by M. J. Kelley
“Are you listening, bellogan? As I explained, bellogan is what you are now. That is what we call human slaves.”
Samantha looked up and found the alien glaring at her.
“I’m sorry.” Samantha gazed down again at the tattoo on her arm, softly stroking and feeling the tiny contusions made by the fresh ink.
“Pay attention! Your new name is Bol. You will respond to no other name. Using your human name is forbidden and subject to severe punishment. Do you understand?”
“Yes.” Samantha replied.
“Yes what?” The alien snapped.
“Yes, I understand.”
“Now say it. Say your name.” Spittle foamed at the corner of the inlari’s mouth.
“My name is Bol,” Samantha mumbled, irritation flaring in her eyes.
“You’ll be working as housekeeper for the Zocht House. Your master is Ledik Zocht. Address him as Master Zocht. Work hard and obey the rules. If you become useless, either through injury or sickness, you’ll be sent to the Island. Do you know what that means?”
Samantha shook her head.
“Of course you don’t. That is where they terminate unusable slaves before they waste our resources.”
“Or you could just not kidnap us and leave us alone,” Samantha replied.
The inlari studied Samantha for a moment and then smiled at her, but the smile did not reach her eyes. A surge of electricity shot through Samantha’s body, causing her muscles to spasm, and she dropped to the tiled floor. Samantha clawed at the collar, but it burned her hands, and she screamed out in pain. Tears flooded her eyes.
The alien lifted her arm, and in her hand Samantha saw a small silver disk. “Do you have anything else to say?”
Samantha sat up and wiped the tears from her face with shaking hands. Her muscles ached. Prickles still ran down her skin. She shook her head slowly. Moving was excruciating.
So far she had succeeded in surviving by locking her emotions away, but being electroshocked crumbled her resolve. Her guilt and shame burst through like a great avalanche of emotion. She bit back the tears and tasted blood on her lip.
Samantha’s shoulders shook with a sorrow that ran so deep, it went beyond the cold comfort of self-pity. It was a sorrow fueled by guilt. She had caused her dad’s death and abandoned her sister. She should have done more. Maybe if she hadn’t distracted her dad, he would now be alive. He could have saved them from the aliens. .
And yet, a spark of hope lingered—hope that her sister could still be alive—and maybe they could be reunited again, maybe even escape this wretched island. Her dad had told her hope was important and that hope helped you survive. And she would do that. She would hold onto that hope of finding Kimberley.
“Bol, follow me.” The inlari female came out from behind her desk and walked through the office door to the foyer, expecting Samantha to follow her.
Samantha struggled to get up and limped after the inlari, her legs rubbery.
The foyer was small and sparsely furnished, with a solitary receptionist counter opposite a set of double doors that served as entrance to the administrative building. Sunlight streamed through the open doors and windows and turned the smooth white-tiled floor into a mirror.
A female inlari stood behind the counter, preoccupied with a digital screen. She too had long dark hair that lay loose about her shoulders, and her horns were similarly short.
The alien who had processed Samantha greeted a male inlari who stood just inside the entrance.
Samantha’s hands were clasped in front of her, and she approached them with her head bowed, eyes on the floor, for fear of provoking another admonishment.
They spoke in their inlari language; the sounds were smooth and melodic. Samantha, of course, did not understand a word. She stood quietly while the male appraised her.
He wore a cassock-style tunic the color of sea sand with dark brown trim on the cuffs and lapel, and, like all inlari Samantha had seen thus far, a tight-fitting white bodysuit underneath.
“You are Bol,” he said in English. “I am Master Zocht.”
Up close, his horns were majestic, the way they curved from his forehead and swept back, ending in another swirl at the nape of his neck. His skin was tanned and his narrow eyes a brilliant blue with creases at the corners. They were kind eyes, something Samantha had not yet encountered. Like most inlaris, he had an angular face, and it was near impossible to determine his age. Instead of the usual thin inlari lips, his were full, almost feminine. Faint lines at the corners gave the impression he laughed often.
