Starcrossed

big, white bed as the sun was going down. The room’s window framed the sky, which was doing things with color that all the island painters had to be going bananas over.
    She wiggled her toes. When that worked out okay she propped herself up on her arms and got into a sitting position. Swinging her legs out of bed, she realized that she was in someone else’s nightgown and she wasn’t wearing anything underneath it. She knew she was recovering from a near-death experience, but she was still bashful enough to blush. The nightgown was actually more what Helen would call a nightie, as gowns were generally much longer and more opaque. Testing her feet on the floor was enough to wipe her modesty away, however, and her startled cry was quickly answered with a welcome helping hand.
    “Easy. Here, hold on to me,” said Ariadne. “Wow, I can’t believe how fast you’re healing. But still, you should lie down for a bit longer.”
    She tried to get her to lie back, but Helen stayed perched on the edge of the bed and took a few breaths.
    “I kinda can’t,” she replied, looking up at Ariadne sheepishly.
    “Bathroom, huh? Okay,” she tittered nervously. “I’ll carry you. Just don’t pee on me.”
    Helen laughed gratefully. Ariadne was making an embarrassing situation as humorous as possible so Helen would feel more comfortable. It was something Claire would have done. Helen was still embarrassed, but with a few jokes and a little bit of tact, they both made it through.
    “Is it all right if I check and see how you’re healing?” Ariadne asked politely when Helen was settled back in the bed. “It would mean that I would have to lay my hands on you, and I want to make sure you’re okay with that.”
    “You just watched me pee,” Helen responded with an embarrassed laugh. “So, yeah, I’m okay with a checkup. But wait—is it going to hurt?”
    “Not at all. I’m just going to take a peek, not grow cells. That’s what really hurts you. If it’s any consolation, it’s no picnic for me, either. So exhausting,” Ariadne said with a smile as she pushed Helen, making her lie down.
    “Okay,” Helen said uncertainly. She rested against the pillows and waited for the pain that she suspected was soon to follow, despite Ariadne’s optimistic denial.
    Ariadne put her hands on Helen’s ribs and concentrated. Helen felt a faint vibrating sensation, like she was standing in front of an enormous subwoofer, but, as promised, it didn’t hurt at all. After a few moments, Ariadne lifted her hands and looked at Helen.
    “I couldn’t ask for a better patient,” she said with a beaming smile. “After seeing how much damage you and Luke sustained, I had my doubts. But you’re going to be just fine.”
    “Thank you,” Helen said earnestly. “For the healing and helping me . . .”
    “And thank you for not peeing on me.” Ariadne laughed as a beautiful pixie of a woman in her late twenties popped her head around the half-open door.
    “You two are having way too much fun to be in a sickroom,” she said with a mischievous look in her yellowish cat eyes. Helen had a feeling that those eyes were usually filled with some kind of worldly mischief, and she instantly liked her for it. It reminded her of Kate. She entered the room, tinkling like a shaken bag of loose change. She had short, spiky hair. Helen noticed that her wrists were buried under layer upon layer of glittering bangle bracelets, and although Helen couldn’t see them, she could hear that the woman’s ankles probably had a few bits of jewelry wrapped around them as well.
    “Helen, this is my aunt Pandora. Dora, this is . . .” Ariadne rapped her fingertips on the bedspread like a drumroll. “The famous Helen Hamilton!”
    “Ta-da,” Helen replied weakly. Pandora sat down on the end of the bed.
    “Gorge-ous! I can see why she’s got Luke’s panties in a twist,” she said with a cheeky grin.
    “No! That’s all done with! We haven’t heard the Furies since we woke up on the beach,” Helen said urgently. When Pandora gave her a quizzical look, Helen felt like she had to keep going. “I don’t want to kill any of you anymore. Just to be clear.”
    “Well, good, ’cuz I hear you’ve got quite the arsenal,” Pandora said as if she was giving a big compliment. Helen had no idea what she was talking about so she changed the subject.
    “How is Lucas?” she asked cautiously, still surprised that she could say his name without being