by Cara Wylde
Round, round, round
I can’t focus, it’s too hot
You’ll never get to Heaven if you’re scared of getting high
The music playing loud in her ears muffled the sound of the explosions. She could hear people screaming around her. Suddenly, the street had become so busy that Allie wondered where all those people had come from. They were all running toward the bridge, but if she knew why she was doing it, – because her house was there, – she couldn’t tell why everyone else thought that was their only way out. She didn’t remember having so many neighbors. Well, it was a dead end anyway. For two reasons: one, a couple of police cars blocked the way, and two, the bridge was no more. It had collapsed into the lake.
“When, though?” Allie whispered to herself. “It was there two minutes ago.”
Nothing made sense. She felt like the star of a very bad, low-budget movie, and she wondered whether she should find something sharp in case the joggers and the policemen around her turned into zombies. She laughed at her own silly thoughts, but it didn’t last long, because she soon saw that the oval ship had turned around and was headed toward them.
“Aww… why does the pretty thing want us dead?” She slapped herself on the forehead. Literally. “Why the fuck do I still think it’s pretty?”
She would have kept scolding herself if a clear, manly voice coming from behind her hadn’t made her heart jump.
“Alison Page!”
She took her earphones off and turned around. There were a lot of people running, crying and screaming, but no familiar faces. She could swear someone had called her name, but then again… she wasn’t sure the scarf she was wearing was hers, and a white, oval alien ship was frying everything in sight. Maybe the best thing she could do right now was to suspend her disbelief and go with the flow. She couldn’t trust her own judgment.
It was an alien ship. Of that, there was no doubt. Well, maybe that meant no zombies? Allie had never been fond of zombies.
“Okay, Allie, stop it. Focus.” She rubbed her temples. “You have to get home. Find a way.”
She studied the police cars blocking the road and tried to see if there was any chance she could sneak between them. The policemen seemed to be very intent on holding back the people who wanted to pass. But why? Allie took a step back when she heard small popping sounds coming from inside their cars. As she had thought, the alien ship had pointed its white light at them, and soon they were going to explode. Then, another weird thing happened. The phones and radios they were holding exploded in their hands one by one. Allie took another step back.
“It’s the technology.”
Without a single ounce of regret, she threw her phone as far away as she could. It exploded in the air, and she gasped. As quickly as she could, she went over all the items she knew she usually carried in her purse. She had no more technology on her. She turned on her heels and ran in the opposite direction just as the police cars started exploding behind her. Making her way out of the small crowd was hard when phones, tablets, pacemakers, and hearing aids went “boom!” all around her. She shielded her head as best as she could and kept running. Some of the people started running in the same direction as her. A couple of them had been clever enough to throw away their technology on time, but there were quite a few who hadn’t been that fast or lucky.
When she bumped into someone, Allie looked up and immediately apologized, even though she had hurt her nose on his strong, muscled chest. In fact, she realized it was a chest when she raised her gaze, because it felt more like she had run into a wall. But walls didn’t look like Christian Bale, did they?
“You…”
“Alison Page, you need to come with me. Now.”
She rubbed her sore nose and took a step back.
“How do you know my name?”
He didn’t say anything. He simply looked into her eyes, which made Allie feel exposed. Not naked, because the guy didn’t seem to be undressing her with his gaze, but exposed. Exposed as in… she was one hundred percent sure he could read her mind. She shook her head.
“I’m not going anywhere with you. How did you find me? Oh my God, did you follow me?! Freak!”
Why wasn’t she calling for help? There were enough people around her. Although… she wasn’t sure they had any time, or interest in saving a damsel in distress when they were busy running from an alien ship. Why wasn’t she pushing past him and running for her life? She could ditch the high heels. No, not in a million years! She loved them! She could see herself taking off her red pumps and holding them in one hand as she ran, but, for some reason, she was stuck in place. Her brain was sending the right commands to her muscles, so why wasn’t she moving?
“Please get out of my way,” she said.
But her voice was weak. Weaker than her resolve. She wanted to look away, but it seemed like her gaze was glued to his. Unexpectedly, her mind was flooded with pieces of thoughts and images that didn’t belong to her. She saw the man standing before her, but he looked different. He was at the top of the stairs, holding a scarf in his hands… except the thing didn’t quite look like a scarf. It was moving, and not because of the wind. It seemed to have a will and a life of its own. As it breathed… yes, breathed… its colors moved and mixed, giving birth to other colors.
As the scene unfolded before her mind’s eye, Allie tried to pull at the scarf around her shoulders and arms. It was stuck to her. In fact, when she pulled at it, the thing wrapped itself tighter around her body, refusing to let go. It felt warm. Warm and… clammy. Her attention was drawn back to him, the man who had put her under some sort of spell. She saw him following her down the street, watching her as she walked, danced, spun, and sang. It was beyond creepy! Allie had never been stalked, and she couldn’t say she had ever been curious about going through such an experience.
“You did…” she forced the words out. “You did follow me. But why? I never did anything to you! I’m sorry I snapped at you earlier. I apologized then, and I will apologize again if you want. What do you want? Do you want to… hurt me? Please don’t hurt me.”