“I am.” Samantha answered as politely as her fear allowed her. Her body trembled. Unsure what else to say, she remained quiet.
The female alien frowned at her and was about to say something when Master Zocht intervened in English again, “I will take it from here, Matron Salek. May the Great Star embrace you in Her holy light.”
“And you, Master Zocht.” She nodded respectfully, gave him a small white satchel containing the remote to Samantha’s collar, and retreated back to her office.
Master Zocht turned to Samantha and studied her face wordlessly. It made Samantha uncomfortable and she shifted on her feet.
Seeming satisfied, Master Zocht smiled and said, “Come with me, Bol. Let me take you to your new home.”
Master Zocht’s oblong-shaped car had six wheels and was painted a metallic orange. Like all vehicles on Lakarta, as Samantha would later learn, it was powered by the inlari’s infamous power cube technology. The vehicle’s interior showed orange and white trim and an array of high-tech panels with no discernible steering wheel. The edges of the dashboard curved downwards smoothly and formed part of the two front seats, creating a cocoon-like cockpit. The dashboard lit up brightly when Master Zocht climbed in, turning the large windshield into HUD. Both armrests had small panels at the ends, and these pulsed with blue and red lights. Master Zocht placed his hands on them with his fingers splayed apart, and the engine whined into a high-pitched hum before settling into a soft purr. Samantha felt a slight vibration under her feet as the vehicle moved forward.
“Unfortunately we are forced to use old technology, resources being limited as they are.” Master Zocht snapped a quick smile at Samantha. “We still have hovering transports, but they are not as widely used.”
Samantha nodded slowly, but she had no idea what he was talking about. It seemed best to remain quiet.
They drove from the harbor and turned onto a road that slowly rose higher, giving Samantha an expansive view of the port and surrounding areas. Most homes were still human-designed, like the pictures she once saw in an old yellow-paged magazine. Classic villas to flat-roofed art deco styled houses built from either weatherboard or stucco and concrete blocks lined the streets. Some large, others small. Some must have dated back more than a hundred years. Apart from a few road signs in the alien’s language, this part of New Zealand seemed very human-like.
Master Zocht did not speak to her during the remainder of the drive, and a strange calm descended on Samantha, and she relaxed a little. Her ever-present fear seemed to have settled to a manageable level, so she sat back and watched the houses, gardens, busy shops, and aliens walking around in colorful gowns and tunics. Unlike the port, there were no color limitations here.
The drive was not a long one, and they reached their destination barely thirty minutes after leaving the port. Samantha’s heart thumped in her chest, and she felt the icy claws of fear prick her skin when they turned into a gated property with a long driveway.
Master Zocht’s home was situated in a suburb called Half Moon Bay. The house was on top a hill and overlooked a marina and Auckland's Sky Tower to the east. His home was grand and luxurious and, again, decisively human made.
He parked the vehicle in front of a double garage. "Please follow me, Bol." Master Zocht said as he got out and opened her door.
She was taken aback by how gentle the alien treated her. How kindly he spoke to her. It confused Samantha, whose hatr
ed for the aliens had increased tenfold since her kidnapping. She saw no humanity in them. No love. No decency. Just a rigid class system based on abuse. Master Zocht’s kindness contradicted her experience.
She climbed out gingerly and followed Master Zocht as he entered the house. Samantha saw him place the satchel, which held the remote to her collar, on a small table at the entrance hall’s far endl, and some of the tension left her. She exhaled audibly.
The residence was a modern structure with six bedrooms and seven bathrooms spread out over three levels. Samantha had never seen such splendor before. Her mind struggled to make sense of the extravagance of it. The living room opened to a roofed deck, a sprawling green lawn, and a tropical garden. The vista offered from the deck was mind-numbingly beautiful, and Samantha struggled to reconcile her treatment and the nightmare of her loss with such beauty. It made no sense to her. How could such opulence also represent such cruelty?
“It is beautiful, is it not?” Master Zocht said behind her.
