Alien Rapunzel

by Zara Zenia

  After a while, I glanced at my tablet in her hands. It told me that my time was almost up, and Colonel Weiss would be arriving at the door to retrieve me. "So you know, Kelly and Mei are still looking for more information."

  She looked at me earnestly. "Can she find my past?" She looked frightened of whatever may have happened to her, but then she took a determined breath and the look cleared from her face. "If Mother is keeping me here for some other reason…" She frowned and stared off toward her balcony. "But what could it be?" She sighed. "Why would she take me from my family?"

  I didn't want to tell her my theory, not yet. "I don't know, but we're going to find out. I promise." An idea struck me. "I think I know a way to get more information on you. If you are willing to try it."

  "How?"

  "With a blood sample."

  "Will that help?" She bit her lip and looked around her room. She got up from my lap and moved to her bookcase, opening a box. She pulled out a pair of scissors and then looked at me. "What should I put it in?"

  I stood up and went back to the table. Opening one of the CD cases, I pulled the disc and paper out, added the disc in with another disc and then gave her the plastic case. "Here, it should work like a glass slide."

  "Okay, here goes," she commented, slicing her finger open with the scissors. She dripped the blood onto the inside of the case cover and then closed it. "I hope this works."

  "I am sure that it will." I stroked her cheek and smiled at her. "I'm going to have to go, or your Thornbush will be after me."

  She nodded and stood up. Turning to the table, she returned the CDs back to the box, including the one with the blood sample and put the tissue paper over it, tucking it all in neatly. "I wish we had more time."

  "So do I," I replied, drawing her into my arms again. "May I kiss you?"

  She bit her lip and then smiled at me. "You know, you don't have to ask me anymore, I'm always going to say yes." Closing her eyes, she pushed up on her toes and moved her arms around my neck. I leaned down and brushed my lips against hers in a sweet kiss. I wanted more, but we didn't have much time, and she was still so innocent that I hated to push for more. I was surprised when she pressed herself more firmly against me and her fingers dove into my hair, gripping it tightly. Her lips parted and she licked my lips. My tongue met hers and our kiss turned more passionate.

  Regretfully, I broke our kiss a few moments later. "If I don't go, your security system will go active."

  "I know," she said, sighing. Her shoulders drooped and she stepped back from me. "I wish I could go with you, but I need to know what Mother is up to. Why she took me from that beach, how I got there."

  "I know. And we will figure it out. I promise you. For now, I had better go. As soon as I know something I will email you." I caressed her cheek, kissed her once more, picked up the box of CDs and opened her door. Swallowing hard, I said, "Thank you for your help with this, Miss Morse."

  "It was my pleasure, Mr. Planter." Her words were pleasant, but they didn't match the sad look on her face.

  I mouthed, "I'll miss you," without making a sound and then turned and jogged down the steps. I met Colonel Weiss at the bottom of the stairs, and he escorted me to the gate.

  "Keep her safe, Colonel," I commented as I passed the guard shack.

  "Always, sir."

  With a nod, I walked to my transport and headed home to call Lortnam and Kelly to give them the information Laura had shared about her dreams.

  Chapter 14

  Laura

  I couldn't believe what Rawklix had shown me about my adoption. Mother had lied to me for the last four years. I knew she wasn't my real mother, but she had told me I'd been with her since I was little, that someone had kidnapped me and taken me from her. How was I to know? I had no memories beyond waking up and her calling herself my mother! Was my real mom out there somewhere, wondering what happened to me? Was she wondering if I'd been killed? Was she missing me? Was my brother? Had he given up on finding me too?

  I couldn't wrap my head around all the thoughts drifting through my head. The documents had called me a Jane Doe, found unconscious on a beach here in Miami, had they even tried to look for my real parents? Or had they just accepted that a rich lady wanted to 'adopt' me and wrote me off as cared for?

  I decided to see if I could find anything online about my supposed kidnapping, or my mysterious appearance unconscious on a Miami beach. Or even my adoption. Surely there were hospital records, weren't there? Mother didn't just bring me here and not take me to the hospital, did she?

