The Space Spoon novel Chapter 101

A/N: Monster Within is a side story taking place about a thousand years or more before the action in the novel. Enjoy!

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Rayna sat in front of the mirror, removing her makeup. Who would she discover underneath? Foundation applied in triple layers, contact lenses, even a wig to make certain no one would see her change.

Skin patches of different complexions stretched across her face like puzzle pieces jammed together into a chaotic pattern. Some parts of the jigsaw had wrinkles, while others were as smooth as a baby’s skin.

Her knuckles turned white as she gripped the edge of the mirror. Her heterochromatic eyes were both different colors than before she wore contact lenses. And her hair... Well, the hair looked more like a wig than the one she threw on the floor. Honey-blonde hair tumbled in waves over her right shoulder. Ruby-red hair, spikey like a hedgehog’s, pointed toward the ceiling from the top of her head. Black, curly strands went down to her chin from her left.

She was a monster. Oh, come on, who was she kidding? Not a monster. More like a horrible contraption made up of dozens of abominations. Who did this to her? Was she like this from the start? Why couldn't she recall anything before last week?

Waking up in this hotel room was her oldest memory. The dresser filled with clothes of various sizes as if someone knew her body changed erratically. An ID on the nightstand had the blurry picture of a smiling human female. Rayna Yrill. Next to the ID, a visa for staying on Aunald, Valeria’s single moon.

Even worse, her appearance changed every once in a while, without any apparent algorithm. How was she supposed to live like this? As she screamed, her arm sent the makeup kit flying, scattering its contents across the floor.

Rayna, if that was really her name, needed a breath of fresh air, even if the atmosphere on Aunald wasn't the best. More like falling short of average. Regardless, she decided to try her luck outside. For once, no more makeup, just the cloak covering her from top to bottom, its hood shadowing her face.

She had searched through the network connecting each planet inside the Cosmic Complete Circuit. Upon accessing CCC, she had discovered how things worked in the Universe and on this moon. The red-skinned Valerians were the primary race. Only logical, considering Valeria, their homeworld, was the planet around which Aunald was orbiting.

When she went outside, Valeria shone bright, covering almost the entire sky. Rayna knew the planet’s glow was an optical mirage. The sun on the other side of Aunald lit Valeria, and the light reflected from the planet’s surface. She couldn't recall what the word "albedo" meant, but she knew it had something to do with this event. Sadly, her intellect and general knowledge were just as flawed as her physical attributes.

Drab-looking factory workers, covered in coal, tottered toward their homes. They hid ugly replacement limbs from past accidents, relatively cheap and built only for pure durability. Interlocking gears, pistons, and straps kept everything in place. No effort wasted on appearances. At least they made it possible for the workers to handle the dangerous tasks necessary to maintain Aunald’s economy.

One of the workers, a massive single-eyed Globonian, was bleeding heavily from a nasty gash on his shoulder. His body tilted to one side as he passed by, dangerously close to bumping into her. Rayna had no choice but to push him aside. His blood stained the back of her hand.

Not long after the workers disappeared around the corner, Rayna's vision began to blur. She leaned her shoulder against a stained glass window and rubbed her eyes. What she found on her face created a lump in her throat. Unable to breathe, she turned around and glanced at herself in the corner of a pool of dark water gathered near the sidewalk from the last rainfall.

Her features had changed once more. This time, a single, large eye stared back at her.

Footsteps approached, a slouching gait on the wet asphalt. She slid inside a dark alcove where people dumped their garbage. Considering her state, she wasn't far off.