by Lara LaRue
The bed seemed rather big now, and I resented even its sturdy structure as I slipped from under the covers and walked to the opening in the wall. The sun rose on the other side of the building, and before me lay the Great Pike—the ancient structure that still housed Magnus. He had remained the supreme ruler of Jupiter for over two hundred and eighty-four years, and I doubted he would die anytime soon. Which was just fine with me.
If he never died, then I would have no need to assume leadership of Jupiter. I was his only son and heir to the throne, but I preferred living on the perimeter of the Great Pike, rather than in it. But this morning, I had an appointment with him I could not escape, and I dreaded he would look within me and find the secret I needed to hide.
I sighed, looked down, and saw Brom was already outdoors, as he usually was. The other enforcers were on the eastern side of my house but close enough to the Great Pike in the event any unfortunate incident happened. I washed up and slipped into my clothes, strapped on my boots, and threw the black coat around me. My hair fell down my back and was often worn loose, an easy convenience for me.
By the time I slipped into the great hall, Magnus saw me. “Sekkol,” he called to me. He was still wearing his robe, his greying hair splayed across his shoulders giving him an air of stateliness. We met in the middle and hugged briefly. Despite living so close, we hardly saw each other.
“So you wanted to see me?” I asked.
He kept his hand on my shoulder as we walked toward the dining hall. It was hard not to notice it would be light out soon, and that meant Jonas would be selling her.
“Can’t a man ask to see his son every now and again?” he inquired. “Dory, make that two cups,” he told the cook when she hurried past us with a pot of brew. My father still loved a hot cup of malt in the mornings, but I preferred juice. I remained quiet on the matter to indulge him. “So how is it going with Lord Styx and the rest of your men? I don’t know why you didn’t take the post as Lord Commander when it was offered.”
“Let’s not get into that again, Father,” I told him. “I am perfectly fine with having my own elite squad.” Furthermore, it gave me more privileges than being the Commander, and with fewer eyes on me. I figured I had enough attention being the son of the Supreme Ruler. And enough constraints, too.
It was just us sitting at the long glass table that was made for at least forty people. All the way through breakfast, I kept my eyes averted. But even that was too obvious for my father.
“There is something different about you,” he told me. When I looked up, he was squinting at me, and I could feel them searching me. Then they twinkled, and he laughed. “You’ve imprinted on someone, haven’t you?”
And suddenly, I felt like the veil I was hiding under was yanked away and I was standing bare before him. Still, my only defense was denial. “Impri—no… no, no, no,” I protested too much and then grew uneasy in my chair.
“I can tell,” he said and sipped on his brew that was likely cold by now. “And I want to meet her.”
“There is… will be no her,” I argued.
“You know it isn’t something you can contest, Sekkol. Besides, it is time you assume your place here. I am growing weary of this government.”
“I think I am more comfortable in the streets, where the action is.”
“You don’t belong there. Leave that to Styx and those other boys. You are more than that, Sekkol.”
And so went every other conversation we had for the last half dozen times I had been there, and as always, I opted for a hasty exit. I stood, and the chair scraped the floor when I did. “I’ve got to get going,” I said and went around to shake his hand.
He held on to it for a while longer than I anticipated. “Sekkol, I want to meet her. She is our legacy.” And then he let go and returned to eating his meal, and I was forgotten.
I walked back down the long hall, and when I got outside, I saw the sun was just peeping over the hills. It was already warm, and I skipped down the steps, my hands deep into the pockets of my coat. I turned my head to the south, where I would find her. What was happening to her now?
Stop it. I slapped my palms to my temples as if that would rid me of her image.
I was still wearing a scowl when I got back home. The sun was over the hill now and slowly taking over the darkness on the landscape. The sound of spacecrafts, children chattering outdoors, and the regular bantering of the people slowly took over from the silence of the night. But nothing in my head was still.
I paced the floor, even while contemplating the implications of being with a human. I couldn’t be with her, and it didn’t make sense to reason with the logic of our culture. I knew full well the penalty for transgressing any law. What I couldn’t come to terms with was how much impact this recognition of her had.
My head was swimming as I wrestled with the conflict of my predicament, and though I knew what would happen, I couldn’t stop my feet from moving. I wanted to see her again. Maybe if I did, one more time, I could make it stop. And then I’d be free.
I walked back to the door and headed out in a hurry. I was barely down the walk when I ran into Lord Styx.
“The Tribunal will be assembling before the Great Pike shortly,” he told me and grabbed my arm.
I looked down at it and then yanked myself free. “You should be able to handle that, Lord Commander,” I replied sarcastically. Then I attempted to move off, but he stepped into my path.
“I am your commander, and you should do as I say,” he growled like the animal he was.
I made two steps that drew me even closer to him. He was about a foot shorter than I was, so in this position, I towered above him. “Remember your station, sir,” I mocked. “Get the men and handle the Tribunal. I have somewhere else to be.” And then I walked off.
Ever since he had been appointed the role, and I in a lesser one, he had made every attempt to belittle me and talk down to me from his position of power. But I was above him still, and I only yielded when it suited me. It did not suit me then.
