Page 20 of My Alien Sunshine

Her strained smile betrays her inner turmoil. “Faelin… You are a ray of sunshine in my shitstorm of a life. But you’re not the most important person in my life,” she whispers. “I’m sorry.”

Before I even begin to decipher the cryptic meaning behind her words, she reaches into the folds of her cloak. I react instinctively, leaping forward to knock the weapon from her hand but I’m not fast enough.

The final thought that passes through my mind as the blast hits me is that at least it’s only a stunner. Nala might not trust me but she doesn’t want to kill me. Still, the tiny weapon packs a punch hard enough to knock me out. Nala’s tear streaked eyes are the last thing I see as everything fades to black.

Chapter 12

Nala

I punch the elevator button with way more force than necessary resulting in an alarm going off. The machine blasts out an automated warning about penalties for damaging the hotel’s property. Why the fuck should I care about the hotel’s property?!

These stupid tears won’t stop flowing. I swipe at them with so much brutality I nearly punch myself in the eye. I deserve to be punched in the face. Repeatedly. I’ve just single-handedly destroyed the best thing that’s ever happened to me, besides Ellen, because I couldn’t bring myself to trust Faelin. But what was I supposed to do?

If it was just about me, I would have let him help the first time he offered. But it’s not just about me and I simply can’t take any chances where Ellen’s life is at stake.

Faelin is clearly enamored with me, enough to make crazy promises in the hopes of getting laid. It’s flattering, really, but it doesn’t change anything. He’s infatuated with alluring-exotic-girl Nala, not single-mother-of-a-hybrid-child slave Nala.

Men tend to be less excited about kids, even their own. My best friend’s father was shining proof of that, disappearing into thin air as soon as her mother told him she was pregnant. My friend’s mom then turned into a serial dater and some of the stories my friend would tell me were terrifying.

She was constantly afraid that her mom’s boyfriends were going to come into her room at night. That’s if they weren’t screaming at her for being a stupid brat, lying to her mom to get her in trouble for things they did, or the one guy who backhanded her for not getting out of his way fast enough. Needless to say, my friend often slept in my room for weeks at a time just to avoid going home to some random asshole. It’s not something I want for my Ellen.

I’m her mother and I’m the one responsible for her safety. So, I will rescue her from Drayth’s compound, smuggle her off this damned station, and set up a safe life somewhere else for us. Once everything is stable, I might consider finding someone nice to add to our family unit.

My heart aches for Faelin, reminding me that I’ll never find someone as nice as he was, but I ignore the stupid organ. I shot him with a stunner. If he didn’t hate me before, he sure does now. There’s no going back.

“I don’t have a choice,” I mutter, glaring at my reflection in the elevator mirror. “I don’t.”

The words don’t sound convincing, even to me, but it doesn’t matter. What’s done is done. Now I have to focus on the most precious thing in my life—my daughter.

It’s around midnight, station time. The streets are busy as always, teeming with tourists looking for entertainment of all kinds. I pull the hood down over my eyes and hold my cloak close like a security blanket. Tonight, I’m not fishing for attention. I’m looking to avoid it.

As I approach the back door to Drayth’s house, my other hand grips the stunner in my pocket tighter. The guards know to let me in and they rarely ever search me, but the weapon scanning system embedded into the door frame will alert them immediately. I have some freedoms around here, but carrying a stunner isn’t one of them.

My plan is to take out the guards, find Ellen, then get her out of there before the rest of Drayth’s security notice something’s wrong.

It’s a shit plan, I know, but it’s the best I could come up with. Drayth’s men are lazy and they’re used to me coming and going. They won’t suspect anything. The stunner is silent so it shouldn’t alert anyone.

Even poor Faelin, a seasoned mercenary, didn’t see the stun coming until it was too late and he looked like he’d been in a fair few showdowns. He is, without a doubt, one hundred times better than the scum Drayth employs as goons. I should be fine.

Sucking in a deep calming breath, I wipe the last of my tears away before turning the final corner. Time to focus. Save Ellen. That’s all I can think about now.

Turning the corner in my best act of nonchalance, I pause mid stride. Where are the guards? I’m practically frozen, frantically looking around and trying to understand what’s happening.

I’ve been on Farpoint Gateway for over four years. Every day, I’ve walked through the front door of Drayth’s residence and every day, there’ve been guards posted. Usually two, sometimes more. But to leave the door unguarded? Drayth would never do this.

Dread settles in my stomach. Something is wrong. Something is very, very fucking wrong, but I can’t figure out what’s happening.

Whenever Drayth is here, he always leaves the door guarded. When he’s here… The realization hits me like a hammer. Drayth isn’t here. He left. Perhaps a war with another trafficker broke out, perhaps the station authorities finally stomped down on his illegal activities. Either way, he’s gone.

Faelin’s words echo in my mind. “You can’t go back to Drayth right now.” He knew. Fuck him! Did he have something to do with this? I should have shot him for real. For years, I’ve worked on getting Ellen and I out of here and now Faelin barges in and destroys everything!

My feet are carrying me into the compound before I’ve even made the conscious decision to enter. Maybe Drayth hasn’t left. Maybe he left Ellen behind. Maybe my smart little girl hid somewhere and waited for me.

The hallways are just as empty as the door was. “ELLEN!” I scream, no longer trying to be stealthy.

I race down the stairs, punching the door control to our room. It opens, showing the same sight I left last night. Two empty beds, a small dresser still holding all of our clothes. Ellen’s toys are strewn across the floor but she isn’t here. I check the tiny bathroom, also empty, before rushing over to Mu’s room.

“ELLEN!” I shriek again, banging on Mu’s door. “Mu! Please, anyone?!” The door is unlocked but the room behind it is just as abandoned as ours.

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