Chapter 2
Upon hearing the words orphaned child, Zat was whisked away from me and placed into the arms of his worried parents. The Leadership didn’t mess around. We were thrown into a holding room and minutes later Zat’s parents arrived.
“However will we repay you?” His mother repeated after scooping Zat into her arms. Her shrill voice still rang in my ears.
I promised Zat I would see him again someday. I am still uncertain if I actually meant it or not. I have never spoken such words and their meaning was hazy at best. The truth was, I would certainly be happy to bump into him again but I wasn’t about to actively seek him out.
As soon as Zat and his parents were out of sight, I fell back into my safe haven of self-accompaniment. For as long as I could remember it was just me, myself, and I. Sure, I enjoyed the little guy’s company but I was ready to kick it on my own again. With my backpack over my shoulder and the entire planet to roam, I set out on my way.
Aside from the literal skyscraping buildings, there was so much to see in the city. Hover-cars scurried about, littering the streets and airways. Moalites prodded around in their leather fashions with mobile phones glued to their ears.
I couldn’t help but stare at the passersby. One lady bumped into me but continued on her way as though she hadn’t even noticed I was standing there. I stepped back to admire her unusual beauty. Her pink skin was flawless from head to toe. Her piercing eyes were just as pink but sparkled as they caught the light of their sun. She had her black hair tied back into a tight braid that draped down to her waist and was fastened neatly at the end with a bow. The dress she wore was made out of black leather. It scooped up to her neck and fell just above her knees. I couldn’t take my eyes off her.
No more than a minute later another Moalite pummeled into me. Again, they didn’t look back. Everyone on this planet seemed to be in a dazed hurry. I needed to get out of the crowd before I imploded.
A few blocks down I saw the tip of a tree peeking out over one of the few shorter buildings. At a slow jog, I headed toward it praying I might find a quiet park or at least someplace I could gather my thoughts.
The closer I got, the emptier the streets became. I was so relieved to be leaving the bustling city and eager to gather a few minutes of peace.
I rounded the corner of a yellow brick building and found myself standing outside of the iron gates of Qien Park. The gate was pulled over, denying access but no one was around so I threw my bag over and climbed up. This wasn’t unusual for me. Now that Earth had become less populated, parks were always closed down with no one running them. If you wanted to go someplace, you had to let yourself in.
The overgrown grass cushioned my landing and my feet hit the ground with a soft thud. I scrambled to grab my backpack and threw it over my shoulders. Finally, I was alone.
Through the park a winding stone path twisted its way around trees and flower gardens. I followed it into the deepest part of the forest. As I walked along I couldn’t help but notice how familiar everything looked. There were oak trees and Jeffrey pines, dandelions and daisies. Birds sang amongst the treetops and bathed in scattered puddles. The only peculiar this was the size of these familiar things. Similar to the buildings in the city, the trees stretched tall and out of sight. The bathing birds weren’t much smaller than Zat and the flowers had grown to the size of Frisbees. Knowing I was in a different galaxy, these abnormalities didn’t phase me.
As I walked along, I began to lose track of time. I had walked hours into the forest and my feet were starting to blister. I decided to take a moment to sit and rest my aching body.
I slumped against the trunk of a tall oak tree and leaned my head back looking up through the canopy. The sun bounced off the vibrant green leaves as they danced along the breeze. Even though I was in a different galaxy, I felt like I was still home.
I was beginning to realize that the term home could be used loosely in this context. When I was on Earth, the concept of home was alien to me. Having never stayed anywhere long enough to leave a footprint, the task of selecting a home was implausible.
Now that I was no longer on the same planet, let alone the same galaxy, the idea of home seemed to make much more sense. Earth, and all of the countries it contained, was for all intensive purposes my home.
Was my home.
I ran through the definition in my mind over and over again only to further confuse myself. I could now reference Earth as my previous home, but where did I belong now?
My own thoughts weighed heavy, confusing my mind and reality. I decided I was tired of toying with the idea so I threw it aside. Instead I chose to live in the moment and watch the sparkling sun along the treetop.
As though someone flipped a light switch, the sky turned from blue to black and suddenly I was surrounded by complete darkness. I assumed that unlike Earth, Moal didn’t experience any variation of a sunset. It appeared that night and day fell upon them within the blink of an eye.
Luckily for me, I had my backpack. I climbed to my feet and carefully unzipped the bag. I fumbled around its contents in search for a light. Just as my fingers wrapped around the object, I heard a twig snap behind me. Still hunched over my bag, I froze.
My heart raced as I thought of every possible scenario that might pan out next. Up until a few hours ago, I had never even heard about Moal let alone any sort of wild animal that may inhabit it. I did the best I could to slow my breathing. So badly I wished I could disappear in this moment.
