Page 18 of The Stolen Tribute
EIGHT
KYLIE
It was dark when I opened my eyes.
Jaxir’s silhouette could be seen against some faint emergency lights that gave off about as much brightness as a glow stick the morning after a rave.
My stomach felt like it was tied in a knot, and my head throbbed. “What was that?” I groaned.
“Hyperdrive,” Jaxir said.
The ship's emergency lights flickered again. The computers beeped, and the air intake was humming, but I couldn’t hear the engines.
I tried to sit up, forgetting that I was still bound to the chair. I fidgeted with the harness button at the base of the chair, it wouldn’t give. I grunted and sighed. “Can you at least let me out?”
“Promise not to do anything dumb?” The alien asked.
I almost scoffed. “Fine,” I said.
Jaxir moved towards me slowly. The dim light washed over his face, highlighting his defined features and his alluring golden eyes. He was close, so close.
The five-point harness that I was in felt a little too tight. It had tangled through the rip in my dress.
I found myself short of breath.
“I could just leave you in here. It would be easier for me,” Jaxir said.
I glared at him through the darkness.
Jaxir’s hands slipped through the harness, pushing down until he found the button that had become stuck between my legs. The straps were tangled in the torn fabric and jammed the lever. He ripped the material away, and, with a grin, he hit the button to release me.
I gasped for air, even though I didn’t need to. I hadn’t realized I was holding my breath. “Thank you,” I said after he stepped away.
The ship's lights flickered again, and the backup engine whined.
“So, what now?” I asked, looking down at my destroyed dress and then around me.
“Call for back up. Send a distress signal,” Jaxir said, sitting back in the pilot’s seat and working on the controls.
I’d seen enough sci-fi movies to know how this could end. The airlocks could fail, the engine could cut out, or worst of all, we’d just sit here and starve to death.
“Help will come, right?” I asked, failing to hide my nervousness.
“As long as Dal doesn’t pick up on my signal first,” Jaxir said. He punched a few more buttons. “But I suppose you’d prefer that.”
Did I? I wasn’t sure.
“Don’t be so passive-aggressive. You’re the one who kidnapped me,” I said.
“By accident,” the Zexian stressed.
Silence filled the tiny starship. I sat back down and played with the rip in my dress. With the main engines off, it was starting to get cold. I shivered and stared out the back window.
There was nothing. Nothing but dark black space and stars in the distance. Nothing to anchor me to. Not even a far off moon or satellite to give me something as a starting point. It was like being lost at sea, I guessed, but a billion times worse.
The transmission system crackled. The lights dimmed and surged again.
“Damn, we need to let the batteries rest a bit before trying to send out another signal,” Jaxir said.
