I'll Be There For You

AYAAN

Year: 2342

Month: September

Date: 15

Destination: Sector Beta – Zeroa

It had been 2 days. 2 days since nothing was the same. 2 days since the drafting had taken place. 2 days since he'd been rejected as being 'overly ambitious' and 'not suitable for the air'. 2 days since the Earthean had breached Zeroa.

It was all bullshit. Everything was. He was finally starting to revel in his sister's absurd thoughts about Zeroa. He had been preparing for the drafting for more than half his life. All just so he could hear the drafter throw pity rejections at him.

It was very close.

You almost got it.

Don't lose hope.

You can still contribute to our society.

Just a bunch of nonsense. He knew, Isha knew, Lil knew, everyone in his grade knew, all his teachers knew. They all knew that this was his job. It had literally been claimed. But then this had happened.

Isha had said the best thing to do was to let it go. Easy for her to say. She didn't want anything to do with this in the first place. Despite that, she'd cleared her goal. She never wanted to go into combat, but nonetheless, she had trained. And now she was one of the members of the intergalactic game organisers. And from now on, she'll handle the combat region under her tutor.

He was happy for her. He really was. But he wasn't happy for him. He couldn't help but think that the minute that....that girl had made contact with his eyes, everything went wrong.

And so, out of sheer frustration and anger and also, a little bit of boredom, he decided to go to her and talk to her.

The earthian had been pinned to a glass wall with knives sticking out of her shoulders and knees and dripping with blood in the center of the Alpha Sector just outside the Crysaltics Centre. She had been devoid of any food, water or sleep. The minute her eyes drooped, the controllers would thicken the atmosphere and she would wheeze and cough and be broken out of her hazy hysteria.

He knew this was cruel. His sister had given one look to the poor poor girl and had not spoken to any one that day.

The second they had reached home, she had gone straight to the bathroom and emptied her stomach in the sink.

He had held her hair back and rubbed her back trying to comfort her.

Isha had ripped herself away from him and harshly said, "Please don't touch me right now."

Isha hadn't come out of her room in 2 days. She knew that when she was ready, he'd be there. So the two waited.

But Ayaan was getting bored now. He had reached a grudging acceptance of his position by now. He was just a flight modulator. Definitely not what he wanted.

The walk to the centre was refreshing for him. He hadn't gone out a lot. It was late in the night and Tritian was at its brightest.

He reached the glass wall. He felt like gagging. There stood the girl, barely able to hold herself as her head hung low with matted hair covering her face. She was breathing heavily, as though making each laboured breath count.

Ayaan slowly walked to her.

He knew she had sensed his presence. She looked up and his heart skipped a beat.

Her eyes. They were beautiful. Absolutely stunning. Large almond eyes with hazel pupils. And long, long, long eyelashes.

Her eyes.