by Steve Vernon
Aliens are also human.
Sierra wanted to roll her eyes as that slogan went through her head in the perky commercial voice that had been used to repeat that ad nauseam. You heard it on the radio, the TV, even in the malls. One of the perks of actually coming here was to stop hearing that message.
Yes, the aliens—they preferred being called Raunins—were human in mind and spirit, not so much in looks. But there were only so many times you could hear that slogan repeated before you wanted to beat someone into a bloody pulp. She’d resisted.
With a hand on the stair railing, she got to her feet. It was a most gorgeous room, all things considered: A large entrance hall with ornate double doors leading inside, the sweeping staircase she stood on and lots of odd little statues standing by themselves or on platforms.
It made her think of historic times on Earth. And as far as she could tell that is what it was supposed to imitate. It was popular to build houses in Earth-style right now, and the family she worked for definitely had the wealth to indulge. Maybe they thought it would be more comfortable for their human employees to work in an Earth-style house?
A soft thump alerted Sierra to the fact that at least one of her charges had decided to join her. Clicks of nails hitting stone and a heavy weight settled on her shoulders.
“Hello there, Soul,” she said and reached up to scratch the tirani under his chin. His soft green fur with gray streaks tickled her fingers. “Was it you who decided to deface the entrance? Hmmm?”
Soul purred and settled himself on her shoulders, his face right beside her ear. He was affectionate for being a tirani. The tirani were the Raunins’ house cats. They were just as arrogant, elegant and aloof, usually, and their looks were even similar if you thought a house cat and a panther were alike. But just like everything else on Raun, the colors were wrong and the eyes were strange.
Large pupils on cats just weren’t natural in all lights and the Raunins always looked drugged. At least, she was finally getting used to that. Something to celebrate.
The double doors opened and Svetlana strode inside. She was shorter and more muscular than Sierra and classic Eastern European. Or rather, stereotypical Eastern European. A little shady and rough about it. “Why are you standing there in the middle of the stairs? Our mistress comes soon.”
Their mistress, otherwise called their employer, could be a little picky about the pet handlers hanging around when guests arrived. Svetlana had blown it out of proportion.
“Don’t sweat yourself. I’m going.” Sierra strode down the stair, keeping her shoulders as still as possible. It had taken some time to learn how to balance Soul as she walked, but he would dig his claws in rather than jump down, so she’d learnt.
“Hurry, hurry, she’s coming.” Svetlana tapped her foot and glared with her dark brown eyes. That gaze always made Sierra uneasy. There could be something deeply scary about someone with dark eyes. Like there was no light in their soul.
“Fine.” She marched over to Svetlana and pressed the poop-filled bag into her hands. “The fastest way is the farthest from the recycle, you throw that away.”
A gurgling sound of disgust came from Svetlana and she thrust the bag back.
Soul hissed and swung his claw-filled paw at her.
Cursing, Sierra dropped the bag and tried to catch Soul as he slipped off her shoulders. His claws and teeth closed around her unprotected hands and forearms. When he was settled in her arms, his teeth and claws extracted from her flesh, she felt her blood drain out of her face and she gulped. There was one thing you had to always avoid as a human on Raun, and that was being scratched by the tirani.
2
Svetlana acted quickly at last. She bound up Sierra’s wounds and sent her on this fool’s errand to the human—sorry, Earth human—treatment center.
Heat soaked into Sierra’s skin from every scratch. Her blood was about to boil, or close enough. Breathing was as hard as when she’d just arrived, before the serum had truly changed all her body to accept the air of Raun as good air.
She struggled along the streets, her legs no longer willing to do their job. Breathing through her mouth was the only way to make her lungs not cry for air. Otherwise she tried to appear as normal as possible. Maybe she should have gotten a taxi, but the treatment center was only a few blocks away. Blocks that seemed to stretch on into the distance.
Something gray showed up in the corner of her eye and then disappeared. She shook her head and paused when her brain banged into the sides of her skull. Soft ringing trickled into her ears. No, please no. She took deep breaths until the worst of it settled. There was no time to idle.
Looking up, she spotted the big sign for the center on the next building. Yes. She wanted to hurry, but she approached it only slightly faster than a shuffle, anything else would make her nauseated.
The clear plastic doors of the center whooshed open when she got close and the hiss of air conditioning was the sweetest sound she’d heard in ages. The coolness settled over her sweating face and filled her lungs with much needed air. Earth air. Oxygen. Nothing tasted as fresh as real air.
The center was the only building close by that was truly built for humans. In here the light was safe for their eyes and more oxygen was added to the air as it cycled in through ventilation. The workers didn’t even need goggles. Lucky them.
Well, they were lucky in many other ways too.
White plastic chairs lined the walls and two chair rows marched along the floor. The reception was another big blob of plastic, or so it looked to her eyes right now. She was pretty sure it had been made with painted plywood or something, judging from her previous visits.
Sierra stumbled over to the receptionist’s desk and pointed to her wrapped wounds. “Tirani.”
