Rocki's head and back still ached when they left the healing rooms, but Whilin had given her a small bag with more medications to take if the pain persisted. Her wings occasionally twitched without her consent, brushing the walls of the hall she was being led through.

Faish and Kofi were escorting her to her room, though she hoped she wouldn't be expected to find her way back to the healer's. The fortress was vast, with many layers and endless hallways that would easily get her lost. She could have sworn it was bigger than even the Death Star, as vast as the fictional ship may have been.

Since she had the two valicara with no chance for them to escape, and since they didn't seem like they would be arriving at their destination any time soon, she started asking questions.

"Do valicara need to be taught to fly or do you instinctively know?" She grimaced as her new wings twitched, one slapping the wall.

"A little bit of both," said Faish. "Children know the basics of flying a few months after birth, but they are taught techniques and tips by their elders. As soon as your wings aren't so sore, you'll be able to fly yourself."

She nodded slowly. "Kofi did a... power blast thing while we were on Earth. Is that something all valicara can do or just him?"

"Everyone. Although with your mixed heritage, I don't know what you have inherited from your valicaran parent. For all we know, you also have the powers of the sariun."

She glanced at her glasses, which were held uselessly in her hand. "What abilities do I have now? What parts of me are valicaran and what is sariun?" She almost asked what parts were simply human as well. That would be silly. Nothing about me is human.

Faish glanced at her. "Your wings are obviously valicaran, as are your improved vision and hair color. The fangs, however, are sariun. Your eyes are more valicaran, but the blue is inherited from the other side. We will have to see tomorrow if you received plasma, like us, or blades, like them."

Kofi was practically breathing down her neck as he walked behind them. Rocki flicked a wing to "accidentally" whack his face. He yelped but added an extra pace between them. The corner of her mouth tipped up for the first time in hours.

"I want to know more about the prophecy," she said. "How do you know for sure that Aley and I are the ones you need?"

Faish led them down a flight of stairs, then fell back in step with her. "We've had researchers working on deciphering the prophecy since it was given to us. We've spoken with the seer, as well as several scholars from other planets. You and your sister are the only ones that match."

"What does it say about us?"

He took a deep breath. "'When the war has raged and burned one hundred years standing long, the clashing of stars will come to an end, killed by one swift stroke, cut into ribbons over latter years. Who is this savior to be? They are two, made from two. An abomination in our eyes, but a speck in the eyes of others. Find them on a planet of mystery where they live unawares. When they are found, the end of the war is near. They who have the savioresses have the victory.'"

"It's more poetic in Valicaran," said Kofi.

Rocki shook her head. "You have a seer who gave you this prophecy? I always figured the cryptic prophecies were just for entertainment purposes. Why didn't the seer just tell you where we were?"

Faish shrugged. "That's not how her abilities work." He finally stopped in front of a door. "This is your room —E79." He tapped the nameplate next to the door, then unlocked it. "We'll let you rest and discuss more tomorrow. If there is anything you need, ask anyone, I'm sure everyone will be more than pleased to help." He bowed his head. "Sleep well, savioress."

"Thank you," Rocki said faintly. Savioress...

Faish glanced at Kofi, but the other male didn't move. "I'll make sure Rocki settles well into her room."

The leader nodded. "Oh, and congratulations, savioress." He smiled and left with another bow towards Rocki.

She watched him go for a moment. Congratulations? What does that...? He doesn't know, does he? He couldn't, there's no way. The door slid open, distracting her thoughts. "Oh..." The room was beautiful—spacious and well decorated in shades of white and red. "Wow." She took a cautious step in, absorbing the elegant atmosphere.

"I hope you like it," said Kofi. "It's been waiting for you for a long time." He nodded towards a door on the right wall. "The adjoining room will be your sister's. We thought it best to keep the two of you close. Those other two doors are your bathroom and closet. You have a kitchen, in case you get hungry in the middle of the night, and a mini bar in case your responsibilities get too heavy. We can have some right now if you want." He moved towards the counter stacked with glasses.

"No, thank you. I'm... tired." Not a total lie. It had been a very long day after all. She set her eyeglasses on a nearby table with a sigh.

Kofi shrugged. "All right. Let me show you have everything works before you sleep." He walked her around the room, showing her how to lock doors, turn on water, and turn off lights. Most of it was pretty simple, she probably would have been able to figure it out herself, but she let him continue to talk, just in case there was something she wouldn't have picked up on. "I think that's it," he said, finally wrapping up. "I'll let you sleep, blue eyes. If you get lonely, my room is right down the hall—E70." He winked before leaving.

