Chapter 9: A Mission, a Mirror, A Meal

Amy stepped back onto the ship with somewhat better grip on reality. The other matter that Venom had mentioned turned out to be what they were going to do about Amy. The way the agent had said that was unsettling. "Do about her", like she was an obstacle to be removed or a problem to be dealt with. The Grand Councilwoman had decided that until they found a place to relocate her, she was to stay on the ship in one of the empty quarters. As she approached the ship, Amy looked up at it, taking the whole thing in.

Welcome home, she thought to herself, but it sounded empty and hollow, like a false promise. This wasn't home. She wasn't even sure what home meant anymore.

Amy stopped as soon as she was completely inside the ship, and turned around. Reuben was helping Jumba carry some of the many rolls of paper, and the two were talking about something Amy couldn't decipher. The exchange became more coherent as they approached the ship.

"… And that is why studies on objects are inconclusive. Without potential source, is hard to know if thing is virus or something else."

"But don't you have any idea? The poor girl's already been through enough in one day, and now you go and put the idea that she may have some freaky blood virus - that's tampering with her DNA - in her head? That's practically a death sentence on Earth, you of all people should know that."

"I never said was virus. I said I do not know what objects were, or why they were in bloodstream. They do not seem deadly, merely peculiar, like a cap on power. Is not same thing as virus."

"I didn't hear you say that back in the Grand Councilwoman's office."

"Then I will make clarification when I call white-haired girl in for more – speak of white-haired girl, and there she is." Jumba said as he looked up and saw Amy. She was leaning against the doorway, gaze cast to the ground with a thoughtful expression. "Seems to have a lot on her mind. I will speak to her later," Jumba remarked, and walked off, while Reuben stopped and looked at her for a moment.

"You okay, sister? I now it musta been a rough day." Reuben said, and Amy looked at him before nodding.

"Yes…" She murmured. "Just... trying to think."

Reuben nodded. "Yeah, I'll bet. Just so ya know, dinner's at the mess hall in an hour. There's a pretty big menu, so I don't think you'll have to worry about not being able to eat anything." He was met with silence as Amy's gaze returned to the ground. He frowned a bit. Poor girl must be exhausted. However, he started walking back to the front of the ship. Then, something occurred to him. "Hey!" He called over his shoulder, and Amy turned slightly to look at him. "Don't forget what I said earlier! It can only get better from here!" Amy stared for a moment, before giving a small nod, and ghost of a smile, much like the one he'd seen earlier.

"…Thank you."

As it turned out, the ship had no empty quarters available. The only room with any vacancy was a recruit's sleeping quarters, which had an extra bunk that the recruit didn't use. Amy was getting a roommate.

Maybe she'll be nice. Maybe we'll be friends. Maybe this won't turn out to be a disaster. They were empty hopes, happy nothings that Amy thought to herself in a futile attempt to cheer herself up after the day's events. The halls echoed with the sound of her shoes against the floor as she navigated through the large ship. She found the right door after about ten minutes of walking, and punched the code that the captain had given her into the number pad on the side of the doorway. The door slid open, and Amy cautiously peered inside.

There was nobody inside. The recruit must have been out on duty. Amy stepped inside of the room, clinging to the handle of her suitcase with both hands. The walls of the room were the same gray metal as everything else in the room, and the "bunks" were actually two steel sheets that hung from the side of the wall via hinges, with mattresses on top. Amy tested the bottom mattress with her hand – it seemed comfy enough, but by no means was it one of those space-foam beds she kept seeing billboards advertising back on Earth.

Amy set down her suitcase before sitting on the bed and looking around the room for a moment. The walls had a few pictures of different places taped on them, and there was a chair in one corner. It felt almost like a cabin at sleep-away camp. Robot sleep-away camp.

Amy stood up after she decided there was nothing of interest to be seen, except the photos. As she turned back to the door, she saw on the one wall she hadn't looked at the only thing that could have made her more uncomfortable than she already was – a full-length mirror.

Amy shifted uncomfortably as she looked at her reflection. She had never thought of herself as exceptionally attractive, and after today's events she felt particularly self-conscious. She made a futile attempt to straighten out her blouse, which was still covered in spit-ball stains, and her skirt was wrinkled from lying on the cot in Jumba's lab for several hours.

Amy's clothes hung awkwardly on her skinny frame, and her skirt did little to compliment her long, bony legs. Everything about her was awkward and skinny – her neck, her arms, and even her torso – she was bony and underweight, with no attractive curves to her form. The only thing about her that wasn't skinny was her head, and in comparison to her scrawny frame it looked… well… alien. Amy had no idea why she was so underweight in the first place – it wasn't as if she starved herself or had any other eating problems. She shook her head, and left the room. She'd never really been very fond of mirrors.

The mess hall was surprisingly large, and had a number of tables that were flocked with aliens of different shapes and sizes – an extraterrestrial school cafeteria. Amy quickly found the food line, and was relieved to find that, among all of the dishes that looked unnatural or were still moving, they served Earth chicken noodle soup. She poured herself a bowl and went to look for a seat.

This place really was just like an Earth cafeteria – people were seated at their own tables in little cliques, close friends sat next to each other, and everybody was talking. Amy found her own spot with little trouble – the empty table at the back of the room. She sat in the middle seat, and took a spoonful of soup, blowing off the steam before tasting it. It was good – better than school food, at least.

"Ya plan on sittin' here by yourself?" Amy looked up, and saw Reuben standing on the other side of the table. Amy nodded. Reuben frowned. "It's not like anybody here's gonna try to eat ya. Well, maybe Ted." Reuben laughed, but stopped when he saw Amy's eyes widen. "Sorry, that was supposed to be a joke. Nobody's gonna eat ya." He sat down in the chair across from her. "Besides, sitting by yourself never got anybody any friends, did it?" She shook her head.

"Aren't… you going to sit with your friends?" She asked, glancing down at the bowl of soup.

"Me? Nah. I usually sit with the captain, but he's eating at the front again." Amy nodded. "Hey, are you okay? You've barely said a word since you got on the ship." Amy nodded.

"I'm… not very good at talking to people," Amy admitted. "I never really had anybody to talk to… so I guess I never learned."

"You're talking now, aren't you? It's not that hard. Just pick a topic and you should be good to go." Reuben said, taking a bite out of his… something sandwich. "Talk about something you like."

"Like what?"

"A book, a TV show, anything. Find something you can talk about, and the conversation will take care of itself. See, we've already been talking for a few minutes. Pick something. I'm listening."

Amy looked up at Reuben. "Have… you ever read A Wrinkle in Time?" She asked shyly. Reuben smiled.

"I've heard of it. What's it about?"