Nathan's POV

I had been talking to Karah when things went wrong

I panicked, hearing Scarlet's heart stopping, and ran to help her. I went closer and begun doing cardiopulmonary resuscitation. For an entire minute I pushed her chest down rhythmically and forced air into her lungs- but her heart still didn't beat. So I used my last resort.

Lately I had been training with my glove how much strength I could use before killing someone, and how much I needed to use to stimulate muscles. For that, I'd been using the meat we had, as the fibers could still be contracted with electricity.

I took a step back, turned on the glove, focused, exhaled, and quickly hit my hand over her thorax.

Once again time slowed down. I could see the energy travelling across her body, and somehow I could... feel... her heart contracting, and starting beating... and something else too- I could see smoke going out of the vines on her arm, and then I felt like the plant was part of Scarlet.

After this realization, time flowed again, and I tripped back, falling on the floor.

Relief washed over me, hearing her heart beat and her lungs fill up with air, but my mind still raced with worry about the plant still attatched to her, and my recent... time lapses?

Time almost stopping when I'm focused or in panic had been happening frequently, and caught my attention.

Anyway, I went back to worrying about Scarlet.

I got up, and went to check her, along with Karah.

Karah was frozen, looking at her. And soon I found out why: Scarlet had opened her eyes, and, like mine, they had changed.

Red... vines- spread throughout her irises, making the crimson color seem like blood in between the sky blue of her eyes.

Scarlet soon sat upright, tilted her head, looking at us, and said, with an innocent face

"Hey guys, how are you?"

Me and Karah were dumbstruck by her reaction. She looked like she didn't remember anything, the pain, her fall, so I asked

"Scarlet... do you remember what happened to you?"

And she answered

"Yeah, I touched this flower here on my arm" she gestured to the lustrous flower "and it went all poof! The vine entangled itself in my arm, it hurt a lot, and I fell."

While throwing her arms about, then smiled.

"And are you fine?"

I asked, concerned about the way she behaved

"Yup"

She said, smiling, then got up and skipped her way to the balcony.

"Hey, where are you going?! You shouldn't be up yet"

Karah yelped, and ran after her.

"I don't know, I just wanna feel the sun for a bit"

Scarlet answered while humming a happy song

I just gave up on understanding, momentarily, sat down on my bed, and let everything that had happened this day sink in...

Orange light spread itself throughout the room, bathing everyone and everything in a yellowish tone- making this seem like a dream of sorts... but it wasn't.

Soon I got up again, and wandered around in the afternoon-lit seed.

I asked it to verify if the poison in my body and Scarlet's had been eliminated, got a positive answer, verified Markus' vitals, and checked our supplies.

We had replaced all the meat we'd used before with the snake, so there'd be no problem about food so soon.

I took some of the meat back to the kitchen and fried it, along with some plants the seed deemed edible.

The results were quite good- so I left to get the girls and Dia (I'd put food in her bowl too)

Reaching the room's entrance, I could see Scarlet sitting down on the stair-like base of the seed, with her eyes closed, enjoying the light as if in bliss, and Karah sitting somewhat far from her, with Diana in her arms.

I silently walked up to her and smooched her cheek lightly, then sat down.

Dia left her lap and came to mine, asking for some petting.

I looked at Karah, who had a worried face, while pouting, and asked about Scarlet.

I was told she was stranger than before, saying things you wouldn't expect, doing things you wouldn't, too... and that the flower on her arm seemed to move slightly.

I sighed, and told her dinner was ready, and that I'd handle Scarlet. I sent the same info to Dia, through the "link"- as I begun calling it, and both of them left to eat.

I waited and watched them leave, and when they couldn't be seen anymore, I made my way to Scarlet's side.

I sat down beside her, and just silently observed as she smiled with the sun over her face.

The flower tangled on her arm moved slightly, and begun showing a brighter green on the vines, different from the original gray.

The flower is still alive...

I stood there, silent, until she said, chuckling lightly

"Hey, handsome. You done staring?"

"Yeah... and you, photosynthesis done?"

I answered awkwardly

"Yup!"

She said, then jumped up to her feet

"How did you know I was staring? I was completely silent."