Samantha whipped around, her meandering thoughts gone, and tension seeped back into her bones as she watched the alien warily.
“Do not be afraid.” Master Zocht smiled, and the smile danced in his eyes. “I’ll not hurt you. You will never be hurt again for as long as you remain in my service.”
His words surprised her. They clashed utterly with her newly created life narrative amongst the inlari. She felt relief pushing against her resolve, threatening the brittle wall she had built around her emotions. She desperately wanted to believe him.
“I don’t understand, Master Zocht.” Her voice trembled. “I’m to be your slave, am I not?”
The alien gave a short laugh and smiled at Samantha. “Officially, yes, but unofficially you’ll be my . . . student.”
“Can’t I go home, please?” She blurted out. Her voice was thick with emotion. “Please! I won’t tell anyone, I promise. Please let me go home.”
Master Zocht’s expression softened and he shook his head. “I'm sorry, Bol. That is not possible. This is your new home now. You can never go back.”
“What about my sister?” Samantha pleaded, her eyes big and hopeful. “Can you make Kimberley your student, too? Please?”
Master Zocht stepped closer and gently placed his hands on Samantha’s shoulders. She was shaking. She did not wince or step back from him. Instead, Samantha stared at him with a mixture of sorrow and hope so intense, it bordered on insanity.
“I cannot, Bol. Someone of my station is only allowed one human slave. I chose you because, unlike the other girls, you did not share your tears with the world. I saw great strength in you. Your species fascinates me, and having you here will be a wondrous opportunity to explore human nature in detail. I will teach you about inlari society, about our culture and our norms, and in return, you will teach me human nature.” He gave Samantha another smile and then squeezed her trembling shoulders, as if his words could soften her loss and wipe out the memory of her sister.
“As for your sister, it’s best you forget about her. Like your human name, she is now in your past. It is better this way. Trust me.”
Samantha stepped back from the alien and fell to her knees, shaking. Tears stained her cheeks in great rivulets. This one moment of hope, of seeing a light at the end of a dark tunnel, had been significant enough to break down the emotional wall Samantha had carefully constructed around the brutality of the last few weeks. Realizing that light was but a figment, just a mirage of hope, the wall now crumbled and all the pain and torment and guilt came tumbling down, wracking her body in great waves of anguish. Samantha hugged her knees to her chest. A long, high-pitched wail that seemed to originate from the pit of her stomach escaped from her lips and grew in volume until it became a bellow of such sorrowful agony, the alien shrank from her in confusion.
Samantha wept unrestrained on the wooden deck while the alien stared at her dumbfounded. He stole a baleful glance at the satchel Matron Salek had given him, but did not turn to fetch it. Instead, he allowed Samantha to weep.
Later he carried her to one of the rooms and laid her gently on a bed with the covers drawn back. He took off her shoes, but left her tunic on and pulled the covers over her shaking shoulders.
After a while, utterly exhausted, Samantha drifted off. Later she dreamed she was back in her woods, hunting rabbits for breakfast. She smiled with glee and excitement, talking to herself about her family’s reaction when she brought home fresh meat. She discovered a rabbit just inside its burrow and pulled the string of her bow taut, aligning the shaft perfectly with the rabbit’s head. But as she released the bolt, the rabbit disappeared. Samantha jumped up, certain she had hit it, only to find Kimberley’s lifeless body and the arrow lodged in her little sister’s heart.
The sun streamed through Samantha’s bedroom window when she woke. Dust motes danced in the rays of sunshine that lanced the room. For a moment she felt disorientated, not sure about time or place. She rubbed her eyes. They were dry and crusty from sleep and old tears. Her throat hurt. As she got out of bed, memory of the previous day rushed back, and a heaviness pressed down on her.
But Samantha would not cry. The dam broke yesterday, but she wouldn’t allow it to break again. She was empty now and had no more tears to give. Besides, whatever happened to her from here on out, she deserved it. Hope was too dangerous a thing to hold on to.
