alone

You woke up into this strange new world alone, with only the memories of a home that’s long gone, the taste of blood in your mouth and… her. The sister you spent so long being bitter at. She picked a planet with what she considered to be a suitable view for you to wake up on in peace, though you’re pretty sure now that there’s a few spots you personally find prettier. And she was so excited to hear from you again, even after the years technically apart took their toll. You suppose it’s better than had you stayed behind to die in the battle.

Everything the two of you had managed to salvage sat sealed away in containers next to you, as well as mementos you had collected from your friends over the time you knew them. A guitar pick with an alchemical symbol on it, a beaded bracelet of Indian design. A talen made by the hands of a novice, and several sheets of rejected song lyrics from a band called Flight of the Jovian Concord. A rose pressed between the pages of a volume of poetry that looked far older than you, even back then, and a simple red tie. A brooch shaped like a spider, and an old, torn-up blindfold.

Each one carried a story, and each one belonged to a person that you knew had long passed on. Some of them, you saw die with your own eyes, the impetus to your long sleep. The others, you knew only had so long to live. Not all of them were Sister, they didn’t carry immortal blood. Every single one was gone now, some way or another.

So when you learned about a ship setting sail for Earthspace, it was only natural that you would answer the call.

Your sister asked you not to go, at least at first. Who knew how long it would take, she couldn’t lose you now. Not after three hundred years. What if that ancient being reawoke? You told her you didn’t care. If you didn’t do this, you would never be able to move on. They needed to be laid to rest somehow, and it was through these last items that you would do so. She would be soon to relent, spending those days of preparation filling vials with her old blood and packing them for you that you might carry her there too, that she might still supply you even when you’re so far away.

You didn’t tell her that you intended to bury one there too. You never forgot the times before she was kindred, even if she might have. If you’re ever to move past it and finally accept her in full, that too must be buried in the soil of your home. Some might think you crazy, but you know better.

You finally board the Strider ship knowing that you will be laying the dead to rest when you arrive. Like when you both were born, like you were when sister was embraced, like you were at the very end of the world, you will be alone again.