Remus's Revelation

by Pearl Tate

  As I lean over, my long, brown hair skims across her desk that is wider than it looks from a sitting position. She doesn’t let the card go as I grasp the other side. “But…” I freeze still holding the other end. “… if you have anything else occur—anything, you call me right away to schedule an appointment immediately. Agreed?”

  Swallowing down the frustration bubbling up inside of me, I fix a tight smile on my face as I nod curtly. She releases the appointment card, and I immediately turn and grab my backpack off the floor by my chair.

  Hurrying to the door, I don’t respond to Dr. Dickson’s, “Have a great night, Jo-Anne.” She’s entirely too chipper now. Probably because I’m leaving and I hate her for that.

  Karen is staring at her phone right outside the door. As I slip out, she glances up. “All set?”

  “Yes.” The relief I feel at being out of there is clear in my tone. One more down.

  We fall into a companionable silence until we’ve exited the building. That’s one of the best things about Karen. She knows when to just leave me be.

  Karen and I are both second-generation immigrants. Her parents came from Germany when she was a child. We were both raised in households where English was the second language. Besides being assigned a dorm together, we honestly really hit it off.

  It’s a quick jaunt across the campus to get to the three story brick building our study group has been using for meetings. Even though I know Karen and I will talk about my meeting—probably tonight while we’re lying in bed—she lets it go for now.

  I’m seething with frustration and anger at the unfortunate position I’ve landed in. I can’t help wonder if I could get housing off-campus? Maybe then I would be able to hide any further “unfortunate incidents” that occur from the school? After all, I went my whole life with no one ever knowing what was going on except my mother.

  Karen and I have discussed living together off campus in the future, but not this year. As she pulls the door open for me, I’m thankful when she changes the subject. “Do you want to go to a movie this weekend?”

  “Did you have a specific one in mind? RomCom or action or horror…” My voice trails off ominously as it echoes through the stairwell we’ve begun to climb.

  “That depends on if we’ve the funds to pay for it ourselves?” She gives me a big smile as she turns on the landing above me to head up the second flight. “That cute guy, Tim, I told you about him from English?”

  Yes, I remember. She was waxing poetic about him a few days ago. Something about a poem he brought her. “Sure, I remember,” I assure her.

  “Well… he asked me if I wanted to go see that new chick flick with Drew Barrymore this weekend and I told him I’d go as a double date.”

  Groaning loudly, I shake my head at her back. “Great.”

  Karen is always doing this to me! She’s super outgoing and beautiful. It’s not surprising that so many guys are always asking her out. “He must really like you if he volunteered to take you to that movie!”

  Our laughter echoes through the stairwell. As she pulls the door open to the deserted hallway, she grabs my arm. Popping out her bottom lip, she gives me puppy dog eyes. “Please?”

  Smiling at her antics and pleading tone, I nod slowly. It’s harmless really. No matter who the guy is, the likelihood of them liking me is slim.

  Sure, I’m not terribly unfortunate looking, but I don’t talk. At least not like Karen. She could talk the hind legs off a donkey.

  “Did he say someone in particular he had in mind to bring?” I don’t know why I’m asking. It doesn’t matter. I’m going to do it for Karen—because she’s my friend. No one else asks me to do anything.

  Entering the room where we meet for the study group, she shakes her head as everyone calls hello. It looks like we’re still missing a few people. We settle in to wait, still talking about whether Tim had any redeemable qualities besides his willingness to pay for a movie for us both.

  Everything becomes a little hazy as Shelly calls our group to order. We’re all there. Jenny and Rachel came in shortly before Susan and Lisa. But it was Susan who commented on the bright light that shows up suddenly. My back is almost to the windows as the light casts an almost blinding illumination on Shelly’s face across from me.

  There’s tingling on my skin, though. That’s how I recognize immediately what it is.

  A familiar feeling of paralyzing immobility takes over my limbs. The pin-point pressure moves over every part of my body, and I try desperately to get out a scream.

