Orpheus

15

'Urgh! Why do humans have heads?' was the first thought Riley had when she woke up; her head was aching and it made her feel like her skull was cracking. 'And even if they do, why do they hurt so much?'

After Connor had come back with her cup of coffee, she realized she was beginning to feel sick; he'd said it was something about the meds taking their effect. So soon after he went under, Riley walked straight to her room and slept.

She shoved her pillow aside as she massaged her temples. 'Four weeks I sleep and what's the first thing I do after I wake up? Sleep.'

She got off her bed and took a few shaky steps towards the door; the numbness was mostly gone, but not quite completely. After quickly brushing her teeth in the common laboratories, she began walking towards the cafeteria in Sector 11.

As she walked through the gym again, she couldn't help but look outside through the massive glass panes: the obsidian emptiness studded with diamonds. She stood there, staring in a trance at the stars; distant lighthouses in an infinite ocean.

"Ever wonder why they don't twinkle?" said a voice from her left. Riley was startled for a second, whipping her head sideways.

'Oh, it's just Owen'

Owen. There he was, in a grey T-shirt and blue shorts, a small towel slung over his shoulders.

'He must be here to hit the gym.'

"No, not really." Riley replied as she turned her gaze back to the onyx void. He was right: she hadn't noticed it before, but the stars didn't actually twinkle; they appeared to be more of distinct lights than embered flames.

"It's 'cause of the air." Owen explained as he looked out too. "Back home the air would do all sorts of weird shit to the light entering the atmosphere. Out here tho," he turned and arched an eyebrow towards Riley "there's nothing to screw it up. It's easier for the light to just, you know, hit us."

'Yet now the stars have lost some of its magic...'

They both stood silently for a few moments. "What do you feel about all this?" Riley asked. "Like how do you really feel, leaving Earth?"

Owen inhaled deeply and sighed. "Honestly?" he gave a pause as he fixed his gaze into space. "I dunno. I mean, on one hand, this is beautiful." he stretched both of his arms forward to point at the abyss. "I mean, we're the first people to ever come out this far, ever. And honestly, this is..." he nodded to himself a little "breathtaking."

'Can't really deny that...'

"But, I dunno, it's just..." he took a long pause, choosing to keep staring into space. "It's almost like the Earth, calls me. Somehow, a place that's treated me like shit my entire life is appearing... endearing?" He breathed a deep sigh. "And now all of a sudden I want to see the faces of people that I don't even know? It's almost like a small part of me is screaming 'Show me somebody! Anybody!'" He shook his head slightly. "It's messed up... like all these years, I've wanted to get away and now that I am here, it's just... it's not what I thought it'd feel like." He turned his head towards Riley "You get what I'm sayin'?"

'More than you know...'

Riley nodded her head in agreement. "I get it."

A small silence punctuated their conversation.

"So..." Owen began, tucking his hands in the pockets of his shorts; Riley could almost see his usual demeanor grow back over his face, masking the insecure Owen. "What about you? How do you feel about this?"

'Connor asked me the same question, but this feels... different; almost like he's actually interested.'

"I... don't know honestly..." replied Riley. "I really don't. Same as you I guess?"

Owen simply nodded slightly in reply, before turning to the glass. The two of them stood still, looking at the infinite, in silence. Riley wondered about the insecure version of Owen she'd just seen, and how relieved she was that she wasn't alone in feeling the way she did. But all that was secondary; the most comforting thing was the shared silence.