The pager! The thought hit me like a wall. I had completely forgotten about all the stuff I’d brought with me. The things in the envelope—the broken gun, the pictures. Not to mention the camera that had been pinned to the clothes that were who-knows-where now—but most importantly, the pager. My one hope for a ticket out of here.
Assuming Kalisha was alive.
Tristen noticed the change in my demeanor.
“What’s wrong?”
The question was laughable. What wasn’t?
“I didn’t mention before, but, well, I wasn’t brought here involuntarily. There was a mission organized by some people in the city. We were supposed to get information and then after, there was supposed to be a rescue party.”
Tristen sat up.
“A rescue party?”
“Yeah, but they took all the stuff I had. I can’t believe I didn’t remember ‘til now. I was supposed to signal the group leader when I was done, but….”
“But there’s still people out there coming, right? I mean, they wouldn’t change that just because things didn’t go to plan, right?”
I shrugged.
“No idea. The whole thing was planned out pretty poorly from the beginning.”
“But they know where we are, right?”
He was in earnest.
“I guess, probably. Do you know where other people might be?”
He sat back in his chair, sighing deeply.
“No. I’ve been stuck in this same room since they finished the medical tests.”
“You’ve just been sitting in here for weeks? Alone?”
“Well, actually, I had a roommate—Allison—who was here for a while. She was a psychoanalyst. She spent a lot of time evaluating the Vela—their behaviors, desires, intentions. They took her away a few of days ago, just like she said they would.”
“She knew they were going to take her?”
“It was just a guess, but obviously she was right.”
“Why then?”
A humorless half-laugh escaped him.
“According to Allison, the Vela aren’t ‘malevolent’,” he said, using little air quotes. “She said they consider themselves environmentalists.”
“Oookay,” I said, wondering how this answered the question.
“Her theory—which she’s been developing since the arrival—was that they were here to save the planet from—from us. You know, humans killing the earth with pollution and stuff. So they whittled down the population to a small percentage and that way, theoretically, only the strongest, most superior genes remained. The ones they would use to repopulate the planet."
I was still confused.
“So… Why did they take her away?”
“For the same reason they brought you here.”
He shifted uncomfortably in the chair and looked away.
“They wanted me and her to… repopulate. And we didn’t, so…they took her away and brought you instead.”
I couldn’t believe where he was going with this.
“So you’re saying….”
“Yes, the aliens want us to breed.”
Chapter 27
“That’s got to be the worst pick-up line I’ve ever heard,” I said hotly. “If you’re that hard up, the least you could do is be honest and not make up some lame story.”
“I’m not making it up!” Tristen’s voice was indignant. “It’s Allison’s theory—but just look around you. The bed in here, the hot tub in the bathroom, even the way they dressed you. It just adds up.”
I tugged self-consciously at the red dress, suddenly aware of how revealing it was.
“I’m—I’m not trying to hit on you, Rhyan. I’m just telling you why I think they took Allison.”
I stood up, crossed my arms, and glared down at him.
“Where? Where did they take her? Are you saying if I don’t—whatever—with you, they’ll take me too?”
“I don’t know where she is. She guessed they would try to match her up with someone else, so maybe she’s in another of these rooms somewhere.”
“With another guy?” I asked. “So basically, you think the Vela are running some sort of brothel or something.”
And I’d thought John was crazy.
“It’s just a theory, Rhyan,” he said angrily. “Calm down.”
Pursing my lips, I sat back down on the floor with a huff. Like he could tell me something like that and expect me to be calm.
We fell into silence. The room itself was void of any sound—no whirring of appliances or rustling breeze. The only noise came from our breathing and fidgeting.
What was going on with the others? Kalisha, especially. Had she been able to contact the rescue group to let them know everything had gone horribly wrong? If she hadn’t, would they come anyway? Or would they assume we were all dead, and not worth the risk.
Why had I agreed to this? It would have been better to just leave the city and try to make it on my own. I probably would’ve been hungry all the time, but at least I wouldn’t be imprisoned in this godforsaken chamber, air so stuffy it felt like I could choke on it.
“You know,” Tristen said, interrupting my thoughts. “I think Allison’s theory might explain why they killed Tanya…. Maybe because she was so young. Too young to raise kids.”
“Yeah, maybe,” I replied vaguely.
“I don’t even know why I care about being rescued. With Tanya gone, there’s nobody left. I don’t even know if there’s a reason to live now.”
He slumped in his seat, one hand supporting his downward face. The sight irritated me.
“Tristen, look. Of course there’s a reason to stay alive. Do you think Tanya—or any of your family—would want you to just give up? At the very least you could try to repay the ones that killed them.”
“Why?”
“Why?”
“Yeah, why? What good does it do, fighting them? It’s doesn’t bring anybody back.”
I scowled.
“So you’d rather just sit around in here and wait for them to bring you girls?”
A flash of anger flickered over Tristen’s face and he stomped through the archway that presumably led to the bathroom. The most away-from-me he could get.
