Annexation

by Marisa Chenery

  “We had no choice. We do what we can to help.”

  Kiri chuckled, and muttered very quietly, “I’m sure that’s why Cax trained me.”

  “Cax?” Lemeah asked.

  She cleared her throat, realizing she’d said something she shouldn’t have. “I heard the name spoken by one of the warriors. Why?”

  “Cax is the son of our leader.”

  “Oh, I didn’t know that.” Kiri pointedly glanced at her house. “Look, if you’re done, I’d like to go home now. The lunch shuttle will arrive soon.”

  Lemeah gave her a small smile. “I’m staying right across the street from you. If you need assistance with anything, please feel free to come to me.”

  “Sure. Whatever.”

  Kiri walked around the female and headed down the bricked walk to her front door. She turned to look back to find Lemeah still on the sidewalk where she’d left her, watching. Kiri let herself inside before closing the door. She leaned against it. She’d been on the rude side with Drace’s sister, even though Lemeah had meant well. Today hadn’t been the best time to make overtures of friendship. What had happened yesterday was too fresh in Kiri’s mind. She became angry every time she thought about it.

  She slid down the door and sat on the floor. Cax was Thalar’s son, and could very well be next in line to take his father’s place as the Atres leader. That was probably how Cax had learned years ago what would happen to Earth. She still didn’t know why he’d trained her only to abandon her when the actual threat came. He being the leader’s son and all, it was probably best that she didn’t see him again. She really had no idea whose side he was on.

  * * * *

  A week went by before Kiri couldn’t stand staying at home night after night and not doing anything. She figured enough time had gone by to have the Atres think they’d taken their attacker by way of one of the adults. She was going to give them a big wake-up call. Starting now.

  After she’d eaten the dinner she’d managed to scrounge together from her dwindling supplies, Kiri went upstairs to wait for darkness to fall and to change into her hunting clothes. Once it was twilight, she went to her parents’ bedroom and looked out the window since it faced the street. A light came on in the upper level of the house directly across from her. Lemeah appeared in the room, holding close the baby in her care. She bent her head, kissed the infant, and smiled.

  Kiri didn’t move away from the window. Lemeah wouldn’t be able to see her since Kiri hadn’t turned on the bedroom light and darkness was falling fast. She continued to watch the female as she placed the baby into a crib. Kiri had seen her every day since their first meeting. She’d cut down on her rudeness as best she could. She had to learn to tolerate the Atres presence on her street. Plus, Lemeah appeared to be harmless. She seemed to take good care of the infant she was in charge of, and was nothing but nice whenever their paths had crossed.

  After closing the bedroom curtains, Kiri headed to her room. She donned the black jeans and long-sleeved T-shirt that had become her hunting uniform, then retrieved her bow and quiver of arrows from the attic. Her last stop before leaving was to the bathroom where she applied her camouflage face paint.

  Kiri headed down the stairs. She checked to make sure the front door was locked before she went to the back one and let herself outside to the backyard. She ran into the shadows to slip away unseen.

  Her destination was the downtown area. Her normal hunting ground. As she carefully worked her way in that direction, she kept a closer eye out for any Atres. Not only did she have to watch for warriors, but there were the non-warrior females to take into account. She didn’t need one to spot her outside and alert others about her breaking curfew. That would blow everything apart.

  It took her a little longer than usual to reach where she was headed. Kiri took her time, wanting no nasty surprises. She arrived without spotting a single Atres warrior on patrol. She picked one of the alleys that was the best place to sight her prey, and waited.

  Kiri had to have been there for forty-five minutes before the sound of an approaching shuttle could be heard before she saw it. It didn’t have a searchlight on as it flew past. To be on the safe side, she squatted in the darkest shadows with her back pressed against one of the brick walls of the alley. She followed it with her gaze until it disappeared.

