I wake mid-scream.

The same searing pain that’s been plaguing me for the last week or two has returned. My entire abdomen is burning from the inside out, a pain that I’ve never felt before. The sweat is worse this morning; my entire body is covered a thick coat of moisture. I feel sick, I feel weak, and I certainly don’t feel like myself.

When the pain finally subsides, it’s replaced by pure nausea. I race to the bathroom, kicking aside shoes and clothes in my haste. I push into the room, drop down to my knees at the toilet, and brace myself for the oncoming expulsion of my insides. After five or so minutes of torture, I splash cold water onto my face. I look into the mirror and I don’t recognize the person staring back at me. My hair is latched onto the side of my face like brown seaweed and my skin is the whitest that it’s ever been. I look as terrible as I feel.

“There’s work to be done, Eliana, so get yourself together,” I say to my reflection before starting my shower.

Today could be the day that I lose my job and I don’t intend on letting this sickness assist in that. My department has been downsizing as required by the heads of Oakdale Public Schools. Apparently arts just aren’t as important as the sciences and mathematics. All the art teachers are being shadowed for the next few weeks, constantly watched and recorded. At the end of the semester, only a handful of us will be returning after the summer break. Art, my students and coworkers, the whole damn school is what keeps me going, and I’ll be damned if I let any of it slip away from me. So yeah, this mystery sickness is going to have to sit back and wait its turn.

The shower washes away most of the pain, but there will be the constant reminder of it lingering somewhere deep within me for the entire day, much like yesterday and the day before. I dress in my normal attire: a black suit, hair pulled back, just the right amount of makeup to make me feel presentable. I don’t eat, which is no surprise. Until around noon, the very idea of food makes my stomach want to roll over and die. I gather up all that I’ll need for the day, and I leave, determined to impress whomever decides enters room 207 today.

During my thirty-minute commute, my phone buzzes in my pocket. I wait for a red light to read the text.

Bridgette 7:07 AM: Good morning, El. Lunch today?

Me 7:11 AM: Yes, definitely. I need to catch you up.

Bridgette 7:13 AM: Everything okay?

Me 7:16 AM: Talk later, driving. See you at Helen’s at 12.

Bridgette doesn’t text back after that. She just returned from a weekend trip with her husband and I haven’t been able to fill her in on my current situation. Whenever I don’t talk to her for more than a day or two, my problems start to overwhelm me. She’s been my best friend for six years now, and she has yet to give me poor advice. No matter how outlandish her suggestions seem, they always seem to work. I call her my oracle for a reason.

I make it to school a few minutes later than usual and I quicken my pace through the parking lot. When I reach the top of the stairs, a familiar voice calls my name from behind me. I resist the instinct to turn to face the caller, hoping that he gives up. He calls my name again. I turn and say, “Oh, good morning, Hank.”

“Mornin’, Eliana. So about that date…”

Hank is an art appreciation teacher. We’ve been working together for almost four years now. Ever since the first time we met, he’s been trying to spark a romantic relationship with me. He’s a great guy, which is why I don’t get angry with him, but I’m just not interested. Bridgette thinks it’s because he reminds me to much of my ex and I can’t say that I don’t agree with her.

“I would, Hank. But work has me swamped, you know, with all of these jobs cuts and whatnot,” I say as he catches up with me. We’re walking towards my classroom, passing by students flirting at their lockers, teachers scrambling to prepare for the day, and an endless sea of eyes glued on Hank and I. The students have been spreading rumors about our relationship for months now. Even some of the teachers have spilled false gossip into the rumor wheel. “It’s crazy how low the respect level is for the arts,” I say to change the subject as we pass a group of girls pretending not to watch us.

“Oh, trust me, Elly, you have nothing to worry about. Old Man Johnson loves you,” Hank says, patting my shoulder. I really wish he hadn’t done that. “It’s those like me that have to watch out.”

“He’s the principal, yes, but Edward doesn’t hold any power in this. Our lives hang on the decisions of the big guys.”

“I don’t know—”

“I’ll talk to you later, Hank,” I say when we reach my room, giving him my best impression of a sincere smile. “I have some things to do before class starts.”

His blue eyes light up, meaning that I’m not only a great teacher, but also a great actress. “Catch ya later, Elly.” Hank sends me a wink and walks away.

A few students standing by my door must have caught the wink and they giggle and whisper. I raise my eyebrows at them and say, “Good morning.”

My first two classes seem to drag on for hours. I’m so caught up in doing and saying the right thing to make the man in the back of the room happy that it’s draining me. All of my moves are so calculated, so unnatural. The students can sense it and I hope that the man doesn’t. By the end of third period, every muscle in my body feels strained. A slight headache taps against my skull and the chronic pain in my stomach doesn’t waiver.

When the bell rings, I leave the room almost as fast as the students. I see Hank again at the opposite end of the hall and I turn in the other direction. I ignore his shouts and try my best to escape the school with no obstacles, bumping into a girl while racing down the stairs.

“I’m so sorry, Angela,” I say, steadying her with my free hand.

“It’s all right, Ms. Russet,” Angela says with a smile. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, why?” I ask as we descend the steps.

“You don’t look to good.”

“I think I’m coming down with something,” I say. I smile and continue my descent.

I make it to my car and I quickly shut the door, cocooning myself in silence. For the first time since the first bell rang, I can feel my body start to relax. I take in a deep breath, wipe the sweat off my brows, and start towards Helen’s Café.

 

***

 

I spot Bridgette’s car as soon as I pull into the parking lot. I park my car behind hers. She sees me through her rearview mirror and jumps from her car, elated. A few seconds after I leave my car, I’m wrapped in her arms.

“I’ve missed you so much, El!” she screams into my ear. I don’t mind though; the comfort I get from her mere presence outweighs the pain that courses through my body. She pulls away and asks, “How are you?”

“I’ve seen better days,” I say. “But before we talk about me, tell me about your trip over a nice meal?”

Bridgette laughs. “Of course.”

The waitress knows our orders and puts them in when we enter the small restaurant. We’ve been coming here for about two years now and the warmth of the place relaxes me even more. All the furniture is a dark brown wood with splashes of red in the paintings, fabrics, and light fixtures. We sit in the same spot and the waitress, Peggy, brings us our regular drinks.

Bridgette tells me that her trip was magical. She and Rob had an amazing time exploring Yellowstone. She swears that it’s the most beautiful place in the world. Midway through one of her stories, she pauses and stares at me.

“What is it?” I ask.

“You’re still sick, aren’t you?”

“Please, finish your stories. I don’t want to dry out the energy quite yet.”

“Explain it to me,” Bridgette says. “The sickness, I mean.”

I sigh and tell her about my morning trips to the toilet, the constant pins in my abdomen, and the lack of appetite.

“Oh my gosh,” she says, covering her mouth with her hand.

“What?”

“You’re pregnant!”

“Be quiet, Bridge,” I whisper-scream. “Not so loud.”

“Why haven’t you told me yet?” She doesn’t lower her voice.

“Because I’m not pregnant.” A sudden dose of nausea hits me like a wave. I discretely grab my stomach under the table. I refuse to show the pain on my face. “It’s…impossible.”

“What do you mean? You’re young, of course it’s possible.”

“I mean because…I haven’t…you know…”

“You haven’t had sex?”

The waitress arrives at our table just as Bridgette makes her exclamation. Peggy tries her best to hide the fact that she heard, but I can read it in the way that she quickly deposits our food and leaves. My cheeks heat up with embarrassment.

I roll my eyes and nod.

“In how long?” Bridgette asks, leaning forward, arms sprawled on the table. “When was the last time you had some fun?”

“I don’t know,” I say. I do know. The last time I was sexually active was six or seven months ago, a few days after I ended things with Thomas, my ex. I went out to a bar in hopes of numbing my pain and I met this guy. I forget his name and the only thing I remember about him was his purple contacts and his indiscernible accent. “A long time.”

“There have been crazy stories of women getting pregnant without having sex,” Bridgette says after taking a bite of her pasta. “Ever heard of Mary?”

“I’m not pregnant.”

