#pixelatedmakebelieve

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They felt weakened, drained, the stomach muscles gurgled with pain and demanded attention. For days it had been like this. But the one they called LightCatcher simply had ignored it up until now. Moving through the base at what felt like an earthly snails pace, she round the med bay and told the staff she needed help. She didn’t feel so good. Her face nearly met the floor at that point. They carried her to a gurny where they began to take her vitals. Blood pressure, temperature, heart rate… and that’s what stopped them. Taking X-rays they managed to discover that LightCatcher’s host body, Kree’Shu of the Meylar, had two hearts. All the doctors and staff were amazed by the two hearts, the size of her longs, the intricate placing of her bones which allowed her body to use her relatively small wings for her frame to carry herself in earths dense atmosphere. All the while she was getting sicker by the moment. Maybe she needed to be outside in the sun. Leaving the doctors and nurses to stare at her charts, her X-rays and to ooh and aaahh as if she were a circus sideshow freak, she wandered outside. Managing to flap her tiny wings enough to make it to the top of The City Hall, she found a Hero named Gamma Ray. Turning her comm on, she whispered “hello” very weakly which was all she could manage, and inside of levitating as she usually did, she sat on the ground with a groan.  Divine Maiden, the one they called Juliette answered the comm asking what the matter was, and who was speaking. LightCatcher hadn’t the energy to answer but forced herself. “We are LightCatcher…. reporting.. in.” she breathed hard, trying to make the world stop spinning and closed her eyes.  “Are you alright Miss?” the ever proper Juliette asked.  “No… we don’t feel so good.”  “Oh? What’s wrong?” “We… we are dying.” she said simply. The silence on the other end of the comm felt like it lasted for hours. But it was in reality, a split second before Juliette’s love for all kicked in and she knew she had to help. “Dying?! What do you mean, what’s wrong? Where are you?” “We just came from the med lab. They were not very helpful.” LC whispered. “Return to the base if you can, I’m coming to help you.” LightCatcher picked herself back up and slowly made her way back to the base. Her legs felt very heavy, even though they had shrunk in size dramatically since she had come to earth. She once again sat in the med lab and waited. Juliette came bounding in and found LightCatcher and was taken aback by what she saw. When she first came to earth, LightCatcher was what earth men would consider “thick”. She had hips, and rear, and thighs. She wasn’t quite “buff” but she had shape. Now it was gone. She was rail thin, her legs looked like a 12 year old boys. Her skin, once the shimmering colour of rich coco powder had been reduced to ashen grey. Her face was hallowed and looked gaunt. Her eyes were so much bigger than they had originally looked. In them, a look of pain and fear.  “Do you have any idea what is wrong? Did you catch something? A virus maybe? Is it part of your alien cycle perhaps?” and then Juliette heard a large growl and grumble from LightCatchers stomach. “We, have not eaten since coming to this planet. We are…. wasting away.” she whispered. “But why?? Eating is important!” Juliette insisted. As baker for almost all of the Sentry, and cook for her cousin Minx, she above all knew how important food was. “Our body cannot digest these “packaged” foods of you earth people. They do not agree with us, and make us sick. We cannot find anything to give us proper nutrition. Hence… we will die.” “You will NOT die. I won’t let you die.” turning on her Comm she called for her very best friend, “Mr. Robot, I need you in the base please.”  Somewhere Robot Ninja, heard his name and answered, “I’ll be right there.” “So lets get you to the lounge, and maybe Jimmy can help me make something for you to eat.” Juliette suggested. LightCatcher let out a soft sigh at the idea of having to force her body to move again, but Juliette took an arm and hung it over her neck and putting her other hand on LightCatchers hip, helped her walk to the bar area and sit in a chair. Robot Ninja appeared and asked what he could help with. “Um, where did you say you were from again?” Juliette asked. “We came from Navvren.” Juliette looked at Robot. “Could you look up Navvren, and her people called The Meylar, and see what it is they eat, so I can have a better idea what to give her? I’m going to start with a salad but just incase that doesn’t work. It would help to know what she ate before coming here so I can try and match it with what we have.” Robot Ninja nodded and walked away to look up her planet and people in case Blue Mage had any information stored about them that could be helpful. All the while she prepared the salad, she pointed to things for Jimmy to cut, or chop, and went on and on about the nutritional value of salads and how they were light, and good for you. When Robot appeared he had just a few lines of information. “The Meylar eat something called the “Tunka Root” it’s sort of like our earth Carrot only bigger, and it’s white. It makes up nearly all of their diet.” Just then Robot was called to investigate something matter of importance, and left Juliette to her own devices of helping LightCatcher.  