I asked

"Dunno... I felt your heat... kinda?"

I tilted my head a bit, confused, then she continued

"Yeah, it's pretty funny- I can feel Karah and Dia in the kitchen eating, right now."

She said, looking in their direction, and then pointed her arm to me

"Oh! Yea! And I can also do this!"

Sh said, making the vines over her arm shake all over, and untangle themselves, making it look like three tentacles protruded from her arm.

"Wha-"

I begun saying, but couldn't finish, as I had to dodge the incoming green tentacles, that were about to catch me

"Looks like I won't be needing my whip anymore, these things are pretty elastic..."

She said, then smiled, taking her vines back

"What the hell, Scarlet?! Dont scare me like that, dammit!"

I blurted, calming myself.

"Why are you doing this stuff out of nowhere? Is there something wrong?"

I asked her, still nervous

She simply shook her shoulders and said

"It's just because I wanted. And yes- there is something very wrong with me..."

I waited for her to answer.

She lifted one finger, then said

"I'm hella hungry"

Then she quickly turned back, and skipped her way to the kitchen

She'd been skipping around a lot.

Looks like we have another freak on board, and she's way worse than me or Karah...

I let myself fall down on the floor, and laid on my back, looking at the sky- which was painted orange, blue and pink all around, dotted with clouds here and there.

I tried to relax a bit, like that, but I couldn't. Markus was in a coma, and Scarlet was strange, we needed to secure meat and usable crops, find the other seeds, the other people, repair our seed...

A thousand things crossed my head in a short span, leaving me anxious.

Then, out of nowhere Diana jumped on my belly and begun licking my face.

She sent me "calm" and "happiness"

... she'd felt my emotions...

Damn

I hugged her, and sent her a phrase I didn't know if she could understand

"I love you"

I said.

But it looks like she didn't really understand, she just looked into my eyes, and licked my face again, before jumping back and barking, motioning for me to go to the kitchen.

I smiled, got up and followed her slowly.

Before getting there I listened Scarlet saying

"Damn, you and Nate are together? Ow, looks like I was too late... anyway, congrats and be careful so I don't steal him away from you"

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I pretended not to listen, and moved faster.

I saw both of them, Scarlet was smiling, and Karah had her jaw dropped and a vein apparent on her forehead.

Before conflict begun, I said somewhat loud

"Hey girls, what did you think of the food? It had this planet's plants"

Scarlet gave me a thumbs up, biting her tongue, and Karah said

"It was delicious"

While pouting and looking down

Mission accomplished

Then I said

"Well, I'm gonna eat later. Right now I'm going to wash myself and Dia"

Dia whimpered

Scarlet enforced her thumbs up

Karah said

"Okay, but hey... wait a minute, I need to speak with you..."

I waited for her to get up, come closer to me, and asked

"Yes?"

She signaled me to come closer, as if she'd tell a secret- and when I did, she gave me a deep, hot kiss.

I was confused at first, but soon realized the reason.

When we finished kissing, Karah put a mischievous smiled on her face, turned around and went back to the kitchen table, walking while swaying her hips.

Scarlet still had a thumbs up, and smiled innocently.

I shook my head, chuckled slightly and left.

I think I like the jealous Karah.

I left to my doings, and when I finished them, the sun had already set, and the seed begun lockdown.

The girls were spread around the room, Scarlet playing the knife game over the kitchen table, and Karah reading something over her bed.

I checked Markus again, and seeing he was fine, left to eat.

The brown haired girl didn't mind me and continued singing

".... oh, I have all my fingers, the knife goes..."

While hitting the table between her fingers with a dagger.

I shook my head, ate my stuff, had some small talk with Karah and then went to sleep.

*******(I'm gonna start using this when the day changes)******

This was one of the best nights I had. I slept so well...

I'd been lying on my bed with my eyes closed, remembering my dreams, which involved some picnicking with my family and Karah. And remembering how I felt warmer this night than the others.

Still laid with my eyes closed and hugging my pillow, I felt too lazy to get up- my body still had that hazy feeling all around, that tried to pull me back to sleep.

Then, before trying to sleep again, I hugged the pillow with more strength- then heard it moan slightly.