Bridgette holds up her hands and says, “Okay, okay. But don’t say I didn’t warn you when a little guy pops out from down under.”

“I still get my period.”

“Stranger things have happened.”

We finish our food, hug, and part ways. I finish my afternoon classes a bit easier than my morning ones, and stay after school to finish grading a few assignments. While I’m working, my conversation with Bridgette is on replay in my head. I know there’s no way that I’m pregnant, but the idea has latched to my mind like a leech on a swimmer’s leg. I stop grading and place my hands on my stomach. It feels like it’s felt for a long time. Sure, it’s not as flat as it once was, but there’s no way that there’s another human inside of me. I run my fingers along my abdomen, my mind still running at full capacity. Despite my surety, I won’t be able to abandon the idea until I prove it to myself.

I decide that I’ll finish grading tomorrow and leave the school. On my way home, I stop at a drug store. After making sure no one was around, I add a pregnancy test to my basket of other products that I use to hide it. At the checkout counter, I put the test up first, wanting the cashier to hide it away in a bag.

“How are you today, ma’am?” The older woman asks from behind the counter.

“I’m fine, thank you.”

The woman, whose nametag tells me her name is Shirley, holds up the pregnancy test and says, “You know, you might want to get two of these just to be safe.”

Just then, two of my former students enter the store, spot me, then the little white box in Shirley’s hands, and erupt in laughter. One of them, Alex Lovette, says, “You and Mr. Hamilton had a fun night, huh?”

I ignore the boys and tell Shirley that one is just fine. I silently pray that Alex doesn’t throw some more fuel onto the fire that is already burning so harshly. A scandal is the last thing that I need right now.

When I get home, I don’t waste any time. I remove the stick from the box, follow the directions, and wait. I don’t know why, but my hands are shaking from nervousness. I know what the test will say. I know that I’m not pregnant. And yet I’m scared to look at the indicator when the two minutes are up. I gather enough courage to take a peek, and to confirm what I already knew, the test is negative. Two small lines tell me that there is nothing growing inside of me. I check the back of the box again just to be sure and there, in little black letters, “two lines: positive”. I drop the box and the stick and do my best to suppress the scream that’s forming in my throat.

 

***

 

I’m in my car, driving to the nearest gas station, in seconds.

The test is wrong. It has to be wrong. There is absolutely no way that I’m pregnant. My hands grip the steering wheel so tight that my knuckles go white. I’m biting down on my tongue to distract myself as I fly down the road at speeds well over the limit. There’s a small station a few minutes down the road and as I approach it, my entire being is consumed with fear.

I go into the store, grab the two tests, and check out. As I swipe my card, the clerk says, “Is everything all right, Miss?”

I nod, keeping my eyes aimed away from his. He hands me my receipt and tells me to have a good night.

“Is there a bathroom here?” I ask, keeping my head down.

“There’s an attached bathroom near the back of the store. Don’t worry, it’s well-lit.”

“Thank you.”

I can feel his eyes on my back as I leave the store and disappear around the corner. Like he said, the bathroom is at the back of the building. In any other circumstance, I would never go back here, but there isn’t any room in my mind to worry about my safety.

I enter the bathroom and lock the door behind me. My nose is bombarded with horrid smells, but I push forward. I remove both of the sticks from the boxes and give them both a sample at the same time. I spend the next two minutes praying to the universe to let them both come back negative. If they don’t, if they somehow come back positive, then I truly need to reevaluate my life. I pace back and forth in the small room, ignoring the questionable substances under my feet.

After an eternity, I slowly make my way to the sink where I left the tests, facedown. I close my eyes and flip them both over. I bite the inside of my lip, send out one last prayer, and open my eyes.

First test: positive.

Second test: positive.

My knees betray me and I’m on the ground. My eyes fill with tears, blurring my vision. My heart punches against my chest, so hard it hurts. I can’t control my breathing. I’m falling in a spiral of tears and short breaths and an aching body. I’m having a panic attack, something that I haven’t experienced since the day that Adam slammed the door and left my life forever.

Three loud bangs erupt from the other side of the door.

Through my minor convulsions, I manage to say, “Occupied.”

Three more bangs fill my ears.

“I said it’s occupied!” I scream, my panic slowly leaving and anger taking its place.

“You’re carrying my child!” A voice calls from outside.

Disbelief consumes me. The accent, an awkward mashup of British and Southern. I’ve only heard it once before, in that trashy bar. In my drunken stupor, we spent a night together. I yearned for an artificial taste of love and he delivered just that, a distraction. But that was over half a year ago, in another city.

I stand and wobble towards the door. I can’t open it, too afraid of what I might find on the other side. If it is the man that I think it is, I just don’t think I can take it.

“It’s okay, love. You can open it.”

I don’t know why, but I do. And, as I expected, I can’t take it and I fall into darkness.

 

I regain consciousness before I open my eyes. I’m sitting in an upright position on a cushioned surface, the air around me is chilled. Before I open my eyes, I try to stretch my legs in preparation to run, but they don’t move. My eyes fly open and I’m staring at a door, unable to move my head down to figure out why my legs aren’t working. I’m about to scream out before I remember the last person I saw before I blacked out. The man from six months ago, the man who claims that I’m carrying his child.

I push the panic as far down as I can manage and I survey the room that I’m trapped in. It’s a luxury room, with ceiling high windows to my left and right. Directly in front of me is the wall that contains the door, the only exit for the room. I can just make out the undeniable views of New York City in my peripheral vision. I know that I’m pretty high up because I can see the tops of tall buildings all around me. I want to move, but I can’t. I try to wiggle my toes, my fingers, anything, but I’m frozen. I’m on a couch, that much I can tell, sitting straight up like I’m being interviewed or something. The paralysis claws at my mind, commanding all of my attention. My body betrays my mind and I let out a long, fear-filled scream.

I hear footsteps from the other side of the closed door and then it opens. There he is, in all of his six-foot-something glory. The light behind him halos his body, giving him an almost angelic look. His hair is wet, falling almost to his shoulders. His eyes just as purple as I remember. The only thing preventing him from being fully nude is the towel wrapped around his waist, just beneath his perfectly chiseled abdomen. Now that I see him with no alcohol poisoning my bloodstream and clouding my mind, I see that he’s truly other-worldly.

 

***

 

“You’re up earlier than I expected,” he says, indiscernible accent still intact. He leans against the doorframe and cocks his head to the side in an examining manner, eyes locked on mine. “Couldn’t even finish my shower.”

“Why can’t I move,” I say, trying my best to keep my voice steady, but I can feel my chest falling and rising with intense pressure. “What did you do to me?”

“Don’t panic, love,” the man says, “I’ll take it away. But you have to promise to stay here while I go change. Can you do that?”

His offer is laughable. But I have no other choice but to nod my head. He smiles, flashing his perfect set of teeth in my direction. A small glass of water rests on the table adjacent to the door. He grabs the glass and approaches me. I consider attacking him when I regain my movement, but that wouldn’t work out too well. He probably carries my weight in muscle alone. I’ll let him leave the room and then I’ll make a dash for the nearest exit.

He puts the water to my lips and I say, “Don’t you have to give me a pill or something before the water?”

“This isn’t water,” he says, a smirk painted on his face. It’s a cocky thing, like the half-smile itself is saying that he’s better than everyone else. “Please, drink it.”

I open my lips and let the foreign liquid slide down my throat. The chilled liquid seems to be absorbed straight into my bloodstream. I can practically feel it as it courses through my body, freeing me from paralysis slowly but surely. I move my toes first, then my ankles and wrists. Soon I can feel my legs and arms. When I’m in total control again, I ask, “Who are you?”

He turns and puts the glass back onto the metal table. Just before he shuts the door behind him, he turns partially and says, “The name’s Zander Olgarian.”

I’m at the door almost as soon as it closes, listening. His footsteps become fainter until they disappear completely after another door closes. I open my door, peek out, and dash down the thin corridor. The walls are completely bare. In fact, the entire apartment is empty. I pass by two other doors on my way to the common area. I spot the door on the other side of the large opening where the living room and dining room should be and it commands all of my attention. I reach the tall oak door, turn the metal knob, and yank it open. A hand reaches over my head, stopping the door in its tracks. I scream and spin away from the man.

