Chapter 11

The dorms were held in one of the larger buildings of the complex, the lower floor devoted entirely to sitting room furniture and the second floor divided into large rooms, each of which held several beds lined up in rows. It reminded Mia of the movies that depicted old orphanages. The walls were painted brightly and alien decorations hung about the room, but it was still depressing as she found the bed that had been reserved for her. It was late, darkness had long ago fallen, and the majority of the women, she had assumed, were under the blankets, long asleep.

Morkuth walked her past the guards at the front door, by the staircase, and to the door of her sleeping quarters. Then he had nodded to her and left without a word. She wondered if she had managed to anger him through her interaction with his leader.

“Mia?”

Mia startled, and then settled, as she realized Becky shared the bed next to hers.

“There is a clean set of sleeping clothes laid out on your pillow. Did you use the shower?”

“There's a shower?”

“Yeah, its the next building over, though, and you only get three minutes so you have to be fast.”

Mia didn't care if it was halfway across the city. The draw of a shower, a real shower where she could wash off the sweat and grime from the journey through the forest, made it worth it. She grabbed the clean clothes Becky had indicated, praying that they would fit, and she wouldn't have to put her sweat stained running clothes back on. Turning on her heel, she marched back out of the room and to the bottom of the stairs where two men stood. She worked hard at not rolling her eyes at the redundancy. Did they really think they needed to guard the staircase and the door? What did they think would happen, all the women rush them at once and overwhelm them?

The men at the base of the stairs looked up at her as she descended.

“I am told there is a shower here? I know it is late, but can I please use it?”

The man on the right, a paler man with millions of small spots and the same tear trails as Morkuth, nodded deeply and smiled, forcing a dimple to appear on his right cheek. His gray eyes sparkled at her with inherent good nature.

“Of course, Mia. I'm surprised Morkuth did not attend the honor. Come, I will guide you.”

The man's wording had her hesitating on the stair.

“The showers, they're private...right?”

Both men turned to her, their brows gathered in the center of their foreheads, their furred ears twitching.

“What else would they be? Are the showers on Earth public?” he asked, part with confusion and partly with fascinated interest. Men.

“Ah, no. Well...sometimes. I just wasn't sure what honor I would be bestowing. I thought it might be best to be clear from the beginning.”

The man on the left chuckled and cuffed the other across the head.

“Don't mind Huntak, he is the youngest of us and has no idea how to interact with a female.”

Huntak looked at the other man with a hint of hurt, and then faced her.

“It is an honor to be able to provide for a woman. I am happy to show you to the shower, or anything else you might need.”

“Ah, well then, in that case would you please take me to the showers? I would very much appreciate the chance to get clean.”

“Of course.” Huntak seemed to gain back his joviality and led her quickly from the dorm building and into another on the left. She marveled at how the smooth expanse of stone suddenly became a doorway when the right spot was pressed. What did the Levarians have against real doors?

“This is the bastok, I'm not sure what it would be in your language, but it is where people once came to socialize. There were often mock battles and demonstrations of strength, and in the back of the building were showers to allow combatants to get clean. I managed to route enough water from our various collection points and get the sterilizer working on its own solar grid. There is enough water that each one of us might have three minutes per day.”

Huntak led her through the front doors and past several large rooms with open floor space. The entire place was lit with a kind of low-level light, just enough to see by. Toward the back of the building, as promised, were several private stalls. The trouble was, nothing seemed to be in them, no shower head, no drain. They looked more like change rooms from a department store than showers. Mia tried to hide her confusion.

Huntak stepped forward and touched a panel hidden from sight on the wall. The lights in the room brightened significantly. Then he strolled to one of the booths and placed his hand on the wall next to the stall door. It chimed softly.

“Here,” he encouraged, waving her over. “Place your hand here, where I put mine.”

She went over and did as he asked, there was nothing special that she could see about this space either, but the chime sounded again.

“Ok, now you are programed in. When you wish to use the shower, you will place your hand here and the system will identify you. Step into the stall and place your hand here,” he pointed to a different spot, this time inside the booth. “You can adjust the temperature, move your hand right for hotter and left for cooler. Keep in mind the water only gets so warm, our heaters aren't what they once were. A double tap will dispense soap if you wish. I have installed a chime that rings for each minute you are using the shower, so that you aren't caught off guard when it shuts off.”

Pleased, he stepped back and made his way to a cabinet across the room. He pressed a spot in the wall and a drawer slid out of a hidden compartment. “There are towels here. When you are finished with them there is a basket for the wash next to the door. He headed that direction, indicated a large wooden looking basket and then stepped through the threshold. “I will be just outside the room to guide your return when you are finished.”

There were several long moments once he left that Mia just stared at the supposed shower. Well, there was really nothing to lose.

She wasted little time getting undressed and stepping into the booth. It felt oddly exposed without a door. Without giving herself time to think about it too hard she placed her hand where Huntak had indicated. She bit back a yelp when a steady, pleasant stream of water began to rain down upon her. She looked up. The entire ceiling simply emitted the drops. It was like standing in the middle of a rainstorm. She closed her eyes and moved her hand right, feeling the temperature of the water heat as she did.

Amazing. This was the most amazing shower she had ever been in. The tension melted from her muscles and her mind as she stood and just let the water wash the sweat and dirt away.

She peeked downward, there was no drain, and yet the water didn't pool below her. It seemed to disappear in the same manner that it appeared.

A soft chime signaled the one minute mark. Of course she would discover the most incredible shower in human history and be limited to three minutes. She spent the next two minutes washing with a soap that had a pleasantly mild floral scent and rinsing off, making sure to scrub her hair an extra time for all the days she had missed. It was hard not to be disappointed when her three minutes were up. She trudged to the towels and found a plain looking brown sheet that fit her entire body. The fabric was slightly warmed and softer than she expected and she found drying off was almost as delightful as the shower.

The sleeping clothes fit with unnerving perfection. A pair of loose soft pants and what amounted to a tube top. At least it was long enough to cover her midriff. She ran her fingers through her hair wondering if there was a brush, or comb around somewhere. The aliens seemed to have thought of everything else. Not finding anything, even after pressing many random spots along the wall, Mia made her way to the door. Exhaustion was setting in and nothing seemed better at that moment than making her way into that bed in the dorm.

Huntak straightened when she appeared, his eyes lighting with male interest at her new attire. Mia pushed away the urge to snap at him in self defense.

“Did you fare well?” he asked, stepping forward to lead her back through the building. He had made no move toward her, and had been nothing but a gentleman. She was being a tad unreasonable.

“Your shower is amazing,” she conceded.

He grinned, pleased. “Thanks, it is not my shower really. I only managed to get the existing tech to work with redirected energy.”

“Something I am sure everyone is grateful for.”

He shrugged and Mia was tickled to think her compliments were embarrassing him. They stepped into the night and the coolness of the air enveloped her damp skin. She shivered a little, but happily basked in the feeling of being clean and cool. When she made it back to the dorms, Becky was asleep. There were a few other women awake, she could hear whispered conversations in the distance, but the soft bed and pillow called to her and she collapsed into sleep as soon as she lay down.