“And this is how I make that chord?” Reya asked. It had been weeks now that she and Adrian had been holed up in the music room. It was as if life had been blown back into Adrian now that he could create music again. It was an entirely new side of him, and she quite liked it.

  When she’d taken an interest in the bass, he’d offered her lessons. Eagerly, she’d accepted. Together, they spent long hours playing. One an expert who’d lost his touch and the other a complete beginner. Adrian taught her with the utmost patience and Reya improved rapidly under his tutelage. While by no means amazing, she could now safely say she had the basics under her belt and play simple songs alongside him.

  Being able to be a part of something so important to Adrian filled her with joy. Seeing him genuinely smile with a spring in his step was something she would do anything to keep. Every new side to him she discovered only made her fall in love with him all over again. His passion for music was contagious and she’d been infected.

  Her fingers pinched from playing for so long, but the pain didn’t register to Reya. It was laughable compared to what she’d suffered. The state of her hands wasn’t even worth her attention. Adrian spotted the bloodied frets and strings and forced her to take a break. He went to the bathroom to get the medical kit and began treating her.

  Eyeing the shimmering red blood with suspicion, he found the colour to be off. It was too pale. He shrugged and didn’t think much of it. He’d never seen a’vaare blood before and presumed that to be what it was supposed to look like, but he couldn’t shake the nagging feeling in the back of his mind.

  Reya watched him impassively as he wrapped the fingers in gauze after putting a clear, pale-yellow gel over where it bled. Idly, she wondered if her blood had always been such a bright red but quickly pushed such thoughts out of her mind before they veered towards when she’d been tortured.

  Unable to teach her any more for the moment, Adrian decided to record the song he’d been practicing. Reya listened, entranced by the process. It took many takes before he was satisfied with the outcome. Hours passed as he played but neither of them noticed. Once he was finished, he moved to his setup spread over the desk and put the song together, one layer at a time.

  Explaining as he went, Reya received an impromptu lesson on how to use the equipment, stunned at the versatility it offered. Once again, she was reminded on how different their societies were. She would have never thought of half of what Adrian demanded his equipment be able to do. To think such a thing was a product an entirely different culture boggled her.

  Watching Adrian in his element fascinated her to no end. In what felt like no time at all, he was playing back the final version of his song, leaving Reya shocked. When it was done, she demanded he play it again. Sounds she’d never heard before blended together to make the alien music that rushed through her, rendering her speechless.

  Adrian grinned when all she could do was gape. “I’m not finished yet.”

  “You mean you’re not done?” Reya exclaimed. “I thought you were mixing it because it was finished.”

  “No,” he shook his head. “This song needs one final thing. Lyrics. Now that I’ve got the instrumental portion put together I can sing along to it.” He explained to her how to start the song from the beginning when he gave her the signal and got to work setting up the microphone.

  Before they could begin, a knock on the door resounded, giving them pause. “Can I come in?” came Rann’s voice from the other side.

  Reya frowned and walked over and opened the door for her, inviting her inside. “Of course you can. There’s no need to ask. You can just come in.”

  “Right,” Rann said, entering the room. She closed the door behind her. “I wasn’t sure because everything in here is technically Adrian’s. What are you doing?”

  “We’re recording a song,” Reya exclaimed. “You should stay and watch.”

  For a moment, Rann considered the offer. “Do you mind if I record it?” She had her orders to secure any information Adrian divulged and figured his music counted. Tassie had been in some hot water for a while after having failed to divulge some of the information she’d learned from Adrian, and Rann didn’t want to be in that position if she could help it.

  “No need,” Adrian waved. “I’ll send you the recording after once it’s finished. Just remember that I own the rights to the song.”

  “I’m surprised you’re giving it away so freely,” Rann said, her brows raised. Reya waved her over and she took her first good look at Adrian’s setup. It looked strange to her. Her eyes went wide as Reya gave a brief overview of what it did.

  When Adrian finished setting up the microphone, he gave Reya the countdown. Rann’s questions about the software on his data slate were hushed The song started and Adrian began to sing. His voice rose and fell as he added the final piece to his song. The two women understood none of it but found it beautiful all the same. All too soon, it came to and end.