  Hanging my mouth open in shock, nothing comes out as I frantically and silently yell, “Nooooooo…”

  CHAPTER THREE

  - Remus

  “Remus, you’ve been summoned by Lulila to the greeting room.” Milano waves me closer as he carefully treads through the soft dirt near my latest flower bed. I enjoy the outdoors and tending to the plants and gardens we have around our home. It’s more of a joy than a chore.

  Standing up, I motion down my body at the dusty clothing I’m wearing. “Will this be appropriate?”

  Shaking his head no, I nod back with understanding. The day was warmer than I originally expected and a fine layer of dust and sweat clings to my skin. “Can you let her know I’ll be there shortly?”

  Falling into step next to me, Milano follows me back toward our dwelling. “It’s not just Lulila. Our mother arrived with the Sanctuary’s Sacred Mother.”

  My eyes widen in surprise. This is unexpected. What could they possibly want with me?

  As we enter the side garden entrance, he spins off toward the greeting room. Hurrying to my shared sleeping quarters, I hastily strip and use the cleaning spray.

  This must have something to do with Travek. Our mother, Kirley Pelack, has been getting more and more agitated the longer he’s been out of contact. It’s standard protocol to be in constant contact with daily updates if leaving the Discovery.

  When the crew is on the Discovery, their families can feel confident all is going according to plan due to our spacecraft’s regular logs and updates. But Travek is supposed to follow the same operating procedures when he separates from them and he hasn’t.

  I’m not sure why things have been left as long as they have, because his spacecraft was found on planet six two four exactly twenty-one rotations after leaving the Discovery. That was thirteen rotations ago.

  It’s impossible not to feel worried and protective of my little brother. He’s always had an adventurous spirit. He opted to head out almost two annual rotations ago on the Discovery—despite Lulila’s attempts at persuading him to stay with us. Now, with his service time almost complete, he’s turned up missing!

  Knocking firmly on the greeting room door, I straighten to my full height and take a deep breath. I haven’t seen the Sacred Mother since my own service time at the Sanctuary years ago. Unlike Travek, I longed for the more structured classes and studies spent in the historical records.

  Milano pulls open the door from the other side, and I spot the three most important women in my life across the room. They’re gathered around a small table, and I’m surprised to see no other males in the room. Usually a visit from the Sanctuary’s Sacred Mother would call for a much more formal celebration and service.

  As I get closer, I realize that all their eyes are on me. Stopping between Lulila and my mother, I bow low.

  “It’s good to see you, Remus.” My mother clasps my hand next to her at the Sacred Mother’s welcome.

  “You look well. Healthy. Still enjoying your time outdoors, I see.”

  “Yes, mother.” Drawing out the chair in front of me, Milano waves at it before walking away. Whatever is going on is being kept from everyone.

  “Will you be okay to lose your sunshine for a little while if we send you into space after your brother?” Getting right to the point, my mother’s serious expression takes me by surprise. Me? Why me?

  As I look closer, I see the worry. Although, she still looks as beautiful as usual, ther
e are circles under her eyes. Her tightly clenched hands in her lap give away her tension.

  I look to Lulila questioningly. Does she want me to go too? As my Ermada, she has the last and final say.

  When she grabs my hand closest to her, she confirms her agreement in a calm voice. “We’re all anxious. It was the Sacred Mother who felt you’d be the best candidate to send after him as an ambassador to the Ashen. Just listen to what she has to say.”

  Entwining my fingers with hers, I enjoy the companionship she’s so freely given me over the course of our joining. For a moment, a brief streak of fear shoots through my system. Could she be trying to get rid of me?

  I know I’m not the typical bed partner, but she’s never excluded me from a rotation. I like to believe that we’re better friends than any of her other males. After all, the time they spend fucking, I’m able to talk to her and pleasure her. The arrangement has worked for us—I thought.

