Page 100 of Owned By Two

But mostly, I was assaulted by the light.

I blinked against it.

It was harsh and bright and I could barely peer through my eyes — even though they formed only slits.

I heard footsteps on either side of me, not close, but a few yards away, shuffling from one place to another hurriedly.

“Hello?” I said. “Is anyone there?”

I knewsomeonewas there but no one replied to me.

“Look,” I said, “there’s no reason to do this. Whatever you want, just tell me and I’ll give it to you.”

No response again.

I moved to raise my arms and feet but they immediately met resistance.

I peered down, the bright light for a moment obstructed by the bridge of my nose, and I made out some kind of metal restraint over my wrist.

I checked the other arm and saw it had the same problem.

My headache was already beginning to fade but my thoughts were fuzzy and unclear.

I knew something was wrong but I couldn’t seem to compute what exactly.

“Don’t panic,” a soft voice over my shoulder said.

It was so unexpected that it made me jump.

“The bright light will diminish in a moment,” the voice continued. “Due to the tractor beam, you will suffer a splitting headache until your mind acclimatizes to the light.”

“Who… Who are you?” I said, peering over my shoulders but only managing to make out movement and not the figure itself.

“Who I am is not important, but whoweare. Please relax. The answers are coming.”

I shut my eyes and let the light wash over me.

As the female voice had said it would, the light diminished along with my headache.

With the cloud of pain gone, I found myself able to think a little more clearly.

I was in a plain white room.

I couldn’t make out the door and assumed it had to be behind me.

I was sitting on the only piece of furniture in the room — an uncomfortable chair made from metal blocks.

It wasn’t only my arms and legs that were strapped to the chair but my head too and I could hardly move it.

I had clearly been taken prisoner.

The last thing I recalled was the bright light of a tractor beam as it held our shuttle in limbo and…

After that, I had no ideawhathappened.

Then I recalled who I’d been traveling with.

“Blor,” I said. “Is he okay? The Elkik I was traveling with. Is he all right?”

---