“I don’t know what you want from me, but please if you just let me go I won’t tell anyone, I swear it.”

He’s dressed now, which seems impossible considering we were both in my room just seconds ago. His hair is still wet, dripping water droplets onto his white shirt. His legs are covered in expensive-looking jeans, feet bare. “I’m not going to hurt you, Eliana.”

“How the hell do you know my name?” I ask, backing way. There’s a fire poker by the fireplace to my right. “How?!”

“We’ve met before,” he says, raising his hands. After a short burst of laughter, he says, “I’m sure you didn’t forget that night.”

I’m almost close enough to the fire poker. “So what if I do?” I say, taking a few more steps back.

Before he can reply, I lunge for the fire poker, secure it, and swing it straight at his face. In one graceful motion, he grabs the poker and twists it out of my hand. Another seemingly impossible move. My dad told me about these products of government experiments that were capable of incredible feats. Mostly I dismissed his claims, but there was always a part of me that believed him. My mind has always been drawn to the improbable, the fantasy. That would explain his purple eyes and unknown accent.

“What are you?” I say, my back against the fireplace. “Don’t lie to me.”

“I plan on telling you everything that you need to know, love,” he says as he walks closer. “But I’m going to need you to have an open-mind.”

“No, I’m going to need you to tell me the damn truth.”

“You ready for the truth, Eliana?” Zander says, running his fingers through his damp hair. “You sure?”

I nod.

He turns and walks toward the luxury kitchen. There are two bar stools at the counter and he turns them to face each other. He gestures towards the chairs and says, “Well?”

I pull my chair a few more feet away from his before taking a seat. He smiles that same arrogant smile and sits opposite me. “Here goes nothing,” he begins after a long sigh. “I’m a prince.”

I don’t know where it comes from, but I laugh, a loud, true laugh. The laugh is probably a coping mechanism for the jarring fear that takes over me when I realize that I’m being held hostage by a maniac.

“It’s no laughing matter,” he says, irritation written all over his face and in his tensed muscles. “I didn’t tell a joke.”

“Okay, Mr. Zander,” I say as I put my elbows on the counter. “Prince of what country?”

“Not a country. A planet.” He’s not joking, that much I can see. He must truly believe in what he says. “A planet in the Andromeda Galaxy, just next door.”

I’ve read about situations like this, when a disturbed man kidnaps a woman and forces her to play along in his fantasy world. The best way for me to ensure my survival is to play along, wait until he sleeps and then make my grand escape.

I turn to face him. “And why are you here, Prince Zander?”

He points to my stomach and says, “To create my heir.”

At his words, I remember what he said through the bathroom door. The sentence that made me open the door, that sparked my curiosity so much that I went against every part of me to do so.

“Six months ago, we were intimate,” Zander continues, scooting his chair closer. “I impregnated you, Eliana.”

I want to run from him or attack him or anything but sit here. But I sit and I stare into his lavender eyes. I don’t know why, but the fear starts to leak from my body, leaving me swimming in a calm sea. That fantastical part of me takes over and I say, “But that was over six months ago.”

“We’re not the same species, Elaina. We’re close enough that we can procreate, but the whole process is different than what you’re used to. The baby has been developing for the past six months, but at a very slow pace. For the next four months it will grow at an accelerated rate until it’s ready to be birthed. I know this might all sound crazy, but we’ve been doing this since the beginning of your species.”

“Doing what? Impregnating my species with your alien babies?”

“Eliana,” Zander says. He rests his hands on knees. My trust for him only grows when he touches me and again, I don’t know why. “We created your species. Long ago, my species created yours and planted you here. We engineered you all to be our perfect mating partners. The offspring of my kind and yours are stronger than you can imagine. Whenever we need more of the hybrids in our kingdoms, we return to Earth to create some.”

“What are you doing to me?” I ask. “Why can’t I help but trust you?”

Zander backs away and laughs. “Just an old trick passed down in my family. Nothing more than my charm, really.”

When he looks away and his hands fall from my knee, the mystical trance is broken and I no longer feel obligated to put my trust in him. It was like I was under a spell or something, some type of hypnosis maybe. At this point I don’t know what to think of him. He’s crazy, that much is obvious, but his eyes and accent and freakishly fast reflexes still don’t quite add up. And still, buried deep down in the darkest recesses of my mind, I believe him. After all, three tests did read positive and he was the last person that I had sex with.

“So what, you’re going to steal my baby away from me when it’s born?”

“Of course not,” Zander says, his eyes finding mind again. “I’m not that much of an asshole. The baby won’t survive here. This planet doesn’t have the right resources to sustain such a powerful being. So, if you care for the baby at all, you’ll willingly let me take him. You may come along if you please, or you can stay here and the baby and I will visit you every so often.”

“This is crazy,” I say, pushing out of my chair, fingers rubbing at my temples. “This is all so damn crazy. I can’t do this.”

Zander grabs my hand and twists me towards him. He pulls a small device from his pocket and places it on the countertop. It looks like a tiny cellphone or something. He presses a button on its shiny black surface and then we’re transported to another world.

I’m standing in a jungle, but it’s unlike anything here on Earth. The trees seem to scrape against the sky, trunks wide enough for three cars to drive through. The vegetation is also super-sized; the grass is almost at my waist and the flowers tower over me. Everything feels so real that for a second I think that I’m actually in some foreign forest, but then I look down at my feet and the oak floorboards of Zander’s apartment are beneath them. That device is like some virtual reality or something.

Just as I’m about to walk forward, I’m teleported again, this time to a cliff. I’m overlooking a massive body of water, a body of red water. It looks as if the sea is made up of blood.

“Look up,” I hear Zander say. I can’t see him, but his voice is so near. “Look towards the sky.”

My head lifts upward and I also fall over by what I see. There’s a sun that looks much like my own, but there’s another sun that’s much larger and more orange than the other. By far, this is the prettiest site that I’ve ever laid my eyes on.

The illusion breaks away like shattering glass and I’m back in the New York City apartment. Zander is looking at me with a wide smile playing on his lips. “Amazing, huh?”

I nod.

“I need sleep,” I say, rubbing at my eyes.

Zander leads me to another room, this one with a massive bed in its center, covered in fine linens. He tells me that we’ll talk more in the morning and to have a good sleep. I smile and he leaves me.

Sleep is the last thing on my mind. If he is some alien prince from some far off world, I’ll be damned if I’ll let him take my baby from me. Now that I know for sure that I’m pregnant, I can feel my maternal instincts kicking in. I’ll protect my baby until my very last breath.

I wait for an hour or so until I’m sure he’s sleeping. I’m still dressed in my suit, but I remove the jacket and leave it on the bed. After gathering enough courage, I open the door and escape into the darkness of the apartment. My shoes tapping against the wood floor fills the air like an elephant stampede. I speed walk past the other rooms on the long hallway until I’m back into the common area. The front door is feet away now. I unlock it, twist the knob, and I’m free.

 

***

 

I’m in the New York night, wishing that I’d kept my jacket. Despite it being mid-May, the night is chilly. I’m directly in the heart of Manhattan with towering skyscrapers filling the sky.

I’m not sure where my cellphone or my car keys are, but I have a twenty that I always keep in my back pocket. There is a good amount of people on the street and I ask a lady passing in the other direction for the time. It’s just past two in the morning. I’ve spent a lot of time in the city, having grown up in a small New Jersey town less than twenty minutes away. The subway stations are littered about the city and it isn’t long until I run into one. I make my way down the wide staircase, grabbing a schedule as I pass an information kiosk.

The paranoia that I’ve felt since leaving the apartment hasn’t waivered. I’m sitting on a bench in the station, trying to study the schedule and the attached map, but I keep getting distracted by these two men sitting across from me. They’re both in matching suits, reminiscent of the Men in Black. Their eyes are covered by sunglasses which is weird for two reasons: it’s 2AM and we’re underground. Every time I look at them, they look away as if they weren’t just looking in my direction. After the fourth time of this, I stand and make my way toward the bathroom. When I’m a good distance away, I turn to find the two men walking in my direction, obviously pretending to converse. I decide to pass the bathroom, now racing toward the main exit. The men break out into full out sprints behind me. I can hear their heeled shoes clacking against the cement floors.