  “Of course.” Turning to the Sacred Mother across from me, I drop my eyes respectfully. “I’m at all of your service.”

  “You’re fulfilling an ancient prophesy, Remus.” At my name, I lift my eyes to hers. Her robes rustle as she shifts forward. Her serious expression surprises me, but I’ve never put much faith in the prophesies at the Sanctuary.

  Occasionally, an interpretation of a vision is done by a high ranking Sanctuary member that will make it into the news. I’m as faithful in daily reflections as most, but the old ways tend to seem antiquated and outdated. Looking at the Sacred Mother, I can’t help wonder how many hundreds of annual rotations she’s seen?

  Her skin is more wrinkled than any other female I’ve been in the presence of, but her startling blue eyes capture mine the moment they meet. There’s something bottomless about them. All knowing.

  “With all due respect, what prophecy is this?” I can see my mother cringe to my right, but Lulila’s grip on my hand tightens. I can detect her shaking as she restrains her laughter.

  She knows what I believe about everything, including prophecies. It’s hard to not feel like the latest prophecy has been manipulated to encourage fear or lack in the population. This spurs spending in certain vectors of industry in the city.

  Holding her fist in front of her, the Sacred Mother slowly opens her fingers to show a clear, faceted crystal. The shape reflects the light above us, sending hundreds of prisms dancing around the air. I’ve seen nothing like it before. “What is it?”

  “Well, we don’t exactly know.” Her admission is a good start. They could just feed me lies and half truths in an effort to manipulate me. “It was given to us by the Ashen over two thousand years ago when we came to an agreement with them. It’s always been a symbol of the agreement and our separation and splitting of territories. We want you to take it to them as a sign that you represent us.”

  “And find Travek.” My mother leans in and interjects quietly.

  Nodding solemnly, the Sacred Mother agrees. “Yes, and find Travek.”

  “But what makes you so certain that Travek’s with them? Aren’t there many possibilities of where he could be? Other alien species… pirates? What causes you to believe that he’s with them?”

  We’re all looking at the Sacred Mother, waiting for her answer. My mother, and even my Ermada are looking at her with hope as well. They need to be told that Travek is alive.

  Lulila tried to encourage Travek to stay before he went out on his two annual rotation commitment to the space exploration program. From what I gathered, he was tempted, but his innate curiosity and zest for adventure still drew him in. Uncle Reelo, our money hungry uncle, probably had more to do with it than either of them realized.

  “The prophecy is hundreds of years old, given to us by the Sacred Mother at the time. In her vision, she describes our planet ravaged and close to extinction. She claims she was visited by an Ashen who wanted to help. Turned away at every turn, they finally left to our own devices. Until off-planet, one young male stumbled into their territory and was swallowed by evil…”

  “Evil! What kind of evil?” My mother grips my other hand as she cuts in. Her vice-like hold shakes as she blinks rapidly.

  Shrugging, the Sacred Mother’s face is grim. “That isn’t clear and never was. It was described as darkness and evil. But the Ashen saved him. We believe this is Travek, and that’s why we want Remus to go to the Ashen to confirm he’s there and safely with them now.”

  She leans forward, dropping her voice as she continues. “According to the prophecy, when the Ashen saved him from this darkness, he was changed and eventually joined by his brother. That brother was described as blood-related and a virgin. It appears you’re that brother, Remus.”

  I can feel my hair begin to vibrate with embarrassment and tension as I realize the extent of their discussion before I joined with them here. My eyes flicker to Lulila whose guilty expression admits what I already suspect.

  Her eyes drop to her lap, and I know that her demurring to me of embarrassment is as much of an apology as I’ll ever get from my Ermada. Her decisions and choices are always final.

  Ignoring our uncomfortable exchange, the Sacred Mother continues to explain. “The family that joins him, creates another binding agreement with the Ashen.” Sitting back in the high-back chair across from me, the Sacred Mother lets out a long sigh. “We need this. With our own resources failing on the planet and our reproductive numbers dropping—specifically the females, the Ashen may have some answers we need. They’re extremely advanced. Especially genetically.”