The receptionist didn’t gasp, but panic definitely entered his face. “Crap.” He pressed a button on a microphone to his right and leaned in. “Paging Dr. Garfield, reception.”
Garfield, what a name. Fitting in this instance. Sierra forced a smile onto her lips and staggered over to the closest chair. Thankfully, the waiting hall was more or less empty. “I’m just going to sit here.”
Like she had a choice. Her muscles had turned to water and getting over to the chair had taken the last energy she had. Her hands shook in her lap; they wouldn’t stay still. She bit her lip and stared ahead. No one had ever explained why it would be so bad to be hurt by a tirani, but they had conveyed the message anyway. She couldn’t remember what they’d likened it to.
Searching her memory, she only heard purring in her ear; it sounded like Soul, but he wasn’t here. She swiped her hands by her ears, but whatever made the purring sound wasn’t real.
She tried to think of something else. A shiver ran down her spine. She frowned. She couldn’t think of a single thing, only purring that rumbled on and on by her ears. There had to be more, but her mind was blank.
She’d lived for twenty-seven years. She’d seen the Niagara Falls, for heaven’s sake. She’d heard them. That loud noise of… purring. Purring, and purring.
The pastel green walls swam in her vision, the chairs all melted together.
Loud noises intruded on the purring. What were those noises? Voices. Beige and browns swam in front of her. Darkness edging in. Closing, closing.
A large purple circle entered her vision and a black circle grew in the middle until it covered almost all the purple. A tirani eye. Soul’s eye.
3
A soft beeping sound lured Sierra back into consciousness. Her hands and forearms still pulsed with warmth, but it wasn’t as hot. Softness cradled her body and she burrowed her head deeper into the pillow.
They had moved her, probably done other things to her. Something pulled in her left arm when she moved.
Opening her eyes she pushed the blanket out of the way. Right, an IV drip.
The bandages were pristine and much more professionally applied. Alright, so they’d probably cleaned her wounds. That would be all, right? But
there was no way. The government hadn’t cautioned so heavily against anything else here on Raun, except for keeping goggles on at all times.
Her goggles weren’t on. Her right arm was free of any equipment so she reached up to touch her face. Nope, definitely not there. Strange. Only the workers were allowed to take them off in the treatment center. Too many patients had been close to forgetting to put them back on after treatment.
No one wanted to become blind and that was the effect of Raun light on Earth eyes. After exposure for more than a second or two, an Earth human would only be able to see a little on Earth.
Sierra shuddered and let her arm fall back to the mattress. Her muscles still felt more like water. Ignoring that, she pushed herself into a sitting position with the headboard as a back-rest. She pushed the pillow to cushion the metal rails from her back.
There were probably some kind of controls on the bed to adjust it, but she didn’t know or care to operate them.
She pulled in a deep breath. Was it just her or was the air thinner now? It didn’t matter. Another breath.
A nurse entered the room, her white scrubs as clean as if she’d just put them on—and maybe she had? “You’re awake. Good.”
Sierra shrugged and glanced away. She didn’t want to know, did want to know, didn’t want to know. Should she ask? She couldn’t decide.
“You’re wondering what is going to happen. I don’t know why they won’t tell what happens after you get tirani scratched, and it is actually more about the bite.” The nurse bustled around the room. Looking at this and that, and writing it down on a clipboard she held. Well, it looked like a clipboard, but probably was something electronic. She sighed and put the clipboard aside. “Aren’t you curious?”
“Yes and no.” Sierra really didn’t want to know. It couldn’t be so bad, right? It didn’t matter how many times she said that to herself, it didn’t ring any more true.
She coughed and dragged more air into her lungs. Why was the air so damn thin?
The nurse touched her arm. “It has already begun. You see, the tirani saliva contains agents that can change an Earth human’s body. Just like the serum you took to be able to breathe Raun’s air.”
Sierra pushed herself to the edge of the bed. She still had her clothes on; they hadn’t been taken. “Tell me all.”
A sad smile crossed the nurse’s face, before a professionally blank look returned. Must be hard to keep a balance of empathy and professionalism. “You soon won’t be able to breathe Earth air. It will be too much oxygen. That’s why you have problem breathing.”
The nurse gently gripped her left arm and removed the IV. The nurse’s skin turned light green and then slipped into a yellowish blue.
Sierra closed her eyes and rubbed them, but the nurse’s skin still had strange colors dancing over it. And the walls. Hadn’t they been green in the reception room? Here they were purple, a shimmering purple with white flecks.
“Here, take these.” The nurse handed over her shoes.
She slipped them on and stared up at the nurse. “Where will it end?”
The nurse patted her hand and smiled wanly. “You’ll still look like an Earth human… well, except you’ll have the same drugged eyes as everyone else on this planet.”
A smile tugged on Sierra’s lips, she wasn’t the only one who thought everyone looked drugged. Then her smile wilted. And now she would join them.