  Another half hour went by before she heard footsteps coming toward her. Kiri shrugged off her bow from her back. She reached over her right shoulder for an arrow in her quiver. She nocked it, then slowly pulled back the string, ready to let it loose when her targets came into view.

  The first warrior stepped into her sights. Kiri waited a few seconds more before she released her arrow. It took him in the thigh. He cried out and fell to the ground. She didn’t waste any time nocking a second. She stepped closer to the alley’s opening, ready to fire on the next warrior.

  She hesitated. It was Drace. He rushed toward her as she fired at the third warrior, taking him down. Kiri didn’t have time to draw another arrow as Drace reached her. She couldn’t shoot him. She knew him. She took up a karate stance and went on the attack.

  Kiri punched and kicked, even used her bow as a weapon. Drace was a strong opponent, but she was faster. She managed to knock him down, drew an arrow, nocked it and aimed at the fourth warrior of the group who stepped into the alley.

  Her gaze landed on the one person she hadn’t seen for two years, and had only glimpsed on TV the day the Atres had arrived. Cax. She slowly lowered her bow as he stared at her.

  Beside her, Drace came to his feet. Kiri went back into fight mode and hit him a few more times to give her a chance to run.

  “Kiri! Stop!” Cax shouted.

  She ignored him and ran as fast as she could. Kiri heard Drace and Cax give chase, but she knew this city better than they did. And with her nightly hunts, she’d learned all the places she could go to hide.

  She left the alley and ran down the sidewalk to another building that was close by. Kiri found the unlocked side door and ducked inside without making any noise. She ran up the stairs to the roof access. There was a shed-like structure on it. A perfect place for her to stay hidden.

  Kiri closed herself inside it and sank to the floor, breathing hard. She silently swore. Cax. Cax had been there. Being the leader’s son, why was he in El Centro? Shouldn’t he be with his father doing son-of-the-leader things? It was bad enough that she’d run into Drace. He would know it was her since Cax had called her by name.

  A chill ran down her spine. Drace knew her and where she lived. She couldn’t go home, but she had nowhere else. Meg’s place was out of the question. She wouldn’t bring this kind of heat to her friend and her brother. Kiri swore again, this time quietly out loud. She didn’t know what to do.

  She took some deep, calming breaths. She could go home. Once inside, she could activate the discs Drace had given her. He’d said none of his people could break in once they were turned on. That was her only option, and she hoped like hell he wouldn’t lead Cax to her house. Drace had said he didn’t agree with what his people were doing. He had to understand she only did what she did to stand against that.

  Kiri waited a couple of hours in the shed before she ventured out and into the building it sat on. She went down the stairs and then to the outside door. She slowly pulled it open just enough for her to stick her head out and look around. A silent sigh of relief left her when she spotted no one around. She slipped out, and with light steps, ran away.

  It seemed as if her house were a million miles away, and that she’d never reach it. Her breath came out in harsh pants by the time she arrived on her street. Even though she wanted to run straight to her place, she was cautious and took the time to make sure there were no Atres warriors hanging around. Not seeing any, she made a quick dash to her backyard to the back door. As soon as she had it closed behind her, she pressed on the center of the disc attached to it. She quickly did the same to the front door.

  Ki
ri raced upstairs to the bathroom. She put her bow onto the counter before she scrubbed the camouflage paint off her face. Once she finished, she raced to her bedroom to change into some other clothes. She shoved the black jeans and shirt into the back of her closet.

  Not sure what would happen next, Kiri grabbed her bow and quiver before she headed downstairs. She went to the entrance hallway and sat on the floor as she faced the door, placing what she carried next to her. Too keyed-up to sleep, she waited to see what her fate would be.

  Chapter 9

  Kiri jerked her head up as she came awake. She’d fallen asleep in a seated position. She blinked a few times and looked around. The hallway was lit from the sunshine streaming in through the long, narrow, opaque window next to the door. She had no idea what time it was, but it had to be still morning. The sun shone on the front of the house during those hours.

