Metamorphosis: Science Fiction Adventure: Book 1

by Kimberly Smith

  “No baby, you have to stay away. Don’t worry about me. I can take care of myself. Now that they know about you, they’re never going to stop looking for you. You must trust yourself and learn control. You are strong and can do anything you put your mind to, but you have to learn control.”

  She felt as if she were the one being pulled away from her mother again, “Mom!” she screamed as she flew backward from her mother.

  Kyla threw her arms out, trying to grab her mother. She opened her eyes as she felt pain. Kyla had hit her hand on the dashboard, sitting up. The dream had felt real, too real, and Kyla could feel her mother’s skin, smell her hair. She glanced around the parking lot she’d stopped in just off the road to rest. The sun was up, and there was more traffic moving along roadways nearby.

  Thankful that she had gotten out of town, Kyla realized there were things she needed to do, starting with her appearance. She needed to change her hair. Kyla looked through the driver’s licenses in the bag. All of them would require her to dye her hair and cut it. She chose one and then started the truck to go in search of a drug store. She would rather go to a hairstylist, but the fewer people who saw her as she was, the better. She also needed to find some clothes. Kyla drove around until she found a strip mall with a drug store on one end and a few cheap-looking clothing stores. There was also a grocery store there. She could get everything she needed in one place.

  Chapter Eleven

  A few hours later, Kyla sat Indian style on the bed of a hotel room with a towel wrapped around her now much shorter and died jet black hair. She was thinking about her childhood. Kyla remembered being about four or five years old, standing in the doorway of the kitchen of the house they had lived in before they moved out of the town limits. Her mother was preparing dinner, but she had made cookies for later. Kyla wanted one, but her mother told her that she had to wait until after dinner.

  Pain pierced her head as Kyla tried to recall what happened after being told no. She scrunched her face up, but the more she tried to remember what happened, the more intense the pain was in her head. Kyla let the memory go, and her headache eased. There were a lot of memories from her childhood, and that caused her head to hurt when she pushed to remember what events happened. Now Kyla wondered if her mother had done something to her to keep her from remembering. Maybe she had seen something she wasn’t supposed to.

  Kyla remembered things that she had always thought of as games that her father liked to play with her. Once they had moved to the country, she had complained of boredom. Her dad had told her that he would take care of that, and he had. She remembered him picking her up from school, and when they parked the car behind the house, she got out and saw several wood planks standing on braces in the yard.

  “What’s that for,” she asked him.

  He smiled at her and said, “Just a little something to keep you busy.” Taking her hand, he led her further into the yard. The closer she got to the planks of wood, the more intrigued she was. There were all kinds of locks attached to the wood. He handed her a paperclip and a hairpin. “We’re going to learn how to open them without a key. There’s only one rule to doing this.”

  “What’s that?”

  “You can’t let Mom know that I’m teaching you how to do this. She wouldn’t like it. This is just between us, okay?” Kyla nodded, and they began her education on lock picking. The two of them worked on the locks for weeks until she could open them with the least effort. By the time she could unlock them all, she could do it using any small piece of metal.

  He had been preparing her for a life on the run. All the games he’d created had been to teach her the skills she would need if she ever found herself alone and in danger. Kyla couldn’t help but wonder why they hadn’t told her that they assumed something would happen to them and that she may be left to live without them, or that she would be in danger.

  She was only a few hours from Oklahoma City, but she was exhausted. She reread her mother’s letter to her. Her mother wanted her to find this Arthur guy. She hadn’t said why, but Kyla assumed it was because she trusted him. Her mother must have had some sort of history with this guy. Maybe he was an ex-boyfriend or something. It didn’t matter; she would use the prepaid smartphone she’d purchased to try and locate him on the internet. After she got some sleep, she would begin her quest to find the mysterious Arthur Jackson.