  It took Reya several seconds to register that he was finished, and she belatedly stopped the recording. “Is that what all music on your world sounds like?” She’d never known anything that sounded like what she’d just heard and needed to know.

  Adrian laughed. “This is one song from one style among many. Soon, I’ll show you others.” They would never live up to the originals, but he could only do so much. The prospect of having music to listen to, even if it was his, lit a fire under him, and he longed to show the most important person in his life the results. It was the only piece of his culture that he had left; the last piece of home he had amidst the alien world he’d found himself on.

  “Yes, please!” Reya clapped excitedly. She’d be happy if she could make something half as good as what she’d just listened to. Until now, she’d never taken much of an interest in music beyond listening to it on occasion. Everything she’d ever listened to was thoroughly unimpressive compared to what Adrian could produce.

  Rann noticed the bandages on her fingers for the first time. “What happened?” she asked. Concern filled her voice.

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  “I played until my fingers bled,” Reya said, trying to brush it off. She failed miserably when Rann continued her questioning, not letting the matter drop.

  “Why didn’t you stop sooner?” Rann prodded.

  “I honestly didn’t notice until Adrian made me stop,” Reya said sheepishly.

  “How can you not notice that!? Didn’t it hurt?” Rann asked.

  “Not really?” Reya tilted her head. “I’ve felt something so much worse that this is literally nothing to me.” She couldn’t suppress the shudder that ran through her. Adrian moved closer and placed his hand on her back, his touch comforting. She collected him into a sideways hug and leaned into him.

  Rann let the scene play out in front of her, as she pondered Reya’s comments. They bothered her. Greatly. Normal people noticed when they started bleeding. Normal people would have stopped long before reaching that point. Can Reya no longer feel pain? She wondered. She shook her head. No, there must be some other explanation. I’ll have to bring this up with Kell and see what he thinks. How could she not notice?

  The couple missed the Rann’s alarmed look while they focused on each other. Reya’s grip on Adrian’s shirt tightened as the memories she usually kept buried surfaced. The sound of the wall opening resounded in her ears. The stench of her cell filled her nose as she wasted away. The feeling of the needle as it pierced her skin. The moment the final chemical entered her bloodstream. The pain. Gods, the pain. Tears stung her eyes as it all came rushing back to her. It burned. It tore. It rippedherapartshreddedeverymusclegroundherbonestodust –

  A tender kiss atop her head tore her from her thoughts and brought her back to the present. “It’s ok,” Adrian cooed gently in Reya’s ear, “you’re safe here. Nothing’s going to hurt you.” He wrapped both arms around her, letting his presence reassure her.

  Rann couldn’t do anything other than watch him care for her. Watching Reya go from flippant to the verge of a breakdown so quickly stunned her into inaction. Adrian had somehow not only known what was happening before she did but had also managed to calm Reya down before she got any worse.

  Reya lay her head upon Adrian’s chest and listened to the alien rhythm of his heartbeat. It was familiar. She’d grown so used to it during their time together that it no longer bothered her as it once had. The strange thumping of his chest comforted her as she sagged into him, embracing his support as she focused on him.

  “How are you feeling?” he asked softly. She looked better than before, but he still wanted to check in and make sure. Seeing her head towards the same dark place that awaited him pained him. He knew what was waiting for her there and would do everything in his power to prevent her from heading down that path.

  “Better,” Reya said weakly. She tilted her head to look at him. “Have I ever told you how much I love you?” Adrian was the only person to make her feel safe and understood her trials and tribulations. He always cared for her when she needed it and never asked for anything in return.

  Adrian smiled. “No, but you can say it again.”

  Reya chuckled at her own words being thrown back at her and did just that. “I love you more than anything else in the world.”

  Caught up in the moment, they’d both forgotten that Rann was still in the room and were startled when she spoke. “Is everything alright? What just happened?” She hadn’t even known what had set Reya off. After months of progress in getting better, watching her friend regress at the drop of a hat made her wonder if there had been any progress at all. How much of it was all a lie – an act to keep them from digging?