When I reach the staircase, I take the steps two at a time. My breathing is heavy now as the adrenaline starts to die down. I reach the top of the stairs and I’m sure that I’m going to collapse. I can hear the men behind me scaling the steps but I can only manage a slight jog through the New York City streets. And then, just to add to the weirdness of the night, my breathing slows and pure energy bursts throughout my body. My eyes seem to go into overdrive, things that should not be visible to me are as clear as freshly made glass. My leg muscles, which were aching just seconds before feel brand new. My hearing seems to be amplified as well. My jog turns into a run and my run into a sprint. I’m running through the streets with fluidity that Eliana Russet should not possess.

I don’t know how, but I can hear the men behind me still. They’re falling further behind with each stride that I take. I turn to see them and then I’m struck by a brick wall. I fall straight to my butt. The brick wall isn’t a wall at all, but another man in a black suit. He takes a step toward me and I kick out, my foot connecting in the spot no man wants to be kicked. He barrels over, clutching at himself, and I swing my foot up again, this time at his face. He falls to the ground as I push myself up.

I sprint into the alley on my left, leaping over toppled trash bins and rusted shopping carts. There’s no light in the alley, but I can see all that I need to see. And soon enough, I see that there is only one exit to this alley, and it’s the way that I entered. Panicking, I turn to the mouth of the alley to see the two suited men approaching. One of them smiles, showing his yellowed teeth. They’re the predators and I’m the prey. I hope that my strange abilities stick around and allow me to kick the shit out of these men.

The smiling man reaches into his coat pocket and withdraws a metallic object. The moonlight above sparkles off the object, revealing its identity. He aims the gun at my head and says, “For the betterment of humanity.”

Before he can get the shot off, a dark figure drops from the fire escape above, landing on the shooter. There’s a jumble of limbs and screams and cracks. In a matter of seconds, both of the suited men lay still on the wet ground of the alley and the third figure is approaching me. It’s Zander.

When he’s within a few feet of me, he says, “Why the hell did you leave the apartment?”

“I…” I can’t answer the question. I know the answer, but it seems so stupid now. I want to protect my baby, but I wasn’t doing such a good job of that by sneaking away. Without him, the man that I tried to escape from, I’d be the one unmoving on the ground. “Who are those men?”

“I’ll explain when we get back inside,” Zander says, grabbing my arm. “Come on.”

As we fast walk back to his apartment, thousands of questions flood my mind. The one that seems to keep making an appearance is how I managed to run so gracefully and how I took out that man. I never played a sport in my entire life and the idea of going to the gym has never even entered my mind. I know myself and I know that those things that I was able to do were not just an adrenaline rush.

We pass by a few people on our way back; each one unable to take their eyes of off Zander. They look at him as if he’s some god or something. I mean, yes, he’s unlike anything that I’ve ever seen before, but to stare? I guess I’m a little biased though, I just wouldn’t want to feed his ego.

When we reach his apartment, he tells me to sit on the same barstool that I sat on just two or so hours ago. He disappears into one of the rooms and when he reappears, he’s carrying a large duffel bag full of stuff. I can’t see what’s in the bag, but it looks heavy. He drops it by my feet and sits in the stool across from me.

“Before I tell you anything else, love,” he begins, his voice taking on a serious tone that I haven’t heard from him before, “you have to promise to never run away from me again.”

“I promise.” I do promise. I see now that he’s truly here to protect me, something I shouldn’t have taken for granted. I almost lost not only my own life, but also my baby’s. “I promise.”

“Those men that you saw, they’re with the government. Your people have known about my race for a long time now and they’ve been trying to rid themselves of us. We’re used to that and they’re usually easily avoided. But the last time we were here was about nine hundred years ago, when your technology was a lot more…primitive.”

“What did you expect? Nine hundred years is a long time to develop,” I say. “We weren’t going to stay useless forever.”

“The idea of nine hundred years to you isn’t the same for me. My people live for thousands of years. Nine hundred years to us is like your childhood,” Zander says, running his hands through his hair. “We forgot to check for hostile developments before we came and now we’re paying for it.”

“Thousands of years?” I ask, amazed. My dad was always so interested in this kind of stuff. He believed that we’ve been visited by aliens since before the ancient Egyptians or the Mayans. He would tell me stories about how our technology comes from other worlds, other times even. I loved hearing about these stories because they made me believe that there was something bigger going on in the universe. But now that they’re all turning out to be true and even grander than I expected, my mind is having a hard time understanding them. “How old are you?”

“I promise I’m no pedophile,” Zander says with a laugh. “I’m nearly two thousand years old.”

I just look at him, deep into his eyes. He’s seen so much, learned so much, done so much. He holds more time within him than nearly all of humanity’s recorded history. I feel like I’m looking into the past as I fall deeper and deeper into his eyes.

“I know I’m beautiful,” he says, breaking me from my admiration. “But staring is rude.”

“Two thousand years,” I say, amazed. “Did you come to Earth the last time your people came?”

“I was only a child then,” Zander says. “Only those that are ready to produce offspring get to make the journey.”

“So your family comes to Earth and you all have kids for the next generation?”

“No, that’s not how it works.” He pauses and looks down at his hands. “The offspring of Earthlings and of my people, the Harkens, are sterile. They live only half as long as Harkens, but they burn twice as bright. They’re our healers, teachers, fighters. They’re of the highest people on Hark, the most revered. To have one in your family is a wonderful gift and the royal families like to keep them around, which is why I and the rest of my fleet have come on this expedition. The older generation of hybrids are dying off and it’s time to refuel our planet with them. And I guess your people are tired of mine coming and going as we please.”

“This is all so much,” I say. Everything that he is telling me is shattering everything that I thought I knew about my world, about the universe. I’ve always had a fascination with the stars, but I’d never thought they’d come to visit me. I’ll never say it aloud, but I’m scared. “I can’t do this.”

“But you have to do this. Not for you or me, but for our child. I know you didn’t ask for this and I’m sorry that I put this on you, but it’s been done and there’s no going back now,” Zander says, again, putting his hands on my knees. He’s staring at me, eyes digging deep inside of me. “I too like to admire beauty.”

I can feel my cheeks turn red and I let my face drop from his view. He grabs my chin and lifts my head until we’re at eye level again. “We have to leave, Eliana.”

I’ve watched enough movies to know what the hunted do: they run. Zander adds a few more items into the duffel bag and then we’re out the door. We take a different elevator this time, one that requires a key to enter. The bottom button on the panel is marked with a single “G” and Zander presses that button.

The doors open and I’m looking at millions of dollars. Rolls Royce, Mercedes, and BMW are just a few brands that fill the massive garage. I’ve never even seen some of these cars.

“Some of the biggest names in New York City live here,” Zander explains as we walk past cars worth more than my entire family. “And with big names comes big money, that’s a universal truth.”

Zander leads me to the passenger side of a white Mercedes and opens the door for me. After shutting my door, he throws the duffel bag in the back seat and then gets into the driver’s seat.

“Nice car,” I say. “Are you a big name?”

Zander starts the car and floors it out of the parking space. As we leave the garage, he says, “You could say that.”

Even in New York City, there’s a time when the streets are pretty much empty, and right now is that time. Reaching speeds close to one hundred miles per hour, we dart through the city like a bullet. He ignores red lights when possible and stops when not. I find myself holding onto the door handle for stability.

“Do you have cars on your planet?” I ask, wondering where he learned to drive.

“No,” he says, smirking at me. “But I’ve been on Earth for nearly a year, so I’ve had plenty of time to learn.”

The buildings around us start to get smaller as we leave the city’s center, and after an hour, we leave the city behind.

 

***

 

After about an hour of driving, Zander pulls off the empty highway and parks near a decrepit building. The roof sags and the walls struggle to remain upright.  The whole scene seems to have been copy and pasted from a horror movie.