  She pulled her bow onto her lap. Kiri had expected something to happen before now. She’d been outed. Atres warriors should have been banging on her door, demanding to be let in. They’d want to make her pay for what she’d done. She’d probably get a one-way trip to one of their spaceships, never to step foot on Earth again.

  The silence made her uneasy. It was a kind of torture to sit there, not knowing what would happen to her. Maybe Drace had taken pity on her and hadn’t told Cax where to find her.

  A whirring sound of an alien craft arriving on the street caused Kiri to stiffen. Had they come for her now? She relaxed once voices of the kids who lived around her filtered into the house. It was the breakfast shuttle that had arrived to feed everyone. She didn’t go outside to get the meal she wouldn’t eat. It was better for her to stay locked in.

  The voices soon faded, and the shuttle’s engines started. The noise it made as it lifted off had Kiri breathing easier. They hadn’t come for her yet.

  She just about jumped out of her skin when a soft knock came from the back door. Kiri grabbed her quiver with her free hand, stood in one fluid motion, and quietly walked toward it. She made sure she didn’t make a sound. The knock came a second time. She came to a standstill.

  “Kiri, it’s me. Cax.” Cax spoke in a hushed voice. “Let me in. I’m with Drace.” She didn’t answer. Didn’t move. “Kiri, please. We’re not here to hurt you. We only want to talk to you.” Silence fell for a few seconds before he added, “You were only doing what I trained you to do. What I wanted you to do.”

  She sucked in a shocked breath at the last thing he’d said. He’d wanted her to attack his people? She had to wonder what he’d think if he learned that she’d killed some of them.

  “Kiri, let us in. I don’t want anyone to know we’re here. The longer you keep us out, the bigger the chance we could be spotted.”

  “Crap,” she said under her breath. She was going to have to let them inside. She didn’t want something worse than Cax and Drace.

  Kiri slipped her quiver onto her back, nocked an arrow, and walked to stand in front of the back door. She held her bow with one hand as she deactivated the disc before she unlocked it. In quick movements, she threw it open, then stepped aside for Cax and Drace to come in while she kept her arrow aimed at them. She wasn’t ready to let her guard down.

  Cax held up his hands, palms facing outward. “You can lower your weapon. We won’t harm you, Kiri. You’re safe with us. I promise.”

  Kiri reached behind her, shut the door, locked it, and activated the disc. All the while she kept her arrow trained on them. “Why should I believe you? You’re the leader’s son, after all.”

  Cax sighed. “You found out.”

  “Yeah. From Lemeah, Drace’s sister. I mentioned your name, and she told me.”

  “I know who she is. I guess I should have told you when I started training you.”

  “You think. Along with other things. I don’t know, like your people were coming to conquer my freaking planet.” As Kiri spoke, her voice rose with her anger.

  “You’re angry.”

  “Nah, what gave you that idea?” she asked sarcastically. “You had years to tell me, yet you didn’t. It was well and good to train me, but you neglected to say why. I could have used the heads-up. I lost my parents because of your kind.”

  Cax at least had the decency to look apologetic. “I’m sorry. I hadn’t known my father would launch such a strong attack as soon as we arrived. I could do nothing to stop it.” He gave her a pleading look. “Can you please lower your bow? I came to El Centro to look for you. When I heard about the attacks on our warriors, what kind of weapon they were injured with, I had a feeling it was you behind it. If I wanted to hurt you, I could have sent warriors here instead of coming with Drace.”

  Kiri couldn’t dispute that. It was true. She slowly lowered her bow before she put the nocked arrow into her quiver. “Fine. We can talk.”

  Drace, who’d been quiet, said, “In a room where there are no windows.”

  She nodded and motioned for them to follow her as she walked toward the door to the basement. They followed her down the stairs. Kiri shrugged off her quiver and kept it next to her as she sat on the couch. Cax and Drace took the loveseat kitty-corner to it.

  “All right. Talk,” she said as she turned to face them.