  Reya turned around in Adrian’s arms to face Rann, not willing to leave his warm embrace just yet. “Everything’s fine now. It happens sometimes.” Once again, Reya tried brushing off the issue, but Rann wasn’t about to let up.

  “You were not fine!” Rann said sternly. “We were talking about your hands and,” she gestured wildly while searching for her words, “whatever that was just happened. Now tell me what that was about.”

  “Sometimes the memories of what happened to us become too much,” Adrian said.

  “I was asking Reya,” Rann retorted.

  “Adrian’s right,” Reya spoke up. “Most of the time, we get can get by if we don’t dwell on what happened to us. But we’re not perfect. Sometimes –” she took a deep breath, “sometimes it just becomes too much. It’s something we’re working on.”

  Rann faltered. Tassie’s reactions to Adrian’s experiment came to mind. “Does this have anything to do with Adrian’s video?” The couple immediately knew what she was talking about. “Is it the thing you told me you were trying to forget?”

  Adrian and Reya shared a look. “Yes,” Reya said. “To both questions.” Their gazes turned heavy, their stares unsettling Rann. “Words will never be enough to describe what happened to us. We can try, but we’ll fail miserably.” Reya flashed a wan smile. “How about we focus on something else. Why did you come here again? You guys have been avoiding this room ever since we set it up a few weeks ago.”

  Rann wanted to keep the conversation about Reya’s reaction, but a sharp look from Adrian disabused her of that idea. After a moment’s thought, she decided to accept the attempt to shift the conversation away from the heavy topic for fear of setting Reya off again. “I was coming to check in on you. I actually wanted to speak with you both earlier, but you’ve been cooped up in here all day. You even missed dinner!”

  Reya and Adrian looked at each other in surprise. “We did?” Reya asked. “You should have told us! Who cooked?”

  “Me and Tassie. It sounded like you were busy having fun and we didn’t want to interrupt.” Rann omitted the part where Kell ordered the team not to disturb them while they were focusing on something other than their trauma. Her shoulders drooped as she wondered if she’d ruined the pleasant moment they were having before she arrived. “We’re planning another evening with all of us around the campfire again. You know, have some drinks, chat and relax.”

  It had been Kell who had greenlighted the idea for Rann and Tassie’s plan, overruling Jyn on the matter – not that he’d put up much of a fuss. After months of inaction and constant vigilance, even he needed a break. Rann hadn’t understood what Kell meant by Reya and Adrian needing the distraction until just now.

  “That sounds like a great idea!” Reya enthused. She broke free from Adrian’s hold and tugged on his sleeve. “We should go grab a bite to eat before we join the others. Do we have enough alcohol for everyone?”

  Rann knew that Reya really meant Adrian, well aware that he needed extra to feel buzzed. She chuckled. “Yes. We stocked up on extra during our last supply run.” It was unclear if letting Reya and Adrian get drunk was a good idea, but it had worked out well the last time. If they were lucky, he might spill more information about the facility.

  She almost felt bad about plying Adrian with liquor to make him more talkative.

  The sentiment was short-lived. Time was running out and the General needed answers. Check-ins for anything Adrian divulged were becoming more frequent. There was no doubt in Rann’s mind that things would get shaken up once the other test subject arrived. She hoped that he had the answers the military was looking for so that Adrian and Reya could finally be given some peace over the matter.

  “How long until everyone’s ready to go?” Adrian asked. “Is there time for me to finish recording my song? I’d like to show the others.”

  “About an hour. There’s no rush.”

  “Perfect.” He smiled widely. “I can’t wait to see what everybody thinks of my music.” Grabbing Reya by the hand, they left the room. Now that it had been brought up, he was finding himself rather hungry. A minor inconvenience when he’d known worse, but still one he preferred taking care of. He’d yet to be disappointed by anything he’d eaten since being freed and looked forward to discovering the local cuisine.

  Rann’s eyes lingered on the strange instruments before she closed the door and scurried after the couple. Now wasn’t the time to talk to Kell about her concerns. She’d keep an eye out for any other strange behaviour she noticed and make a mental note. Their problems could wait until tomorrow.

  Tonight, it was time to let loose and relax.