I found the hovercraft and hopped on, and within minutes, I was cruising toward town.
Chapter 6 / Keira
My sleep was disturbed by loud noises and voices surrounding me like a fog. I blinked and waited a few seconds for my eyes to once again adjust to the darkness of the cave. It was strange to me how a place like this, a dungeon, could coexist in the world I had seen outside. It was out of place, and I couldn’t imagine there were many such as this.
“Get up,” Jonas was saying to us.
I sprang to my feet, finding energy I didn’t realize I had, and rushed to him, babbling so fast I’m sure he could not understand me.
He grinned and gripped my arms. “Keep calm, feisty one,” he told me. “You will be sold soon enough. Come on.” He abruptly ended what little conversation we just shared and diverted his attention to the sluggish movement of the others, who were not quite eager to be made a spectacle of.
Needless to say, it was out of our control, and like the cattle we were, we were chained once more and led to what was called the marketplace. I hadn’t showered in days, and the camisole I wore was now stained with sweat, tears, and dirt. I could feel it clinging to me, and as the first rays of the sun grew warm on my skin, new sweat beads began to form, soon to mingle with others that had just been resurrected.
We all stood, like ducks in a row, on an iron grid in the center of a steel platform. We were separated now, no longer units in the same chain gang, but still heavily guarded. Though the restraints were no longer necessary, where would we escape?
I couldn’t help thinking this was it, and I saw my new life stretched before me, beyond the people gathered there, already clamoring and making demands. I knew without a doubt that my future was bleak, and by the looks of things, not only were we going to be sold, but we were also going to be made into a public spectacle at an auction.
I had never been to an actual auction before. Neither did I think I would eventually become
a part of the show.
Jonas stepped up and began making a speech to the crowd. It seemed to elevate their spirits, for soon they were hooting and wailing and seemed impatient. I tried not to look at their faces just in case I attracted anyone in particular.
Instead, my mind was transported to the comfort of my bed and my PTSD group, who I was sure were not surprised at my absence and who wouldn’t notice if I didn’t show up again. Then I remembered the almost empty desk in the corner of the office where I spent most of my days, cooped up in a cubicle as if hiding, though visible to everyone. My memories flashed before me one at a time, and I was stuck in time in a desperate bid to escape the present.
My thoughts were disturbed when I saw the whimpering girl pulled to the front of the group. “For this petite thing, she will make a great domestic helper.” Jonas began. “Nice firm skin, not too bad to look at, and very strong, too.” He listed the personal attributes of the woman, and the crowd mumbled while he did. “Bidding starts at two copper pieces.” And then the noise erupted as his voice increased and sped up as he pointed from one person to another. At the end of it, no one was willing to spend more than seven copper pieces for her. I wondered what I was worth.
The name of the buyer was logged in a digital device Jonas had, and the girl was taken off the platform, kicking and screaming all the way.
And so it was for the fourth, fifth, and sixth woman, all the women, until it was my turn. I could not see where the familiar faces from the container had gone, even though I tried to. I stood there feeling like filth as Jonas started pointing to different parts of my body, motioning to my hair, and demonstrating my skin, in a tell-all show of my usefulness to the next man who wanted to buy me.
As with every other woman before me, the bidding started at two copper pieces. I blinked rapidly and then closed my eyes, not wanting to see the man whom I would belong to in another couple minutes. But the minutes dragged on too long; the last I heard, I was up to one silver piece. I assumed the scale of their monetary system consisted largely of metals and jewels. I wondered what their highest unit of currency was—anything to distract me from my current state. And then the noise abated as the buyers discussed my current price.
“Come on,” Jonas urged. “Who says one silver and one copper piece for this dark-skinned wonder?” There was silence, and the last bidder waited anxiously, ready to pay his silver piece for my life.
“Two gold pieces,” someone from the middle of the crowd shouted, and all heads turned to see who in their right mind would do something so ludicrous, having the gall to pay two entire gold pieces for a slave. The man looked as ordinary as the rest, and I assumed he would be no less of a slave master than the others.
“Anyone for three gold pieces?” Jonas asked, but no one seemed willing to go above that. When no one responded, he declared, “Sold,” and documented the sale. I was taken off the stage, and it was then I discovered where the others before me were taken.
I was marshaled into a large room that seemed to be made of glass behind the platform and hidden from the public view. The others were quiet, and I was the same as I joined them. When the auction was over, Jonas came to us, and one by one, our new owners made their payments and received their rewards. The whimpering girl looked back at us for the last time as a tear rolled down her face. I would never see them again. Not unless I was lucky, and it was evident I did not fall into that category.
When it was my turn, I nervously watched the glass door for my new owner to enter. He didn’t seem half as bad when he did, but he hardly looked at me. He gripped my arm and tugged me outside just before slinging me into the second seat on the flying thing.
“Are we going to your house?” I asked him. I was trying to strike up a conversation; maybe if he liked me, he would be kind to me.
“No,” was all he said and continued along.