  Chapter Twelve

  Finding Arthur hadn’t been easy. It had taken Kyla four months to track him down, but she was almost sure that she had the right people. His name was kind of common, especially his last name. The woman she was watching working the counter of the coffee house lived with Arthur. Kyla pretended to read a book as she watched the woman interact with her co-workers as she served the customers. She hadn’t decided how to approach Arthur yet. He worked in Lowes a few miles from their house. Kyla had been there too, watching him. She had also sat in her truck near their home when she had first gotten into town.

  Watching them, Kyla learned that they were creatures of habit. They did the same thing day in and day out. They all had jobs, and when not working, they spent their time at home. There were three of them living in the house. Arthur, his wife, Sandra, and his daughter Allison blended into the peaceful low-income neighborhood well. They didn’t do anything to bring attention to themselves. They spoke to their neighbors and appeared friendly, but they spent most of their time in the house.

  Kyla should have just walked up and rung the doorbell, but she was afraid to. She’d been alone for four months, and as much as she missed her mother and father, she had become accustomed to being by herself. Kyla hadn’t been able to contact Crystal or Taylor either. She had called the hospital in Stoutland to check on him. The person Kyla had spoken with had told her that Taylor Greenfield had been released. She knew that she would never get to see him or Crystal again, but she was okay with that if it meant that they would be safe. She hoped that they understood why she had disappeared on them.

  She finished her drink, put her things in the trash, and went back to her truck. She left the coffee shop and drove across town to the Jackson’s house. Kyla parked at the curb and sat looking at the house for a while. The house should be empty. Arthur would be at Lowes working, Allison was at Starbucks, and Sandra was usually working as a housekeeper on the other side of town. Kyla would have plenty of time to snoop through the house.

  She got out of her truck and made her way quickly up the driveway. The porch had a half brick wall that would hide her actions from the street. Kyla quickly picked the two locks on the front door. She glanced around, making sure that no one was watching as she entered the house. There was no alarm system that she could see or hear. They didn’t have any signs depicting logos or security companies in the yard or affixed to the windows.

  From the furnishing in the house, they appeared to be a typical American family. There were magazines and books here and there. The wall and shelves contained family photos. She didn’t see anything to indicate that Arthur was anything other than what he appeared to be. He seemed like just an average guy. How was he supposed to help and keep her safe? He was just an average looking man.

  She stood in the hall bathroom, holding the handle of a light blue toothbrush. Images of Allison brushing her teeth in that bathroom filled Kyla’s head. Her imagination was working overtime she thought as she put the toothbrush back in its holder. Kyla left the bathroom and went down the hall to the master bedroom. She touched a few things getting images of Sandra and Arthur. Kyla rubbed the fabric of a dress between her fingers that hung on the back of the closet door. It was strange, but she felt like this was more than her imagination. Closing her eyes, Kyla could swear that she felt Sandra’s emotions as the images of her in the dress flashed in her head. She felt anguish, grief, joy, disappointment, and love as if they were her own feelings.

  Kyla let the fabric fall from her hands just as the door to the room opened wider. Though no one was touching her, she was lifted from the floor and she
couldn’t breathe. It felt as if she were being strangled. Her body was turning, feet toward the ceiling, and her head to the floor. What the hell was happening to her? This wasn’t possible. She was panicking and she couldn’t see who was in the room. The crystal from her necklace wasn’t hanging down towards the floor. The chain strained against her neck, pointing in the direction of the person holding her in the air.

  Kyla closed her eyes, praying that the grip on her throat would loosen. Slowly she began to feel as though she was breathing normally, and then the grip on her throat tightened again. Kyla prayed harder for the person to stop before she lost consciousness. Kyla tried to speak, but couldn’t, she was feeling lightheaded. Kyla wished that she could push this force or whatever it was off her, push it away.

  Kyla closed her eyes and imagined using her hands, pushing the person out of the room, and closing the door. She heard what sounded like a yelp and then the slamming of the door before she fell to the floor. Kyla gasped for air, slowly sitting. She used her hands to brush the hair from her face.

