Page 15 of Pandora: Alien Games

Snow-white guy made a move toward my arms and freed my hands. I never saw snow either, not that I can remember. I grabbed my wrists and rubbed them. He leaned closer, his face almost touching my crotch, but he released me from the painful rope with one move of his sharp claw, then placed me back on the animal.

The leader and tattoo guy left, leaving just me and the other two. I think the other was the one who bowed in front of me.

I could move my feet and my arms. I threw my arms up and almost lost balance. In an effort not to fall, I grabbed on to snow-white guy and put my face close to his chest. Did he have two hearts? He smelled nice. Snow-white guy transferred me to his animal. His hand moved softly on my back in a soothing movement. Boob grabby guy said something before urging on his Banoo-type animal and leaving.

Snow-white guy shrugged with something that looked like a smile.

“Can I have some water?” I motioned to the skin hanging from his waist.

He offered it to me, then leaned to one side and picked up something from a saddle bag. It wasn’t technically a saddle bag since those huge, furry creatures had no saddles. They had two lumps, lower than Earth camels had. Still, there was no resemblance to the camel. This creature was like Banoo, covered in long shaggy fur, and had two sets of eyes, two pairs of tusks, and a long thick trunk.

The snow-white Anubis handed me a thin cloth and signaled for me to use it as cover after I drained half the water he gave me. Should I call him my knight in shiny armor?

The warm, stale water tasted lovely after everything.

My heart and mind told me that this was only the beginning, but at least I was less scared. At least snow-white guy stepped up and had saved me from boob grabby guy. He gave me a small bag. Before I could open it, he put an arm around me, lifted me, and turned me so my face looked in the same direction as his.

His arm wrapped around me and his body pressed flush against mine. These guys were all covered in muscle. I noticed this with Edoo. These guys were no exceptions. Their heads looked weird, with the pointy ears and dog-like maws but, I have to say, they didn’t look bad. More like unusual. Strong and feral, with their white spiky teeth and thick skin that appeared as if it could resist the sun and an attack. Their skin was hairless. Their hands had fingers that ended in thick, dark claws. This guy was nice like Edoo and tried to make me comfortable.

My head and shoulders were covered in a cloth that had the most beautiful blue color I had ever seen. I opened the small bag. Whatever was in there, it looked like small round, red, dried fruit. I took one and put it carefully in my mouth. An explosion of sweetness with a sour tang filled my mouth. I had another.

The guy touched my injured shoulder and leaned closer to sniff it.

“I was hurt. Edoo fixed it,” I whispered. I hadn’t forgotten that he asked me to stay silent.

Snow-white guy’s hand moved softly over the injured spot. It was still sore but not painful, one thing for which I was incredibly grateful. How was it possible that he used his huge hands so gently? He was at least six feet seven inches tall. My head leaned close to his chest. He moved carefully as if he tried not to scare me. His right arm grabbed me harder before leaning forward and urging the animal to move faster.

The desert was beautiful now and I admired the golden sand. After a few minutes, we caught up to the others. The leader that looked so much like my Edoo fell in step with us. He kept saying something, but snow-white guy remained silent. He pointed toward himself and said, “Ramy.” He motioned toward boob grabby and said, “Hassym,” then toward tattoo guy and said, “Eray.” Finally, he pointed toward my new friend and said, “Ashok.” Then he made a sign over his maw as if to show Ashok couldn’t talk. I turned to him and looked into his warm, brown eyes. He shrugged.

“You can’t talk?” I asked, my hands trying to mime what I said.

He pointed to his mouth and touched his maw with one long, clawed finger.

“I like silent men.” I smiled and ate some more of the berries from the bag. “Silent guy Ashok,” I said softly so as not awake or upset the spirits of the desert.

I looked at each of the guys, tapped my chest, and said, “I’m Pandora.”

Ramy seemed to struggle with the word. “Paan-doh-rah?”

“Yes.” I smiled.

Each of the guys attempted to say my name until they got the pronunciation correct. Everyone except Ashok.

It was wrong to relax but I’m so tired. I allowed myself to lean against Ashok and admire the beauty of this strange place. Everything about this planet was new and strange. I spent my life until now on t space station and never want to be inside such a place again. When you spend your life inside a confined space, with air permanently recycled, you never feel freedom. Now the endless sands and blue sky overwhelmed me, filling my heart with a longing I never knew I had.

How wonderful was this place and what it did to me?

The air smelled like spices. To be honest, I’m not sure it did, but this was the opening line from one of my favorite books and I always wanted to quote it.

Ashok was breathing and I could feel his chest cavity expanding and contracting with each move.

No, Sky, you won’t start liking this guy. I’m here because of Van. I don’t regret it, but I landed here because of my infatuation with him. Van wanted me to use my talents and steal something, and I did. The microchip I stole was still under my skin. I touched the small bump in behind my ear and felt it there. The data on it could bring down the Commander and the entire space station, only it was impossible to reach anyone who could use it.

Oh, well, it’s safe there. My main worry should be for me being safe here.

Ashok took me away from boob grabby guy, Hassym, and it was up me to make sure I stayed on Ashok’s good side. One of my hands lay on top of his strong forearm. He enjoyed it, pulling me closer to him. Did his heart beat faster, both of them? Hm, so he does like me. My entire body leaned now close to him. It was my way of letting him know that I trusted him to protect me. Ashok’s nose touched the top of my head. He was smelling my hair. It was weird but not in an unpleasant way.

Just as I started to ask myself if these guys can kiss and how that thin, long tail of theirs worked I saw something in the distance. A tall wall made of rocks blocked our path. The wall was tall, steep, and solid. I didn’t see myself climbing it up. Maybe they would abandon me. Or maybe one of them would carry me over.

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