Page 9 of Bela's Bounty
The door slides shut in my face, trapping me inside.
Sonofabitch!I pound my hands on the smooth wall that was a doorway just a moment ago. Nothing I do makes it open back up, not that I expect it to, and eventually I lean my back against it.
Idiot! What did you think was going to happen when you walked through the weird doorway?
There isn’t much inside the room besides a narrow bed, with a neatly folded pile of clothes sitting in its center, and a small table. At the far end of the room is another doorway. Curiosity gets the best of me, and after a careful examination and some nervous button-pushing, I discover the doorway opens up into a bathroom with a working toilet and shower.
I make quick use of the toilet, and then I can’t refuse a shower, although, instead of water, it uses some kind of high-frequency sonic pulses. In any case, I come out feeling clean for the first time in what feels like weeks.
Back in the room, I’m startled to find a steaming tray of food waiting for me. The smell coming from it has my mouth watering and my stomach growling like some kind of beast, so I quickly dress in the clothes—a dove-gray scrub-like shirt and pants set—and then fall onto the food like I haven’t eaten in days. Which I probably haven’t.
Most of the food is unrecognizable, but I eat it anyway, not stopping until I’ve cleaned the tray. Almost immediately my eyes start to feel heavy, and I wonder if the food was drugged. It isn’t long before I’m struggling to keep my eyes open, and I’m forced to give in and lie down. Pulling the thin blanket over my shoulders, I blink once, twice, and that’s all I remember.
* * *
I’m not sure how long I slept, but when I wake, I feel surprisingly refreshed and not at all groggy. Not at all how I would expect to feel after being drugged.
There is another tray of food waiting for me, but I’m not about to chance being drugged again, so it goes untouched.
I sit on the edge of the narrow bed, absently picking at the silky material of my pants, which are soft like satin but lightweight like cotton. Thewhooshof the door sliding open startles me. The same robed creature from the chamber stands in the doorway. At least I think it’s the same one.
“Can you take me to the others now?” I beg, jumping to my feet. “Please, I just want to make sure they are okay.” They must be as worried about me as I am about them.
If they are even here,my mind adds helpfully.
“Think positively, Bela,” I mutter under my breath as the creature takes my untouched tray and heads for the door. Afraid of being left behind, I hurry after it, somewhat surprised when the door doesn’t slam shut in my face again.
I follow it down the hallway again, although I can’t tell if we’re going the same direction we went last time or not. At the end of the hall is a much larger sitting room, and that’s when I see them—or at least two of them.
“You’re alive!” Skylar gasps, her large gray eyes widening even more as she jumps up from where she’s sitting next to Nita. “I thought you were dead.” She wraps her arms around me, squeezing me with all of her strength.
“I was worried about you too.” I hug her back as hard as I dare without risking breaking her. She’s positively twiggy; still, I’m beyond relieved to see her here, clean and dressed in the same gray clothes.
Looking over the top of Skylar’s head, I meet Nita’s dark eyes. “What about the others?”
“I didn’t want to seem greedy,” a husky voice fills the room before Nita has a chance to answer. Skylar jumps at the new voice, and I instinctively pull her behind me.
Across the room is a tall blue female. And I don’t mean a tint of blue or even a shade of blue. Her skin almost looks like plastic, it’s such a rich, flawless shade. Robes in rich jewel tones drape her lithe figure, and her forehead slopes back into an elegantly bulbous skull.
She’s easily over six feet, maybe closer to seven feet. Standing beside her is another alien who is several inches shorter but still tall in human terms. His skin—or very short fur—is a tawny color. His clothes are unkempt, and he looks like he could use a couple cycles in the sonic shower. Although, it’s the expression on his face that has my stomach clenching. Something about him just seems…skeevy.
“How are you feeling, child?” the blue alien asks me with what sounds like genuine concern. “You were quite poorly when Bane put you in the med-bot.”
Child! Me?Pfft. I haven’t been a child … ever.
My mother suffered from crippling depression; she was also a brittle diabetic, and so it was left to me to take care of her as well as myself and sister.
“Much better, thank you,” I say tersely, switching my focus between her and the rough-looking alien. “Where are the others? Are they safe?”
“I’m certain they are fine.” She waves an elegant hand, tipped with sharp black nails, dismissively.
Translation:they are not my concern.
“But—”
“We will be arriving shortly,” she interrupts me. “You’ll do well to put your pasts behind you and accept your new surroundings.”
Skylar whimpers behind me, and even Nita’s usual scowl has melted away, leaving her looking frightened.
