Chapter 18: Call For a Vaccine

Alecia amd Ruth are seen walking within the halls of the palace. Their footsteps echoing throughout the passage.

"Just need to have a word with Aven." Ruth said, as they both turn down another passage.

"Why?" Alecia said, looking at her while she continues to walk with her.

"I have some things to do today." Ruth said, looking at her for a moment.

"So I'll ask him to take you to a person who could help."

"Do you really think this person will help me?"

"I have faith in what he does. I'm sure he'll be more than willing to." she smiles, and stands in front of the open room.

"Aven will make sure of it."

Aven is seen sitting on a chair, and Lumina in the same room with her standing near the window.

"What are you doing?" he said with a frowful look of curiosity.

Lumina turns her attention to him.

"I beg your pardon?" she said with a puzzled look on her face.

"On your device, what are you doing?" he said with a calm look on his face.

"I'm just browsing things, you know." she said looking at her device once more while she swipes across the screen.

"Santeria is an interesting place, this is the first time I've been here." she chuckles.

"It's overwhelming, to be honest..." she continued.

"It is so different here."

Ruth walks into the room with Alecia, urging Aven to turn his attention to them both. With that, he stands up.

"Empress." he said, which urges Lumina to face them.

"Mother..." Lumina said, placing her device back in her pocket.

"Aven." Ruth said, stepping towards them.

"I need to ask a favor of you."

"Anything you wish, Empress." He said, flicking his eyes at Alecia.

"How are you feeling?"

"That's why I came to you." Ruth said, before Alecia could answer.

"Can you take her to Clay?"

"Clay?" Aven said raising his chin with a wide-eyed look.

"But..." He said, turning his gaze to Alecia, and back at her.

Alecia looks at him, a concerned expression clearly visible upon her face, not recognizing the name.

"Who's Clay?" she said.

"Is there a problem?" Ruth said, with a challenging gaze.

"I'm sorry, Empress." He said, shaking his head, his eyes drawn to the floor, only for them to dart up at her.

"He's mad, we cannot let him go anywhere near her."

"All he is going to do is take a small blood sample." Ruth said, calmly.

"What's the harm in that?"

"Apart from that, Empress." he said with a frustrated look in his eyes.

"He'll look at her as if she's some sort of toy, or experiment."

Alecia widens her eyes and gives a downcast look as she flickers them in thought.

"Then you'll do well not to let him, now will you?" Ruth said, slightly raising her chin.

"Of course not, Empress." he said with a softer look on his face.

"She will be in good hands."

Ruth smiles slightly.

"I know she will." she said flicking her eyes to Alecia, and back to him.

"You even went as far as to deceive me into thinking she was dead; out of her request of course." she looks at her sister with stern eyes, which urges Alecia to avert her gaze. Ruth looks at Aven and sees his regretful look upon his face.

"But we have a more important issue to deal with." Ruth said, joining her hands together by her abdomen.

"You'll take her to Clay, tell him to take a blood sample, and if he finds any abnormalities, he should make a vaccine as soon as possible."

She walks through Alecia and Aven as they step aside. She stops and looks over her shoulder at him with a frownful gaze.

"I don't want to lose my sister a third time." she looks ahead and walks through the door.

"Get it done Aven. You'll be in my debt." she walks away from their view.

Aven and Alecia both stare at the door in silence for a moment.

Aven looks her way with a curious expression on his face.

"So... You're worse than I thought."

Alecia turns her attention to him.

"How did you even get this sick?"

"It's complicated." Alecia said, with a calm expression.

"Should I help?" he said reaching his hand out to her, only for her to step back.

"No." she said, shaking her head.

"This is why I'm ill in the first place."

"What do you mean?" Aven said, with a narrowed look in his eyes.

She looks at Lumina, who's listening earnestly by the window. Alecia looks at Aven once more and crosses her arms with her eyes averted from him.

"Overestimating my abilities," she said, still staring down at the floor.

"Couldn't cure a girl, and instead I moved the virus to myself."

Aven looks down, his eyes flickerng in thought.

"That's strange." he said looking up at her.

"It should have worked."

"Apparently, healing, and curing, are two different things." Alecia said, frowning as she looks eye to eye with him.

"You don't seem..." he pauses with a frown.

"It doesn't seem like you're bothered by it."

Alecia chuckles.

"Would it make a difference if I was?" she said, smiling slightly.

"No..." he chuckles.

"Unfortunately it wouldn't." He sighed.

Lumina looks down at the floor for a moment. Taking out her device, she continues to look through it.

"Why do it, Alecia?" he said, crossing his arms with a puzzled look on his face.

"The girl had little time left," she said, with a frownful stare.

"She was younger than Lumina." she looks at Lumina, only for her to look up at Alecia with a curious expession.

"Would you have done differently?"