A few minutes had passed and I hadn’t heard any more sounds. I started to relax my shoulders, the coast was clear. I grabbed the flashlight and started rummaging for my tent poles, which would undoubtedly be at the bottom of the bag. Another twig snap, this time closer. I shot up, back straightened. Maybe it was my imagination but I thought I could feel warm breath on the back of my neck. I found myself holding mine.
Suddenly a hand reached out of the darkness and grabbed onto my mouth. I tried to break free but it was no use. Whatever it was held tight enough to stifle my attempted screams.
***
I felt as though I had been hit by a bus. My head throbbed, my mouth was dry, and my vision was blurred.
Where was I?
I tried to collect myself. From what I could gather, I was lying on a couch. I lifted my hand and ran it along the seam of the armrest. The fabric was soft and it slipped softly between my fingers.
It took me a moment to remember the hand clamped over my mouth. As the memory hit me, I shot up from the couch. I wanted to scream. I had been abducted.
With this realization, I covered my own mouth with my hands trying to contain the sound. My capturer was probably close by and I didn’t need them to know I was awake.
From the other room I could hear a kettle whistling and the low hum of a man singing.
Without making a sound, I lied back down on the couch. My vision slowly returned and I frantically searched the room for a weapon to defend myself with. Just out of reach there was a decorative vase.
I slipped off the couch and army crawled my way toward the vase. The intricate, colorful design reminded me of my visit to Morocco last Christmas. I would hate to break such a stunning piece of art but desperate times called for desperate measures.
In a trance, I traced my finger along its lucrative patterns reminiscing about Morocco. It was just last Christmas that I had cashed in my ticket to America in exchange for a ticket to Marrakech. Now, more than ever, I wished I hadn’t done it. I should have flown back to North Dakota to spend what would have been my last Christmas with my parents.
Instead, I was selfish.
I lay on the floor, completely still uncertain what to do next. So I decided to familiarize myself with the layout in case I had to run. Running is what I do best.
The apartment was small but extremely well laid out. The kitchen stretched out around the corner and the front door was to the right of that. Behind me were two doors, which I assumed, one lead to a bedroom and the other to a bathroom. With the darkness lingering it was hard to get an accurate scope of the place.
The singing got louder. The man was getting closer. With the vase in hand, I bounded to my feet and screamed at the top of my lungs.
“Get away from me or I will hurt you!” I hoisted the vase aggressively in the air in attempt to prove to him that I was unafraid.
He raised his hands in surrender, dropping the spatula he had clearly been cooking with.
The man in front of me didn’t appear to be dangerous. In fact, he looked kind and harmless.
Similar to the other Moalites I had come in contact with, his blue skin matched his sparkling blue eyes. I was immediately drawn to his chiseled jawline, it jutted forward drawing my attention to his gentle mouth. He had to be standing at least seven feet tall. He wore oversized square glasses that framed his eyes making them shine ever brighter. His black hair flowed effortlessly to the side and was tucked carefully behind his ear. My eyes drifted down to see he was wearing a loose white t-shirt over short, black leather pants. Leather seemed to be a trend in Moal.
“I’m not going to hurt you.” His voice was sultry.
“Who are you?” I demanded.
His hands remained hovering in submission. “I am Xam.”
“What do you want from me?” My voice shook.
“I only wanted to keep you safe. You are free to leave.” He motioned toward the door.
My eyes darted around the room. It couldn’t have been long since I had been abducted from the park. The windows lining the east wall boasted a starry night sky. Unlike Earth, I could see four moons beaming down upon us.
“Where am I? And why did you take me here?”
“You are at 767-A` Nexiun Street. This is my home.”
There was that word again, home.
“You are new to Moal, aren’t you?” He asked.
“Why does that matter? Answer the second question.”
“Well if you were from Moal you would know that you are not allowed to be outside after dark.” A smirk crept across his beautiful face.
“And why not?” My arms were aching so I lowered the vase.
In return he lowered his hands. “It’s against the laws set by The Leadership. Anyone caught after curfew is arrested.”
“Why?” My voice bit back.
“I don’t really know.” Xam shrugged. “As far as I know, The Leadership performs a series of tests throughout the night beginning the exact moment that darkness hits. They are an extremely secretive organization so I can’t tell you anything more than that. They set the rules and we have no choice but to obey them.”
I took a moment to process this information.
“Since you obviously knew better and you don’t seem like much of a rule-breaker, tell me why were you out after dark.” I stared him down.
“I was following you.” Even behind his blue skin, I could see that this confession made him blush.