The sound of running footsteps carried through the door and into her room. The door opened and another nurse hung onto the door frame to stay upright after an abrupt stop. “There’s a tirani in the reception hall that we can’t move. Anytime we get near, he growls and shows his teeth.” He paused for breath and his eyes focused on Sierra. “You have to get to reception, stat.”
Sierra rushed up. “Is he green with gray streaks?”
The male nurse nodded.
“The prettiest purple eyes you’ve ever seen?”
His lips formed an involuntary smile, but he nodded again.
“Shit. He can’t breathe in here!” Sierra pushed out of the room and looked down the corridor to her left and right.
The male nurse’s arm entered her vision, all gray and blue, pointing to the right.
Sierra started sprinting down the hall, until her feet stumbled on nothing and she crashed into the wall. The floor reeled before her eyes, rushing close only to ebb away. Oh.
Her legs trembled and blood rushed up into her head. Gasping for breath, she dragged and dragged on the air, but it just wouldn’t be enough.
She pushed off the wall and wavered. There was no time to lose, again. Just push on. She put one foot in front of the other, slowly picking up speed until she could barely get enough air, but she got just enough. Then she kept at that speed. At least it was a pretty fast clip.
Come on, Soul. What were you doing in here? What other cat would be foolish enough to enter a human building? She slapped the side of her head lightly. Earth human building.
She paused. No goggles. Then she shook her head, and regretted it, before pushing on. Her body was not happy with her.
Her feet grew heavy like boulders. Each step took a little more effort and so did every breath. She slowed a little, then a little more. How far off was reception anyway?
The corridor turned and there it was. The neon green walls of the reception, or so it looked to her eyes now. A few feet from the doors Soul stood. His back arched and he hissed at all the nurses standing close by. Then he coughed and got back to hissing as soon as it passed. His body shook with the need for air, just like her own did.
“Soul!” Her voice barely carried over the room. She didn’t have enough breath to try again. Her knees were soft like jelly, but she forced them to carry her weight as she rushed across the room.
Darkness edged into her vision, and she crashed into one of the nurses standing between her and Soul. Hands pushed her on and when she opened her arms Soul leaped into them.
Sierra listed to the right and twisted before she hit the side of the automatic doors. Her shoulder throbbed from the contact, but Soul wasn’t hit.
Raun’s sunlight hit her unprotected eyes for the first time and she drank in the metallic yellow and purple color before averting her eyes.
The side of the building radiated warmth and she leaned against it and let her knees collapse.
She dragged in a deep breath and then another. Slowly the darkness at the edges of her vision receded and her head regained its usual weight. She hadn’t even realized how lightheaded she’d felt until it was gone. Great.
Soul started vibrating and his purr lifted into the air. He’d gotten his breath back too.
Thank God. Silly cat—no, tirani. What would she do now? Returning to Earth wasn’t an option unless they had a serum that could reverse the effect. Anyway, it didn’t matter. She’d rest here until she felt strong enough to go back home.
Someone cleared their throat and Sierra looked up into eyes that had previously been a normal blue color. Now they showed their true metallic blue color to her ungoggled eyes.
Her employer’s two front eyes met hers. “Svetlana told me what happened. Welcome to the family.” She paused and dropped a dark purple tirani collar in Sierra’s lap. “Soul is now yours. Or you are his. He claimed you the second you walked through the door. I’m surprised this didn’t happen earlier, but he was always a gentleman.”
With shaking hands, Sierra picked up the collar and found her and Soul’s name engraved on the outside. It felt like it was made of feathers, but it looked more like Earth leather. She changed Soul’s collar.
He nuzzled her hand, before climbing onto her shoulders. His purring filled her right ear and she knew she’d be okay.
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About the Author
Felicia Fredlund writes fiction about entertaini
ng adventures and emotional journeys of interesting people. She currently lives everywhere and nowhere at the same time since she sold her home in Sweden.
She writes one series, a dark fantasy series called Sorceress Islands. Her short stories have appeared in several Fiction Rivers.
She also edits. She edited Fiction River: Last Stand with Dean Wesley Smith.
Learn more about her on her website FeliciaFredlund.com, and join her newsletter for up-to-date information about all her books.
Feel free to email her at:
[email protected]
Also by Felicia Fredlund
Sorceress Islands
Heedless
Burning Bright
Sins of a Mage
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Shadow Courier
Snowstorm Delivery
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You Can’t Walk Your Rabbit Without a Leash
At the Traffic Lights
Dear Brother
A Soul Calling
* * *
Anthologies
Fiction River: Last Stand
Fiction River: No Humans Allowed
Fiction River: Editor’s Choice
Fiction River Presents: Writers Without Borders
Nightly Bites Volume 2
When She Gained Her Soul
Copyright © 2018 by Felicia Fredlund
Published by Silver Pine Publishing
Cover and layout copyright © 2018 by Silver Pine Publishing
Cover art by Skypixel @ Dreamstime
All rights reserved. This is a work of fiction. All characters and events portrayed in the fiction in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to real people or incidents is purely coincidental. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission.