by Maia Starr
Chapter 5
Alexa Thomas (Investigative Journalist)
The first night without Chaz’z in the house was difficult. I kept expecting to run into him, or hear his soothing voice speaking into his communications device. I had grown quite fond of his little home. It was comfortable but luxurious. Seeing the gardens had been magical, and it seemed like the perfect touch for his already incredible dwelling.
He had seemed surprised that I liked it though, and again I felt anger and irritation toward my twin, who had undoubtedly snubbed Chaz’z’s kindness. In a way, I felt like she had Zod’s temper coming to her. But she was still my sister. I couldn’t just leave her there.
I waited until Temal had left and then roamed through the house quietly. If I was going to do this, I would have to do it right. Since I couldn’t trust that Zod would ever feed me, I would have to make sure my basic needs were met myself. At least, for as long as they possibly could be.
“Don’t worry Sam; I’m coming,” I whispered as I rummaged through the drawers in Chaz’z’s house. They didn’t give me much to work with, until I found a needle and thread stuffed far in the back of one drawer.
I used it to sew pockets inside my clothing so that I could hide food inside of them, and then went into the kitchen to rummage through it. There weren’t many dried goods, so I had to settle for strange packages of things I couldn’t recognize. Who knew what they were? Still, it would be better than leaving unprepared.
I rushed out the front door as quickly as I could, closing my eyes in an attempt to recall which direction Zod lived in. I would have to try to remain hidden for this to work.
Thankfully, it was a small neighborhood full of elite Thressl’n men, and most of them were gone, if the absence of a hovercraft was any indication. The neighborhood was small enough that it was easy to find my way to Zod’s home. I recognized it immediately and felt sick to my stomach at the sight of it. I couldn’t believe I was going back. And willingly. But I knew it was safe. He wouldn’t be there for another few days. It would be enough time to switch back with Samantha and save her.
***
“Alexa! What the hell are you doing here?!” Samantha exclaimed. I had been tapping on the window for at least five minutes, and had almost given up. “What if Zod catches you?”
“Sam, just let me in.”
“No! We could get in trouble!”
“We’re not going to get in trouble. Zod isn’t going to be back for another few days. Chaz’z and Zod went out to space together. Or they will be later today.”
Sam sighed heavily.
“Fine.”
Samantha unlatched the window, and I climbed into the kitchen, annoyed when she didn’t offer me any help.
“I’m here to switch places with you,” I said.
“What?” Samantha asked, her eyes narrowing. “Why would you want to do that?”
“Because Zod is a monster and I feel bad leaving you alone with him.”
Sam was quiet for a moment before she finally spoke.
“Well, none of the Thressl’n are super fun guys, Alexa. What makes you think I want to switch back?”
I gaped at my twin. She couldn’t possibly be serious.
“I see what’s going on here,” I said, sitting heavily on one of the kitchen chairs. The house smelled like Zod and it took everything I had not to throw up. “You’re getting Stockholm syndrome. You must think he’s actually a decent guy!”
“Who? Zod? I mean, he’s no Prince Charming, but I’ve dated worse guys than this.”
The information made my nausea worsen.
“I’m so sorry,” I said, standing up quickly and hugging my sister. She pulled away and fixed a look of disgust on me. “It must have been so hard for you. But don’t worry. Everything is going to be fine now.”
If there was one thing my sister enjoyed, it was being the center of attention. My sympathy seemed to awaken something deep within her, because suddenly her eyes turned glassy with unshed tears and her mouth puckered up into a pout.
“Life can be so unfair sometimes,” Samantha agreed. “It is awful!”
Whether she meant that about Zod, the captor she seemed to still be somewhat enamored with, or about the whole situation in general, I couldn’t help but feel terrible for my twin. I had left her alone. I could have tried harder to keep her from going home to Zod. Who knew what kind of things he had done?
“You can take my place back with Chaz’z,” I said, wiping away the small tear that had begun to fall down Samantha’s cheek. “He won’t hurt you. Not the way Zod has.”