“Why were you following me?”
“Because I had never seen anyone who looks like you. I was curious. Then you disappeared into the park and night fell. I needed to find you before The Leadership did.”
“Couldn’t you have just introduced yourself and told me about the laws rather than abducting me?” I grilled.
“I couldn’t risk making a sound. They would have taken both of us away.”
With that, I ran out of questions. I stepped forward and dropped myself onto the couch.
“May I sit?” Xam asked, motioning beside me.
I nodded.
“Where are you from?”
“Earth.” I left no room to expand on the topic.
“Really? How did you get to Moal? There have been no portal agreements secured between your galaxy and ours.” Xam scratched his head in search of an answer.
“I was on Neptune and I met a young Moalite boy. He had a portal device that malfunctioned separating him from his parents and landing him on Neptune. After helping him to fuel up he offered to take me back here with him. I had never even heard of Moal before him to be honest so I was intrigued by the offer.” I looked over at Xam sitting beside me. “So, here I am.” I shrugged.
“So, here you are.” He smiled at me. “I don’t believe you have told me your name yet?” Xam asked.
I detested that question.
“Kate.” I winced.
“Can I ask you something, Kate?”
“I guess.” I hated when people asked me questions. It meant they wanted to get to know me and I wasn’t generally interested in wasting my time on such a mundane conversational process.
“How do you know Boln?”
“Boln?” I questioned.
“Yes, Boln. It is our language. You are speaking it so fluently. How did you learn Boln if you have never even heard of Moal?”
“I don’t know what you mean, I am speaking English. It’s one of the most common languages on Earth, so I guess I might ask you the same thing then. How did you learn English if you have never been to Earth?”
“Moalites have spoken Boln for thousands of years. The language was discovered during the first hundred years of galaxy exploration. Our Moal ancestors stumbled upon a planet that contained an advanced civilization. They had harnessed the power of nature and learned how to take advantage of the resources within it. They had been able to move past means of technology and instead lived humbly off their land. The planet was abundant with nature and purified air. Unlike any other planet discovered. Our people decided to live by the example set by this newly discovered planet. They took the language back with them along with soil and flora samples. It was from this discovery that we were able to develop green spaces such as Qien Park. The plants in the park are alien species to Moal but we have developed resources to help them thrive.”
I wasn’t sure how to respond so I remained quiet.
“So why did you leave Earth?”
I felt a pain shoot through my heart. Normally this sort of personal question would send me running but for some reason I felt compelled to tell the truth. Xam had been nothing but kind to me and I had no reason to lie. In all honesty, I thought I might really like Xam. He was kind and from what I could gather he seemed intelligent, unlike the vast majority of the male population remaining on Earth.
“I’m sorry, you don’t have to tell me.” He retracted.
“It’s alright.” I placed my hand over his it was soft and warm. “I want to tell you.”
“I wasn’t trying to pry—“ He started.
“You weren’t.” I smiled at him reassuringly. “A week ago I received a phone call telling me that my parents had been killed in a motorcycle accident.” This was the first time I spoke these words aloud. My parents had been killed.
Xam remained silent.
“I hadn’t seen them in more than four years.” Sadness crept its weary hand over my eyes and I began to cry. Sudden thoughts about my parents flooded my mind. It was the first time since I received the call that I allowed myself to mourn the loss of Mom and Dad.
Xam laced his fingers through mine and squeezed my hand reassuringly. For some reason, I let him do it. I think I kind of liked it.
He cleared his throat. “Why had it been four years?”
“Thinking back, I can’t come up with an appropriate answer to that question. My entire life I was settled on the goal of falling below the radar. I never went out of my way to make friends. I was scared I couldn’t possibly be good enough for anyone. So instead of risking the let down, I avoided hope at all cost. Mom and Dad wanted me to go to college and get a job but I knew I could never fit that mold. Rather than let them down by dropping out of college or getting fired from a crappy job, as soon as I walked the stage for graduation, I took off and never went back.”
Xam took a moment to think about this. “I can understand where you are coming from.” He offered. “I lost my parents a few weeks after my graduation but unlike your situation my life was spent under the pressure of them wanting me to go above and beyond. I tried so hard but nothing I ever did seemed to be good enough for them. The morning before their death, I received a letter in the mail regarding my college application. I was so nervous to open it. I thought if I didn’t get in, my dad would be so disappointed in me. I couldn’t bare it so I packed my bag, wrote a note and left my parents behind. A few hours later I got the call about the fire.”
“I’m so sorry.” I genuinely meant it.
“After that, I couldn’t bare to open the letter. At that point it didn’t matter anymore.” He reached up and grasped a locket that hung around his neck.
