Spaceship Situationship

01 - Kassia

"I had a nightmare."

Kari walks over to me, her arms still crossed. "I've been suspecting this for a few days, but you remember, don't you?" she asks, and her steely gaze meets mine. I have never been so scared of a 14-year-old in my life.

"What do you mean?"

Kari is the only person in Z-64 who I didn't know too well previously. When we were at the Academy, I would occasionally catch glimpses of her, the infamous "child prodigy" Naomi.

Everything about her was different, from the way she wore her hair to the way she wore herself. Naomi was always cheerful and bouncing at her feet, bringing with her an air of childish naivité and tinkling laughter. Everyone doted on her.

Kari, however, is default grumpy. She's eternally indifferent to everyone around her.

At first, I was shocked by her new demeanor, but I quickly realized that she was still a cute kid. Behind her temper, she's so adorable that I can't help but tease her, but—

"You have your memories of before."

Do I trust her?

I want to say that I do, but I know that once I say it out loud, there's no taking it back. If it somehow travels, then I'll lose everything I fought so hard to keep with me.

"Not exactly. I've been having nightmares since the Awakening, but whenever I wake up, I can't remember the details—only the emotions."

"That's too bad."

I notice that she's gripping her arm tightly. "I thought you could tell me something... about how I was like in the past," she mumbles.

"Your past?" I ask, a little shocked. I wasn't expecting something like this. "Why?"

Kari pauses, and tilts her head back against the wall, as if thinking over her answer. Then she smiles sadly, and I feel a pang in my chest. "But don't we all?" she asks me, "Want to know, I mean."

"I-I guess."

"Anyways, I'm going back to sleep. You should too," she turns her back towards me and gives me a half-hearted wave. As soon as she's gone, I let out a long breath I didn't realize I was holding.

She may be 4 inches shorter than me, but you wouldn't believe how scared I was just now.

My stomach releases a bit of tension, and a gurgle resounds in the kitchen. I need to calm down. Our first exam is tomorrow, and I can't afford to screw up.

What to do?

Maybe I should eat something. Food is always a good idea.

I return to the fridge and swing the door open, my voracious eyes scanning the insides. On the top shelf, I see a glass container of little fruit chunks, but pause when I see Xander's name scrawled on the side.

The universal fact of my last two years at the Academy with Xander is that he can not cook to save his life. Unless... the other party ate his cooked meal and he ran away while they experienced its terrible effects.

Xander is an expert botanist who understands all kinds of flavours and how to grow the juiciest, ripest, and most palate-pleasing produce, but as soon as the raw ingredients manifest into cuisine, Xander is completely lost and also takes the loss.

However, the sunset-orange fruit chunks inside the glass container seem to be safe from any signs of cooking, so I take it out of the fridge and pop the container open. The fruit sits illuminated by the fridge light, as if adorned by an artificial halo. Before I drool all over it, I quickly pinch a piece of fruit and toss it in my mouth.