Nyx steps out of the airlock. The air is still thin inside Sandel Colony’s dome, but it’s enough for people to go outside without a suit, and she sees people already moving around. Some are looking up at the dome, others milling about doing people things.

  Nyx notices Roxy giving her a strange look as Nyx holds onto Cai’s arm possessively. Ever since she and Cai came back to the others, she’s noticed Roxy giving her the same look. It wasn’t quite jealousy. Nyx wasn’t sure what it was.

  Zone had just shaken his head, and Twoey had, and still was, attached to his other arm.

  Roxy gives Nyx a shy smile, then looks back to the colony, “There are already so many people.”

  Zone looks as they walk and more people gradually exit a nearby shelter, “Yeah. Just used to everyone at the lab.”

  Twoey is nuzzling Cai’s arm and not paying attention to the people, but Nyx notices that her purring had stopped as soon as they saw the first signs of people.

  Nyx realizes Zone is right. They have only seen the people at the lab. Which was maybe fifty people at most, and not all at once. What would it be like going from that to thousands?

  Cai looks around, “Well, we don’t have any plans until the trial tomorrow. Should we walk around and see if there’s anything to do?”

  Roxy stops as she notices not only men, but women glancing or even downright staring at her chest, “I think I’ll wait on the Donati.”

  Roxy looks very uncomfortable as she angles her body away from where the crowds are leaving the colony’s shelters.

  Nyx lets go of Cai’s arm and takes Roxy’s instead, “I’ll be waitin’ too.”

  Nyx also notices the stares she’s getting, and it’s making her uncomfortable as well, and the cramping in her stomach is getting worse.

  She wants to cling to Cai more, but she’s more worried about Roxy, so they wave goodbye to the others and head back to the Donati, where Nyx shows Roxy Cai’s lake and boat in the VR.

  Roxy just stares at the scenery, deep in thought as Nyx practices driving the boat.

  Until Nyx hits some rocks in the shallows and they have to reset to the boat’s position to get it unstuck.

  Eventually, Roxy asks to try driving the boat too, and they take turns until they get a message that Cai is back with the others.

  Nyx feels something wet and sticky between her legs and on her seat. When she looks down, she sees herself covered in blood, and she screams, “I’m gonna be dyin’!”

  Roxy, who is lying on the bed, jerks upright, “Nyx! What happened?”

  Roxy runs over to Nyx, wide-eyed and terrified.

  Nyx cringes as she feels another cramp and finally realizes where the blood is coming from, “My period is bein’ here?”

  Nyx remembers the captain’s wife complaining about periods, and Nyx assumed Felis didn’t have them.

  Roxy sees the blood and pales, “Let’s get you cleaned up. You didn’t notice it coming?”

  Nyx shakes her head, “My stomach was bein’ achin’ but I’ve never been havin’ one before.”

  Roxy looks confused but says nothing and pulls Nyx up, “Let’s get you cleaned up, then worry about why later.”

  Nyx is miserable as she showers, as it feels like her stomach is trying to murder her from the inside.

  Roxy searches through the drawers in the bathroom, “You’ll get used to it. It’s a curse all women learn to live with every month for not having a baby.”

  Nyx just mewls. It wasn’t fair. She was perfectly happy not having a period until now. Why did it start now?

  Roxy’s search becomes more frantic, “They’re not here…” She pauses, “Um… Donati, can you make some sanitary napkins? Ten small and ten medium? Fast please?”

  The Donati chimes in response.

  Roxy smiles, “Mine should be starting soon too. You’ll be okay. I’ll be back when the Donati finishes making the first one.”

  Roxy leaves the room.

  Nyx sits in the shower, letting the warm water hit her stomach, and a few minutes later, Roxy comes back, “Nyx! I brought a hot pad, a rag, and some pain medication.”

  Nyx takes the items eagerly, and then groans in bed until Cai gets back with the others.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  Nyx hears her wrist computer chime, and she groans as she reaches to the desk where she left it, “Yeah, what’cha wantin’?”

  It’s Cai’s voice, “Roxy told me what happened. You need anything?”

  Nyx groans, “Make it stop.”

  There’s a pause, “I’m having the Donati make some medicine to help with the symptoms. I could make some medicine to make it stop… but those come with side effects. Try using the VR when it’s bad. I can even link you to a drone and let you control it if you don’t want to game. Or we could start those virtual classes we talked about.”

  Nyx feels her ears perk up. Learning to read and write is something she’s wanted for a long time, “Yeah. I’m wantin’ to be learning to be readin’ and writin’.”

  Nyx finally slips out of bed, her stomach protesting in ways she doesn’t want to get used to.

  “Great! I’ll join you and help you get settled in. I have the perfect place and teacher to help.”

  The call ends.

  Nyx takes care of business in the bathroom first, then soon she’s in VR.

