Chapter 3 — Chapter 3

I woke up on the couch in the morning. In the middle of the night, I had woken up on a hard cot and, without much thought, moved to the captain's quarters. From what I managed to see, he had a separate bedroom. So, he wouldn't see me right away.

At least, that was what I hoped...

"Why is this happening?" someone whispered beside me.

Startled, I woke up. I stared at Fler in fear, trying to figure out if I was in my transformed state or not...

"Shh, don't be afraid," he suddenly said in a soothing tone. He crouched down, pulled a blanket over me, and stroked my head.

It felt so good that I wanted to stretch towards his hand, asking for more affection. What was happening to me?

"You're sentient, right? So you understand me. If yes, blink or nod," he requested. I frantically tried to decide whether to confess or not. But while I was thinking, he drew his own conclusions: "So, no. That's a pity... Semi-sentience is good too. Not completely dumb!"

I took a deep breath, ready to protest, but changed my mind. I couldn't admit that I understood him yet. What if he really did drop me off at the nearest port?

"I'll order food for two, don't eat it all. I don't know how you got out of the pool, but I won't lock the door anymore."

He headed towards the exit of the cabin, accepting breakfast from a multi-armed creature. I managed to peek from behind the couch. Fler set his portion on the table and rolled the rest on a small table towards me. For obvious reasons, I didn't eat in front of him. I didn't want to in my transformed state, and I had to wait to change back.

After breakfast, the captain left. I quickly transformed, wrapped myself in a towel, and ate. I enjoyed the unfamiliar but delicious dishes.

Afterward, I decided to explore the quarters or cabin—I wasn't sure what to call such a large space. There was a bedroom, a living room, a pool, and something like an office. Everything indicated that the captain rarely left the ship. I also found a shower and a jacuzzi... which I used.

With indescribable pleasure, I returned to my human form and washed, using Fler's shower gel. Now I smelled strongly of him.

Finding a clean towel, I barely managed to wrap it around myself; there weren't any large ones... Were there any fruits left? A snack wouldn't hurt.

Taking the vase, I went to the office. I wondered if I could read their books...

"Oh, I need to bring you some clothes..." Sebastian caught me looking at one. I had managed to read the title and was now holding a brief guide to the universe.

"Why?" I managed to force out the unfamiliar sounds with difficulty.

"Well, you're not dressed, are you?" He was now openly interested.

"He'll understand," I nodded towards Fler's portrait.

"Yes, but just in case, you need a jumpsuit and boots... I'll see what we have. The size is quite small."

"Race?" I asked to distract him from staring at me. As a kikimora, used to not being shy about my body, I didn't mind, but I didn't want to invite trouble. No, my powers had returned—there was plenty of magic here. And if needed, I could defend myself. I just didn't want to make an enemy on the ship.

"Ours?" Sebastian came closer and, flipping through the book in my hands, stopped at a page about their planet and race. "Here."

"Good," I nodded. Sitting in a chair, I crossed my legs and started reading.

"As a biologist, I'm very interested in learning about your race. But I assume you're just learning the universal cosmic language?"

"Hard." The language was difficult, dominated by hissing sounds.

"I'd be happy to talk to you later. I'm leaving until the ship's next arrival anyway. I'll be replaced, and I'll spend time with my family."

"Home?"

"Yes, my wife and three children. I have to be in space for work. As a conscript, I'm here for three to four months at a time. You understand, right?"

I nodded, of course. I didn't feel like talking anymore—my throat was dry.

"I recommend you read this one too. It's something like general information on behavior in space and society. And put everything back in its place: Fler is very attentive to details. He was chosen as the ship's commander for a reason: no mistakes in several decades of service."

"Yes," I noted where the books were taken from.

"And lastly: he's only here in the evening, night, and morning. He has lunch in the officers' mess. So you can safely be in your true form during the day."

"Good."

He left me alone with the books. Comfortably settled, I continued my studies. At first, I struggled with the foreign symbols, but then, getting used to them, I started reading faster. There was still a lot of time until evening. I had to remember to clean up in the shower so he wouldn't know I used it...

I didn't have to clean. A few hours later, something chimed in the living room, and a tray of food popped out of a panel in the wall. I took it, ate, and returned, also visiting the bathroom. Everything was spotlessly clean, and the automatic cleaning had completely erased any trace of my presence.

After swimming in the pool, I realized I was incredibly bored. I decided to work on the snake—helping it with its bitten tail.

