Page 32 of The Alien I Fell in Love with on Walpurgis Night

I put a finger under her chin and direct her gaze back towards me. “Promise me, you won’t try to leave this ship until we reach the Empire.”

“And if we don’t reach the Empire in two days?”

“Then you can walk out the airlock and know as you freeze to death that I have always been telling you the truth. This isn’t a game created by rich humans for their entertainment.”

Just then I receive a message from my mother. “I’m sorry I need to answer this,” I tell Georgiana and then sit on the small chair. Subconsciously, I don’t want to subject Georgiana to my mother’s wrath. No doubt we’ve been reported. I’m actually surprised it took this long.

Mother,

Don’t be alarmed. This will all be explained. Trust in the Empress and the goddesses. Please have House Zu transport meet us at Space Port One. The less anyone knows the better. We walk in the goddesses’ light.

Axl

“Was that your real girlfriend?”

“What?” I look over at Georgiana, surprised. “I don’t have any girls in my life. It was my mother messaging me.”

“She must be worried.”

“Yes, but not for the reason you think. And I’ve only just now remembered something important when you said ‘girl.’”

“What’s that?”

“If we were married before, it was criminal.”

“You already said it was illegal.”

“No I mean you were underage as well as being human. It’s only now you are legal on both counts.”

“Which is worse do you think?” she asks with a hint of a smile.

I kiss her. I should be worried about all of this. Especially, how the Empress is going to react. I should be planning everyone’s angle. But I’m not. I only have room in my thoughts for Georgiana and I want this easy and simple moment. When we reach the Empire I will sort everything else out then.

14

Georgiana

Axl gives me a once over. I’m wearing a long black dress and he’s styled my hair in a braid, not that anyone will be able to see, as I’m wearing a cloak with a hood. “You look good.”

I don’t question him about the cloak. Maybe it’s going to be cold? Maybe it’s just part of the game. “Thanks. Are we going to win this now?”

Axl doesn’t answer me directly. He says that he doesn’t have any more energy to try to explain the truth. After a few seconds he replies, “You will either recognize this for what it is or not. Either way I’ll continue to be here for you.”

Poor Axl, he’s been in this game too long. He doesn’t know what’s real and what’s fantasy. I hope that I can get him out with me and get him some mental help. Other than thinking he’s an alien, he seems like a really nice man.

Axl leads me off the Hio. We are the first to disembark after the crew, who stands to the side and bids us farewell by saying, “Walk in the gods’ light.” The first thing that hits me about Space Port One, besides the colder air, is the tangy fragrance that seems to be overwhelming all my senses. I’ve never smelled anything quite like it. Then the lighting. It’s so dim. I didn’t expect billionaires to go for energy saving lightbulbs when everything else in this game has been so high-tech. Perhaps they ran out of money for the ending. Or they spent it on the costumes. There are a lot of grey people here all dressed in black, wearing silver necklaces, hair charms, earrings, and rings. None of that was cheap.

“This is Space Port One. It’s the busiest port in the Empire. We need to keep a low profile as we walk to the House Zu transport that will take us down to the planet.”

Axl puts a hand on my back and urges me to walk forward. A lot of grey faces stop and stare at me. I can’t help it. I stop and stare back at them. Then a flash of light catches the corner of my eye and I look to my left. There’s a large window and I can see a massive dark blue planet below with lots of little ships passing back and forth. I walk towards the window. I ignore him telling me to come back. I put my hand out and touch the window, but I don’t feel glass, just a tingling. It’s uncomfortable. I pull my hand back. “Is this CGI?” This must be why the lighting is so dim, it’s to highlight this incredible special effect.

“Georgiana, we don’t have time for this. Please don’t look out the window it can be unsettling. All we need to do is walk fifteen meters to the House Zu transport. One foot in front of the other.” When I don’t move he adds, “Don’t you want to win or not?”

That spurs me on and I begin to walk slowly in the direction he’s indicated. I try my best not to look out the large window, but it’s difficult to resist after he’s told me not to. And if I don’t look out the window, all I see are grey faces staring at me. This isn’t real. It’s a game. It’s almost the end.

We stop in front of two grey men who are wearing uniforms that say ‘House Zu’ and then we are escorted away from the staring crowd into a waiting transport. Axl straps me in, which has become his custom, and we descend to the planet below. I can’t help but watch out of fear and curiosity. When I begin to feel nauseous, I close my eyes and think this must be a ride from an amusement park. One of those that just drops. But after a few minutes pass, I worry this is the end of my life because we are still in free fall.

“We’re almost there. You’re doing well,” Axl says.

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