The dining room was almost empty. Four men huddled around a table. Their faces were covered. Along the far wall, a table held Ruu’lian fruit, and a carafe was full of a pale, yellow liquid. Atiyya squealed and ran to the table, grabbing a bowl.
Savannah rushed after her, scolding. “You have to have variety and not just the sweet ones. Take a drink, too, and I want your cup empty.” Even though she wasn’t facing him, she felt Evan’s amusement at her. She glared, daring him to say it.
You sound like your mother.
Ass, she thought. He waggled his eyebrows at her as if he had heard.
“Where is everyone else?” Savannah asked as they took a seat.
“The females opted to return to their families,” T’inissi replied. “As for the males, a few transferred to our sister ships. They wanted to help with the rescue since reintegration is not possible.”
“Would you have let them go back to Earth if they wanted?” Savannah asked. Her hand went to Evan’s.
“Of course. It is not up to us to choose for them. The only thing we decide for them is to give them back their freedom. Not every female returns to her life either. Some feel it is impossible to return because of what was done. Others wish to aid us. A few see it as an opportunity to explore the universe. Whatever their path, we provide them with the tools they need to live a free life.”
“Don’t know what sort of life you think we can live.”
The harsh voice was a shout in Savannah’s head. She cringed, pressing a hand to her temple.
The owner of the thought, one of the four men, pushed to his feet. His chair scraped loudly on the metal floor. He glared at T’inissi. “Nothing but filthy blood suckers now.”
“Jacob, I understand you are distraught.” T’inissi rose and reached for the man.
He slapped her hand away and barked out a wet laugh. His gaze turned to Savannah. The hatred in his eyes made her cringe. Evan growled softly. His hands turned into fists.
“Jacob, please,” T’inissi pleaded. “Let me calm you. You can learn to adapt.”
Jacob scoffed. “Yeah, and live life as a freak. The skinny kid had the right idea. I’d rather throw myself out the air lock than waste another second here.” He stalked out. T’inissi hurried after him.
Savannah stared at the empty doorway. The tension from Jacob’s anger encircled her neck, choking her. “What skinny kid?”
Evan placed his head in his hands. “A teenage boy they rescued committed suicide a few days ago. He got into an airlock and opened it. I guess he couldn’t cope with what happened to him.”
Savannah pressed her hand to her mouth. Tears blurred her vision. “Emmett, no.”
Can’t blame him.
She looked at Evan. He nodded slightly, letting her know he wanted only her to hear now. T’inissi and the crew do their best to help us cope with what was done to us, but it’s a struggle. You have to accept the fact your face is completely fucked up while looking at someone else who can smile. It’s hard not to be bitter at them. Not everyone can face that reality.
The thought of Evan feeling so despaired by what had been done to him that he committed suicide twisted Savannah’s heart. She struggled to breath, hiccupping as she cried.
He laced their fingers together. I got lucky. I had someone I can’t stand to be apart from, someone to keep living for even when I hated looking at my reflection. She reminded me what was important, I was still me. She taught me the most important thing. He pulled her close and wiped away her tears. He stared into her eyes. She taught me to love myself again. He rubbed their noses together. And that kissing was overrated.
****
Earth hung in the inky sky. White clouds swirled over the surface, obscuring parts of North America. Somewhere down there, a family was waiting for their son. Only he’d never return.
A Ruu’lian joined Savannah at the window. Like T’inissi, she had red hair and pointed ears. She watched the planet before them. Savannah wondered what she thought of Earth. Was it like the moon that was her home? Did she miss it?
“The worst part of going back there was not knowing Evan’s fate,” Savannah said softly. “Was he dead? Alive? And you can’t help but hope. Emmett’s family will spend the rest of their lives praying one day he will return. They’ll never know he’s dead. They won’t get to mourn him.”
“That knowledge is a burden we have to bear,” she replied. “We honor his memory on their behalf.”
Savannah turned to her. “Do Ruu’lian’s believe in the afterlife?”