Normally, she wouldn’t have pleaded. Allie was the kind of girl who knew how to deliver a good punch in the face and a lightning-fast kick in the nuts. But she couldn’t move. No matter how hard she tried to take back control of her body, she felt like she was paralyzed. Not with fear. She wasn’t that afraid of him, to be honest, even though the tall, bulky guy she had seen earlier was, again, lurking behind Mr. Christian Bale’s lookalike. What was that guy’s business, anyway? Was he some sort of bodyguard?
“I’m not going to hurt you, Allie,” the man said in a soft, soothing voice.
“Then, why can’t I move?”
He smiled.
“If I let you move, you’re going to kick me and, most likely, break something in the process.”
“How… do you know that?”
He could read her mind! Oh dear Lord, this guy could read her mind! But that wasn’t all. She could read his mind, too. Or… maybe he was putting those thoughts and images in her head? For a fraction of a second, she had the impression that his features were changing before her very eyes. Well, not exactly his features, but the color of his skin. From Caucasian white, he turned… blue? Seriously? Blue?!
She let out a nervous laugh.
“I… I’m sorry, Ark… Ark? Your name is Ark? Why do I even know that?” She couldn’t move her eyes or head, but she could bite the inside of her lip hard enough to bring some clarity to her mind. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”
For a moment, the permanent smile in his deep blue eyes was replaced with sadness. Or, disappointment? Allie couldn’t tell. Usually, she was good at reading people, but this guy didn’t seem to be… well, a regular person.
He sighed.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
Allie let out a breath of relief. She thought he was going to let her go, but instead he did something she would have never guessed
he would do: he reached out and touched her lightly between the eyes.
The world went dark.
CHAPTER TWO
Ark made his way briskly down the corridor, hoping that if he moved fast enough, Thivo and Shirin would give up following him. For once, it seemed like his Chief Officer and Second Officer were on the same page and, ironically enough, Ark wasn’t over the moon at the idea. The Hesperia, on the other hand, was almost positioned above the Earth’s Moon now, and he had to reach the Bridge to give the order, then set a course for the Galactic High Council of Seven.
“Captain, stop!” Shirin was through with trying to talk some sense into him telepathically. “Just stop for a second.”
Even Thivo arched a dark, thick eyebrow at the anger in her voice.
“We have work to do, Officer. No time to waste.” Ark took a left. “We’ll talk after it’s done.”
Shirin rolled her sapphire eyes and stepped right in front of him, boldly cutting his way to the Bridge.
“No. I’m sorry, Captain, but we have to talk now.”
“Shirin, move,” Ark growled.
Thivo stopped a few steps away from them, crossed his arms over his bulky chest, and prepared for one hell of a scene. Every time his Captain and Shirin had something to settle, he imagined himself grabbing some popcorn and a soda, granted he’d never had any of those in his life. Spending three days among the humans of Earth had been fun, but their food had been impossible for him and Ark to touch. Horrible, fowl food… It looked good, but it tasted like death. Still, Thivo liked the idea of popcorn and soda.
“No,” the blue-skinned brunette stood her ground. “I will not move until you explain to us what possessed you to bring a human on board of The Hesperia.”
Ark closed his eyes for a second and pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance.
“I don’t have to explain myself to you.”
“Err… you kind of do, Captain,” Thivo intervened. “Now she is our responsibility, too.”
“She’s no one’s responsibility. Anyway, Thivo, you were there. You know damn well why I brought her.”
The tall, massive Chief Officer thought for a second. When Shirin gave him an impatient look, he shrugged.
“I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”
Ark turned to Thivo and looked him dead in the eyes.
“I know you felt it, too. Felt her… She’s not like the rest of them.”
A flicker of understanding lit up Thivo’s dark eyes.
“Sure, Captain, but a lot of them have various abilities. You remember when we went to the movies… Lots of empaths and telepaths there, but I didn’t feel like any of them was evolved enough to use their skills properly.”
“She’s not just an empath,” Ark shook his head. “She’s more than that. And I have a strong feeling that she knows how to use her abilities. Maybe not when she’s awake, but certainly when she’s asleep.”
Shirin cleared her throat to get their attention.
“What you’re saying is that you had a hunch. Do you believe the Council will think that’s a good enough reason to disregard their orders?”
Ark was silent for a moment. He took a step toward his Second Officer, entering her personal space. He was one head taller than her, and much bulkier, but she was no fragile damsel either.
“Shirin, don’t tell me you never wonder…”
“Wonder about what?”
“About the orders we’re carrying out.”
“It’s not my place to question the Council, and neither is yours, Captain.”
“No, no… you’re right. But Thivo and I… we spent three days down there. There are glaring discrepancies between how the Council describes the humans of Earth and how they really are. I can’t help but think we’re making a mistake. Maybe, if we give them more time…”
Shirin bit the inside of her cheek. Her blue eyes moved quickly from Ark to Thivo.
“Is that what you think, too? That we’re making a mistake?”