"How are you doing, little one?" I took it off my neck, laid it on my leg, and felt the bones at the tip of its tail. Three were missing—the fourth had already started growing. Feeding on my magic, it had noticeably grown and was ready to shed its skin: it was already bubbling.

Carefully removing the old scales, I was surprised by its coloring. Usually, "swamp eyes" are gray, black... But this was pure emerald with specks of other colors. Red, yellow, blue, even white and black.

I held my fingers at the tip, giving the fourth bone a bit more magic. The snake just opened its mouth, enjoying itself. We cleaned and healed...

"What kind of creature is this?" Sebastian's footsteps echoed in the living room, and he entered the room with the pool. He was carrying some kind of bag.

"A snake."

"Doesn't ring a bell, but there are similar species. Only they weigh a couple thousand kilograms more." He sat next to me and placed the backpack beside me.

"Clothes?"

"Yes, everything's here. It'll do for now, no need to walk around like this, even here. It's not customary for us. Maybe it's normal in your world..." he shrugged.

Taking this strange square backpack, I opened it by touching the indentation in the middle. I first pulled out a thin bodysuit, followed by another one, green, made of a strange fabric, and some lace-up boots that weren't too heavy. Peering inside, I discovered a bunch of boxes and packages attached to the backpack's walls.

"This is essential gear, freeze-dried food, a camping blanket. Pick up any package," Sebastian advised.

With a slight effort, I detached a package no larger than my palm. A diagram immediately lit up on it. Ah, it's a one-person tent. According to the instructions, it unfolds with a special press. I put it back, curiously examining the rest but not touching them. However, upon finding something resembling a headband, I pulled it out with interest.

"That's an evacuation helmet. You put it around your neck; there's a symbol on the suit," he pointed to his bodysuit—there was a raised triangle on the left chest—"press it, and you fully activate the suit. It withstands temperatures from -1000 to +1000 degrees for a day. It generates oxygen and even disposes of waste."

"Oh," I exclaimed, returning the headband to its place.

"Yes, there's food, a first-aid kit. No water, but you'll find special capsules that you can throw into any water-containing liquid to get drinking water. If the ship's sirens go off, a red warning light will flash, and a green blinking light will show you which way to evacuate. Follow the instructions on the walls strictly. We're currently in open, wild space, far from civilization. We could be attacked at any moment."

A click sounded in the apartment. Quickly stuffing the clothes back into the backpack, I hid everything behind a potted tree and instantly found myself in the water, not forgetting to look back.

"And what are you doing here?" Fler's voice came from the pool door.

"I'm a biologist, interested in a new species. You can't be against that, can you?"

"No, not against." The captain looked at his friend, squinting.

"Then I'm off." Sebastian got up from the lounger. But as he approached the door, Fler grabbed his elbow.

"You're not hiding anything from me, are you?"

"What exactly?" He shook off the restraining fingers.

"I don't know, but I feel something's off." Fler cleared the way, letting Sebastian go.

"Just missing my family. Looking forward to going home."

"It'll be soon. A hyperjump tonight, and then two more days—we'll be home," the captain said, seemingly calmer now.

"And that's great." Sebastian headed towards the exit.

I froze in the corner, watching him from the water. Fler approached and stood at the edge of the pool.

"You have a good appetite; you ate all of your lunch." He clearly didn't know what to say, then turned to leave.

I noticed a snake that had escaped from me. Deciding it had wandered enough, it quickly slithered towards the water. The captain had excellent hearing. He sharply turned at the quiet rustling of scales on stone and swiftly grabbed the snake by its tail. He must have hurt it; in fear, it bit him...

"What?!" Fler quickly grabbed the snake by its head and squeezed, clearly intending to kill it.

Instantly teleporting to the captain, I hung onto his arm, trying to loosen his grip. If I had to hit him with magic right now, I'd do it without hesitation! But I wouldn't let the little one get hurt!

Fler was stronger and faster. Throwing the snake into the water, he grabbed my arms and lifted me so that my eyes met his. That's when I suddenly saw my fate... He had no intention of sparing me; his gaze was death itself. Mine...

"Keep your creatures away from me." What he saw in my eyes remained a mystery, but he changed his mind about killing. He simply let go, and I landed hard on my soft spot. My legs couldn't hold me at all.

Turning sharply, Fler left the cabin. I crawled to the water with difficulty. Sinking into it, I retrieved the snake and began healing it again. The desire to be alone here with the commander vanished. On one hand, I was drawn to this captain, but on the other, I was beginning to be terrified of him.

Because in his eyes, there was darkness...