But she suspected there was a little more to it than that. Either way, she was sick of going around and around in circles thinking about it.
“And you’re sure you’re ok.” Aletta looked up at Dylan, who sat cross-legged on a chair next to the bed, a bowl of some kind of stew in her hands.
She’d been the only one able to enter the room apart from Aletta, Klath suspecting it had something to do with them being siblings.
Dylan rested her spoon in the bowl and set it on the cluttered table beside her. She drew her knees to her chest and dragged her oversized sweater over them as she used to when she was a kid.
“I don’t know,” she said softly. “I think so.” She plucked at the hem of her sweater. “They were going to sell us, Letty.” A lone tear rolled down her cheek. “Some of the women didn’t make it. They got sick and died. I think they’d been there for a lot longer than me.”
How many more women had been taken from Earth against their will? Would they ever know?
“There were more, but they were sold early on.” Her voice was flat, emotionless, as if it were the only way she could talk through her experience. “The ones that were left—the ones you rescued—were the leftovers.” She snorted a laugh. “That’s what Delilah said. She said we were too strong for their puny male egos to handle.” She looked up and smiled.
Aletta made a mental note to meet this Delilah.
“We were too loud, too fat, too skinny, too old…you know, the usual.” Dylan waved her hand and rolled her eyes.
“Glad to hear the patriarchy is alive and well across the galaxy,” Aletta said with a dry laugh. “Fuckers.”
Dylan laughed. “You know something, though?” She pulled her legs from underneath the sweater. “I learned a lot about myself.”
Aletta raised her eyebrows. “Really.”
“Yup. I learned that I am stronger than I thought I was.” Dylan sat up straighter. “I learned that I can survive almost anything.” She stared intently into Aletta’s eyes. “And I learned that I can make it on my own.”
Aletta swallowed past a lump in her throat. “Dylan?—”
“No.” Dylan held up a hand. “Let me finish.”
Aletta had never heard her sister so determined. She nodded.
“You’ve looked after me practically your whole life, Letty. I know you sacrificed a lot for me, and I appreciate it more than I can ever tell you.”
Aletta rolled her lips inward, hearing the ‘but’ without Dylan saying so.
“Maybe it’s time you let someone else look after you?”
Dylan gave a pointed look to Gark, who had curled himself around Aletta and was now snoring lightly into her lap.
Aletta looked down at Gark with a soft smile.
“What if it doesn’t work out?” She asked.
“Then you’ll know you tried.” Dylan’s hand came to land on Aletta’s shoulder. “You are the most wonderful and brave woman I know, Letty. Vox told me you wouldn’t take no for an answer, doing everything in your power to find me.”
Aletta nodded. “You're my sister. I’d do anything for you, Dee.”
“I know.” She smoothed Aletta’s hair in the way Aletta had done when she was little and needed comfort. “Perhaps it’s time you did something for yourself.”
Aletta brushed Gark’s hair; the sound of the chime as the door shut was the only indication that Dylan had left.
She’d spent her whole life looking after her sister. What would her identity be without Dylan? If she accepted Gark’s claim, wouldn’t she just be transferring one duty for another?
No.
She thought of the vest he’d stitched for her, of the way he hadn’t held her back when he knew she’d need to be on the transport. Of how he’d only ever tried to keep her safe, no matter the cost. Gark had understood her biggest fear and had let her overcome it herself, the whole time he’d been telling her he’d always be there to catch her. That wasn’t control. That was support and love.
Besides, he literally couldn’t leave her. The bond wouldn’t let him. Maybe he was the one person in the entire universe who would never leave?
