Page 10 of Bred by the Alien Prince

We walked along the massive ramp leading toward the monorail station, which displayed Outer World’s Terminal.

“Oh, my God. I’m really here.” I muttered in utter excitement.

The train, the smell of the food court once I stepped off, the look and feel of this place felt like I had entered the future; I scanned my card, hoping nothing was amiss, and smiled when the woman handed me a brochure package.

“Where are we going?” I asked Derek as they shuffled us down a hall.

“Looks like we’re going right to the shuttles that will take us to the ship.”

“So, we’re just gonna board?”

“It looks like it,” he said, surprised. "I thought boarding procedures didn't start until tomorrow. I was even assigned a hotel room near the terminal and everything."

"So what's gonna happen?"

"I don't know, just play it cool."

"Holy…" I gasped. I silently prayed, hoping my ID card would get me through.

We checked in our luggage and boarded one of the one-hundred-passenger shuttles.

The shuttle wasn't anything remarkable. It resembled any plane on the inside with seats lined, but there were no windows. Just walls and seats. The attendants helped us get strapped in and even put on a safety display, teaching us how to use the oxygen masks overhead.

The flight to the ship took a little under thirty minutes. My stomach dropped and I felt my butt lift off the seats but the straps kept me from floating off. This was amazing! I wanted to unbuckle and float around as if I was suspended in a deep pool without water.

The wait to get off the shuttle was longer than the flight. Derek didn't seem interested in talking so I sat in silent with the loud machinery and rumble of the ship along with everyone else chatting away.

Finally, the doors opened and a man dressed in a simple blue uniform with black pants announced that it was our turn to board the colony ship in a single file line.

Once we stepped onboard the ship, it looked like something out of a sci-fi show. A massive pearly silver hall was jam-packed with people, and white uniform-clad androids were directing the flow toward the row of booths.

“Oh Shit,” I exclaimed, hoping nothing would be amiss. All I had to do was pass the booth, and I was in; I didn’t care if I had to stow away in a cargo hold. I would make sure I didn’t come this far only to get tossed out on my rear end.

The lady who checked me in was nice, but I was a hot, swamp ass sweaty blubbering mess and was that way until I reached my assigned room and closed the door.

Apparently, we should have departed an hour ago instead of the next day, which is why everyone was shuffled directly to the ship. So, I guess this was fate working out in my favor. Everyone had to be vaccinated right at the check-in booth. It was chaos, but chaos that worked out for me, so I wasn’t complaining at all.

I didn’t even check where Derek was heading off, and he didn’t seem to check for me. Perhaps he was salty about giving me money, as I said before. I don’t blame him for feeling some way about it. But I was here in this tiny dorm room onboard the ship. It was about the size of one of those single cruise ship cabins, except instead of a single bed, we had a bunk bed in here. I stuffed my luggage into the overhead bin above the top bunk and climbed the ladder, and I swear it was like every joint and muscle was relaxed. My adrenaline crashed hard.

I was here, I don’t know how, but I was actually onboard a freaking spaceship!

I opened the little sliding window. It wasn’t a real window but a screen that showed what was outside my side of the ship. I wanted to close my eyes and go right to sleep until the door buzzed open, and the person who entered the room was a somewhat familiar face I wanted to punch.

“You bitch!” I yelled, charged from the bed, and grabbed the ginger haired tough guy by his jacket. “Where’s my fucking wallet!?”

“Holy shit! It’s… who are you again?”

“You just run around stealing so much crap you don’t even remember all the people you stole from? Just give me my wallet. It was my dad’s.”

“I don’t have your wallet.” He shrugged, not giving a damn, and scratched at his strawberry birthmark near his ear.

“Then I wonder what Outer Worlds will think about a thief onboard their ship!”

“Probably the same thing they think about a man who snuck onboard their ship.”

Well, shit and touché. I let him go.

“I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.” I folded my arms.

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