  Cax nodded. “Okay. Your nightly attacks are going to have to stop.”

  Kiri shook her head. “No. No way. You said you wanted me to do it.”

  “I did, but not like this. You’ll eventually get caught. I want you to join those of us who oppose what my father is doing to your people.”

  Kiri shot her gaze to Drace. “Didn’t you tell me that your numbers are so small you can’t do anything?”

  Drace glanced at Cax, then looked back at her. “Yes, I did.”

  She set her gaze on Cax. “What advantage is there in me joining you? The way I’m going now, I at least have the element of surprise.”

  “That won’t last. The more you do, the more my father will do to stop you. He’s already taken all the adults away. There are a lot worse things he could still do.”

  “And what would that be?”

  “I’ve read some of your Earth’s history. Especially what happened during your Second World War. My father would have no qualms about rounding up all your planet’s population and putting every human in something like concentration camps. You’d be treated no better than cattle.”

  That, Kiri didn’t want. She shuddered inside at the thought of what those conditions would be like. She decided to change the subject a bit. “That’s another thing you failed to mention during our training sessions. That you’re a vampire.”

  “I’ve read about those creatures. We’re not vampires. We aren’t undead creatures, and as you know, we don’t catch fire while exposed to sunlight.”

  “You still need to feed. To drink blood. You didn’t deny that.”

  Cax sighed. “No, I didn’t.”

  “Which means you’re vampire-like.”

  Kiri looked at them, and they nodded. She couldn’t stop herself from being drawn to Cax, and found it hard to believe he was actually there, in the real world, not just in her dreams. He’d changed very little from the last time she’d seen him. He might be taller, but that was about it. Probably being in stasis sleep for two years had kept him from aging. The old feelings she had for him tried to rise inside her. She pushed them back. She hadn’t truly known him. She’d trusted him without knowing the lies he’d kept from her.

  “If you want me to help you, you need to tell me why your people up and left your planet to come here and take over mine,” she said as she kept her gaze on them.

  Drace spoke first. “We would have died.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Our blood source was cut off.”

  “How?”

  Cax answered before Drace could. “A disease wiped them all out, and we can’t feed off our own species. Our doctors and scientists tried for years to find a cure, but there was nothing we could do to stop
it. The Yaletians were simpleminded people who, for centuries, provided blood to the Atres. In exchange, we supplied them with food and shelter, medical attention when they needed it.”

  “In other words, they were treated like cattle.”

  “No. If not for my people, the Yaletians would have become extinct ages before they did. The planet’s environment had changed over time, and they’d never adapted to it.”

  Kiri snorted. “Whatever. It still sounds as if they were kept as cattle. So your food supply ran out and you happened to find out about Earth and that you could survive off humans. How did you find my planet? It took you two years to reach it. It’s not as if you could just look at your galaxy and see it.”

  “When our scientists deemed the Yaletians couldn’t be saved, we sent out explorers to find us a new home. One ship happened to pick up a faint signal from one of your satellites. They followed it to its source, and landed on the planet. They managed to blend in with your people and learn about them.”

  “How did they reach the conclusion that you could survive off human blood?”

  “They fed.”

  “Of course.” Kiri leaned back and crossed her arms over her chest. She eyed Cax. “If you knew what your father intended for the people of Earth, why did you contact me in my dreams and then spend years training me? I know you said I was the only person on my planet who you could contact, but I was too young to do anything.”

  Drace sharply turned his head toward Cax. “You dream walked with her? She’s y—”

  Cax cut him off before he could finish his sentence. “Drace, wait upstairs for me. I want to talk to Kiri alone. Make sure to stay away from the windows.”

  A look passed between Drace and Cax that Kiri didn’t understand. Drace gave Cax a curt nod, stood, and silently went upstairs to the main floor.

  Kiri set her gaze on Cax. “Okay, what the hell was that about?”

  “Nothing. He spoke of something that didn’t concern him.”