Zander walks away from the building toward a large empty field. He beckons for me to follow and I do. I’m not sure what business he has in an unkempt corn field, but I don’t question him until he sits on the ground.

“Is something wrong?” I ask, standing above him.

He smiles up at me and says, “Nothing’s wrong. I want to take you somewhere.” He reads the confused look on my face and continues, “I can take you to one of my favorite places on my planet. It’s similar to what I showed you at back in New York, but this is hyper-realistic. We can move about and interact with the projection.”

He pats on the ground in front of him and I sit. He takes out a small vile of clear liquid from his backpack and holds it out to me. “This will alter your perception of time for a while. We can spend as long as we want in the projection when only mere seconds will pass in reality.” The drink is sweet, almost like strawberries.

Zander removes a small metallic rod about the size of a finger and says, “We use this little guy to take another person into our minds. The device works with our memories and corrects any imperfections, creating an almost infallible recreation.”

I’m amazed at how such a seemingly ordinary object can produce a perfect dream world. There’s so much I want to ask, but I’m too eager to see it in action to let the questions out. “I’m ready.”

“Eager, huh?” he laughs. “When I turn it on, I’m going to be as good as dead to you from out here. Just wait until it starts to glow and then you grab the other end. Simple?”

“I got it,” I say.

Zander looks at me for a few seconds before he smirks. He presses the button on the rod. I expect it to start spinning at crazy speeds or something of that nature, but it looks the same. Zander’s eyes are closed, though. I say his name, but he doesn’t show the slightest movement in response. It’d be so easy for me to run away right now, but I don’t. I know now that he’s here for my protection. I’d be a pure fool to run away from that.

The rod suddenly bursts with lights of all color. It’s truly unlike anything that I’ve seen before. It’s almost like a million tiny little movies are playing on and around the rod. They must be his memories. I wish I could see the individual memories, but they’re all blurring into wild wisps of light.

I grab the other end of the rod and I’m whisked away through a tunnel of his memories. I’m moving by them too fast to make out anything specific. I’m whirling through streaks of color and light.

And then I’m standing face to face with Zander.

“Look around, love.”

I do a full turn, taking in the wondrous beauty around me. We’re standing on a small sand island, but one that is unlike anything on Earth. The sand beneath our feet is a light pink and gives off a slight glow. The twin suns are setting on the horizon, throwing pinks and purples and oranges across the sky. There doesn’t seem to be any other land masses in sight. The waters are a brilliant blue, calm and steady. There are trees that look a lot like palm trees scattered about the island, each one as tall as a five-story building. This is a true paradise.

“This is wonderful,” I say when I look back to Zander.

“I found this place about fifty years ago. I don’t think anyone else knows about it. I come here when I want an escape from everything.” He looks around and I can see the love he has for the island clearly on his face.

“Is every place on your planet perfect? The forest, the cliff, and now this? I can’t believe that such a world exists.”

Zander takes my hand and pulls me toward the water. The warm sand, the wind, the smell of the ocean, it all feels so real. As we walk, I notice that I’m wearing a bikini. “Is the bikini from your mind as well?”

He doesn’t look back at me, but his fingers tighten around mine.

When we reach the waterline, Zander sits in the sand. The water gently rushes over his toes. I sit next to him and I’m stunned at how authentic the water feels against my feet. Zander is still holding my hand and he brushes his thumb along mine. “Beautiful,” he says.

“Yeah it is.”

“I was talking about you.” I look to him just as his eyes start to glow. My eyes widen and he says, “Yeah, they do this at night here.”

It becomes official in this moment; he is the most breath-taking creature that I’ve ever laid eyes on. I could sit here with him forever. I know it sounds rash, but it’s the truth. Everything about this moment just feels right.

“What do you want most in the world?” Zander asks. “Or I guess I should say in the universe.”

I’m taken aback by his question. Not because I don’t know the answer, but because he asked the question. It’s such a loaded one, so deep. “I want to talk with my father one last time.”

“You know, this machine can do that for you.”

I shake my head. “No, I don’t want to speak to my projection of him. I know it’s not possible, but I just want the real one back for a bit. I’ve accepted his death, but I wish he could have known that there was more out there beyond our planet.”

“Eliana,” Zander begins, squeezing my hand. “Do you feel the water on our feet? The air against our skin? The sand beneath us?”

I nod.

“Your father is in all of those. When living beings die, our souls are absorbed back into the universe. We become everything when we become nothing. Your father and all of our loved ones are with us at all times, just in a different way. That’s why the wind sometimes leads us to left toward our future love, or why someone’s car might breakdown which in turn saves them from the fatal pileup on the highway. My people have learned to avoid death by listening to what the universe has to tell us. Your father assists in every beat of your heart.”

I feel a tear slide down my cheek. Zander pulls me into a passionate kiss. When we pull away, we’re sitting in the empty field. “Thank you.”

“No problem, love.”

We talk for a bit longer before heading back to the car. I pay attention to every beat of my heart as we walk back. As soon as we start back on our path, my eyes fall shut.

A sharp pain in my stomach wakes me from my nap. I don’t want to show Zander my pain, but I can’t help it. I grab my stomach and tiny moan escapes my lips.

“She senses me,” Zander says, looking at my stomach. “As I sense her.”

“She?” I say, my voice wavering. “A girl?”

“Yes,” Zander says with a genuine smile. His hair shines in the light from the rising sun. “We’re connected, she and I. Much like you are with her. Have you been noticing anything weird happening with you?”

“Yeah,” I say, thinking back to the man that had a not-so-nice meeting with my foot. “I have.”

“She’s changing you. Every second that she’s inside of you, you’re getting stronger. It’ll only become more drastic.”

The pain dies down but my hands don’t leave my belly. Just so slightly I can tell that there’s some growth underneath my hands. It’s true, my daughter is inside of me, my special alien daughter.

“Where are we going?” I ask, looking out onto the empty freeway.

“Boston.”

“What’s in Bos—” Before I can finish, my stomach flips. I’m overcome with the worst sickness that I’ve ever felt. My entire being is encompassed in nausea and hurt. I let out a loud scream as my head falls between my knees.

“Eliana?!” I hear Zander scream. His voice sounds distant, like we’re no longer just inches from each other. “Are you alright?”

The car slows and eventually comes to a complete stop. I hear his door open and then mine does the same. One of his hands rests on my back, rubbing back and forth. “1-10?”

“What?” I half-scream. My vision blurs from the tears that are filling my eyes.

“One a scale of 1-10, how bad is the pain?”

Eleven, I think. “Eight.”

“You need real sleep,” Zander says before closing my door. When he’s back behind the wheel he says, “we’ll stop for a few hours at a motel. You can get some quality sleep.”

Sleep actually sounds amazing, and the thought of it eases the discomfort in my stomach. Before sitting up, I wipe the tears from my face. I sit up to find Zander staring at me. He wipes at my cheek and says, “You missed one.”

Up until this very moment, I haven’t thought of Zander in a romantic way. I’ve noticed his seemingly flawless physique and his beautiful face, but I never really felt the foreign feeling that I’m feeling right now as his alien eyes stare into my ordinary ones. In movies, he’d kiss me right now, but since this is just my life, he turns and pulls the car off of the shoulder.

We drive for another ten minutes until we exit the freeway. There’s a dingy motel near the exit and Zander pulls into the parking lot. He tells me to wait in the car when he goes to get a room. He returns with a key and as he gets the duffel bag from the back seat, he says, “Let’s get some sleep, love.”

As I walk behind him, my body screams with exhaustion. I fight through the pain as we take the steps up to the second level. I thank the heavens when Zander finally stops at a door and opens it. The room is dark and the bed doesn’t look too appealing, but I’m more excited than I’ve been in a long time to sleep. I fall onto the mattress and immediately I’m being pulled into darkness. The bed bounces again and I open my eyes to see Zander, shirtless, laying next to me.

“You couldn’t have gotten a room with two beds?” I ask, sitting up.

