"Where are you going?"
Kai jumped up and out of bed before I could sneak into the bathroom unaided.
For three days straight, he's followed me around the house, watching me like a hawk.
"To pee." My lips curled up in amusement.
"What if you fall?" His face was serious.
"In the toilet?" I raised a brow. "Would you prefer it if I wore a life jacket? That way, I won't drown if I get sucked in."
He stood infront of me, placing his hands on my hips, a low grumble sounding from his throat as I gazed up at him with a grin.
"I'm feeling much better today. My legs are working fine and I feel stronger."
"But.."
I placed a finger on his lips, cutting him off before he could protest.
"I'm ok. Now let me pee, alone, before I lose control of my bladder."
"Ok, ok." Kai stepped back, lifting his hands up in defeat.
I hurried to the bathroom, feeling victorious but as soon as I sat down to relieve myself, his voice entered my mind.
You forgot your life jacket
I snorted a laugh, shaking my head.
Once I'd finished in the bathroom, I walked back into the bedroom, making a conscious effort to not look at Kai but I could feel his eyes burning into me.
Instead, I made my way over to the walk-in wardrobe and chose my outfit for the day.
Scanning through my small amount of clothes, I pulled a pair of navy leggings from the rail and stole one of Kai's white t-shirts.
Although they were freshly washed, his smell somehow lingered in his clothes and it was something I couldn't get enough of.
I swiftly changed into my outfit, knotting the side of the t-shirt so that it didn't look like a dress and I stood infront of the mirror, frowning at my reflection.
Ever since leaving Earth, my body had changed dramatically and although I was given adequate nutrition when I was in the pod, I had lost a significant amount of weight and I barely recognised myself anymore.
My bones were prominent, unflattering and I felt alien in my own skin.
"What's wrong?" Kai startled me and I turned around to see him standing in the doorway, his brows creased as he looked at me intently.
"Nothing." I forced an unconvincing smile.
"I can feel that you're unhappy. Talk to me, Daisy."
He stepped towards me, holding my cheeks in his hands and I closed my eyes, sighing as I leaned into his touch.
"I just. I don't recognise myself anymore. I look ill, like a frail old lady, I'm hideous."
"You are not hideous." Kai's features were stern, almost like he was telling me off.
"Look at me, Kai." I huffed, looking in the mirror again.
He came up behind me, placing his hands on my shoulders, looking me up and down in the mirror.
"I see a strong, determined, beautiful, young woman, who has been through indescribable hell, not once, but twice and that body that you're calling hideous has handled it all. You might look a little bit different but you will never be anything less than sensational. You are perfect, Daisy, just the way you are and I wish you could see that too."
I could feel the sincerity radiating off of him and my eyes glazed over at his words.
I had never been spoken of in such a way that I felt powerful and proud of myself.
Kai was right. I wasn't hideous, I was strong and my frail, old lady body fought hard to keep me alive when I was on the verge of death.
I turned around, wrapping my arms around his waist. My head snuggled into his chest and he held me close to him as I blinked away my tears.
"I love you so much."
"I love you too, Daisy." Kai spoke softly while rubbing his hand up and down my back.
He placed a single kiss on the top of my head and a sense of peace washed over me.
"Can I make your breakfast today?" I heard his stomach rumble and I felt an urge to look after him.
Kai chuckled, looking down at me in amusement.
"I don't think so."
I pouted. "Why not? I want to look after you too, you know?"
He took my hand in his and we headed down the stairs to the kitchen.
"Here, drink this while I make breakfast." Kai emphasised the 'I' glancing my way with a grin while I sat at the breakfast bar.
He slid a booster bottle across the table and it landed perfectly infront of me.
I had learnt that booster bottles were similar to energy drinks, however, the major constituent wasn't caffeine. These little bottles were packed with some sort of body boosting enhancement and they are typically used for zaviour women when they were pregnant.
A human body is unable to handle the quantities that a zaviour could, so I was limited to three per day. Anything more could cause a similar reaction to a drug overdose, so Kai was extreamly strict on when I had them.
They helped with my energy levels, and I was almost certain that I was physically stronger for a short while after drinking them.