  I booted up my laptop and hit Google, typing in Miami missing children from four to five years ago. I scrolled through the numerous missing children, feeling sad that so many kids had gone missing. But not one of them looked like me at all. I decided to expand my search to Florida and spent another three hours scrolling through those faces.

  Again, none looked like me. I had no idea where to go from there with the missing kids angle, so I decided to look through news articles from the summer that Mother said I turned up on the beach to see if I could find anything about my appearance there on the beach.

  Not one news article was written about a lost, unconscious teen found on the beach. It didn't make sense, unless Mother lied to the authorities and to me. It was very frustrating. I attempted to check the hospital records of the numerous Miami hospitals, but it was slow going because there were so many to check! Miami was a big city, much bigger than I thought from my lonely tower. I couldn't find anything listing me as a patient, and all the Jane Doe cases — so many Jane Does! — nothing sounded like me and my story.

  The sunlight was waning when Colonel Weiss knocked on the door.

  "Miss Laura, I've brought your dinner."

  "Come in, Colonel Weiss." I set the laptop aside and went to open the door.

  He stepped through carrying a bag and a soda. "Made this special for you," he said, his eyes brightening for a moment.

  "Thank you…" I closed the door behind him. "How did you arrange that?"

  "I hacked an online order system for Taxi Eats. They delivered to the gate and I picked it up while covering for the guard."

  "Colonel Weiss, that was very sneaky!" I took the bag from him and dug in. "I swear you are my only friend here. I don't know what I'd do without you."

  "The feeling is mutual, Miss Laura."

  I looked up at him, startled. "You are being careful not to arouse Thornbush and Mother to your … being aliveness, aren't you?"

  "Caution is taken when around them, Miss Laura. I have no wish to be disassembled."

  "Good." I took a bite of my burger. It was perfect and delicious. "Colonel, how long have you known me?"

  "A little more than four years, Miss Laura."

  "So you weren't here before four years ago?"

  "I was here, my duties were in the Castle though, not serving you."

  "Why is that?"

  "You were not here before four years ago."

  "So I wasn't always with Mother?"

  "I do not know where you were prior to you coming to live here. I suspect it was not anywhere near here, nor with Ms. Morse."

  "Colonel, the dreams I've been having, about living on a farm… could they be memories?"

  His eyes blazed a bright brilliant blue. "Indeed they could."

  "Then I had to have come from somewhere with snow. I remember the snow. It was heavy and deep. So that would mean somewhere in the north, wouldn't it."

  "I believe you may be correct, Miss Laura."

  "Colonel, I don't belong here."

  "No, Miss Laura, you do not."

  I finished my food and then played a game of chess with Colonel Weiss, but my mind wasn't focused on it. Instead it was filled of thoughts of my past.

  Chapter 15

  Rawklix

  I took the sample of Laura's blood to the scientists onboard my palace ship. "Dr. Kelforx, I need this sample run immediately."

  "Is there something specific you are looking
for, my Prince?" He took the CD case from me.

  "This is a sample of Laura Morse's blood. I believe she was kidnapped by Nora Morse and is being held hostage by her for some nefarious reason."

  "I see, then I shall run the sample through the FBI and Missing Children Foundation's files. See if there is a match. I will do it anonymously, so that we gain the access but don't tip off either bureau. It would be safer at the moment that way."

  "Excellent, Dr. Kelforx, how soon before we have an answer?"

  "It could take a few hours, my Prince. However, I will do my best."

  "Thank you, please notify me as soon as you have an answer." I gave him a nod and went back down to the level where my suite of rooms were located.

  I pulled up a group messaging text and sent out an alert to my brothers. I wanted to have their help and input on my next step. They replied that they would arrive within the next few hours to discuss things with me. In the meantime, I went and took a shower and ate dinner in front of the tv. I was antsy and didn't eat much, much to Fellnix's displeasure.

  "Did you not like the casserole, my Prince?" he said, his feelings of hurt clear on his face.