“I could have,” Zander says, sprawling across the bed. I try to keep my eyes from his abs, but my instincts take over. They look as if he’s been living inside of 24 Hour Fitness or something. Suddenly, he jumps at me and wraps his huge arms around me. He twists me so that I’m straddling him as he lies on the bed. “But then I couldn’t have done this.”

With our eyes still locked, he lifts his head until our lips touch. It’s a small peck at first, but soon we’re both fully engaged. His lips, his smell, everything about him is so perfect. I feel so worry free as we intertwine our limbs. His hands are in my hair and then they’re at the hem of my shirt, lifting.

I push him away with lightning speed. I turn away and hop off the bed. “I have to shower.”

I close myself inside the bathroom, locking the door behind me. I look at myself in the mirror; my hair is knotted in multiple places, my face yearns for a washing, and my clothes are stained beyond repair. I haven’t been with someone in six months and my appearance doesn’t make that easier to overcome. I haven’t let anyone see that side of me in so long and I’m scared to do it again. But I’ve also forgotten how bad I’ve wanted it. I’ve been so caught up in school that I’ve lost myself.

I’m lost.

“You’re stronger than this,” I say to my reflection, to the woman I once knew so well. I lift my shirt to look at my belly. I turn to the side and am amazed to see that it’s has grown since just yesterday. My daughter is so close to me, yet she feels so far. I don’t want her caught up in a world other than my own, but half of her is of another world. I find my eyes again in the mirror. “You have to be stronger than this.”

I shower, paying extra close attention to my hair. There are a pair of scissors on the counter and I cut my pants into shorts. My undershirt is clean enough that I feel comfortable enough to put it back on. I tie my hair back and try my best to look like I’m holding up well before I leave the bathroom.

Zander is asleep on the floor, a single pillow under his head. I want to wake and tell him that he can have half of the bed, but he looks so peaceful. I wish he’d shown me some of his people when he showed me the hologram of his planet. I wonder if they’re all as mystifying as he is.

When I finally settle into the bed, Zander says, “Good night, love.”

“Good night.”

 

***

 

My eyes fly open. The room is dark except for the sliver of sunlight that leaks in from the curtains. When my eyes adjust, I can see Zander standing at the door, listening. He sees me and puts a finger to his lips.

In a mashup of loud cracking and splintered wood, the door springs open. Zander is hit hard with the door and falls back onto his back. Three men storm into the room, fists ready to be thrown. Zander kicks the first man that lunges for him. Zander is on his feet in a fraction of a second. The other two men charge Zander. The first one is easily swept aside, but the second one lands a punch right in Zander’s face. He stumbles back and the three men simultaneously leap for him.

Soon enough, Zander is out of view. The men are hitting him with lamps and fists and pieces of the broken door. I hear him grunting beneath the commotion.

“Run, Eliana!”

His voice smacks me back into reality. I feel the same way I felt when I was running through the empty sidewalks of New York. I suddenly feel strong. Starting from my stomach, a rush of power surges through me, coalescing in my hands. I can feel my daughter telling me what to do. I can sense her just like Zander spoke of. I raise my hands toward the men and let out the loudest scream I think I’ve ever heard.

The entire room shakes and the three men fly through the air and smack against the back wall. They stay there, floating midair, pinned against the wall by some unseen force. My hands are still raised and I realize that it’s me that’s keeping them there. Zander is at my side, staring at me in awe.

“What am I doing?” I ask.

“I’ve never heard about this happening,” Zander says through a smile. “But keep doing it.”

The men shout from their spot on the wall. I can feel them struggling against my will. Zander grabs my shoulders and guides me toward the door. He grabs the duffel bag before guiding me outside. My connection to the men is broken.

“We need to go,” I say, turning toward Zander. “They’re free.”

“I’m sure they’re in no condition to chase us,” Zander laughs. He looks as if he’s enjoying this. Hell, maybe he does.

As we approach the car, we see that the tires are all slashed. Zander pulls me to a motorcycle a few spots away.

“We don’t have the key,” I say. “We can’t just roll away on it.”

“Again,” Zander says as he pulls a panel off of the front of the bike. “I’ve been here for a while now. I’ve learned some tricks.”

He pulls apart a few wires and reattaches them to other ones. After a minute or so, the bike roars to life. He hands me the helmet and lifts me onto the seat. Before taking his seat, Zander takes out a backpack from the duffel bag and puts it on my back, leaving the rest of the stuff on the pavement. He takes his seat and we jerk forward, nearly tipping. “Maybe not enough tricks.” He takes off again, this time a bit smoother. We zoom out of the parking lot just as I see one of the men limping down the stairs.

We’re going faster than we were going in the car and as the adrenaline dies, fear settles in. Seventeen years ago, my father died in a motorcycle accident. The sheer mention of the two-wheeled motor vehicles shakes me to my core. And now I’m riding one, going speeds I wouldn’t even dare try in a car. I can feel my hands shaking as I hold onto Zander. My breathing quickens. Strong, Eliana. You have to be strong.

But the fear is too strong. I feel myself going over the edge. “Stop, please!” I shout into Zander’s ear.

“We have to get to Boston!” he shouts back over the wind. “We’re losing time!”

It’s becoming hard for me to keep a grip around his waist. “Please, Zander!”

He pulls off the main road onto a dirt one. He stops near an abandoned church. I hop off the bike and sit at the base of a nearby tree.

“What is it?” Zander says, joining me on the ground. “We have to keep moving.”

“I can’t handle this,” I say. I’m breaking, I can feel it. I’ve run out of courage to hold myself together, to try to hide my fear from him. My face is quickly covered in tears. “I’m scared and confused and—”

And then our lips meet again. This time I want him as close to me as possible. I welcome the feeling of vulnerability because along with it is the feeling of comfort. Whether I like it or not, Zander is a part of me now. My hand is in his hair, pulling him closer to me. All the pain and fear is leaving my body the closer we get. I push him over until we’re lying next to each other in the dirt, chest against chest. I want all of him right now, but I remember our pursuers and I pull away.

“Why me?” I ask, still on the ground. “Why did you choose me?”

Zander stands and then helps me up. “I was on Earth for four months before I met you that night. The rest had settled with the first person that they met, but I wanted to find someone special. And then I saw you. On my planet, love at first sight isn’t a rare occurrence. We believe that every soul in the entire universe has its perfect match. I found mine.”

Again, like the first time that we talked, I can’t help but believe him. And again, like last night in the motel, I can’t help but push him away again. “We should get going,” I say, starting toward the motorcycle.

We’re back on the road in silence. I lock my hands around his waist and pretend that I’m on a boat in the middle of some ocean. I try to think of other things, but my mind is overtaken by thoughts of Zander and his last words to me.

 

We get to Boston just as the sun begins to set. Zander drives through the crowded streets just as he did on the empty highways. A few cars honk and Zander laughs in response. He stops the bike in front of a tiny little house just outside the main city.

“Another safe house?” I ask as I hop off the bike.

“Something like that,” Zander says. He walks toward the front door and I follow. To my surprise, he knocks. No answer. He tries the door and looks back at me in surprise when it opens. I follow behind him as he enters the home. As we pass by an arch into the kitchen, a figure swings a fist into Zander’s face. He catches it and pulls the attacker into him, arm pinned behind their back. “Zacara, it’s me.”

Zander lets the attacker go. It’s a woman, a tall one, with beautiful blond hair that falls to her butt in a thick braid. Her face is angelic, perfectly sculpted by the most divine being. Her eyes, like Zander’s, are the color of lilacs. The woman, Zacara, smiles widely and embraces Zander. Distantly, I feel the ping of jealousy.

Zander turns to me and smiles. “Zacara, this is Eliana. The mother of my child.”

Zacara shoots a confused look at Zander and then focuses on me. She approaches, towering over me. “Hello, there, little one. How did it feel to have my fiancé inside of you?”

I choke. I’ve never been a violent person, but I’ve also never been the person to let someone disrespect me, alien goddess or not. “Just as good as this,” I say as I throw my fist at her face. Also like Zander, she’s fast. She catches my fist without so much as a flinch. She squeezes, harder and harder until I’m sure a finger is broken. She smiles at me, like I’m some child being scolded. The power surge returns and like before, I know exactly what to do. I shove my left hand into Zacara’s abdomen and she’s tossed through the air, crashing hard into a now shattered mirror.

