Humans Are Encountered

Mental Illnesses

"We'll hold off on that part until Wren is back tomorrow," Lyle said to Caiden as she pulled an item from beneath one of the smaller machines. "Put this in the fridge."

Zork'ak had noticed that Wren was absent, but xe did not ask yet. Xe did not want to seem overly aware of her, even those xe always was.

"Where is Wren?" Zork'ak asked, casually looking around the lab.

Kai looked up from where she sat next to xem. "She's in her room."

"She is well?"

Kai was carefully measuring small liquids into containers, so Reese leaned around her to look at Zork'ak. "Wren sometimes needs alone days."

Zork'ak noticed that neither of the girls answered xer question. "But she is well?"

"Wren suffers from a mental illness." Kai shot Reese a glance, but Reese shrugged. "It's not a huge secret."

Kai sighed. "Look, Zor, I know that you are a behavioral analysis, but could you maybe not interrogate Wren about this particular subject?"

"I do no-" Zork'ak swallowed, "I do not interrogate any of you. You all share information with me."

"Yes, I know, but I think that you should leave Wren alone for today, okay?"

Xe nodded, and the two returned to their work.

Zork'ak truly could not help xemself. Reese said that Wren was ill, and xe needed to be sure that she was seeking proper treatment. Xe was only going to bring her meal and check on her state, then xe would leave. Xe shook xer head, wondering when xe became so intent on keeping these humans healthy. Truly, though, they should adhere to a nutrient schedule more.

"Wren?" Zork'ak lightly tapped the door.

It slid open partially, Wren poking her head out. She did not appear sick, but Zork'ak offered her the plate xe had brought. "Oh, thank you." She took it, setting it down on the table beside her door.

"Are you well?"

She shook her head. "Yeah, I'll be alright."

Xe dipped xer head, glancing down the corridor. "Well, I will see you after you recover."

Xe turned to leave, but Wren reached out to touch xer upper extremity. "Do you want to come in?"

Zork'ak smiled. "Would you not like the alone time?"

"I would much prefer your company."

She pressed the button to open the door all the way, and xe followed her in. Her room was lit by the setting sun outside, shining on the mess of piles everywhere. Wren sat down on her bed, the only spot clean, and Kohev jumped into the space between her folded lower extremities. She smiled down at the blue animal, gently stroking its soft fur.

"Reese said that you were ill."

Wren looked up at Zork'ak with those blue, blue eyes, and xe took a seat on the opposite end of the mattress. "I am in a way," she said looking down at the phalsydy. "I always am."

"Are you undergoing the proper treatment?"

She looked up, biting her lip. "There isn't much you can do for me. Yes, I fabric my medication here, but there are still days." Zork'ak nodded, Kai's warning echoing in xer head. Xe didn't know what to say, but xe kept the questions inside. "Do you know about mental illnesses, Zor? I'm assuming Klyls do not have them."

"No, I am not aware of this."

She nodded, her gaze focused outside the window. "It's this chemical imbalance in my brain that really messes up my mood and sleep and energy. Things like that." No, Klyls would not have this problem. They did not have the constant incorrect body process that the humans exhibited. "It's called depression."

"Your illness?"

She nodded, the soft light dancing on her hair. The strands in the front had fallen to the side, brushing her forehead. "Yeah. Depression." She looked back down at Kohev. "It can make it hard to think, to do anything, especially on the bad days. Depression is like..." Wren looked back up at Zork'ak. "People say it's a 'sadness,' but it's not. I don't feel sad. I just feel.. tired? It just feels like I don't have any energy, that I don't feel like doing anything. I'm not interested in talking to anyone, in my experiments, really anything besides just sitting here in the quiet. I'm not sad about life or something. Sometimes I just don't have the energy to live.

"It's a difficult thing to live with because people don't understand it. People know the symptoms sometimes and the definition. They don't understand what it's like to live daily, to try your hardest but you just can't sometimes. You're not being lazy; you just physically can't complete the most basic tasks. But your job, your school, your friends, they just don't get it. That's why it's just easier to stay alone."

Zork'ak cocked xer head. "I do not see how that is difficult to understand. You are unable to complete tasks sometimes, but you recover and continue what you were attempting to do. People do not punish others for physical illnesses do they?"

"No. That's why it is frustrating."

"Here, you will be accommodated then."

She smiled, and it brought a smile to Zork'ak's face as well. "I have never met anyone so patient and kind as you, Zor."

Zork'ak was sure that if xe could blush, xe would have. "I, I, uh-"

Wren reached out and touched xer upper extremity. "I'm really glad that you're my friend."

Zork'ak swallowed, hard, fighting against the fact that xe wanted more. "I am, too."

"Do you mind just sitting with me? I just like to sit and look out the window, but I don't want to be alone."

"I will stay."

"Are you not busy? I don't want you to be bored."

Zork'ak laughed a little. "Before I met you all, all I did was work and sleep. I do not know the constant entertainment the humans seek. Klyls are accustomed to comfortable silences."

She crawled towards xem, leaning back against the side of the structure facing the window. "Come here."

Xe moved next to her, and she leaned against xem. Then, she looked up at xem underneath those eyelashes and asked, "do you mind if I just-" and she moved xer upper extremity around her shoulders. Xe carefully tucked her into xer side, and she rested her head against xem, a soft smile on her lips.

"No, I do not mind," xe whispered, watching her as she looked out at the terrain.