My mind wandered to the heat of Chaz’z’s lips against mine, and I could feel my cheeks burning as I tried to push the thought away. No school-girl crush was going to get in the way of doing the right thing. Zod was the man I had been assigned to. Not Chaz’z. I wouldn’t let my sister suffer for my fate any longer.
“All right, Alexa. Thank you,” Sam said. “It was getting boring here anyway.”
Boring?
“Zod and Chaz’z won’t be here for a few days, so don’t worry. Take some time alone to heal.”
“Aww, thanks, Lexi. I owe you one!” Sam rushed to the window. “Would you mind giving me a boost out of here? It’s a little high.”
I smiled, gritting my teeth to keep from snapping at my sister for demanding the same help she had refused me.
“Sure, sis; be careful on the way down.”
When she successfully reached the ground, Sam beamed up at me.
“Do you think these guys would let us have a girls’ night sometime?” Sam asked. “That would be fun!”
The idea of Zod letting me out of his sight long enough to fraternize with another woman of my own species made me laugh out loud. But Samantha seemed to be hanging onto the hope of it happening, and I couldn’t bring myself to crush her with the harsh reality.
“Maybe,” I said. “Be careful going back. If you get caught, then there will be trouble.”
“Got it!” Sam said cheerfully. “See ya!”
A strange feeling washed over me as I watched my sister bound away as if she didn’t have a care in the world. It was impossible to say just how profoundly Zod had affected her. I felt better knowing that, at long last, I had done the right thing.
***
Over the next few days, I relished the time I had away from Zod. His home and everything about him made me tense up with fear and worry, and I couldn’t help but agonize over just how long my peaceful hiatus would last.
It was unfathomably boring in his house, where there was nothing entertaining for a human to do. I couldn’t make heads or tails of the Thressl’n written language, try as I might, and I was terrified of moving anything in case Zod would find out and take it out on me when he got home.
Every morning around the same time, an old Thressl’n woman would come to the house to tidy up. She would frown disapprovingly at me and continue on her way, sometimes sitting in the house for hours at a time before she left. I had no doubt that Zod had asked her to stick around to keep an eye on me. I couldn’t help but regret my choice to switch back with my twin. Sam was such a jerk sometimes. She had practically forced me to switch with her. Hopefully getting herself into a horrific living situation with Zod would teach her a lesson though.
On the third day alone, I heard the door open. I expected it to be the old Thressl’n woman, but I was shocked when I saw Zod’s face.
“Well, aren’t you going to welcome your master home from work?” he asked, coming toward me and planting a nauseating kiss on the top of my head. “I came back early because I missed you so much.”
What? This was a far cry from the Zod I had known. Was he trying his hand at being domestic? What kind of magic had Sam worked over him?
“Welcome home, my lord,” I said, keeping my eyes to the ground.
“You forgot to bow,” Zod reminded me pleasantly. “Go ahead. Don’t be shy.”
I bowed awkwardly, imitating the gesture I had seen Chaz�
��z and his cousin perform.
“Very nice!” Zod said. “Sooner or later you will remember the custom. I will forgive it this once.”
We stood in an awkward silence, Zod staring at me expectantly. I realized suddenly that Samantha had always been quite the air-headed conversationalist. Was Zod one of the brain-dead men who found her chatter charming?
“So, how was space?” I asked, doing my best impression of my sister. “Is it as empty as it looks?”
Zod laughed, a relieved, delighted sound. Men loved women who asked stupid questions. I had always been the more introverted of the two of us, but being a writer meant I was also a quick study of human behavior. My twin’s behavior was nearly as familiar to me as my own. Still, it felt wrong to try and take it on as my own.
“No, female. It is much more interesting than you might imagine. There are some big things happening out there! Much bigger than you could dream.”
“Like what?” I asked. “Asteroids?”
Zod cackled again. He seriously did find Sam to be quite the charmer. Maybe she didn’t have it as bad off here as I thought.
“Better than asteroids. Money.”
“There’s money out in space?” I asked conspiratorially. “Did you bring some home with you?”
“Oh, female,” Zod cackled. “No. There is money in what we are doing in space. You see, the Supreme Leader and I have a plan.”
“What kind of a plan?”
“There are these good-for-nothings out in the far reaches of space, the east end of the C’loggh galaxy. They’re sitting on a wealth of resources. But they don’t know what to do with all of them!”
I frowned. Was this what Chaz’z was talking about? If he knew about an innocent race being exploited and killed for his planet’s greed, why couldn’t he do anything to stop that?
“They don’t?” I asked, struggling to maintain my Samantha act.
“No,” Zod said with an odd snorting sound. “They are quite inferior. Many races throughout the galaxy find them to be quite simple creatures.”
“Is simple bad?”
“Of course! It makes it quite easy to get what you want from simple creatures. Isn’t that right, female?”
He came toward me and reached out. I cowered, and Zod laughed.
“Aren’t you pleasant?”
His hand settled heavily on my head, and I froze. Was Zod petting me?
If I could keep up the charade long enough, perhaps I could get more information from Zod. I couldn’t help my investigative impulses. If the planet I was stuck on might be at risk of an attack from these people, the Kalron, then shouldn’t we all be a little more informed about it? I didn’t know yet what I would do with the information, but it was a start just knowing that Chaz’z was not the man he appeared to be.
Just when I thought he was a good person. I looked at Zod as he continued talking about how great he was at manipulating the weak of will. It was hard for me to keep up because he was speaking in Thressl’n and my device was cutting in and out. I wished I could have it fixed. That, or learn the language on my own.
Zod suddenly turned to me, his eyes flashing, and said clear as day, “We are going to be masters of the universe.”
It gave me chills, and I smiled weakly, trying my best not to reveal my true feelings. Were all of the Thressl’n monsters? What was I going to do?
***
I spent the next few days waiting for Zod’s terrible temper to rear its head, but he seemed surprisingly cheerful as long as I maintained my Samantha act. However, one small hint of defiance would make his eyes steel, and I had to act quickly to make it seem as if I simply didn’t understand his orders. He would usually blame it on my humanness and laugh at my inferior intellect, which seriously pissed me off but would probably bounce off of my twin like nothing. I could see now why she said she had dated men worse than Zod. Had he laid a hand on her once or twice? It seemed impossible that he’d completely behaved.
“Greetings to you, female,” Zod said about two weeks later, the morning the rest of the fleet was supposed to return from space. I couldn’t help but bring my thoughts to Chaz’z, and wondered if he had made it home from the war in one piece. “There is going to be an event to commemorate the men who are risking their lives for Jenal’k. You should be ready before 5th meal.”
“All right,” I said, trying to keep my disappointment out of my voice.
Another event? I wasn’t ready to deal with another stressful situation with the elite Thressl’n men. But maybe it would be a good chance to get more information about what was happening with the Kalron. From the way Chaz’z was talking about it, nobody seemed to understand the implications of the war on the other side of the galaxy, much like the wars on Earth were all too frequently misrepresented in order to benefit the greedy men pulling the strings.
“Great. As always, I expect perfect compliance and obedience. It’s going to be a very specific crowd there tonight, and not a whole lot of outsiders are welcome.”
“Of course, my lord,” I said, bowing slightly.
“You’re getting it!” Zod exclaimed happily.
The rest of the day sped past, until I found myself in the hovercraft, wrapped in a beautiful gown made of Thressl’n fabrics full of incredible colors that, despite my situation, made me feel a little bit happy. When we landed, we were in a dark area that I assumed was something like a parking garage on Earth. We got out of the craft and walked briskly to a large booth with a plump Thressl’n man inside.
“Welcome, Captain Zod!” the man taking Zod’s tickets said pleasantly. He didn’t acknowledge me at all until Zod cleared his throat sternly. “And female.”
I began smiling in acknowledgment, but the man didn’t bother looking at me and greeted the next couple in line.
“Welcome Commander Wyl’es.”
“Thank you.”
I was electrified by the deep, musical voice behind me. Without looking back, I knew that it was Chaz’z. Despite my anger at him, I was relieved to know that he had arrived safely back on Jenal’k.
Zod and I were ushered quickly inside, and I realized immediately that this wasn’t the same type of event as the first. The first had been hosted inside a tent-like structure, though admittedly classier marquees than the tents at the camps.
Instead, this time the event was being hosted inside a huge palace. I had seen it in the distance a few times, and now being shown inside, I was overwhelmed by the vast space surrounding me and intricate Thressl’n art lining the walls. It was like nothing I had ever seen before.
“Come, female, and stay on your best behavior. All of the most important men on Jenal’k are in attendance tonight. We will be celebrating the events taking place on Kalron.”
I bristled at the news, and glanced over my shoulder at Chaz’z, who was glancing frantically around the room, his expression tense. What could possibly be on his mind?
“Captain Zod! So good to see you!”
The Supreme Leader was suddenly standing in front of us, bowing deeply at Zod. Zod smiled genially at him and returned his bow.
“Female, fetch yourself some refreshments. The Supreme Leader and I have a few things we need to discuss in private.”
“Yes, my lord,” I said, bowing deeply at both of them.
“I taught her that!” I heard Zod exclaim as I turned my back on them and disappeared into the crowd.
“Alexa!”
I froze in my tracks as Chaz’z came running toward me, his handsome face bright. I couldn’t help but feel my heart thud hard despite myself. He grinned at me and slid to a stop, nearly spilling his drink.
“I wasn’t sure if Temal would drop you off here or not. She’s very intimidated by the palace guards.”
Did that mean that Sam might be around here somewhere?
“Um…well, I made it,” I said nervously, glancing around the crowd for my twin. But she was nowhere in sight.
“Listen, I need to talk to you. It’s kind of urgent.”
“Not here,” Chaz’z said, looking over my head at the crowd of mingling men behind me. “Come with me.”
Chaz’z grabbed my hand and heat coursed through my body. It had been a long time since I’d seen him, so it had been easy to downplay my attraction for him in my head. Now that he was right in front of me again though, it was a completely different matter.
We disappeared up a flight of stairs and ducked inside what looked like an elegant bedroom.
“It’s beautiful up here!” I exclaimed, walking through the room in a daze.
“Not so loud!” Chaz’z hissed. “This is highly frowned upon.”
“Sorry,” I sighed. Still, the room was beautiful, and I was mesmerized by its incredible architecture and the beautiful linen on the bed.
“No, I am sorry. I shouldn’t have snatched you away like this, but it’s important. I’ve decided to strike back.”
“What?” I asked, my heart drumming in my chest. Could he possibly mean…
“Yes,” Chaz’z said. “I want to tell the people of Jenal’k what is truly happening. They have a right to know. But I need your help.”
“My help…but how?”
Chaz’z grinned, and rummaged through a bag strapped to his waist.
“With this,” he said, offering a clunky dark object to me. It took me a moment before I realized what it was.
“A camera?” I gasped.
“Yes,” Chaz’z said, taking it back from me and hiding it back in his bag. “We are going to do this together. In return, I will grant you anything you wish.”
I was quiet for a moment, and suddenly, his broad chest was against my face, and he was embracing me tightly. I closed my eyes, basking in his masculine scent and the feeling of his strong arms holding me closely.
“I missed you,” Chaz’z said, his deep voice rumbling in my ear and sending thrills down through my body. “You were all I could think about the whole time I was gone.”
I felt guilty. I hadn’t wanted to see him again, thinking that he was too much of a coward to do the right thing. But now that I knew it wasn’t true, now that I knew what he was really like, how could I allow myself to deny my attraction to this man?