If the aliens had been hoping Tristen and I would hook up, then had they gotten it wrong. I doubted there were any two people who irritated each other more.
Tristen eventually emerged from his solitude and we spent the next few hours not speaking. I watched him get some fruit from the mini refrigerator I hadn’t noticed before, and helped myself as soon as he left it. I wandered through the archway into the bathroom. It featured a huge, modern hot tub and a waterfall shower. I scoured the place for any form of entertainment—a book, a pack of cards, a set of crayons, but there was nothing. Tristen merely sat facing the wall, ignoring me.
Fatigue seeped into my muscles, and, somewhat ashamed, I relinquished my boycott of alien furniture and laid down on the enormous bed. It was so soft that the shame I felt flew right out of my mind. Hoping Tristen would have enough of a clue to stay far away, I drifted to sleep.
I awoke to the smell of roast meat. Disoriented at first, I gazed at my surroundings for a moment before my memory returned and things clicked into place. Tristen was at the table, feasting on something that made my mouth water.
“What’s that?” I asked, before I remembered we weren’t speaking to each other.
He looked at me stoically before answering.
“Dinner. Chicken and potatoes. They sent some for you, too.”
Sometime during my slumber, I had drifted to the center of the bed so I had to crawl several paces before reaching the edge. Then, with as much poise as I could muster in a wrinkled dress and disheveled hair, I sat across from Tristen at the table.
The chicken had been cooked to a perfect golden brown, and the potato cubes were dusted with buttery spices that smelled divine. Finished with his own meal, Tristen watched me eat.
“Hungry, are you?” Tristen
said. “I’d forgotten how hungry people get out there.”
My response was to devour the last bite of potato.
“Is the food always this good?”
“Yeah. I kind of wondered if they were forcing some professional chef to cook for us or something.”
“Where does it come from?”
“Through the hatch—but just a little slot in the middle. Not big enough to fit through.”
I finished the eating and sighed. It had been the perfect amount, just enough to satisfy, not one bite more. Walking to the hatch, I examined it closely. Steel—no busting through that with a meager fork—and, based on the heavy sound it made when pounded on, very thick.
I turned to Tristen, who was gazing at me from the table.
“What escape attempts have you tried?”
“Enough to know there’s no way to,” he said flatly.
“There has to be,” I contended. “Nothing is infallible.”
“I’ve been in here a long time. And with nothing to do besides think. Even if you managed to come up with something I haven’t, the second we got out, we’d be surrounded. The Vela are always watching.”
He pointed up to the lens that hung over our heads like an eagle hovering over its prey.
“Good,” I said. “Bring ‘em on.”
He scoffed. I glowered.
It didn’t matter what Tristen thought. Even if he couldn’t, I would find a way out.
Chapter 28
If someone had told me a year ago that I would be kidnapped by aliens, I never would’ve guessed I’d use the word ‘boring’ to describe the experience. But that’s exactly what I was: bored. There was absolutely nothing to do, which, if Tristen’s theory was correct, was probably the point.
I had to admit, it kind of made sense. It explained why the Vela had ceased the massive slaughter they’d begun on first arrival. And why they had tried not to injure anyone back at the brawl. It even explained why they’d tracked us down on foot, engaging in hand-to-hand combat in an effort to identify ‘the fittest’, instead of nuking us all with one fell blast.
But if it was their intent to have the remaining few begin multiplying, they’d seriously misunderstood what they were dealing with. Locking a couple of people into a room and lighting up a chandelier did not equate the propagation of the species. I wondered where they’d gotten their information.
It couldn’t hurt, though, to be a little more polite to Tristen. He hadn’t asked to be locked away in a room by a bunch of overzealous tree-huggers. And he certainly hadn’t asked to be locked in it with me. In fact, he was probably the closest thing I was had to an ally.
Glancing over, I saw him lying stomach-down on the bed, head propped up on his palm, a glum expression molded onto his features. He was probably more bored than I was.
“So, um, Tristen,” I began. “Where did you go to school?”
He looked at me in surprise, but answered graciously.
“North High.”
“I wasn’t too far from there—at Wilson.”
“The Grizzlies, right?”
“Yep. Were you a senior?”
He nodded. “Would’ve graduated with honors.”
“All that work for nothing.”
“Wouldn’t have mattered. I wasn’t going to college anyway.”
“Why not?”
“I had plans to record an album. I’m a musician.”
“What do you play?” I asked.
“Guitar.”
I could tell from the way he spoke that he was a good singer.
“Too bad there’s not a guitar here.”
“You probably wouldn’t like my stuff anyway.”
“Why not?”
“Not heavy enough for you.”
“Who says I like heavy metal?”
He smirked. “Oh come on. Your whole attitude gives it away.”
I wasn’t sure if he’d meant that as an insult or not.
“What’d you do, before all this?” he asked.
The question caught me off guard. I had a hard time remembering my past self. Almost like it had departed the moment the aliens arrived.