  Kyla got to her feet. The door started to open, but she held out her hands, running towards the door to keep it closed, but she noticed that the door was moving on its own. When the door closed completely, Kyla said, “My name is Kyla Woods. My mother, Elise, wanted me to find Arthur. Men came and killed my parents, and they tried to grab me. She died four months ago.” As soon as Kyla completed her last sentence, Kyla felt a rush of anguish, and sadness permeated her body, and the force that she pressed against the door was gone.

  Kyla took a step back from the door, unsure of what would happen next. The door opened slowly, and Sandra, the older of the two women she’d watched for the past few days, stepped in the room. Kyla didn’t say anything, but she stayed ready to defend herself if necessary. The crystal rose and tugged at her neck. The woman raised her hand with her palm facing Kyla. The necklace ripped from her neck landing in Sandra’s palm. The woman closed her eyes for a moment. “Elise isn’t dead.” Kyla’s eyes grew wide, and fear filled her. Sandra opened her eyes, taking the two steps to reach Kyla with her empty hand out. The minute her hand touched Kyla’s face, everything went black.

  Chapter Thirteen

  "Why is she tied up?" Arthur had been surprised when Sandra contacted him, saying that he needed to get home immediately. She hadn't told him anything. Only that an intruder was in the house when she got there. At first, he thought that they had been found, but his wife wouldn't have called him to come home if that were the case. She would have used their evacuation plan.

  "For our safety. Sandra said she was Elise's daughter and that Elise was dead. Elise is not dead, but the girl was wearing this," Sandra said to her husband, holding up the necklace for him to see. "She could be lying."

  Arthur took the necklace and felt the instant connection to his daughter. No, she wasn't dead. He looked at the girl again. She looked a bit like Elise, but her skin was much lighter. Could Elise have had a child with Tony? That was supposed to be impossible. It had been so many years since he'd seen her last. He lay the necklace on the bedside table and reached for the scarf that bound her hands.

  "What are you doing?"

  "What does it look like? I don't think she is a danger to us."

  "But you don't know for sure," Sandra said forcefully.

  "Wake her," Arthur said as he untied the scarf, binding her ankles together. He knew Sandra was acting with caution, but if the girl had been telling the truth, this was their granddaughter. Arthur sat beside her on the bed watching her face as the fog of sleep lifted and she woke. Kyla's eyes blinked and began to focus. He could see her confusion and feel her fear. Arthur put his hand on top of hers, "It's okay. No one is going to hurt you." He gave her a moment to calm herself. Then he said, "Please forgive Sandra for her actions. She was acting on instinct, protecting herself and us."

  Kyla looked from Arthur to Sandra. From the expression on her face, Kyla felt that if she had the chance, Sandra would eagerly choke her again. "My necklace, where is it. I want it back. My mother gave it to me." Arthur reached out, grabbing it from the nightstand and handed it to her. Kyla took it and looked at the clasp. "It's broken."

  "That can be fixed easily enough," Arthur said, looking at the end of the chain.

  Kyla thought she was seeing things as the broken ends glowed and were repaired before her eyes. She looked up at Arthur, just in time to catch the fading of a greenish glow from his eyes. "What the hell?" Kyla sat up, scooting back from them but holding on to the necklace.

  From the startled expression on her face, it appeared that Kyla had no clue what he was, or what she was. "Kyla, forget what just happened. I need you to tell me how you got here. What happened to Elise?"

  Kyla wasn't sure that she wanted to. She had been attacked and knocked out with a touch. The man asking her questions had fixed her necklace without touching it. How was that possible? Everything about her world had changed and nothing made sense. Kyla took a deep breath, remembering that her mother had wanted her to find him. If she trusted him, Kyla would too, for now.

  She told him everything from the moment she woke up with her mother's voice in her head to the moment of waking up a few minutes before. "Why did she say that my mother isn't dead? How did she knock me out with a touch, and how did you fix my necklace by looking at it?"

