through the vegetation as it landed. Beyond the narrow clearing were intertwining vines and cluttered trees with long, leafy branches. Countless shades of green blended together into an indistinguishable blur.
Nikki looked from Haley to Selina then back. Both sisters looked pale and forlorn. They huddled together and spoke to each other in secretive whispers more often than they included her in the conversation. She didn’t understand why they were shutting her out, but the snub was obvious and hurtful.
“Did you tell Pretty Boy about us?” Selina asked, her tone low but accusatory. She crumbled the wrapper of her nutrition bar into a tight, shiny ball as she stared at Nikki through narrowed eyes.
“His name is Jaron, and I told him how we met and what we were doing when the Cretzians took us. That’s all. What’s with the attitude? They risked their lives to get us out of that hellhole.”
Selina continued to glare, but Haley answered for her. “We don’t want to escape a prison only to end up in a lab. And I don’t just mean the elves. I mean on Earth too. We all need to be incredibly careful about what we say to everyone from now on.”
Nikki stood up and moved closer to the other two. She understood their reticence, had felt a similar hesitation at first. But they would have to trust someone if they hoped to unravel the mystery. She was still debating who to bring into her confidence. There was a doctor on Earth that she knew well and trusted. However, the Sarronti were more technologically advanced, and they were familiar with paranormal abilities. It made more sense to ask Jaron for help, but that would be a much harder sell with these two.
“We need to find out what they did to us,” Nikki said firmly.
“They screwed with our DNA,” Selina sneered. “What more do you need to know?”
Was she serious? “There are all sorts of things,” Nikki objected. “Can the changes be reversed? If not, are they stable? Are there likely to be adverse side effects? How likely is it that we’ll pass these changes on to our children? Need I go on?”
“Tell anyone and they will dissect us like rats,” Selina countered in the same scornful tone.
Selina’s fear was justified. Humans had a long and sordid history of experimenting on genetic anomalies. And trusting an alien race after being held captive by a different alien race did seem reckless. Nikki shook her head and sighed. The alternative was living the rest of her life in fear, waiting to see if any new abilities developed or if the changes the Cretzians made killed her. That would be intolerable.
“Pretend nothing happened if you like,” Nikki said. She still needed to choose between Sarronti and Earth, but at least she had an objective. “I’ve never run from a fight in my life. Dr. Rozmere has treated me since childhood. She is trustworthy and efficient. Anything she doesn’t know, she can find out.” If Selina and Haley rejected the assistance of a human doctor, they would never even consider the Sarronti.
Haley stood and faced off with Nikki. Haley’s expression was almost as hostile as Selina’s now. “The first thing your doctor will do is call the feds. We can’t trust anyone.”
Of the three, Haley’s abilities were most consistent. Nikki’s power came in explosive flashes, but they often sputtered out as quickly as they flared. Selina had long, detailed psychic dreams, but her conscious mind seemed to be unaffected by the alterations.
“I’ve known Dr. Rozmere since I was eight,” Nikki argued. “There is no way she would betray me.”
Haley was clearly unimpressed. “Is she a geneticist? Has she ever worked with alien DNA?”
There was no point in lying. Nikki shook her head.
“Then she won’t understand the test results. She’ll call someone she thinks she can trust, someone who has no loyalty to you. And they will call the feds. It’s inevitable. Someone always blabs. It’s human nature.”
Anxious energy bubbled up inside Nikki. She didn’t want to live the rest of her life in fear. She didn’t want her life to require vigilance and wariness. “So we just pretend that nothing happened? We accept the changes and hope they don’t kill us?”
“Yes,” Selina insisted, still seated on the crate.
“And how do we explain where we’ve been for the past three weeks?” Nikki shoved the half-eaten nutrition bar into her pocket and took a sip of water. The debate was particularly frustrating because she’d agreed with them completely until