“Well, I…. I liked movies.”
“Action?”
“Yeah. And comedies.”
The thought came with real surprise. I had liked comedies. Now I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d laughed.
“Too bad we don’t have a TV,” Tristen said.
“And an Xbox,” I replied.
“You’re a gamer?”
“I used to play with my brother.”
Unexpected tears sprung suddenly to my eyes. I blinked hard to keep them back. Tristen noticed.
“I’m sorry,” he said softly.
He was, I could tell. He knew what it was like, losing a sibling.
“I’m sorry too.”
He pushed himself up into a sitting position.
“I’m also sorry for hitting you. I—I didn’t even know what I was doing.”
“You already apologized for that,” I said.
“I did?”
“Yeah.” I took a breath before continuing. “And I’m sorry for—for what I said about you wanting to sit in here waiting for girls.”
I couldn’t believe it, he almost smiled.
“Well I’m sorry for eating your dessert.”
“My what? There was dessert?”
“Chocolate truffles. They were really good.”
I crossed my arms and glared.
“I get yours. Next time.”
“That’s fair,” he said lightly. Then suddenly he sighed deeply and his whole demeanor changed.
“Rhyan, you gotta tell me more—more about what was planned. How long were you supposed to be here before they sent the rescue in?”
I couldn’t blame him for being so keen—anyone would be. Unfortunately, I didn’t have much to give him.
“There wasn’t a set time—just when everybody finished their job and notified the leader. But I don’t think anyone will be able to get a hold of her. Not if the same thing happened to them.”
He was silent, thinking hard.
“Seriously,” I continued. “The whole thing was planned so badly, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was someone’s intention from the start for us to fail.”
The idea struck me suddenly, and at first seemed to have merit. Would the Captain really have sunk so low as to send us to our death? In my case, probably. I was ‘the enemy’ after all—the guy clearly didn’t take well to threats.
But everyone else? Dozens of innocent people? I couldn’t think of any way he would benefit from that. And besides, he’d put Kalisha in charge. Capable, determined Kalisha. He wouldn’t have done that if he’d wanted us to fail. Probably.
Tristen was still sitting in contemplative silence.
“I know you’ve been in here a long time,” I said. “But maybe together we can think of some way to escape that you couldn’t by yourself.”
He looked at me with a half smile and my stomach flipped.
“Well, what else is there to do?”
Chapter 29
“We could… wait, no.”
“Maybe… actually, never mind.”
We’d been brainstorming for hours. Everything from climbing the chandelier chain to bursting the bathroom plumbing had been suggested, but none of the ideas had any real potential. The closest we’d come was Tristen’s idea of injuring himself in hopes that the Vela would open the hatch to treat him and I could fight my way out, but I’d vetoed that idea quickly.
“There has to be a way to do this without getting hurt”, I’d said.
But now, hours later, I was less hopeful. We were as trapped as bugs under a jar and no amount of brainpower would change that.
“What else did you and Allison talk about?” I asked Tristen. He was doing sit-ups. Under normal circumstances it would have been annoying to try and talk to someone who insisted on working out, but this conversation hadn’t been going anywhere for a
while.
“Tons of stuff,” he huffed. “Be more specific.”
“Maybe if I had a better idea of how the aliens think, we would have a better shot at finding a weakness.”
“Ninety-eight, ninety-nine, a hundred,” he grunted as he finished the set. Sweat trickled down his face as I waited for him to respond.
“Theories,” he puffed. “It was all just theories. It wasn’t like there was a lab we could test them in.”
“Theories are more than I’ve got right now.”
He dried the sweat from his face with a plush white towel. Everything in the room, the towel included, was the best quality. Even the toilet paper was first class.
“All right," he agreed. "One of the biggest things Allison believed was that we had to stop thinking of them as the enemy. That if they really are here to help save the planet, we should be working with them.”
“That’s atrocious. They show up completely out of the blue, kill us on a global scale, and we're supposed to go along with it?”
“Well—again, these are Allison’s words, not mine, so don’t freak out at me—assuming they have come with honorable intentions, cooperating with them would validate our intelligence in their eyes.”
I couldn’t help it, I opened my mouth to argue. But Tristen cut me off.
“Think of it like this: if our environmentalists saw, say a bunch of apes trashing and destroying their habitat, and we went to help them fix it, wouldn’t it be in their best interest to help?”
“Apes would never do that.”
“Exactly. So maybe in their perspective, we have less intelligence than the animals?”
I shrugged. This conversation wasn’t really helping me think of new escape plans.
“You know,” he went on. “People have been breeding animals for centuries. Always trying to pass along the genes of the good animals and keep the undesirable ones from continuing. The racehorses that win have foals and the ones that lose don’t.”
“You’re saying we ‘won’ some psychotic alien game or something? Because we didn’t get our guts slashed out like everyone else?”
Tristen tried to object, but I wasn’t done.
Girl Vs (Sinister Skies Book 1) Page 11