  Releasing my mother and Lulila’s hands, I lean forward, smoothing down my errant strands of hair that have released from the tension I’m trying to hide. It’s silly to worry too much about it. They’re all having similar experiences with this conversation.

  “Why haven’t we gone to them sooner? If things are so dire, what have we been waiting for?” My mother next to me grasps my arm. Questioning the directions of the Sacred Mother is unheard of, but she gives me more respect than any of us expect by answering my question.

  “Because the Ashen are so proficient at mind control. It’s another race that we’ll be exposing our situation and weaknesses to.” I nod in understanding. Although considering how serious they make it sound, I still don’t understand why we haven’t at least tried to reach out before.

  “Plus, we’ve known about the prophecy for a long time.” The Sacred Mother’s explanation seems like political maneuvering. Why couldn’t we just jump ahead and avoid the entire problem altogether? “We weren’t sure how we’d be received if we attempted contact to solicit help from them early. Even now, we don’t know exactly what kind of debt we’ll incur. Based on the events with Bren Khar and his human mate, I’m guessing that mating will be part of their solution. Polluting our bloodlines and weakening our skills. It’s what we’ve fought so hard to avoid, but at this stage in our evolution, it may be unavoidable.”

  Her dire sounding words echo in my ears. Words like “polluting our bloodlines” and “weakening our skills” sound like more old school rhetoric. Bren Khar was on the Discovery with Travek, and surely what inspired him to run off on an idiotic venture to Earth in the Ashen territory.

  I personally have no strong political opinions on interbreeding with other alien species, but that stems from the fact that there really aren’t any options out there. Nothing similar enough to procreate with as far as I’ve been informed.

  Leaning back, I point out what would make me unsuitable. “I’m not formally trained on long range space flight. Who’ll be taking me to them?”

  The Sacred Mother’s lips tighten, and when my mother squeezes my hand, I turn my attention to her. “We can’t send anyone with you.”

  I open my mouth to argue when she cuts me off. “The prophecy is clear that you go alone. You’ll be taking our most advanced personal cruiser and going straight there. In stasis.”

  I’ve never been in stasis before, although it’s supposed to be the most convenient way to travel. This whole
idea seems preposterous, and they’re basing me going on the fact that I’m a virgin?

  Leaving my home, my Ermada, and flying off alone in a spacecraft to meet a species I’ve only heard about and never seen—is foolish. Biting my tongue, I dip my eyes to the table before answering, “As you wish.”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  - Jo-Anne

  When my eyes spring open, I feel like only moments ago I was engulfed by the light at the study group. The familiar, unwanted sensation of being abducted strikes a chord of fear in my chest. What now?

  What do they plan to do to me? Haven’t they experimented on me enough?

  Even as I blink my eyes and try to focus, I recognize the narrow, gray face of my captors. Their eyes dominate their features. The large, unblinking stare pierces into the very recesses of your mind.

  Relax, Jo-Anne.

  Why? Why me?

  It’s almost time. Your destiny is arriving.

  What?

  The haunting face of the alien in front of me swells in my vision. Large, penetrating eyes draw me deeper as I try to focus. This is the part where I usually fade out and forget everything after. It only comes back in bits and pieces later on.

  Snatches of the visits from the past flash through my memories. I’m startled to realize that I remember things I never have before. Things that don’t seem quite as frightening now.

  Suddenly, I’m walking down a very human-looking hall. I’ve been here before too. It’s hard to tell if this is happening, or if I’m remembering it happening.

  Dull black and gray squares of commercial carpet muffle my footsteps. Our footsteps.

  Walking next to me is a Grey that’s a few inches taller than my five-foot-one-inch frame. We aren’t communicating as we stop in front of a large door. He extends his four-fingered hand with no fingernails to open the very ordinary looking lever. There’s no sound as the door slides away from us smoothly.