Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 45048 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 225(@200wpm)___ 180(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45048 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 225(@200wpm)___ 180(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
Was that this morning? I have no sense of time. I don’t know how long it took to get here. I assume it was hours. Otherwise, I would have peed myself. I’m worried I will anyway. My bladder is furious.
I’m afraid to tell my owner. I don’t want to anger him. He seems a lot less severe now than he did earlier. I wonder what has changed. Maybe he was just harsh in front of my jailers.
Finally, it seems we’re done. My new owner carries me toward the exit. The only place I’ve ever lived is the space station. Well, I was born on Earth, but I was sent to the space station when I was a baby, sent with many other female children under the age of five to save us from Earth’s total destruction after multiple nuclear weapons were used all around the globe.
I’m one of the lucky ones. At least that’s what we’ve been told. And once again, I’m presumably lucky. The space station won’t be sustainable much longer. Being rescued by aliens was our only hope. But what is this new life I’m starting? I’ve been purchased by this alien I’m clinging to. What does that mean for my future?
I gasp as he carries me outside. My first inhalation of fresh air. It’s so bright. I cover my eyes with one hand, peering between my fingers. I want to look around, but it hurts.
My owner cups the side of my head and angles my face toward his neck. “Close your eyes, Little pet. It will take time for you to adjust to the sun. Don’t strain your eyes.”
I want to look, but I won’t. I want to obey my master—that’s what my jailors called him. Am I supposed to call him Master?
Thank goodness for the collar that allows me to understand him, but at the same time, I feel like an animal. Maybe I am. He keeps calling me pet. Will he put me in another cage?
Anxiety consumes me. I want to see where we are. There are so many noises around me. A whoosh makes me think we’ve gone through another door. I peek out and realize we’re in some sort of vehicle. It starts to move.
My heart races. We’re surrounded by giant men. I’m the only being who is different. Everyone is staring at me. I’m probably the first human they’ve ever seen.
My master cups the back of my head and angles my face into his neck again. “Keep your head down, naughty girl. I don’t want to have to discipline you in the Telerail.”
I whimper, gripping the front of his black dress shirt. “I’m sorry, Master,” I mutter against his neck. I don’t want him to punish me. And what method would he use? I want to please him, though I have no idea why. Perhaps because I have no other option. It’s not as though I can squirm out of his grip and take off running. I know nothing about this planet. Plus, the men in the cage room said there’s a tracking device in my collar.
I don’t speak again during the ride. I don’t peek either. I’m not sure I want to see the expressions of the men around us. I’m an anomaly here. Besides, it’s so hard for me to hold my head up. It seems to be getting harder. It takes effort to keep my legs wrapped around my master. My arms are supported by his shoulders, but even that is difficult.
The moving vehicle comes to a stop. The door whooshes open, and my owner steps out. It takes all my restraint to keep from looking around, but I don’t. I force myself to concentrate on his cadence and the air around me. It seems easier to breathe than on the space station. There must be more oxygen on Venkoria than I’m used to.
I’m chilly. My dress is sleeveless and short. I never needed more than this on the space station, but it seems cooler here even now that we’re outside. Goosebumps have risen on my skin.
My owner seems to notice and rubs my arms as he walks faster. We enter a building. The breeze stops. Nevertheless, my teeth start chattering. Perhaps my adrenaline was pumping so high that I didn’t notice how cold I was.
My owner releases his tight grip on my neck, allowing me to lift my head. It’s still hard. My head feels too heavy. We enter an elevator. It’s similar to those on the space station, so I recognize the small space, but I’m surprised when my master leans in close to a strange camera. Did he use his eye to start the elevator?
The doors close, and the elevator ascends. A few moments later, it opens again, and we move into a hallway and then toward a door. Once again, my master uses his eye to disengage the lock on the door.