down and reached out to grab him by his white shirt. Fumbling and not getting a strong enough grip, Bee huffed and inched closer. When she finally had two fistfuls of his shirt, she quickly did her best to pull him to her.
The small woman used almost all of her strength to draw Helystn up to where she had been sitting safely from the treacherously, gentle ocean.
"Geyah!" she exclaimed in gibberish, flopping on her butt.
Bee sat next to Helystn, his face contorted in pain even in through deep sleep. She watched him for a little bit before looking out around them to the open ocean of the planet.
"This," Bee said aloud, "is the worst planet I have ever been on, Puppycat."
Stiffening, Bee looked down to the unconscious man who gasped in his slumber.
"…Helystn."