  Arthur looked over his shoulder at Sandra, who still looked as if she wanted to hurt Kyla. "Your mother isn't dead, and I'll explain how we know that in a bit, but first, I need you to answer something. You said that you thought it was strange to hear your mother's voice in your head. Is that the first time she communicated with you that way?"

  What was he saying? Did he think that hearing someone in your head was a regular thing? "Yes, and don't look at me like I'm nuts."

  "We don't think that. I'm just surprised by all of this. Your mother never told you about her life before meeting your father?" Kyla shook her head. Arthur looked over his shoulder at Sandra, "She doesn't know any of it. Elise must have kept it all from her to keep her safe."

  "Don't know what," Kyla asked, tired of what seemed to be a cat and mouse game? She wanted to know what he was talking about.

  "It's going to seem unbelievable, but I need you to let me tell you everything, so keep an open mind." Arthur paused, looking her in the eye. They started to glow again, that same green that she had seen before, but brighter. "You aren't human. Well, not fully. Your father was, so that makes you a hybrid, I guess. The first one, a mix of human and alien DNA. Your mother and our people came to this planet for refuge. Our world, Arturian, exists light-years away. It was invaded, and my people were enslaved. Many of us hoped to find a way to defeat them, but we realized that it was impossible." Kyla could see images in her head as if she were there on Arturian as these things happened.

  "These infiltrators were far more advanced technologically. They used and experimented on us. We were no match for them. Over time, we learned from them, and eventually, a small group plotted an escape. We stole some of their ships and sought out a place where we could live in peace. The group I was with came here, to earth, after we found a signal that led us to believe that the beings here were intelligent. My ship carried less than one hundred beings. We crash-landed in New Mexico in nineteen forty-seven."

  "Are you for real?" Kyla said with disbelief. "Your ship is the one that led to the Roswell New Mexico conspiracies?"

  Arthur smiled, glad to know that she had some sense of history. "Yes. We landed on a ranch out in the middle of nowhere. Some died in the crash, but most were fine. Shortly after we crashed, a group of humans showed up. These people were less than welcoming. We lost more as they attacked us without cause. Then others showed up and stopped them. These were men sent by the government, military. We thought we were going to be okay. They were cautious, but they seemed to be good. The men who saved the rest of us took us all to a military base, even the dead. We had no idea what was going on. Of course, it took us time to learn the human la
nguage. We thought they wanted to help us. After a bit of time, we begin to understand them, and by then, we realized that we should have continued through the galaxy to keep searching for a home. It turned out that the people we thought had saved us were just as bad as the ones that had invaded Arturian.

  They separated us into small clusters, and daily they would take a few of us away at a time. For a while, our people returned and told us that they had only been observed, but as time passed, fewer of us returned to our assigned spaces. They were conducting experiments and eventually it resulted in more lives lost. When our numbers were down to less than half, we found that there were humans who wanted to help us. Those kind souls helped a group of us escape. We had to learn how to blend in with the human so that we wouldn't be found."

  "What do you mean?" Kyla asked, wholly engrossed in his tale.

  "One advantage that we have is that we know how to use the energy that we are made of, for different things. We had to stop using those skills, and we had to learn to act and behave like humans. We wanted to use our abilities against the people of this world, but we came to an agreement no to do it. If we wanted to be free to live here among you, we couldn't do that. Some people disagreed and used their power. The military men got a glimpse of what we can do, and they wanted that power for themselves. They tried to mix our DNA with theirs to create some kind of superior human being, but it failed again and again.

  "What other stuff can you do?"

  Arthur smiled, she was curious, and that was good. "Everything is made of energy, and energy can be manipulated in many ways. That is how I was able to repair your necklace. Energy is never lost or destroyed. It simply changes form." As he said it, the drawers in the dresser behind him opened and closed. The lights turned on and off. "We've been running from them to stay alive."