She nodded. “I have yet to meet a race who doesn’t believe in life after death. We believe souls travel along a river which leads to a giant sea. There, they find tranquility and wait until they are called back to life.”
“Reincarnation,” Savannah murmured.
“Yes. When a life ends before its time, we believe you can pray to the deities and ask them to give the person a second full life.”
Savannah smiled. “Emmett definitely deserves it.” She gazed at the stars. “Let him have a second chance.”
The Ruu’lian’s eyes closed, and she said something too low for Savannah to hear, but she guessed the alien was echoing her sentiment.
So many lives were destroyed by the Arge. Not only the people taken and altered, but also the people left wondering what happened. They were all forever changed by the abductions.
Savannah’s thoughts turned to her parents. They had to be beside themselves, praying for her safe return… again. Others wouldn’t have that first chance of being reunited. They’d spend forever waiting for answers about their loved one.
A voice over the intercom stated the last vehicle was prepared to leave for Earth.
Savannah headed to Atiyya’s room. Atiyya’s belongings were packed and stacked by the door. The little girl squealed when Savannah entered and scrambled into her embrace. Evan wrapped his arms around them. Excitement shone in his eyes. He was ready to go home.
But how could they go back to Earth and do nothing? There’d be more abductions. More suicides like Emmett. Countless families torn apart. Unanswered prayers. And she was expected to go back to her life and pretend not to know the answers to those families’ questions? Helplessness choked her.
She set her daughter down and stepped back.
Evan moved to her side. He put his hand on her arm. “Savvy, what is it?”
Tears blurred her vision, and she whispered, “I… I can’t go back.”
Epilogue
Charity carried the tray of coffee cups to the table. She felt drained from the short walk from the kitchen to the dining room. Andrei helped her pass the coffee and tea to Braden and Susan Sullivan. They had dark circles under their dull eyes. Susan took a sip. Her hand trembled. Charity’s heart went out to the couple. Five years was a long time to hold on to the hope their son would return as her daughter had.
But Savannah’s reappearance had been short lived. As mysteriously as she had returned, she disappeared again. Like before, the police were baffled. It was as if Savannah had vanished into thin air.
Like the first time.
Charity drew a slow breath. “Thanks for coming. I know it’s been a while since we’ve spoken.”
Susan didn’t reply, and Braden nodded. “It’s understandable. You had Savannah to look forward to.”
Andrei choked on a sob and turned away. Charity laid her hand on his arm and silently willed him to be strong. They survived this hell once. They’d do it again.
“It’s no excuse not to keep in touch,” Charity said. “You were close friends, and we should have been there in your time of need.”
“And you expect us to return the favor,” Susan muttered.
Braden gave her a scolding look. “Susan…”
“What?” Susan snapped. “Am I supposed to pretend the past four years didn’t happen? My baby never came home, and I’ve prayed daily for answers while seeing theirs answered. You can’t expect me not to be resentful.”
Charity t
ook Susan’s clenched hands. “Evan’s disappearance hurt us too. I watched my little girl struggle and pretend to deal with his absence. After four years, I still couldn’t say his name around her. I wanted him back as much as you did. It wasn’t fair, and I’ve spent the past two weeks asking myself if this was somehow my fault.”
Susan wiped her eyes. “Don’t be ridiculous. Savannah being missing again isn’t your fault. No one is at fault for either of their disappearances. Sometimes, I need someone to blame. I get tired of holding onto hope. I just want answers.” She hung her head and drew slow breaths.
Charity retrieved the slim from her apron pocket, black device. It looked like a tablet, but the dimensions were wrong—the width was too long, and the height too short. There were no buttons, and it was as light as a piece of paper. The biggest mystery was where it came from and how it had been delivered. One morning, she came down to start coffee, and it was sitting on the table. A note in Savannah’s handwriting accompanied it. Charity remembered crying out and Andrei rushing to her. Hope drove them outside.
But there was no sign of their daughter. The morning was quiet and still. Distraught, they trudged back to the house and the strange device now in her hand.
Charity set it on its stand. “Maybe we can finally have some.” She tapped the screen, and a video automatically began playing.