  "It's really good, Fellnix, I promise, it isn't your cooking that is putting me off, it's my head."

  "Very well then. I shall clear it away. Do you need anything else, sir?"

  "No," I shook my head, "my brothers will be arriving shortly."

  "I will have appetizers prepared then, my Prince. Perhaps one of them will appreciate my cooking."

  I sighed. "I do appreciate your cooking, Fellnix. You are the best cook on two planets!"

  Fellnix smiled at that. "I will see to the appetizers." He disappeared with my plate.

  Thirty minutes later, my brothers arrived in quick succession. Fellnix let each of them in and offered them sandwiches and canapes and other treats, as well as glasses of Trilyn wine.

  "All right, little brother, what was so urgent you had us traveling all these miles to you?" Akrawn asked.

  "As you all know, I have been pursuing a young woman named Laura Morse, and save it," I held a hand up to stop their protests, "I know the dangers of messing with Nora Morse. I saw Laura today, and she provided me with a blood sample. Dr. Kelforx is running it as we speak, and we should have a few answers about her."

  "Are you hoping she's your genetic match?" Darbnix asked.

  "I don't care if she's genetically compatible to me or not. My heart says she's the one for me. I know Father wants us all married and having heirs to help the Trilyn people and maybe she is my genetic match, but even if she isn't, I'm still going to marry her."

  Lortnam grinned. "Father will be livid if she's not. Still he will probably allow it, considering you're the last of us and his favorite."

  "I'm not." I frowned at him as a knock sounded on the door. I looked over at the door to the kitchen to see if Fellnix was going to get it, but after a moment, I got up and opened it. "Dr. Kelforx, come in."

  He stepped into the room and stuttered to a stop seeing all of us. "Forgive me for intruding, my Princes. I will come back—"

  "Dr. Kelforx, they're here waiting on the information you have for us," I assured him.

  He nodded. "I see. In that case, I can assure you that Laura Morse is in no way genetically related to Nora Morse. In fact, after running her DNA through the files, I found a match to a young woman who went missing almost five years ago from Nebraska. She was reported kidnapped and hasn't been seen since."

  "What was the age of the young woman?" Manzar asked.

  "What was her name?" asked Akrawn.

  "Do you have details?" Jinurak asked.

  "At the time of the kidnapping, the young woman was fifteen. Her name is Laurie Forrester. She was taken from a store parking lot, in Omaha, Nebraska. She had been shopping with her mother, a Mrs. Sally Forrester who has since passed away, and her brother Daniel. The Forresters owned a farm outside of Omaha. It was foreclosed on about three months after Laurie went missing."

  "That's awful," I murmured. "How did her mother die?"

  Dr. Kelforx glanced up from his notes. "A heart attack about a week after the foreclosure."

  "What happened to her brother, Daniel?" Lortnam asked.

  "I haven't looked into him, so I'm not sure, sir."

  "I'll see if Kelly and Mei can find out," Lortnam suggested.

  "Thank you," I replied. "I want her to have him in her life, especially if he is her only family left."

  "Who bought their farm?" Akrawn asked, curiously.

  Dr. Kelforx looked at his notes. "After it was foreclosed on, it was bought by a tech company called V-Reality, however, the land has not been developed at this time."

  "A tech company? Could that be one of Nora Morse's tech companies?" Gardax asked.

  "I would not know, my Princes, I did not look into that part."

  "Easy enough to search," Akrawn said, pulling out his phone. After a few minutes he affirmed, "Nora Morse is listed as one of the owners."

  I growled at the thought that she'd manipulated things to get her hands on Laurie. I had no doubt Nora was behind everything.

  "There is more, my Princes." He looked at me. "She is your genetic match, Prince Rawklix."

  "She is?" Lortnam asked, surprised. "That puts a new light on this. How did Nora know?"

  "She's had access to our tech almost since the beginning. She may have been in on the sabotage of the scanners," Jinurak put in.

  "Well they are working better than ever now," Akrawn promised.

