VICTORIA'S POV

"Is there anything wrong with me?" I asked Bulba as she did whatever it is doctors do to patients.

"Why would you think that?" she asked not stopping her movements.

"Why else would I need a visit from the doctor if I was healthy?"

She smiled.

Woah, she can smile?

"Did he not tell you that you would be getting a check-up every week for oil thinning and hair control procedures?"

What the heck was she talking about? Hair control?

My facial expression must have told her that he hadn't.

She smiled again. This was getting freaky.

"Oil thinning will, as the name suggests, thin out the solid fat in your body faster than just exercising would and hair control will help grow out your hair healthier and longer than it normally would on its own and in a shorter period.

I had noticed that my hair was at shoulder level now. I attributed it to the exercise and reduction in unhealthy food.

"It also makes your hair softer and easier to manage."

"My scalp thanks you," I said in a dramatic way which made her laugh a little.

She's human after all

"Uh...I was wondering," this would be embarrassing to ask. I scratched my forehead a little and gave out a nervous laugh.

"What is it?"

I coughed a little, "see the thing is.... uh...how do I phrase it?" I swallowed heavily.

Just ask, she's a doctor.

She waited patiently while looking at me. I closed my eyes and let it all out in one rush. "I think I'm late and I haven't had sex or anything. And I haven't gone number two since I got here." I kept my eyes closed waiting for something. I think I expected her to laugh but she just waited until I opened my eyes. Smile on her face.

"Nothing is wrong with you. You are not pregnant. When you were incubated, I initiated a certain procedure on all the females. The medical terms, I'm afraid are too complicated and too different from the terms you're used to. Just know that you will not be bleeding as I ..." she looked for the term, "neutralised your uterus, preventing it from shedding its lining, a common procedure done to Thanzorian women once they come of ..." I interrupted her before she could go on.

"So, what you're saying is I won't be bleeding and I am not pregnant?"

"Yes. As for your bowels, it's all due to the food you've been eating. All the food can be completely broken down and absorbed by the human body leaving no need to, as you said, 'go number two'. There will be special cases however, if something is disrupting your digestive system. Otherwise, you will have no need for it."

"Let me get this straight. So, no bleeding and no pooping?" I was finding this too good to be true and so hard to believe. I had to confirm. She gave a slight nod to her head and the biggest smile split my face in two.

I could get used to this.

"Cool."

"That will be all," she dismissed me.

I left the medical bay with a smile on my face and Xeris walked in to talk to Bulba.

***

Three months passed by quickly. Our routine was established. Xeris woke me up, I took a shower and ate then went to work out in the training room. The only difference being the workout exercises that I did. From jogging the entire first week, cardio and muscle strengthening exercises were incorporated as well as other things I honestly didn't care to know. The workouts got more intense with each passing week.

Thankfully, I didn't black out any more. It seems my body had gotten used to excessive movement. After working out, we went into the cleansing pool separately, him after me. Then lunch and I went to the greenery.

For the first two weeks, it was just me alone in the greenery. It was much better than only having the training room and apartment to explore, but it was still terribly boring. I know I didn't like people, but not having anyone to talk to and nothing to keep me occupied was slowly driving me nuts. That all changed after having a certain conversation.

It was just an ordinary day, well as ordinary as any day on a spaceship could be. We had just had our lunch and Xeris was putting the dishes away. With his back turned to me I said, "I don't want to die."

He froze and finished putting the dishes away before turning to face me. He crossed his arms over his chest and regarded me.

"Everyone dies." He said

"Let me rephrase, I don't want to be ignorant." I was still looking down at the counter, wondering if he got what I was saying. The silence made me look up. He was still looking at me but this time with narrowed eyes.

"What do you want to learn?"

"Everything."

***

From that moment, he came with me to the greenery and taught me about the plants, both from Earth and from Thanzor. He knew more about the plants from Earth than I did. But then, come on, not a lot of teenage girls are interested in plants.

He talked about them with this glimmer in his eye. In fact, he had a glimmer in his eye whenever he taught me anything. And that made everything interesting to me, that glimmer.

I knew I wasn't a genius, but I picked up things pretty quickly.