I instantly opened my eyes, and looked at the "pillow".

There was a wild Karah in my arms, looking at me innocently, with a smile on her face.

I sighed, shook my head, stopped hugging her and buried my head in the real pillow.

She chuckled lightly, and kissed me, before jumping away and running to the bathroom.

Just when she left, Scarlet came closer and gave me a "good morning".

I replied her in the same way, and after I did that, she froze, and looked, startled, to the balcony.

"What's that?"

She asked

I tried to focus my hearing and vision outside, forgetting Scarlet's existence...

Which gave her the time and chance to put her lips over mine, and kiss me, before I jumped away.

"I know you heard it"

She said, with a mischievous smile, then continued

"And I'm gonna have you for myself"

Before walking out of the room.

I froze, dumbstruck, then realized I'd be in a lot of trouble from now on.

Karah came out of the bathroom, all of us had breakfast, and begun discussing our plans until Markus woke up.

Scarlet looked like she didn't even care about him anymore.

We decided we'd take turns in pairs, everyday, to search around for edible plants, and the one who stayed behind would prepare some kind of "farm", and search for ways to speed the plants' growth.

Diana'd always stay behind, and Nate would be a permanent member of the pair, this way they would know when someone is in danger.

With that decided, the girls proceeded to have a stare contest, before knowing who'd be the first to go.

I sighed, took a small stone from the ground, chipped one side with a circle, and the other a square, then said

"Karah, square. Scarlet, circle"

And threw up the makeshift coin into a heads and tails.

The stone fell down with the circle up, so Scarlet did a victory dance while Karah pouted.

I sighed once more - I think I'll end up like and old man from sighing this much- and messed up Karah's hair, before kissing her, then I left to prepare myself, and told Scarlet to do the same.

I got ready pretty fast, and left to wait for her.

When she arrived, I told her

"So, Scarlet-"

Then she shook herself all over, pouted and said

"Nah! Stop it, Nate! No can do with you calling me Scarlet forever- I have a cute nickname, you know?"

She the smiled, and told me to call her "Sky" fom now on. Apparently she'd gotten that nickname back in earth because of her eye color.

I gave her an okay, then continued

"So... Sky... we'll be doing recon again, almost the same way Markus told us to- but we cover each other now. We don't touch new plants. We shoot them from far away before taking. Do you still have your bow?"

She nodded, took some device that had been on her hip, and pressed a button on it. The thing opened itself and turned into a composite bow.

"That's... pretty damn cool. Anyway, we'll be using your bow skills to take the plants and avoid the same problems you had before, alright?"

She nodded again, then we left.

***********

For fifteen days we did the recon.

A reasonable amount of seeds had been secured. Some of them had already been planted, and little green buds could be seen sprouting out of the ground.

On the sixteenth day, on Scarlet's turn, we found animals.

First, a giant owl swooped up behind, but I finished it off quickly with a bullet to its eye. Finally my aim begun to get better.

Then we found another giant wolf.

Before killing it, I sent an image to Dia, to see if she knew it- but I only got back "Anger" and "Fear". She knew it, and hated it.

I was going to kill it, but Scarlet put her hand in front of me and smiled.

I stopped and waited.

Sky skipped her way to the wolf, and attractes its attention.

She smiled innocently, and did nothing.

Soon, the wolf jumped on her, almost making me kill it out of reflex.

But she dodged.

She dodged, then caught the wolf with her vines.

First, she broke its two front legs with them, then the hind ones.

The wolf had begun whimpering and crying as loud as it could- but she didn't stop.

She made the vines tear out the wolf's teeth one by one, until none were left, and then she said

"What a cute wolf"

Before going over to its neck and hugging it.

The wolf still screamed and yelped very loud, so she said

"Shhhh, little baby, doggies aren't supposed to bark so loud"

Then increased the strength on her arms until its neck broke- making the wolf go limp.

"Much better"

The horrid scene and torture made all the hair on my body stand on end. Seeing what she just did, my stomach urged me to send all my breakfast to the earth, I was frozen, freezing out of fear.

"What happened to Scarlet?"

I thought, as my fear seeped in through the "Link" and Dia signaled Karah to help me...