Page 2 of ReBOrB

Bits and pieces of fractured nightmares played in her mind as she struggled to open her eyes. Those men were covered in red fur. So many hands reached out to touch her. Another fist collided with her cheekbone, and her head exploded.

Her eyelids fluttered when a man whispered in her ear. His deep, slightly raspy voice tempted. “Cameron. You need to wake up. Casey is waiting for you. We have to escape before morning. Come on Malibu Barbie… you need to wake up and move that ass.“ His voice wasn’t impatient, it was…worried.

Damn it. Her body hurt. Starting from the top of her head to the soles of her feet—she ached. She had no intention of going anywhere. Why was this man trying to convince her she needed to wake up and escape? Escape what?

His voice and his scent—lured her awake.

Cam opened her eyes just the tiniest bit. The room was dark, with the barest hint of light coming from the hallway through a window in the door. She saw what looked like a luxury hotel. A hotel room with all sorts of futuristic monitors. It was then she caught a scent she was very familiar with. This wasn’t a hotel… it was a hospital. Her body aches and pains made more sense.

The man bending over her had amazingly thick, dark hair. She couldn’t stop herself from reaching up to feel if it was as silky as it looked. His eyes were also dark. And his skin was sky-blue.

“My name is Reb. You need to trust me when I say we need to leave. Now. I promise I’ll take you to Casey.”

He wanted her to trust him. To come with him to find Cas. He quickly explained her sister was on a spaceship orbiting the planet, waiting for Reb to rescue Cam. She heard the words and understood what they meant, but it didn’t make sense. A spaceship. Really? She would have laughed if it weren’t for one thing—Reb knew that Malibu Barbie was the safe word the sisters had used since they could talk. And the man was blue.

Those two words guaranteed Cameron would follow him anywhere without argument. And hope she didn’t regret it!

Chapter Two

Casey—Back on the ship…

Casey wandered the halls of DoMicile. It was quiet, and she didn’t run into anyone. Brode wanted to check with his brothers about something. She figured it was a good time to find the kitchen. For one thing, she wanted to know what that looked like on a spaceship. But she also wanted something to eat that wasn’t… dehydrated crap. She wanted fresh fruit. Vegetables. MEAT. She definitely wanted meat.

If they didn’t stock the kitchen with those types of things, she was going to request it. Surely, the brothers didn’t eat dehydrated food all the time.

She knew where the dining hall was. Casey headed there, figuring the kitchen had to be near. But she couldn’t find it. Standing in the middle of the room, surrounded by the long table and benches, she turned in a circle. There was no door leading behind the gray and black cupboards and countertop. The counter held several rehydration machines and what reminded her of an Earth-style soda machine. That machine dispensed water and something vaguely similar to coffee. Both were cold, and the coffee was weak.

Casey added that to her goal. Figuring out what the coffee was, and if she could heat it and make it stronger. With her hands on her hips, Casey frowned.

“Can I help you find something?” The deep voice scared her to death.

Squealing, she swung around and put up her fists. Ready to fight.

Casey didn’t relax when she found another brother. This one was orange. Dressed in the loose gray pants and shirt the brothers seemed to favor, he quickly backed away from her, leaving her a clear path to the hall. With his hands out in front of him, he apologized. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you wouldn’t hear me and I should have. My name is TaBOBy. My brothers call me Tab.”

Startled laughter about his name made her feel better. She shook her head. “Not Tab. Tabby. I’m sorry. It has to be Tabby. Your skin is the same color as my cat back home. She was an orange tabby.”

He frowned. “Cat. A small feline animal you kept as a pet. I remind you of your pet?“ His voice wasn’t angry. Bemused would be a better explanation.

She snorted. “Just the color. I’m going to have difficulty with all…” She tried to remember how many of them there were.

Casey thought twenty—at the same time, Tabby said it.

“There are twenty of us. Right now, we are not all awake but are in the process of coming out of stasis. It will become difficult for you—remembering our names?”

She sighed. “I should get it pretty quick—I hope. I’m not really worried about me. My sister is in danger and I am waiting for some of your many brothers to save her. She is going to be very confused. I think she had a head injury. I didn’t see it, but I believe one of the big red apes hit her hard and damaged her skull. It might be difficult for Cammy to remember names. She’ll get the Tabby reference right away.”

He nodded. “Tabby, it is then.” Frowning, he mumbled something about name tags and then asked, “Are you hungry?”

She nodded. “Yes, but not for the dried stuff. I’m thankful and all… but… on Earth, we eat fruits and vegetables. Meat. Nothing is dehydrated.” She sighed. “Actually, I used to snack on jerky. Which is dehydrated meat. I’ll get used to it if that is all you have. As I said, I’m thankful… I’m just…” Casey sighed again. Feeling small. She shouldn’t be so picky.

This time it was Tabby who laughed. “It isn’t an unreasonable request. Should I call you mistress… or Casey, or is there some small creature you wish to be called as you named me? A scan of your language and the animals on your planet—offers two possibilities.”

Narrowing her eyes, Casey held out a hand to stop him. “Look Tabby, if you call me a bitch or a shrew… this friendship is over.”

His dark eyes widened, and Tabby took another step back. “No. I… never would. Those are not friendly words for females.”

She snorted. “A bitch is not only a spiteful woman—it’s also a female dog. And a shrew can be a bad-tempered female—or a small, mouselike creature with a long snout. If you weren’t going to use those, what did you come up with?”

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