She stepped from the room and saw a long hall leading to a stairway. The floor was carpeted and soft and felt strange under her feet. Downstairs, she found Master Zocht at the dining room table. He smiled at her as she descended.
“I’ve news for you, Bol. Great news, in fact. I located your sister.”
Samantha wasn't sure if she had heard correctly, or whether this was yet another cruel twist of fate meant to punish her somehow.
“Kimberley . . . ?” Her sister’s name felt thick on her tongue.
“Well, yes, but her name is not Kimberley, anymore. Like you, she has been given a new name. She is now called Sand.”
Samantha’s lips moved, but no sound came out. She sat down abruptly on the bottom stair, her legs suddenly incapable of carrying her weight. She was speechless.
“I don’t want you to worry. Sand is well. Another family has taken her in as a companion for their own daughter who is of similar age.”
“Can I see her?” Samantha blurted out.
“Not yet. Hopefully, in time, we can work something out.” Master Zocht smiled. “Aster Radek Guttor is head of the family. He is larie caste and occupies a senior position within the leadership. Due to the nature of his responsibilities, he has been relocated to an island off the coast of Auckland. Only a selected few inlari have clearance to visit the island, and, as such, it is best we wait for an opportune moment once he returns with his family to Auckland.”
Master Zocht also explained that, because of the secretive nature of Master Guttor’s work on the island, a moratorium on any and all communication had been put in place. Even he did not know the nature of the work being done there. “Just know she is safe and well taken care of,” he continued and motioned for Samantha to join him. “You must be famished. Come have some breakfast.”
Fresh tears rimmed Samantha’s eyes. So much for being empty, she thought. At least Kimberley was alive. And if she was alive, there was hope to escape this wretched place. It was the first good news she had heard since the day the aliens had taken them. The sunlight slicing through the spacious living room suddenly seemed like rays of gold, and Samantha smiled.
Hope was alive after all.
The next couple of weeks dragged on, each day feeling like a year to Samantha as she harassed Master Zocht for news of her sister. He was patient with her and continued to explain that it was too early—that he would need to establish a relationship first with the family—and that Sand needed time to settle into her new routine. He assured Samantha her sister was safe, though, and that they were kind to Sand. These assurances, and knowing that, for now, at least, her sis
ter was out of harm’s way, allowed Samantha to relax more, and a fragile peace settled in her subconscious. It allowed her to focus on her studies, which, as time passed, increased in volume and intensity.
Samantha’s daily routine consisted of cleaning the house in the mornings, which at first appeared daunting due to the size of the house, but she got used to it rather quickly, and, in due course, keeping it clean and tidy required minimal energy and time. The afternoons were allocated to study of inlari culture and history. She learned Master Zocht was larie caste, and the aliens’ version of an anthropologist, and that he was tasked by the leader of Lakarta, Madeer Valnia Alteiri herself, to prepare a report on human nature.
Master Zocht’s decision to do a hands-on experiment in secret acted as catalyst for the bond that began to form between Samantha and him. It allowed her to trust him more easily. After all, not once did he use the collar to discipline her, not even after she broke a plate, or when she cracked one of the data screens that lined the walls of his home. Instead, he reprimanded her like a parent would, sending her to her room without dinner. Other times, he would take away special luxuries and privileges. One of those luxuries was movies made by humans from before the Great Inlari War. The movies were in English and linked Samantha to a past that was unknown to her. It showed humans free and happy, with bountiful resources, a utopian past she was desperate to hold on to.
She still missed her parents terribly and felt their absence, most notably at night in bed, when the moon was full and bright and threw its light shimmering across the Pacific Ocean. She would stare at the brilliant sphere and wonder whether her parents could see her, and sometimes she would talk to them, imagining that they were there, shrouded by the moon’s light, watching over her. During these conversations, Samantha would make promises of returning home one day with her sister to rebuild their cabin. It brought a peace to her nights, and after a while she became convinced her parents watched over her and Kimberley.