In the meanwhile, as Juliette chopped up slices of baby carrot, LightStorm felt Cade Lawson’s presence and sent an emotion wave to his mind, letting him know that their being was in trouble. Cade made all haste to the base to find Lady Amp speaking of Aliens eating cows or turning them inside out. A fact which was annoying LightCatcher even in her present state. “Hello Juliette, Amp.. LC.” when LightCatcher didn’t answer, he moved to behind her chair and looked down at her. Her head leaned back almost mimicing a rag doll and he quietly observed the change in her. His expression never changing he sat down in the chair next to her with his lopsided grin and chatted with Juliette and Amp about the making of LC’s salad. Kree’Shu knew better. She knew Cade wasn’t her mated bonded. That male was far far away. And by now was probably dead. But his presence reminded her of how her mated bonded used to make her feel and she reached out for his hand. Looking at him with a tear stained face, all three voices of her being flooded into Cade’s mind. “We…. do not wish to die like this. Help us Cade Lawson…. please?” their pleading pulled on Cade’s heart strings who closed his hand over LC’s and nodded with a reassuring face. Before he could say anything, Juliette came over with a large metal mixing bowl of salad greens, tomatoes, and chopped carrots. This was the moment of truth. Juliette also made the idea known that she could give part of her power to LightCatcher to keep her alive should the salad not work. She would be completely restored, it would last only but a short time, but hopefully it would keep her alive until a cure or remedy could be found. Nodding and voicing their own opinion that Juliette need not place her life in jeopardy to save her own, she decided to give the salad a try. Placing the bowl in her lap, LC let go of Cade’s hand reluctantly, and picking up a carrot slice, munched on it and waited. She didn’t feel anything so ate a leaf of something called “Let us”. Again. Nothing. She ate a cucumber piece, a tomato slice, another green leaf, another carrot until the bowl was almost gone. When she was nearly done, she stopped and putting her hands on either side of the bowl, waited again. Juliette, Cade and Amp looked at her expectantly. She closed her eyes….. Nothing. No sickness, no irritation, no woozy feeling. She half smiled and looked at Juliette. “We believe you have saved us Juliette Valentine.” Juliette smiled and pranced clapping her hands in glee as she breathed a sigh of relief.  “So this means your a vegetarian. You can only eat fresh fruits and vegetables. Here, have an apple.” LightCatcher moved the bowl and took the red globe from Juliette’s hands.  “How does one eat an apple?” she asked studying the orb and finding it had no opening of any kind. “Just bite into it. Skin and all is edible, and it’s sugars are lower than the food in the super markets, they’re very fresh and are good for you.” LC nodded and held the apple. Somewhere along the time Amp began asking about a microwave, LC curled up in a fetal position in the chair. Juliette looked over to her and rushed to her side. “What’s wrong?” she asked. LightCatchers only reply was a soft snore. Her stomach full for the first time in over a month’s cycle, she slept peacefully, her colour already beginning to return. It would be many more eating sessions before she was back to where she was, but she would be alright.  Juliette smiled and wrapping her scarf up in a small ball tried to stick it under LightCatchers head while she headed for her locker.  LightCatcher’s mind was at peace. All three entities agreed for once that it was a good thing that Juliette knew how to save her, and they all hibernated peacefully together. When LightCatcher awoke, her pigment was almost back to normal. She was still a little pale, but that would change too once she went outside again. Her eyes flashed light blue and lilac purple in happiness as she walked through the base to the exit unassisted and felt nearly full strength again.  Reaching outside, she stretched herself after being cramped up in the chair. Flapping her wings, her eyes began to glow with LightStorms power, and she was lifted off the ground, and headed back for the City Hall roof. Today, would be a better day by far. Wrapping Juliette’s scarf around her shoulders, she decided to keep it as a momento of her newly found best friend. “Thank you Juliette Valentine for helping us. We owe you our life essences. We will never forget you.”

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