Rigel
Ava and I sit at the helm together. She crawls into my lap, whispering to me. The new translator Kayla built is incredible—not only does it amplify Ava's voice, but it translates Ava's words directly into my ears.
Ava's voice sounds broken when she says, "You came back to me."
Instinctively, my arms around Ava's waist tighten. "I will always come back to you, Ava."
I would always try to return to her, but being aboard the Firefly at this moment is thanks to a series of coincidences. If Seth had not cut me loose, or had the Enforcers not chased Seth, or had the Firefly closed its door—I would be in one of Hydra's cells.
Ava stays silent. Does she not believe me?
"Ava...?" I open my wings to check on Ava who is cocooned between my wings. I am astonished to find that even though she sits upright with her cheek squished against my chest, she has fallen asleep. Oh, my stars, she is adorable. I could carry Ava to one of Firefly's beds to let her sleep, but there is something I enjoy about this arrangement. So, I stay in the helm, my wings sealed over her.
Ava must be exhausted; she stays in my arms during the entire light cycle. Then, when the Firefly lights darken, marking the commencement of our sleep cycles, Kayla re-enters the helm, manually turning off sections of Firefly's wall unit.
Ava stirs in my arms. "What is happening?"
"Shh. Quiet, Ava. Soon we will go to bed," I say.
"I'm going to bed momentarily," says Kayla, turning her attention away from the wall and toward us. "Ava, since this will be your home now and you didn't get a chance to see much of the ship last time, would you like a quick tour?"
Ava stretches. "I'd like that," says Ava, walking off with Kayla.
Sleeping with Ava in my lap was delightful. Why did Kayla need to interrupt us? I impatiently follow them.
Why is Kayla still talking? Doesn't she realize the ship's sleeping cycle has commenced?
When we stand in front of the sleeping quarters, I grow excited. Surely their conversation will end soon, and Ava will return to my bed.
"Except for the two— the one Tarak and I share and Rigel's," says Kayla, nodding toward our rooms. "Oh, and the lab and the medical ward, everything else is available for use."
"What about this room here," says Ava.
I'm too tired to listen to the rest of this. I go to my bed, spreading out my wings. I leave the door open and a gap in my wing so Ava can crawl underneath my wing to sleep. My wings twitch. Without Ava, I can't settle to sleep.
Footsteps approach. Ava's silhouette is in the doorway.
My feathers impatiently flutter, waiting for her to come to bed.
Her silhouette disappears. Still, I wait.
Maybe I'm too eager, but I go into the hallway, looking for her.
How strange—the door to the neighboring room is open, and Ava lies on the bed. Is she testing the bed? Perhaps she is lost?
I hover in the doorway. When she doesn't stop testing the bed, I clear my throat. Still, she does not cease.
I step into the room. "Ava, I'm ready to go to sleep."
"Me too," she says, looking up at me from the bed. "That's why, um, I'm in bed."
Oh, now I understand; she is probably lost... "But this is not my bedroom. My bedroom is next door."
"Kayla said any of the rooms were available, so I picked this one."
"Available for what?"
"Living and sleeping, Rigel, what else would you use a bedroom for? Kayla said you have the other room, she and Tarak have the other one, and no one was using this one, so... I picked this one. It's mine."
What?!
"Rigel, are you all right?"
"I'm fine!"
"I just asked because, well... Your feathers and wings were moving so much."
"It's nothing," I say, taking a few steps backward and standing in the hallway.
"Rigel, are you sure—"
I make a fist, turning it counterclockwise and closing her door. I return to the room that I thought was ours and flop onto the bed. I try to sleep, but I can't stop thinking about Ava who is on the other side of the metal wall. Will she be warm enough without feathers and wings to warm her?
What about me? Without the human sleeping curled underneath my wing, the room feels cold.