  "I think Nora knew that Laurie was a genetic match to one of us and kidnapped her. She used her skills to change Laurie's appearance, wiped her memories like she tried to do to Ariana, 'adopted' her and called her Laura." I ran my hands through my hair as I put forth my theory.

  "What the hell is her problem with us?" Lortnam asked. "Did one of you spurn her attentions or something?"

  We all shook our heads.

  "I think she's just a crazy Human." Darbnix frowned.

  "Thank you, Dr. Kelforx, you can return to the labs." I smiled at him.

  "It was my pleasure, my Prince." He nodded once and left.

  "So knowing all of this, what should we do?"

  "Well, I think our best bet is to call in Special Agent David Yadav," Jinurak said.

  "I agree," Lortnam replied, nodding at his twin.

  "I'll do it," Akrawn said, hitting speed dial on his phone. A moment later, he said, "David, it's good to hear your voice." He put him on speaker phone.

  "Prince Akrawn? How is Cat? Everything good?"

  "Cat is doing well. I'm here with my brothers and we've run into a little problem we thought you might be able to help us with."

  "Oh? One of you hasn't been arrested have you?" He sounded worried.

  "No, nothing so simple as that," Lortnam answered. "It's in regard to Nora Morse."

  "And that is a name I haven't wanted to hear again." He sighed. "That trial was a joke, I swear!" He sounded personally affronted. After a moment, he said, "All right, what's going on?"

  I explained it all to him and then said, "Do you think your office can help?"

  "The UEG will have a warrant to search the property known as the Tower and the Castle within forty-eight hours, is that fast enough for you?" he promised.

  "It will have to be," I replied. "Thanks, David."

  Chapter 16

  Laura

  Mother was due home at any moment, and I was so angry with her I didn't even know where to start. But start I would, because I was going to find out where I came from even if it killed me!

  I paced my prison for an hour before she came knocking on my door, all fluttering and saying how much she missed me.

  "You missed me as well, didn't you, darling?" she asked.

  "Actually, no, I didn't." I was practically seething. "I'd like some answers, Mother."

  "What are you all in a dither about, Laura? Why are you acting as if I'm Cinderella's evil stepmother?" She frowned at me and
acted all innocent.

  Her behavior just made me angrier. "I'd like an honest answer, Mother."

  "Darling, I am always honest—"

  I snorted out a laugh. "Don't even try that innocent act, Mother." I ground my teeth. "When did you adopt me?"

  She looked taken aback, her eyes widening and her lips parting on a gasp. She was still attempting to play the innocent. "What's the matter with you, Laura? You know I adopted you when you were young. What is this about?"

  I snorted again, this time at her hypocrisy. "No. You didn't. You found me on a beach, supposedly, and then told the authorities what? That I was your foster kid and you wanted to adopt me? But that was mostly a lie, wasn't it!"

  "I have no idea what you are talking about. Where is this nonsense coming from?" she asked, still attempting to make herself seem faultless.

  Shaking my head, I continued, "There are no records of anything but the adoption of a Jane Doe by you four years ago! No newspaper reports of a teen found unconscious on the beach, no Jane Doe teens admitted to any of the area hospitals at the time, nothing!"

  "Well, I didn't want the publicity," she claimed, but she looked a little more nervous now.

  I narrowed my eyes at her. "You're lying. I looked for stories of your foster daughter having been kidnapped and there are no records of even that happening! Believe me, I've looked everywhere! So what is the real story, Mother? Hmmm? Who the hell am I?"

  She pursed her lips and practically growled at me. "I have had just about enough out of you! If you are going to act like a brat, then I'll treat you like one!" She whirled around and left the room, slamming the door behind her. I heard her punch in a code, and I knew she was resetting it to one I wouldn't know.

  I stomped my foot and screamed, "You can't keep me locked up in here for the rest of my life!" I slammed my palm on the door, making it sting. "Who am I? Where did I come from? Where is my real family? Why are you keeping me here?" Angry tears streamed down my cheeks. "Why are you doing this?" I rested my forehead against the door.