body. “If you don’t get it together, human. You won’t survive a day here.” A terrifyingly familiar growl fogs up my helmet.
Eleazar? The fog soon clears away to a pair of vibrant eyes scorching with flames. They narrow in on me like lasers. He forces out a grunt, setting me down onto my feet, thereafter, he is slapping me on the ass.
“Ouch,” I yelp, rubbing the sting away with my palm. I guess I shouldn’t complain. He could have left me to be that dragon’s food.
Eleazar eyes me expectantly, the veins in his neck visible. “Move along, now.”
“I’m going. I’m going.” I swallow the lump in my throat, nodding slightly, and move onwards to the tunnel carved into the base of the mountains.
Walking closer, my eyes scale up, taking in the view. Being this close to the mountain has me feeling smaller than an ant. I get the impression everything around here is fit for the size of a giant alien king.
Inside the tunnel is murky and water sloshes underneath my space boots. The only visible light is reflected off those beautiful diamonds ingrained into the rock. My hands graze along them, wishing I didn’t have this damn suit on so I could touch them, hold them within my hand. The fairytales are true, dragons are collectors of the most precious treasures.
We round a corner to an enormous set of sparkling doors. His soldiers line up along the entrance making way for Eleazar to pass by. He raises his long arms into the air and speaks in another language, triggering another vision.
I feel like I am running out of air as I lean against the cave walls, my vision tunneling. I grasp at my chest. I see…
Me.
In front of the portal.
Speaking the same language. What. The. Fuck?
I don’t understand. The more I remember, the more all of this confuses me. Will I ever figure out the truth?
“Sire?” I hear through my daze. “The human.”
His growl rumbles the cave, snapping me out of my reverie. He is glaring at me. They are all glaring at me.
Shit! I really gotta stop doing that. I put my hand up. “Sorry, I promise I will get it together, Eleazar.”
He shakes his head and continues his chant. The doors slowly open and reveal a vaulted futuristic foyer with a golden throne placed at the end of the hallway. Eleazar bee lines straight for it while I am ushered off in another direction. “Processing is this way.” The female alien yanks off my helmet and leads me down a corridor with titanium doors at the end.
“What does processing consist of, exactly?”
“You ask too many questions,” she snarls.
I sigh. “Fair enough.” Figures. I didn’t think I would get much info out of her, but it was worth a try. The door slides open and she tosses me in. I hit the ground with a thud. The door begins to close before I’m able to get my bearings.
“Have fun.” She smirks with a wave.
I peel myself from the ground. “Wait. Don’t leave me here, please.” But it is too late. I am locked in a small space with bright white walls and no windows. A prison cell. The longer I stand here, the more the walls seems to be closing in on me. I fall to my knees, resting my head in my hands. More tears stream down my eyes. I try to think happy thoughts. The ones that fill my vision are when Asha and I took the kids to Disneyland for the first time. We rode the teacups, went on Space Mountain, and ate ice cream until our hearts were content. All I can see is their innocent smiles. I am not a kid-person, but I would give anything to see those sweet, goofy smiles again, feel their tiny little arms wrapped around my neck, saying, “Auntie, auntie, please one more ride.”
The weight of everything that has happened comes crashing down on my shoulders, the guilt punching me in the gut. “I’m sorry auntie couldn’t protect you,” I scream, crying harder than I have ever cried before. The pain absorbs every ounce of hope I have left. How will I ever escape this planet and find my sister? How will I ever make it right?
Eleazar
The human. I’ve never been so fascinated by their kind before, deemed an inferior species.
But her. Those hazel eyes.
When she opened the portal, it was if she was inside my head, reading my mind. We were on the same wavelength for a