  The first thing she notices is that she’s in a room filled with chairs and desks her size that are lined up and facing a more open part of the room with a larger desk and chair. The room itself is well lit by large windows on one side, letting in ‘natural’ light from the sun, and she can see it’s a clear day outside with a blue sky and the occasional cloud drifting by. There is a door opposite the windows, and she can see a hallway outside through the tall, but narrow window on it. The rest of the room has decorations that Nyx feels make sense for a classroom, with each letter placed around the circumference, posters of sayings or quotes, and other educational things. Behind the larger desk is a whiteboard and little sticks of various colors on a narrow shelf along the bottom.

  It all looks ancient to Nyx. No computers. Lights in the ceiling that look like they could shatter if bumped into the wrong way. And books instead of a tablet or terminal.

  Cai is standing near the larger desk, “I tried to remake my sixth-grade classroom. What do you think?”

  Nyx looks around one more time, “You were bein’ learnin’ here? And what the spark is ‘sixth-grade’?”

  “Yeah. It’s not perfect, but I used pictures to recreate it from when I was here. And sixth-grade is the sixth year after starting school as a child. Usually around twelve years old.” He pauses, “Donati, show the pictures used to recreate this room on the whiteboard.”

  Several pictures appear on the whiteboard, and Nyx pads up to look at them. Each picture has several kids, all wearing clothing that reeks of fashion long gone. Some have them sitting at desks doing an activity, and others have them playing games in groups.

  She immediately spots Cai. His hair is lighter than the light brown it is now, almost as blonde as Nyx’s. He’s cute and still has childish traits, but she can see the man he is now in them.

  Nyx looks up, “Can ya be showin’ me more of yer pictures later?”

  Cai shrugs, “Sure. Donati, send a shortcut to Nyx’s wrist terminal to my picture directory for childhood photos.”

  Nyx smiles and nuzzles Cai, “Mya! Thanks.”

  She can’t wait to learn more about the man she’s interested in and maybe falling in love with.

  Cai pats Nyx’s head and scratches her ears, earning purrs, “Okay, let’s get started. Would you like to meet your teacher?”

  Nyx looks up, slightly disappointed, but not enough to stop her purring, “Yer not bein’ the one to be teachin’ me?”

  “I could… but I’m not sure I would be a good teacher.” He sighs as Nyx stares at him, “Okay. I can’t say no to those eyes. Donati, number two pencils and a writing pad on the nearest desk.”

  Nyx sees the items in question appear on the large desk. The writing pad is easy enough to guess what it is, but this ‘number two pencil’ must be the thin, pointed yellow stick.

  Nyx pulls Cai to the desk and points to the chair, “Be sittin’!”

  Cai sits at the desk, an amused look on his face.

  Nyx purrs louder and plops into his lap and settles in under his chin, “Let’s be gettin’ started on this dum stuff.”

  Cai chuckles and wraps his arms around her as he rests his chin on her head, “Okay. Why don’t we start with what you do know?”

  Nyx can’t concentrate, and it takes all of her willpower not to turn around and cuddle and nuzzle him, her tail swishing with joy, “Mya. O… okay.”

  Nyx takes the number two pencil. And correctly assumes you write with the pointy end and writes a capital ‘A’.

  As she goes, it’s obvious that she can read much better than write, and Cai has to help more often than she’d like.

  Until she realizes he has to lean forward to write or correct something, pressing his muscular chest into her back, and she keeps letting involuntary purrs out every time.

  Cai whispers into her ear, “You like it when I lean forward?” He leans forward, wrapping an arm around her waist. “Like this?”

  Nyx tenses, “Mya…” She can tell she’s blushing hard. “Dum right I do!”

  She turns around in his lap and starts licking and kissing his face, her purring as loud as can be.

  Cai kisses her back.

  Nyx really wants to leave VR and do this in her body, but she knows that misery is waiting for her, so she’s content here for now.

  She looks into Cai’s eyes and sees some uncertainty still, but there’s also a look that shows her he really likes her, and it makes her chest feel a warmth she isn’t familiar with. She’s wanted. Desired. Not just as a friend or a crewmate, but as a woman.

  Cai looks into her eyes, and she can tell he’s thinking about something serious, “You were right.” He paused before continuing, “I was running away. Not just from you, but from people too. After my daughter died, nothing seemed to matter anymore, and as soon as my son Brian moved out, I left home. Spent years away in space. Away from Melodi. And I hated myself for it because she did nothing wrong, even though I knew she was suffering too, and before I knew it, she died before she could get the longevity drugs, and it was too late to fix things. I’ve lived with the guilt ever since. It’s like, after abandoning my family, it’s selfish of me to find love again. But… How can I turn you down? Not when I see how happy you are with me and… and how much happier I’ve been since you broke onto the Donati. I can’t undo what I did, but it doesn’t mean I should keep running forever.”

  Nyx nuzzles him more, “Mya… Cai…” She recalls how guilty she was being the only survivor. All the nights she wanted to run away or wished she had died with them. She’s not sure what to say to him to help with his guilt, so she just says what she knows, “I’m wantin’ ya. I’m bein’ happy.”

  She kisses him.

  Cai kisses her back.

  As they kissed, she knew she’s finally where she could be happy.