“The centaur is distrustful of our staff, but he seems to like you. He won’t communicate with us. We’re afraid that we won’t be able to meet his needs without some basic information, you see.” Dr. Grant smiled, though it didn’t reach her eyes.
“Like what?”
I was, perhaps, too willing to be helpful. But she had flattered me when she’d said that Athos liked me better than anyone else. And I needed to seem useful if I wanted any chance at seeing him in person.
“Start by telling me anything he’s shared. How did he get here? Where did he come from?”
“Well, he came to Earth five years ago,” I began. “His planet is called Yakeron. I don’t really know much about it, though. He left because he was in danger there.”
“Danger?” she echoed, raising an eyebrow.
“He didn’t do anything wrong, but he was punished by his planet’s government. Sort of like being sent to jail when you’re innocent. So, he left.”
“How did he get here? Why Earth?”
I frowned, thinking it over. “I don’t think he picked Earth on purpose,” I admitted. “He went through something called a star portal. I don’t know where it is or how it works.”
“How did he learn English?”
“He collects books. Anything he can get his hands on. He reads a lot, and that’s how he learned.”
She scribbled, taking notes. Then she looked up from her paper, tapping the end of the pen against her chin.
“He won’t speak to me at all,” she mused. “You must have a special connection with him.” She tossed the pen onto the desk, standing suddenly, and walked around the desk to face me. Perching on the edge, she folded her hands in her lap.
“If you can’t face the centaur after everything you’ve been through, I understand. But we really need your help. I’d like you to go into his cage and take blood and saliva samples from him.”
I was conflicted, which I was sure was obvious. It wasn’t fear, like Dr. Grant assumed. I was glad to see Athos again, and had no qualms about that.
It was the mention of blood samples that made me uneasy. A part of me wanted to scream at her and tell her to get lost the same way I’d told Finn. What right did they have to invade his body like this?
But I did want to see him. And throwing a fit wouldn’t stop them from getting their samples. It was going to happen, with or without me. At least if I did it, I could be gentle and considerate. I doubted he would get that treatment from anyone else.
“Yes,” I said resolutely. “Yes, I’ll do it.”
She clapped her hands, rubbing them together. “Great,” she declared, smiling genuinely for the first time. She stood up, walking to the back of the room. She rummaged through a bin, pulling out a small bag. She checked through it, adding a few items, and then returned.
“Come with me. I’m going to teach you how to do a blood draw.”
* * *
After practicing for a while on a banana, I felt like I had the hang of it. I knew that it wouldn’t be quite as easy as it seemed on my trial fruit. Still, I thought I could get the job done.
Dr. Grant walked me down several long halls to Athos. I tried to study the corridors, memorizing the layout.
On the way, I saw Dr. Evans walking by. I faltered, my heart racing. Was there anything suspicious in my test results that she was about to reveal?
But she just gave me a smile. “Blood work isn’t back yet,” she called out. She glanced between me and Dr. Grant, and I could tell she was wondering what I was doing here instead of being home on leave.
She didn’t ask, keeping true to her word earlier that she felt a key part of her job was knowing how to mind her own business. At least she was consistent about that.
We walked a bit further when Dr. Grant stopped at a lone metal door, isolated at the end of the corridor. She pushed it open, holding it for me to step inside.
My eyes scanned the room, almost immediately landing on the glass cage with metal bars in the middle of the space. Vaguely, my brain registered other things. How sterile and white the room was, how many tools were out on the work counters. But I only cared about the cage, and who was inside.
Athos. His face lit up when he saw me. I tried hard to keep my own enthusiasm down, not wanting to draw suspicion. Our eyes locked, and wordlessly, it felt like a million things were said between us.
Dr. Grant shut the door behind us and approached the keypad. “Ready?” she asked.