“You bitch!” she screams and she charges toward me, wielding a dagger that she seems to have manifested from thin air.

Before she can reach me, Zander grabs her by the throat and disarms her. He drags her into the living room as she shouts, “I’ll kill her!”

“Give us a few minutes,” Zander says to me as he throws her onto the couch. “See if there’s any food in there.”

I smile at Zacara before leaving them for the kitchen.

I should have known that his whole confession of love speech was just to get me back onto the motorcycle. Why would he want me when he could have that life-sized Barbie doll that he’s probably making out with right now? I’m not angry though, just a bit disappointed in myself for falling for his crap. At least now I know that I only have myself.

There’s no food in any of the cabinets or in the fridge, not that I could eat anything right now anyway. I sit at the table until Zander appears in the archway.

“I’m sorry about that,” he says, smirk and all. “She can be quite a handful. I should have warned you.”

“Do you think this is funny?” I say, standing. “Do you enjoy manipulating me with your exotic eyes and your alluring accent? Am I some game to you?”

His face contorts. “What are you talking about, love?”

“Stop calling me that! You don’t care about me! She’s your fiancé? Really? You confess your love for me and then you bring me here? I don’t understand what for.”

“She’s not my fiancé, Eliana,” Zander says as he reaches for my hand. I pull away and he looks genuinely hurt, but I don’t fall for his tricks anymore. “Our families have been trying to get us to marry for centuries now, but like I told you earlier, I’ve been looking for someone special. I’ve been looking for you.”

“Why are we even here?” I ask.

“We’re leaving, this time with Zacara.”

“Great, another road trip and now with her?”

“No, I mean we’re leaving Earth.”

“What?!” I shout. After being told that he was an alien, this is the second craziest thing that he’s told me. “You expect me to leave my home?”

“Eliana, please, we don’t have a choice. The Elders, our parents, have called us home. They didn’t know, none of us knew, the war that we’d enter by coming here. You can come back after you have the baby, but we have to go. I’m sorry.”

My mom is the first person I think of. I haven’t visited her in almost a year. My life has been so frantic lately that I’ve forgotten to visit my own mother. She calls from time to time, asking when I’ll be over, and I kept telling her that I’ll visit soon. And now Zander wants to take me to a far away planet. I see Bridgette, and my sister, and even Hank. But then I see another face, the face of an unborn child: my daughter. Like Zander said, there’s no choice. If this is the safest option for my baby, then it’s the only option.

I fall into his arms. I’m a strong woman, which is most likely why Adam left me. But being held by Zander right now is the only thing I need. I lift my head to kiss him, but he turns his head.

“Not here,” he says, and he lifts me into his arms. He carries me past the living room, which is empty of crazy, white Amazonian warriors. “Don’t worry, she went out for a while.” He must have caught my gaze. “It’s just us tonight.”

He carries me to a bedroom on the second floor where he throws me onto the bed. He stands at the foot of the bed and pulls his shirt over his head. His shoulder-length hair halos his head in a golden sheen. His body is so finely tuned that I’m sure he could take on a lion with his bare hands. And those eyes, they’re what really draws me in. He unbuttons his pants and then pauses.

“Can we?” he asks in the softest tone that I’ve heard from him.

The fear of letting him in is gnawing inside of me, but I force it down. I barely know this man that stands in front of me and yet I feel like I met him years ago. Maybe I’ve found my soul mate as well.

I nod.

Zander continues to undress until he stands in front of me completely naked. And there, on his upper thigh, is a two-inch-long scar. I smile because now I know that he’s real. But still, his imperfection only makes him more perfect. His body, every inch of it, is magical.

He crawls to me on the bed until our lips meet. The kiss takes me to a place that I’ve never been before. I’m floating on clouds of love and lust. The only thing on my mind is me and him. We’re alone, nobody else exists. He rolls me over on top of him. I pull my shirt off and he does the same to my bra. He smiles up at me, a full smile, not the smirk that I’m used to. I kiss him again, falling onto my side. We lay here, our legs intertwined, for what feels like an eternity. In that eternity, my pants and panties make it to the floor.

Zander pulls away and looks at me. “I promise to protect you until the day that I die, love.”

I laugh. “I’ve been doing much of the protecting too.”

“I’m sorry,” he says after a short laugh. “I promise to let you protect me until the day that I die.”

And then we go to a place together that we haven’t been to in over six months. He’s inside of me, and yet I want him to be closer. My nails dig into his back as he thrusts. My back arches and a moan escapes my lips. He quickens his pace. Soon I become high on his loving and I feel as if I’m floating in a sea of pleasure.

Zander turns over onto his back so that I’m on top of him. I grind back and forth, relishing in the sheer excitement of it all. My body is electrified; every inch feels like a live wire. He bites his lip as I bounce up and down. His pleasure only intensifies my own and I go faster and faster, moaning louder and louder, until he lets out a moan of his own and flips me back onto my back.

He takes control again, cradling my neck with one hand and massaging my breast with the other. With every thrust comes a moan and with every moan comes rush of energy through my body. He drops his hands down to the bed and kisses me, tongue included. He bites my lip and the pain makes the pleasure feel that much better. He pulls away from the kiss, his hair falling around his head.

“More?” he asks.

“More.” I say.

We reach the climax of our night and together we pronounce to the world our love.

I sleep harder than I have in a long time.

 

***

 

In the morning, Zander brings me a full breakfast while I still lay naked in bed. “You went to the store?”

“No,” he says, sitting next to me. “Zacara did.”

“Thank you,” I say. “It looks delicious.” I haven’t eaten in so long and the food is just what I need after last night.

“When you’re finished, shower quickly. There are clothes for you to wear in the bathroom. We want to get out of here as soon as possible,” Zander says, standing. “I’m going to go finalize our flights to the UK.” Zander smiles and leaves me alone in the room.

I eat the food in a matter of seconds. Just like he said, there are fresh clothes on the counter in the bathroom. They look new. I shower and dress in the black shirt and pants that Zander provided.

I know I shouldn’t be, but I get nervous to see Zacara as I descend the stairs. I see Zander first, standing near the front door. He sees me and smiles. “Ready?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I say as I reach his side. “Where are we going exactly?”

“Stonehenge, sweetheart,” Zacara says, appearing from the kitchen. “Try not to get killed on the way there. Or not.”

I roll my eyes. “My dad told me that the ancient ruins scattered about the Earth were sites for aliens to land their ships,” I say to Zander as we leave the house.

“Well your dad’s a smart man,” Zacara says, bumping past me. “Must not run in the family. Stonehenge is where Zander and I parked our ship.”

I ignore the second half of her comment and say, “Yeah, he was.”

They both catch the operative word in my sentence and neither say anything. Zander grabs my hand and squeezes it. I look up at him, but he’s staring at the car at the end of the sidewalk. Zacara throws the bag that she carries into the trunk and Zander does the same with his backpack. He opens the back door for me and he sits in the passenger seat.

And then, for what feels like the tenth time in the past two days, I’m off on another adventure.

 

When we reach the airport, I break off from the other two when they get our boarding passes, saying that I’m going to sit. After asking an elderly woman for some change, I find the nearest payphone and dial Bridgette’s number.

“Hello?”

“Bridgette, it’s me.”

“El?!”

“Yeah, it’s me.”

“Oh my gosh, I’ve been so worried. You haven’t been answering my calls. You’ve missed school.”

“I know, I know. I’ll explain it all later. Look, there’s something I need you to do—”

“You want me to get your mail? I’ve already done that. I’ve been at your house since last night. I came to see if you were here and you weren’t answering so I let myself in with the spare key. I decided to stay and wait for you to get back for another day before I’d call the cops. Rob’s really been bugging me.”

“No, no. Bridgette listen to me. I’m going to be going away for a while and I need you to take care of some things for me. Can you do that?”

