March 23rd 2273
Today, I woke up.
It felt like barely a moment had gone by since I was frozen, but apparently it was over two-hundred and fifty years. Two-hundred and fifty years since I'd said goodbye to my husband and son.
Now I was sat in a small room, dressed in a skin-tight leotard that somehow kept me warm despite being thin as paper. Now I had to try and adapt.
I woke up only half an hour ago. Apparently I’d been in surgery for several days, but I’d been woken slowly, my body now perfectly healed.
They’d tried to prepare me for this. For waking up and everything feeling surreal. It hadn’t worked, not one bit. But the nurse had been nice, offered me a drink, some clothes, and waited nearby while I got dressed, answering my questions.
I’d gone to sleep one day, unable to move my entire body. Within fifteen minutes of waking, I’d dressed myself. It felt like a miracle, but my emotions hadn’t caught up. Instead, I sat in a chair, waiting.
In a small bag at my feet I already had a bunch of documents, including ID and a rebirth certificate. They'd also placed a small chip under my skin. I'd been told it contained all my medical data and history. That it could help save my life. I didn't know what else it did, but I'd had no choice, no chance to reject it. Just like everything else, I'd woken to it already there. I’d sort of agreed to it many years earlier, knowing there would be things I'd not be able to predict.
“Auralia? Are you ready to meet your sponsor?” the woman in the perfectly white lab coat asked. I looked at her. She tried to give me a small smile, but her eyes were full of pity, not warmth.
I nodded.
“This way, then. His name is Daniel Bennet. He paid for your restoration and repair.”
Once more, I nodded. I couldn't quite get my head around it. When I had been frozen, I had been dying. I'd had motor neurone disease and it had ravaged most of my body. The future had found a cure.
So here I was, being led to meet the man who'd paid for it.
Waiting in an almost identical room to the one I'd just left was a tall, muscular man. His jet black hair was cut short, and his face well-shaven. Immediately he smiled at me.
“Auralia Minnet, I am so pleased to meet you,” he said. “Although I feel like I know you already. Your file was extensive.”
“Hi,” I replied, remembering my manners just enough to hold out my hand for him to shake. “Thank you.”
He didn’t take the hand, chuckling instead.
“Right,” the nurse said. “If I can just get you to sign here,” she handed me the clipboard that had been tucked under her arm and pointed to a line at the bottom. “Then Daniel can take you to your new home.”
“My new home?” I asked, only glancing at the paper, the pen, attached by a small chain, smacking into my hand.
“Yes. It's all detailed on that page and covered by the paperwork you signed when you were frozen.”
“Thank you, Sarah,” Daniel said. “Let's give Auralia a moment. I'm sure she wants to read through everything. And it can be a lot to process, isn't that right, my dear?”
My eyes met Daniel's. He still smiled but a shiver ran up my spine. There was something about the glint in his eyes, like he was looking at a new toy. One he'd wanted for years. But he was looking at me.
Taking a deep breath, I looked at the clipboard and tried to read it quickly.
My eyes were immediately drawn to one section.
Any restoration fee and unpaid bills for being frozen form your life debt and will be paid for by your sponsor. Until this fee is paid back you will be the responsibility of your sponsor. You will work for them and live with them until you have covered the debt, any interest accrued at a reasonable rate, and any further expenses your sponsor incurs while taking care of you. At any point, your sponsor is at liberty to sell on your debt. Any buyer would then become your new sponsor.
I gulped. This wasn’t completely new. I had been warned that the company that froze me would seek ways to cover the costs once the initial deposit my family and I had made ran out.
And it wasn’t like I had a choice now. He’d paid for me to be thawed and healed. I’d gone to sleep unable to move anything but my eyes. I’d woken up able to move everything, my mind no longer trapped inside my own body.
After taking a deep breath, I picked up the pen and signed, agreeing to abide by the rules of sponsorship and relinquishing the cryogenics company from any further responsibility for me.
“Thank you,” I said, handing the clipboard back. I wasn't sure who the gratitude was for, exactly, but I was alive. That was more than I ever thought I’d be able to say for many months.
I tried not to think about my husband and child as Daniel motioned for me to go through the door ahead of him.
“My car is waiting outside to take us to your new home.”
“My new home?” I asked, more to make conversation than anything else.
“Yes. It’s not the largest, but it’s in a safe part of the city and I’m sure the other women will make you feel welcome.” Daniel smiled, walking along beside me as I pattered down a plain beige hallway.
A lump formed in my stomach. Other women? How many women does he mean? And why just women?
I didn’t voice any of the questions, my eyes drawn to the outside world as he opened the front door of the building.