The blue-skinned giant nodded slightly, but avoided her gaze.
“It’s not about giving them time, Captain,” he said. “It’s about buying them time. And the Council decided we can’t afford to do that anymore. We can’t keep fighting on their behalf.”
Ark took a deep breath, then released it slowly.
“You’re right. Earth has to go.” He made to push past Shirin so he could enter the Bridge. “Let’s get this over with.”
The Second Officer wasn’t that easy to fool, though. She grabbed his arm, disregarding that she wasn’t allowed to make such an impolite gesture. On the other hand, she and Ark had grown up together.
“What about the woman? There’s still time to take her back.”
“We’re not taking her back.”
He flexed the muscles in his arm hard to let Shirin know he didn’t appreciate being touched. She let go.
“The Council won’t like this.”
“I couldn’t care less about the Council.”
Well, that was a bold statement. Ark himself couldn’t believe he’d said it out loud.
“Now, are we done here?”
Shirin threw him one last death glare, then stepped out of his way. Just as the three of them entered the Bridge, a petite blonde rushed down the corridor to catch them before it was too late. Her yellow uniform indicated she belonged to the Stewarding Crew. One of the many housekeepers on board.
“She’s awake! I heard her banging on the door and asking to be let out. She’s awake!”
Ark stopped in his tracks, but didn’t turn around. His order was clear and definitive.
“Shirin, bring her on the Bridge.”
“Yes, sir.”
She would have loved to argue with him, but she’d just found out it was useless, so she turned on her heels and headed to the room where Ark had decided to keep the human female. In truth, she was quite curious to meet her.
Ark motioned for Thivo to follow him. Once on the Bridge, he took his place in the command chair and asked the Deck Crew to update him on what had happened in the past few hours. Everything seemed to be going according to plan, and once he made sure they were ready for the next step, Ark straightened his back and prepared himself to give the order. His blue eyes fixed on the tiny planet he had grown so attached to. The other Gaea Alliance ships were waiting on him, their weapons directed toward the blue sphere they were going to turn into a huge block of ice. No living organism would exist there for millennia, and the ones still alive after the attack would be no more in just a couple of hours. During the past three days, they had made sure the humans would have no means to survive. They had destroyed all their technology, and once the planet was turned to ice, not even their bunkers would be able to save them.
“Captain?” Thivo stepped closer to Ark’s chair. “The Khepri and The Zorya are growing impatient.”
“I know. I can hear them.”
“It’s time.”
Ark ignored him. He ran his hand through his dark hair, sighed, then rubbed his chin in deep thought. One word, and the six ships accompanying The Hesperia would press the button. Thivo would have to do the same. For the first time in his life, the idea that he was the one to give the order but never the one to press the button made Ark sick to his stomach.
“She’s here.”
Shirin’s voice snapped him out of his trance. Now he had a reason to delay the inevitable, but he didn’t let his temporary relief show on his face. He didn’t even turn around to look at the human female, just raised his hand to motion Shirin to bring her to him. As the blonde, blue-eyed beauty stopped next to his chair, her gaze fixed on the window, Ark tried to probe her thoughts with his mind.
“What the…?” Slowly, he turned to look at her profile, his eyes wide with surprise. Just a few hours before, he had been able to read her mind clearly. Not only that, but he could even allow her a glimpse of his own thoughts. Now, as he pushed with his mi
nd against hers, he found himself unsuccessfully trying to break through a wall. Humans weren’t supposed to be so strong. Scratch that. They weren’t supposed to be aware they could control their telepathic abilities to the point of refusing someone access. Alison Page had been weak and vulnerable on Earth. What had changed?
“That is Earth,” she said in a low, steady voice.
Ark was taken aback by the complete calm she displayed. Honestly, he had expected her to scream and kick, demand that they sent her back home. He had expected Shirin to end up with at least a few scratches on her face. This woman was a mystery. She intrigued him like no member of any other alien species had ever intrigued him before. Now, more than ever, he believed they were making a mistake by destroying her planet.
“Yes, it’s Earth,” he confirmed.
She nodded slowly, never taking her eyes off the window.
“It’s beautiful. What are you going to do to it?”
He took a sharp intake of breath and probed her mind again. He needed to know what was going on in her head.
“Stop that,” she said in a firm tone. “I refuse to give you access to my thoughts.”
“How?”
Allie turned to look at him, an easy, pleasant smile on her still red lips. Her hair was a bit disheveled from how she had slept, but her dress was perfect, and the scarf around her shoulders had adapted its color to her whole outfit.
“What do you mean how? This is one of those dreams I have sometimes. A lucid one. I’m not really here, and all this isn’t happening. I’m in my bed, at home, dreaming.”
Everyone on the Bridge had listened to the conversation with bated breath, but now a couple of them gasped, while others arched their eyebrows in confusion, or smiled indulgently.
“You think you’re dreaming, Allie?”
She shrugged, as if it was obvious.
“Yes. And when I have a lucid dream, and I become aware that it’s just a dream and nothing more, I can do whatever I want. I have full control. And I decided no one here can read my mind.”