He said her name last night. It wasn''t the first time. He never told her her name directly, only when they... she didn''t want to think about it. The new biopsy showed her she was on stage 4. The black particles were not healing her cells. It seemed by the last blood samples. It got even worse. So, Alice not only didn''t heal herself, but she had sacrificed her relationship for grains of hope that didn''t exist.


    He was sleeping on her bed, but his mind and core were with her, this Nona she had only heard about, and yet nothing knew. She went to the living room and lit up a cigarette. She chuckled around the irony. She puffed at the smoke while staring out the window, distracted by the cold wind blowing on the tree''s leaf.


    She started to cough violently, and it seemed her lungs would drop out of her mouth. A dark liquid came between her lips and splashed down on the floor. Her head rolled back, then fell forward onto its chest, which made a wet sound like water hitting the floor.


    Eske came to the living room and turned the light: ''What happened?''


    ''Nothing, I just puked. I''ll clean the mess.''; Alice said, killing the cigarette on the ashtray.


    ''Leave it. I do it.'' Eske cleaned up the vomit with a towel and wiped the floor dry. When finished, he looked at Alice, who was still lying on the couch.


    ''I would have cleaned it.''; she complained.


    ''Well, it''s done.''; he replied. Then added in an irritated tone: ''You don''t look good today, want me to take you to the hospital?''


    Alice shrugged indifferently: ''I think I will do the chemo.''


    ''I think that is a good idea.''; Eske agreed.


    They both stared into each other eyes for a few seconds before they broke off their gaze. They stood there motionless until, finally, Alice said: ''We should get a divorce.''


    ''Alice...''; Eske looked away from her face. His voice sounded strange, almost sad.


    ''I''m not going to make it. I want to be surrounded by people who love me. My family, my friends, but you...you don''t.''; she said. ''I know you tried. You tried for years, but you lost this war. Didn''t you?''


    It took him some time to answer: ''Yeah, I did, didn’t I?''.


    After that, silence filled the house again. There was no need to talk anymore because they knew what was coming next. ''Don''t worry, I''ll fill up the papers, and we''re done.''; she assured him.


    Eske nodded his head slowly.


    ''If she comes back, and I mean it.''; she said, holding his hand firmly: ''Don''t ever let her go. I don''t think you make it a second time.''


    He smiled weakly: ''That is If she comes back.''; he said, pressing on the word if.


    ''She will. I don''t understand how or why, but I know it, and when she comes back, she''ll bring delicious food and great news.''; Alice was rambling, almost as if it sounded gibberish.


    ''Alice, are you alright?''; Eske put his hand on her forehead.


    She pushed his arm away: ''Not dying yet. But call my mum. I need her.


    Day looked at himself in the mirror while shaving his face. A guy with bright hazel eyes and wild wavy short hair. He washed his face off and put his watch back on his wrist. She was late again.


    He paced inside his home module with an expansive view over yellow dunes. His thoughts were daunting to him. What if something happened? She wouldn''t be reckless. Day was worried, always about the same thing, always about her. He couldn''t stop looking at his watch: ''She is late. Bloody girl!'' He randomly grabbed an immaculate white scarf and wore it around his head, covering it entirely, as well as his clothes with a white tunic.


    Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.He started to walk directly to what seemed a closed village made of clay and yellow stone. Trying to avoid being noticed. The street where cramped with people, only people. Shouts and yelling entangled with noises that couldn''t be identified turned the street even smaller. Day checked every street, avenue, lane and alley, but as he couldn''t find what he was searching for, his pace accelerated. ''Where are you?''


    He stopped near a building with hidden broken stairs covered with cardboard. He first knocked, then a second. No response. He grabbed the cardboard and put it to one side carefully. The girl wasn''t there, but she left the dead cat with some rags draped over it. ''She is still keeping that fucking thing.''; he was about to put the cardboard back when he noticed a red chip over her sheets.


    Day took the chip in his hands and could read *Toads and Frogs Baazar of Ardour*: ''No, no, you wouldn''t do that!''; she was defying him. He took the red token with him and ran as fast as he could to the town''s main square.


    A small cramped colosseum was full of a crowd of men and women with deformed features spread through their skin. Several deformed blisters in a range of yellow and green would make them look like toads or frogs. They shouted and screamed numbers. It was an auction over serfs, people of all sorts and genders, displayed on their underwear and a small round device attached on their left side.


    ''Male, 180cm, with a perfect score of 0.3! Fresh meat and warm blood, starting only on 25 red tokens! Who gives 30? 35! 40! 65! 65? 65, one, 65, two, 70! Do I hear 75? 75, one, 75, two, 75, three to the gentleman on the second line! Next young female, we all know her as the girl who can taste time, and how does time tastes? Price starts at 150!''; the deformed crooked man holding a megaphone paced in front of Nona, obviously shaking. She wore a transparent coat and metallic silver leggings. Her face was covered with makeup as if she was just a doll for exposition.


    ''Do I hear 155? 250? 260? 280! 285! Oh, my 500! 1500 from the guild, there will be a feast! Closed by the Guild merchant, gentleman, embrace yourself!''; as the auctioneer finished the last word, he jumped out off the stage to give place to a large group of frogs assaulting Nona to the ground. The sound of ripping skin, broken bones and teeth chewing her guts could echo even in the loudest crowd. She didn''t scream or cry. She didn''t move a single finger. From her empty eyes that Day couldn''t stay away, he saw her almost vanish.


    Once they had what they wanted, the frogs had their belly full, the colosseum started to clear, and she remained in a puddle of blood. Day came next to her. What was left of her was trembling and barely breathing. ''Why?''


    ''Will you take it off?''


    ''If I do, you''ll leave.''


    ''Then tomorrow I set the price lower, and you''ll be left with bones.''; even though her brain was asphyxiating itself, Nona didn''t let down her pride.


    ''You''ll leave me no choice, do you?''; as he closed his promise back, dust-covered Nona''s body, sculpting her bones, weaving her tissue and restoring her skin. She stood up and tried to clean off the dried blood on her legs: ''Are you a man of your word, Rabbit?''


    ''I want to believe I am.''


    She smirked: ''You''re not. You''ll never give up.''


    Eske woke up running to the toilet and vomited every single dark particle he could have in his system. The cans she used to give away didn’t contain soup.