Once Kai had finished preparing breakfast, he joined me at the table.
"Kai, can I ask you something?"
"Anything?" He smiled sweetly.
"What happened with Florna after Felix took me?"
I had been dying to ask him ever since we can home from the medical centre but I wasn't sure how to approach the subject.
His eyes darkened and I sensed his unease when I said her name.
"She's currently being held while she awaits her trial."
My jaw dropped. "Trial?"
"Yes, Daisy, a trial. And when she's found guilty, she will be banished from Zandara to the cells of the Intergalactic Alliance."
"But.. you can't." I blurted.
Kai furrowed his brows, shaking his head in confusion. "What? She wont get away with what she did."
I fully understood the severity of her actions but banishment to a life behind bars seemed too harsh.
"What about Kintel? Why should he have to suffer because of her?"
Kai sighed. "If he wishes to go with her, then he will be granted permission to leave."
"Is there any way she wouldn't be found guilty?" My voice was low.
"Kintel will plead his case for her release, but my case against her will seal her fate. Other than Kintel, no one else will side with her."
I took in a deep breath. By the sound of it, things between Kai and Kintel could get ugly and I had no doubt in my mind that his family would be forced to choose a side.
"Is this really what you want? A shattered bond between you and Kintel, and Florna banished for acting out when she was grieving for her brother?"
"What I want is for Florna to be punished for what she did to you. If that means Kintel and I have to cut ties then so be it."
I couldn't stomach the food that was infront of me anymore. I pushed my plate away, resting my arms in its place, looking up at Kai.
"I don't want you to hate me, but.. I think you're making a mistake and I want to plead for Florna's release."
Kai's jaw tensed, anger in his wide eyes and I braced myself for an explosive reaction.
I held my breath but after a few seconds had passed, he remained calm.
"Why? Why would you want her to stay here when she is the reason you almost died? She betrayed me, she betrayed Kintel, she sided with the enemy knowing full well what would happen and you want her to get away with everything that she did?"
His tone was ice cold and I almost regretted opening my big mouth.
"No, I don't want her to get away with it, but I know that grief can cause you to lash out and do stupid things."
"Please don't fight me on this, Daisy. I love you, so much but I won't drop it, I can't."
"Why does it matter so much? Felix is the one that actually hurt me, not Florna. With him dead, surely Florna and Kintel don't need to suffer too."
Kai's whole body tensed and I suspected something was wrong.
"Kai?" I raised a brow, sitting up straight, locking eyes with his.
"I need to tell you something." His whole persona had shifted and my pulse began to quicken.
"What is it?"
"Felix isn't dead." His shoulders sagged and he broke eye contact, looking down at his hands.
"What do you mean he isn't dead? What happened? Where is he?"
"He's here on Zandara. I took my anger out on him when you were in the pod, and when Kordin told me to kill him, he said that the human whose body he took over was still inside him and that if I killed him, I'd kill the human too."
Something within me stirred and I felt nauseous. Felix is still alive and he's here on Zandara.
I wasn't expecting this kind of news when I woke up this morning and I wasn't sure what to think of it.
I stood to my feet and ran up the stairs. I made it to the bathroom just in time, emptying my guts into the toilet.
Kai knocked on the door. "Daisy, are you alright?"
I flushed the toilet, putting the seat down before pulling myself up off the floor and sitting on it with my head in my hands.
"Baby, I'm sorry."
I felt Kai's hands on my knees as he knelt down infront of me.
"Is this the reason you want Florna to be punished so badly? Because you can't hurt Felix?" I murmured.
"Maybe, I don't know. I think Felix is lying but I can't stand back and let both of them get away with everything."
"Can I talk to them?" I meekly asked.
I looked into his eyes as he thought about it for a moment.
"Not alone." He nodded, voice stern.
"Ok, not alone." I nodded back.
"I'll organise a visit to Florna this afternoon, but Felix will have to wait until this evening. Nobody knows he's still here, other than Kordin and Kiara, the less people that know, the better."
"Ok."
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How are you guys?
It's half term here at the moment so it's been a little chaotic juggling the kids, housework, actual work and writing 🤦♀️
As always, a huge thank you for the comments/votes ❤😊