Artificial Heart

10

Prisha's feet squished through the mud and wet grass. Her arms were aching. Her hair was plastered to her head. But it was nothing to the hollow feeling in her chest. There was every chance he wouldn't come back and now she had to return to normalcy and pretend like the biggest adventure of her life never happened.

She didn't bother concocting a story as she approached the police station. She felt nothing as she stepped through the doors. No embarrassment. No fear. She hadn't committed a crime. There was a man sitting on a chair to her left. He looked up at her with a start.

The officer stood from his desk, eyebrows raised. 'Are you all right?'

'I need to get home.'

Close to an hour later, Scott was driving her back home. What was the likelihood of encountering the same officer as last time? Not as slim as encountering a spaceship, she supposed, but stupidly low.

And sucky.

They were both quiet, Prisha sitting stiffly in her seat. He was annoyed, though he tried not to show it, his hands tense around the wheel. He had short dark hair and bright blue eyes. He was young. Probably late twenties. Too young to be so angry all the time. But she supposed being a cop did that to people.

'Are you taking me to the train station again?' Prisha said sharply.

'I would but there are no trains so late'

He said nothing about the state of her, though his eyes roved over her in dismissal.

'Why do you have to be so nasty?' she suddenly said, gripping her hands tightly in her lap.

Her box and space blanket, along with her wet clothes were in the boot. Her hair was soaking through the seat and the back of the rather large and lumpy jumper she was wearing. It was the second time Prisha had made use of their clothes.

'Because you're wasting our time. Whoever is doing this to you—you need to stop seeing them.' He looked her over again. 'If he assaulted you ...'

'No! I told you, it's not like that.'

'Then what is it?'

'I told you the last time.'

'You did?'

'Yes, remember? You wouldn't believe me.' He looked at her quizzically. 'The alien.'

He scoffed. 'The alien. Right. Yeah. Okay. You really ought to be properly assessed. We should be sending you to hospital, not back home.' He looked at her. 'I should, at the very least, take you to your sister's.'

'No, definitely not,' she said quickly. 'I don't need her involved in this, and I don't need to be assessed. I'm fine.'

'Really? Wrapped up naked in the middle of the night in a thunderstorm? Babbling about aliens.'

'I'm not babbling. You asked me.'

Scott shook his head. 'What would you think if you were me?'

'Probably the same thing—but that doesn't make you right.'

He turned down into her street. Prisha shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She undid her belt as he pulled up. She opened the door.

'We're here to protect you,' he told her. 'We're not your enemy.'

'I know that.'

'I don't want to see you again,' he called after her as she climbed out. 'Next time, I'll call your sister and I'll escort you directly to the hospital. Got it?'

Prisha turned to glare at him before shutting the door. The boot flipped open and Prisha struggled to lift out her alien box full of nutrient bags, along with her wet clothes and the space blanket.