Through my own tears, I noticed Xam was also crying.
“This was my mother’s necklace. She was wearing it at the time of the fire. It is the only thing I have left of my old life.”
For reasons I cannot explain, I felt compelled to hug the man beside me. Not only for my own comfort but also for his. Sadly enough, this was the first time I had ever felt compassion.
I leaned over and wrapped my arms around him. In turn, he held me back. His muscular arms cast an unfamiliar but welcomed feeling of safety over me. I breathed in his musk and decided I would be happy it I never had to let go. Is this what love was supposed to feel like?
“Kate,” Xam’s voice was quiet.
“Mhmm?”
“I didn’t fully tell you the truth when you asked me why I had followed you into the park.”
“How so?”
“When I first saw you, I was struck by your beauty. From your long blonde hair to your azure blue eyes.” Xam tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.
This time, I welcomed the touch. I felt my heart pounding freely in my chest. No one had ever made me feel so out of control like this before.
“I had never seen anyone with such color in their cheeks.” He placed his hands gently on my either side of my face.
I looked deep into his eyes. They were so bright I could almost see my own reflection looking back at me. I could feel myself blushing. What was happening to me?
“Kate?” He whispered, leaning in closer to me.
“Yes?” I exhaled, drinking him in.
“Would it be alright if I kissed you right now?”
“Yes.” I felt my mind soar as Xam brought his lips to mine.
He pulled me in closer and I wrapped my arms around his neck kissing him back. Xam’s hands fell to my shoulders. Tracing gently past my shoulders, down to my breasts and waist before dropping them to my hips. Without breaking the kiss, he pulled my hips forward so I was sitting on his lap. He leaned forward and got up from the couch, I linked my legs around his back as he carried me toward the bedroom.
Gently he laid me down on the red silk sheets. I unbuttoned my dress before reaching forward and pulling his t-shirt up his strong back and over his head. His skin was warm and soft against mine, every nerve spiked under his temperate touch. As I kissed his neck, I could feel his breath heavy on mine.
“Kate,” he exhaled.
“Yeah?” I tried to steady my own breathing.
“I don’t know if we should do this.”
“Yes, we should.” I continued to kiss him down to his chest.
“Kate, please. Wait.” His voice housed a strange feeling of fear or nerves.
Admittedly, I was nervous too. I had never met an alien before and now I was on the verge of sleeping with one.
On the other hand, I had never felt this way about anyone in my life. I didn’t even know feelings like these existed until this exact moment. I think I was on the brink of falling in love with Xam.
“Is everything alright?” I suddenly felt worried.
“I don’t know if we should do this.”
I felt my heart drop.
Xam rolled onto his side. I reach for the covers and pulled them up to my chin. I could feel tears welling up in my eyes. I felt vulnerable and heartbroken, feelings I had never experienced.
Tonight was certainly a night of firsts for me.
“In Moal it is against the law to frequent with anyone outside of your race. I am only to fall in love with Cyans.”
He used the word love. My heart fluttered in its broken state.
“Cyans?” I was afraid of the answer.
“Yes, Cyans like myself. We are the race of Moalites that have blue skin. Cyan men are to mate with Cyan women. Yellow men with Yellow women. Magenta men with Magenta women. It’s the rules.”
“What happens if the law is broken?”
“The offender would be thrown in prison or abolished.”
I remained silent.
I could tell his mind was wandering. He chewed incessantly on his lower lip. I wanted to cry.
His hand found my cheek in the darkness. “But I can’t help who I fall in love with.”
With that, he kissed me more passionately than he had before. He ran his hands through my hair as I pulled him into me.
I am not certain, but I think fireworks erupted and showered over us tonight. With every touch I fell deeper and more intensely in love with Xam.
***
I yawned and blinked my eyes against the brightness of the morning sun. Stretching, I kicked my legs out from under the red sheets and reached my arms above my head.
“Morning, Xam.” I rolled onto my left side.
He wasn’t there.
I got to my feet and tugged the sheet off the bed. I draped it over my shoulder and trudged my way into the kitchen in search of Xam.
“Where are you?” I called out.
My voice rang empty.
“Xam?” I searched each room with no response.
Maybe he had to leave for work, I thought. It was strange that he hadn’t left a note but he could have been in a rush.
I rounded the corner toward the front door and saw the Moroccan vase on the floor. It was smashed into a thousand pieces along with the table it had been sitting on. Wooden splinters littered the rug.
Across the room in front of the door, I saw an object glimmer catching the sun. I walked toward the object on the floor and bent down to pick it up. It was Xam’s locket.
My stomach dropped. Something was wrong.
Xam was gone.