He got to a large structure made of stone and mirrors, or so it appeared to me. It was quaint and, in another sense, rather exotic-looking. He hovered toward the back of the house and then hopped out. He handed me a large coat with a hat and instructed me to cover up with it. Was he hiding me? That was the first thought that came to mind when I observed him and noticed his limited conversation.
He tapped the clear rectangular screen outside the door, and it beeped and then slid open. He directed me inside, and then I heard a click as it closed behind me. When I turned around, he was gone. I raced to the door and then stopped when I realized I had no clue how to open it. There were buttons, levers, and strange markings that meant nothing to me, and when I touched one, a loud alarm went off. I covered my ears and looked around wildly, thankful it only did so once.
It was evident I was alone, so I wandered around the house, taking note of my new abode. Or at least I thought that was what it was. I felt like I was in a science lab; almost everything was made of either steel or glass-like material, despite the older model exterior. It was a fusion of old and new that came together beautifully, and I, for the first time since I had been to that wretched place, was in awe.
I wasn’t sure how much time passed since I’d gotten there, but I was growing impatient and overly anxious. I walked to the window and looked out, seeing far and wide the general layout of the city. Just then, I heard a sliding sound, and when I turned around, I saw him, the man from the compound I had noticed when I just arrived.
He walked over to me, his presence looming over mine. He didn’t have a smile, but a sour temperament and a confused look about him. My hands gripped the window’s edge and pressed downward. He stood before me, and his eyes flashed dark and wicked. I tried to pull my eyes away, but it seemed he had some power over me that prevented my movement. He searched me with his eyes, his nose now turned up and his glare disapproving, and I grew conscious of his disdain.
I tried to push him away, but he grabbed my hand and wheeled me around so my back was now pressing against his large frame. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end when he lowered his head, and his breath frightened even them.
“You’re mine,” he whispered and then let go of me rather forcefully.
I stumbled before catching my balance just shy of him. I thought I had seen a look of admiration when I first saw him in the streets, but now I saw I must have been wrong. As I stood there looking at his back, I hated him, and I didn’t even know him.
I was still seething with rage when he grabbed me and led me into an all-white chamber.
Chapter 7 / Keira
Just a few days ago, I had been walking home from work, listlessly at most, and drifting into another lonely night that would precede yet another mundane day. I didn’t even know other planets with active lives existed until I was kidnapped, not by any alien, but by other humans. The anger in me grew to enormous proportions when I thought of the days that had ensued, the brutality, the inhumane conditions that had greeted me upon arrival, and of my being auctioned off like cattle. I hadn’t been sure what to expect after that, but the once admiring face of one of the aliens had now turned its sunny side down, and I was greeted with only a scowl.
He stood there looking at me, and I made every attempt to match his countenance. But I found it didn’t take much effort.
“What now?” I asked him.
“Go into the chamber,” he told me.
“The… What the hell is a chamber?” I asked as my face contorted. I had no intentions of being vaporized or some other shit I wasn’t sure about. He came over, and I looked into his face, observing piercing black eyes and skin that was sort of bluish. It was hypnotic, and for a second, it distracted me from the hold he had on my hand as he tugged me into the room.
“There,” he told me. “Now, I have to go. Sari will tell you what to do.”
“Sari? Who the fuck is Sari?” I shouted after him, but his long black hair that fell to the middle of his back, swishing across the bodysuit he wore, was all I saw before he disappeared outside.
I started to move off, but the door slid shut before I
got to it. “What the…?” I asked myself as I pressed my hands on the glass and looked upward for a way out. “Hey!” I shouted, but I soon found it was useless.
Now what?
I sighed and folded my arms as I walked around the room, not knowing what I was supposed to do. There was nothing there but a white cushioned stool of sorts and metal railings bordering the plain white room. There was a vent in the center of the eastern wall, too high for me to reach. Too bad. I looked around and, remembering the door that wasn’t there before, started tracing my hands along the wall. It was smooth, almost like plastic, but I found nothing. I was growing more frustrated, and I stomped and yelled to no one in particular but the room and myself.
“Hello. I am Sari. How may I assist?”
The voice was that of a woman, and I jumped, looking around me wildly for the one who had spoken. “Who is that?”
“I’m Sari. How may I assist?”
The voice echoed in the room and seemed to be coming from no distinct place. But it was automated, so I assumed then it was electronic and resonating from hidden speakers.
“Sari, how do I get out of here?” I thought I might at least try.
“My sensors detect a high bacteria count. Please proceed to the cleansing pod.”
“Cleansing pod? Just get me out of here!” I shouted to the machine or robot or whatever the hell it was.
Suddenly, another glass door slid open, but I saw nothing there but white. I walked closer to it, ever cautious and expecting anything. I stuck my head inside while my hands remained firmly glued to the wall to my left.
“Please step into the center of the pod.”
“Step? Hell no,” I said and moved back. I wasn’t sure what this “Sari” was about to do, and I wasn’t feeling experimental.
“Please step into the middle of the pod to avoid alternate decontamination.”