Rocki locked the door, then turned to stare at the room again. The bed was calling for her to rest, but as she drifted over to it, the adjoining door caught her eyes. She carefully slid it open, interested to find it unlocked. The room was a mirrored replica of hers, only with red as the accent color instead of the primary like her room. She smiled a little, knowing if Aley was with her she would have wanted to switch rooms. She liked places with lots of color.

Aley... Her smile slipped as she remembered where her sister was. In the hands of dangerous aliens. She's probably in a dungeon somewhere while I'm enjoying a cozy room decorated to the nines. She stumbled over to her bed,tears swarming her eyes. She was pregnant, tired, surrounded by foreign things, suffering through physical changes, and her sister was in danger. No matter how much control I have over my emotions, I think that warrants a cry.

She slipped under the blanket, wrapped her arms around a pillow, and let the tears fall.

#

Her shoulders ached the next morning. She had fallen asleep on her stomach after a long cry, wing weighing heavily on her back. This is why I sleep on my back. Now my shoulders will hurt for at least an hour. It was a minimal thing to focus on after all that had happened, but at least it was almost normal.

Did I sleep with—No, wait, I don't need contacts to see any more. Or glasses. I didn't fall asleep with my contacts in because now my eyes work fine. Also, I didn't bring my contacts. She stretched out her arms, wings also unfolding in response.

She sat on the bed for a few minutes, allowing her mind to drift over the events of yesterday and possibilities of what today would be like. Today, I find out where exactly Aley is and how we can rescue her. She gently touched her stomach. And hopefully how we can get home before you decide to show up.

She slowly got out of bed, not exactly sure what to do since her schedule was thrown off. She always got up at 7:00; thought over her day; went to the toilet; brushed her hair; got dressed; brushed and flossed her teeth; washed her face; put on lotion; then sat down to review a book, a side job she raked in a little extra cash with.

At the moment, she wasn't sure what time it was. It didn't appear they had clocks. But there was sunlight coming in through the windows, so it was daylight.

I suppose I'll just do the best I can to follow my schedule without all of my stuff. She went about her habits as normally as possible, feeling a bit clumsy outside of her own home. She hadn't taken her nightly shower yesterday, so she took one now, doing her best to figure out how to use the provided products without being able to read the labels.

She stayed in the shower for a long time. The water was turned up to almost steaming as she tried to let it wash away her nerves. It didn't help.

When she finally stepped out, the bathroom was coated in mist, but she ignored it as she set about brushing her hair, another tool provided for her. There weren't any toothbrushes, but there were clean smelling mints in a small container. Rocki almost ate one, but decided it was best to make sure she knew what they were before putting them in her mouth.

There were a few food items in the cabinets, nothing Rocki recognized of course, but bags smelled good. In it were blue things that looked like beef jerky sticks but smelled much sweeter. The texture was like a Walmart sugar cookie, but it was much stronger. A cautious nibble proved the taste to foreign, but similar to honey. It seemed too sweet to be a breakfast food, but she scarfed a few of them down anyway. Normally, breakfast was passed over, but she hadn't eaten since lunch yesterday, so today was an exception.

Today is going to be an exception to a lot of things. She rummaged for some more food and found a type of bread that eventually satisfied her stomach. What do I do now? Should I go looking for Kofi or Faish or wait here?

While she considered, she took one of the pills Whilin had given her for her aching wings. She carefully stretched the new appendages out, testing the different ways she could move them. It was crazy that they were now as much as part of her as her arms were.

I've always dreamed of flying... I mean, who hasn't though? Well, except for people who are afraid of heights. And maybe people who are afraid of birds. Will Kofi teach me how to today? Will I even see him anymore? Will he pass me onto someone else now that his job is done?

She waited for a little while longer, but when no one came to fetch her, she borrowed a pair of shoes that were just a touch too tight from the well-stocked closet and ventured into the hallway herself. What am I doing? I don't know where I'm going. Is there a directory at the end of the hall perhaps? Maybe I'll be able to find someone who can point me towards Faish. She headed for the end of the hallway, eyeing the name plates beside each door, hoping that one of them would be a name instead of a number. There was nothing at the end of the hall except a set of stairs. We came from upstairs... But we didn't pass anything notable except the infirmary. Maybe Whilin can help me if I find my way back there.

"Rocki!"