Maybe it had something to do with the fact that I actually wanted to learn because he was the one teaching me.

After three months, I had learnt of all the names and functions of the plants, trees and flowers in the quarter of the greenery closest to the entrance. I hadn't dared go further than that for fear of getting lost. I knew I could only get lost if I strayed off the paths, but the paths themselves were nothing short of a maze.

Xeris and I had gotten closer.

No, that's not it. We were more civil with each other. We talked more, but it was always about the plant life. He kept his distance. He never slept in the bed with me anymore. Or at least I think he didn't. He was never around when I went to bed and always woke me up fully dressed in his training attire.

I knew emotional walls when I saw them, and his were impenetrable. He never laughed, not really. He would chuckle here and there, at my expense of course. But that was it.

The more time I spent with him, the more I wanted to get to know him. I had been trying and failing to get personal information out of him, but he either held his tongue or found a way to divert the topic. I still kept trying though. After all, it was on this ship that I discovered my stubbornness and I wasn't going to let up any time soon. I was determined to uncover whatever demons he kept buried deep within. I was determined to destroy them and hear him laugh, really laugh.

***

"Victoria, wake up." Xeris whispered in my ears.

I stirred in the sheets longing for a few more minutes of sleep. But I knew he didn't take well to tardiness.

I opened my eyes and blinked until he came into focus. There he stood bent over me, looking down at me with a tenderness I had never seen before. His hand was still on my shoulder. I could feel its warmth through my night shirt. He lifted his hand and already I missed its warmth.

He sat down on the bed still holding eye contact with me. Then he caressed the side of my face while his got closer to my own until I could feel his breath against my skin.

He's going to kiss me!

I panicked within.

No, it wasn't panic, it was excitement.

His gaze went to my lips and back to my eyes as he inched even closer.

"VICTORIA!"

"Ah!" I screamed myself awake heart beating rapidly.

"What? What is it? What happened?" I looked at him with wild eyes. "Did something happen?"

Then I noticed his crossed arms. He was in his training attire. I looked up to his face and a scowl was set.

"I have been trying to wake you up for the past five minutes." He said with barely controlled anger.

My heartrate had calmed down by then and I decided to rub the sleep out of my eyes. "I'm sorry, I just get really tired after all the activities during the day. I'll go shower now." As I stepped out of bed, he just stepped back and allowed me to pass. I quickly went into the closet and grabbed my training attire then went back into the bathroom and stepped into the shower. I cleaned my teeth and undid my braids. My hair had gotten longer. It now reached halfway between my shoulders and middle back. It was softer too, less coiled and curlier. I stepped under the cascading water and washed my hair all the while memories of the dream I just had were running through my mind. Thinking about how close his lips were to kissing my own had my heart rate spike a little.

"It was just a dream, get a grip." I scolded myself. I shook my head hoping the thoughts would fly away as I did, but to no avail. I couldn't stop thinking about the possibility. I stepped out of the shower and braided my hair up again. I quickly put on my training attire and went to put my pyjamas away. Then I headed to the kitchen. He wasn't in there.

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. After getting my food, I sat down to eat. "There's a logical explanation to this. It's just that he is the only person you see every day. That's all it is. You haven't talked to anyone besides him and Bulba, and Bulba doesn't count because she barely stays here for more than twenty minutes. Yeah, that's what it is." I continued eating and convincing myself, I didn't notice him walk back into the apartment.

"Anytime today," he said.

I jumped a little at the sound of his voice.

"Uh, yeah, yeah, yeah, I'll be right there. Let me just put the dishes away." He looked at my bowl then back up at me with one eyebrow raised.

I looked down and noticed I had barely touched my food. I looked back up at him. "I'm not very hungry today," I said with an awkward smile on my face.

His response was to raise his other eyebrow and leave the apartment. As soon as the doorway disappeared, I physically deflated. "Now it's interfering with my appetite. Just be normal." I stood up, disposed of the dishes and walked to the training room. Before entering, I took a few deep calming breaths.

"Just do what you've always been doing. Act normal and everything should follow."

When I was convinced I was ready, I walked into the training room to find him staring at me.

"Oh boy." I muttered to myself.