“Hi Mom, Dad.” Savannah’s voice instantly brought tears to Charity’s eyes as it had the first time she played it. She grabbed Andrei’s hand. His grip shook in hers.
Savannah stood in an empty room with gray walls. She held the device recording her. “I can’t even imagine how worried you must be, and I’m sorry. I didn’t plan on disappearing again. Well, no one plans that, but I’m okay and safe. As for where I am…”
Savannah moved to the wall and hit a purple button. Part of the wall shimmered and faded to reveal a starry sky. Hanging to the left was a giant blue and green orb. Savannah smiled and laughed.
“Trust me, this isn’t Photoshop. It’s really Earth. Look, I can see our house. Hi.” She waved to the planet and then faced the camera. “I wish I could say I’m coming home, but I’m not sure I can anymore. They’ll be looking for us and are probably watching you.” Anger glowed in her eyes, but she shook the emotion off. “That’s not important. There’s someone I want you to meet first.” She knelt down.
A girl, about four-years-old, with short, strawberry blond hair walked on camera. Her ears were pointed with white tuffs of hair on the tips. She looked shyly at the camera with pink eyes and a grin.
Charity smiled back as more tears pooled. How many times had she paused the video to stroke the child’s cheek?
“This is Atiyya, my daughter.” Savannah wrapped her arm around the child. “Can you say hi to Grandma and Grandpa?”
“Hey-low, gramma and grampa.”
“Tell them you love them and want to meet them.”
“I love you and w-want to meet you.”
“Now what we practiced.”
Atiyya made a heart with her fingers.
By now, the tears were flowing, and Charity didn’t try to stop them. Andrei’s free hand went to her back, rubbing gently. He smiled at her. The corners of his lips trembled.
“Good job.” Savannah kissed the girl’s cheek. She turned her attention back to the camera. “There’s a lot I want to tell you. Not just about now, but the first time I vanished. I remember everything now. It will have to wait, though. I just wanted to let you know I’m okay and that Atiyya and I aren’t alone.”
A pair of jean-clad legs strode into frame.
Someone took the camera from Savannah, and she picked up Atiyya. The smile lighting her face told Charity that Savannah had planned the moment. She watched Susan and Braden out of the corner of her eye as Savannah stood and revealed the person behind her. How close to her reaction would theirs be? She couldn’t stop her grin from mimicking Savannah’s.
Amber eyes sparkled. The lower half of his face was wrapped in a dark scarf, and Charity saw dark green marks on his arms.
“Evan!” Susan cried out. She grabbed the device and pressed it to her chest. Braden rose. He walked away and gripped his thinning hair. He rejoined Susan. They clutched the device, examining it like hawks.
Savannah and Evan didn’t move for another few seconds.
“There’s something important we need to do,” Savannah spoke finally. “We need to make sure no one else loses the people they love—the nights spent wondering, the hoping for answers, and heartbreak when there are none. We have a chance to stop others from being hurt, and you’d be disappointed in me if I passed it up. Even if it means I have to leave you again. We miss you, and if we don’t get to see you again, you have answers now. We’re together, we’re a family, and we love you.”
Evan and Atiyya cupped their hands into the shape of a heart. The video ended, freezing on the image.
****
The moon hung high in the sky, painting the world gray and white. Charity stood in the center of her lawn. Crickets chirped. In a tree, an owl hooted. She looked up at the star-filled sky. Making a heart shape with her hands, she held them up for Savannah, Evan, and her granddaughter to see.
In the shadows, a camera flashed.
####
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About the Author
Patricia Josephine’s younger days were spent devoted to art. Inspired by her grandfather, she had creative dreams. Eventually, that led to her writing down stories bouncing in her head. Now she can’t stop. She also writes young adult novels under the name Patricia Lynne.
Patricia lives in Upper Michigan with her husband, hopes one day to have what resembles a small petting zoo, and has a fondness of dying her hair the colors of the rainbow. You can find her lurking on Twitter, Goodreads, or her website.
Abducted Life Page 13