Letting out a sigh, he crosses his arms.

"I suppose you've got a point there. You have always been a strong person."

Alecia smiles at his words.

"Well..." he continued, which causes her smile to fade.

"Back when you lost your memory, you lacked confidence in yourself."

"What would you expect from someone with amnesia?" Alecia said, shrugging her shoulders.

"Scared, frustrated. That's how it was for me." she smiles.

Lumina turns her attention to them with a curious gaze.

"You were on a different planet?" she said, urging them both to look her way.

Aven frowns at her.

"You already knew I went to one."

"No, I'm talking about her." Lumina said looking at Alecia.

"You were there too?"

"That's why I travelled there in the first place." Aven said, crossing his arms.

"To get her back." he looks Alecia's way.

"Well, yes." Alecia said, with a slight smile.

"For a long time I was."

"What was it like?" Lumina said, placing the device in her pocket once more.

"Terrible." Alecia said, with a chuckle, and lets out a small cough.

"But I did make some friends there."

"So there were other people?" Lumina said, taking a step forward with an intriguing gaze.

"Yes." Alecia, said taking the glass off the table and walks towards the desk with the glass jug on it.

"They looked like you and I." She pours water into her glass, and drinks from it, only for her to face Lumina.

Lumina looks away for a moment, still trying to process what she had just heard.

"That doesn't make much sense." she said looking at Alecia.

"Shouldn't they look a lot different than us?"

"You've got a point," Alecia said, looking at the water within her glass.

"You could say... We have a lot in common with them."

"So they're somehow related to us?" Lumina said, with a frownful gaze.

"I don't know," Alecia said, shrugging her shoulders and places the glass on the desk behind her.

"Maybe they are." she smiles slightly.

"Someday I'd like to visit there." Lumina said, smiling slightly.

"I want to ask you a question now,"" Alecia said, looking at her.

"You may ask." Lumina said, snapping from her own thoughts.

"While I've been gone..." Alecia said, having her hand over her own arm. She only hopes that she'll receive the answer she wants.

"By any chance, has your mother mentioned me?"

Lumina averts her eyes while shaking her head slightly.

"No, she hasn't." She said, looking up at her.

Alecia's eyes widen slightly.

"No mention of her having a sister?" she said with a calm tone in her voice.

"No, Miss." Lumina said, looking at her, noticing how heart broken she is.

"I'm sorry."

Alecia averts her eyes with a bitter look on her face.

"It's okay." she said with a calm quiet tone in her voice.

"But now I know that she does have a sister." Lumina said smiling at her, which urges Alecia to look at her.

"Looks like you're my aunt."

"I guess I am." Alecia said, managing a smile.

Aven looks at the both of them, only to walk from them and paces himself within the room, while he stares at the wall, which is clear, no pictures, no paintings.

"Can I call you aunt Ally for short?" Lumina said with a curious look on her face.

"Sure, that sounds nice." Alecia said, with a slight smile.

Aven sighs while looking at the floor.

"Alecia." he said, which draws her attention.

"We should go now."

"Alright." Alecia said, moving strands of hair behind her ear.

"So Clay, is it?" She looks at Aven.

"Yes." Aven said with a frown.

"We have no time to waste. We're going to meet him now. You're ready?"

"Shouldn't I change my clothes first?" Alecia said, looking at her now wrinkled outfit.

"Sure. Why not." Aven said, looking from top to bottom.

"Follow me, I'll give you something new to wear."

"Good day, Lumina." He said walking out, with Alecia following from behind.

"Maybe I should wash myself off too." Alecia said, walking beside him down the passage. She holds a few strands of her hair, and looks at it.

Aven turns to her and frowns slightly.

"I'll get you some new clothes, then you can go." he said looking ahead.

-

The sky is is surrounded large white clouds which are reflecting the blue tint of the sky, that stretches as far as the eye can see.

Behind the clouds, at a rare time like this, the large moon is seen, as if It's among the clouds. The sky giving the illusion that it's transparent.

Along the empress' city sized ship, many small ones are seen hovering across it as they fly to and fro from each other. Some are entering and leaving the ship.

Among them, a gray one is seen flying through the traffic.

Alecia looks through the reflective glass of ship as they fly above her sister's carrier ship.

Her hair is now hanging just above her shoulders, nearly parted on one side with a fringe along the side of one of her eyes. She managed to put makeup on which hides the dark bags under her eyes.

She flickers her eyes in thought for a moment, and turns to Aven. Only to see him silently controlling his ship.

"Hey, Aven?" she said with a calm quiet tone.

He looks at her for a brief moment, only to focus his attention ahead once more.

"What is it?" he said.

Alecia flickers her eyes in thought and looks the window once more.

"No, nothing."

Aven darts his eyes at her, and stares ahead once more, as he pays no mind to her.