“El, what are you talking about?” I can hear the concern in her voice. “Is everything okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine. I… I… I’m just going on a self-healing trip, like you and Rob did a few years ago. I want you to tell my mom and my sister that I love them and that I’ll be back soon. Can you do that?”

“El, are you sure everything is okay?”

“You have to trust me, Bridge. Everything is fine. Can you do what I said?”

“Yeah of course. But what about work?”

“I don’t know,” I say. There’s no doubt that my job is lost now. “Just don’t forget to tell my mom and sister what I said. Ok?”

“I’ll do it, don’t worry. When will you be back?”

“I don’t know that either, Bridgette.” We go silent for a bit. She knows that something bigger is going on here, that something is off. “I love you, Bridge.”

“I love you too, El. Wherever you’re going, with whomever, promise me you’ll be careful?”

“Promise. Goodbye, Bridge.” A tear falls down my cheek.

“Bye for now, El.”

I hang up the phone and close my eyes. My life will never be the same again and I’m not fully ready for that. How can I be? My hands find my even bigger belly and I rub it, giving my love to my daughter. And then Zander is at my side, and he does the same.

“She’ll be beautiful,” he says. And then he laughs, points to his face, and says, “I mean, with this father, how can she not be?”

“I know.” I smile.

“Ready to board?” Zander asks, grabbing my hand again. “Flight leaves soon.”

 

We pass through security and board the plane with little trouble. After we take off, my bladder betrays me. I tell Zander and I head for the bathroom. I relieve myself. I open the door and standing there, in the same black suit as the others, is a man holding a gun at my head.

“Follow me and don’t try anything funny,” he says. He leads me to the back of the plane into the kitchen. The flight attendants see the two of us, him with the gun against my back, me with fear clear on my face, and they continue on as if nothing is out of the ordinary. He pushes me against the metal fridge and points the gun at my head. “We’ll wait here until your friends come looking for you.”

Another three hunters enter the kitchen, each one with gun in hand. Not even five minutes pass before Zander and Zacara both come sprinting into the trap. The three other men aim their guns at Zander and Zacara.

“Great job, little one,” Zacara hisses.

And then one of the men, the one aiming his gun at Zander, fires his gun. I scream, the same crazy loud scream that I did in the motel. Time seems to slow and then the bullet becomes an extension of me, like it’s another limb or something. I immediately steer the bullet away from Zander’s face and I will it into the neck of the man nearest me, and then into the heads of the other three men. Time resumes as normal and they all fall, lifeless.

“Telekinesis?” Zacara says, kicking one of the men. “Haven’t seen that in a while.”

“We have to get off this plane,” Zander says. “They’ll be waiting for us in bigger numbers at the airport.”

“And what do you propose, genius?” Zacara says.

Zander looks at me. “You’ve seen Stonehenge before, right?”

I nod.

“Zander, no. You’re crazy. It’s only a myth.”

“What is she talking about?” I ask Zander, fear rising in my throat.

“Some of the hybrids can teleport. It hasn’t happened in thousands of years, but from what I’ve seen of you and our daughter, I think she can do it, which means that while she’s in you, so can you.”

“I can’t do that, Zander. There’s no way.”

“For our daughter you can. Think of Stonehenge, Eliana. Close your eyes and do it, quick. Think of being safe and being there, all three of us. Erase all other thoughts, only Stonehenge.”

I close my eyes and I think of being safe, but I don’t see Stonehenge, I see my living room back home. I try to push my apartment out of my mind and replace it with Stonehenge, but it’s hard. “Okay, now what?”

“Open your eyes,” Zander says and I do. Zander is pointing a gun at my head and then he fires.

And then a blinding light floods my eyes. I’m weightless, spinning through empty space. I feel as if I’m freefalling through heaven. And then I crash onto a hard surface. I open my eyes just as a loud scream erupts into the air.

Bridgette, sitting with a bowl of popcorn on my couch, stares at me with wide eyes. “Where the hell did you come from?!”

I’m back in New Jersey, in my apartment. I’m so amazed at what I just accomplished that I forget that I was supposed to go to Stonehenge for a moment.

“You just can’t do anything right, can you?” I hear Zacara say behind me.

I turn to see her and Zander sitting on the floor, rubbing their elbows.

“It’s okay,” Zander says, standing. “We can try again now that we know you can do it.”

“That was amazing,” I say. “Like a dream.”

“Yeah, I’m feeling like I’m in a dream too right about now.” Bridgette drops the popcorn and helps me up from the floor. “You’ve got major explaining to do.”

“I will—”

“What is that?” Zacara says. She turns to Zander and says, “Do you hear that?”

He nods and walks toward the kitchen. We all follow. He puts his ear up to a drawer and knocks on it. “I think it’s coming from here.”

“What is? I don’t hear anything,” I say.

“A beeping,” Zacara says. “Beep, beep, beep.”

Zander opens the drawer and then turns toward me. Behind him, fire and debris fill the air. A bomb. A bomb was in the kitchen drawer, waiting to be triggered. And then I’m amazed at how slow time is moving again for me. Zander is midair, jumping to shield me. I turn to see Bridgette just now closing her eyes. Zacara, who’s reflexes are more updated than Bridgette’s is already turned toward the kitchen door. We won’t make it; I know that somehow. My baby won’t survive. This bomb will be the end of all of us if I don’t do something about it. Stonehenge, Stonehenge, Stonehenge, I repeat over and over in my mind. And then I’m in a freefall again, this time I close my eyes, but the light still reaches me.

I smack against damp grass. I open my eyes to a view of the sun from a thousand miles from where I just stood. I sit up, brushing the grass off my hands, and I see a massive stone in front of me. I look around and there are others just like it.

Bridgette is next to me, coughing grass out of her mouth. She looks around and screams again. “How the hell are we here!”

Zacara, somehow, looks perfect as she walks toward the rock in front of me. My eyes find Zander, lying face down in the grass. I run over to him, ignoring Bridgette’s frantic screams. I drop down to my knees and turn him over. He’s smiling up at me and then he sticks his tongue out.

“Got ya,” he says. I punch him in the arm and we stand together. Bridgette grabs my arm and spins me to face her.

“Tell me right now what the hell is going on!” she screams before falling into my arms. Zacara is behind her, smiling.

“What did you do to her?” I say, laying her in the grass.

“She’ll wake up soon enough. I got tired of her screaming,” Zacara says nonchalantly.

In that moment, I want so badly to break her face.

“Don’t be such a bitch,” Zander says to her, shoving her back hard. Her face speaks of utter betrayal.

“Did you just push me over this pesky human girl?” Zacara asks, incredulous. She then looks at me. “No, you pushed me over this pesky human. You actually love her, don’t you? That’s why you kept her awake?”

“Not now, Zacara, please.”

“No, it’s time to end this charade,” Zacara says, a malicious smile forming on her face. “I’m telling her everything.”

 

***

 

“Please no,” Zander says, grabbing my hand. “Don’t do this.”

“I don’t know what he told you, sweetheart, but your baby isn’t going to be royalty. She’s going to be a warrior, a pawn in our game of war. She probably won’t live to see her fifth birthday.”

I snatch my hand away from Zander’s. “What the hell is she talking about?”

He stares at the grass.

“That’s not it,” Zacara says, clearly enjoying the show. “When your baby is born, we’ll have no further use for you. We’ll off you like your kind does with roaches.”

“Shut up!” Zander yells. “I won’t let anyone lay one single hand on her or my daughter.”

Zacara looks as if she’s been slapped in the face. She reddens and charges. She takes three great bounds and leaps for me, only to be smacked down by Zander. He grabs her by the neck and lifts her up. She kicks him in his chest and does a complete backflip before landing on the ground. She turns on me and rushes me. When she’s only inches away, she’s pulled back by Zander, who slams her hard on the ground. With one easy twist, he breaks her neck.

“Did you kill her?”

“We don’t die that easily,” Zander says, standing. “She’s just out for now.”

I walk up to him and slap him clear across the face. “How dare you lie to me?! War, Zander? My daughter is going to be a warrior?”

“Eliana, just like all the times before, you have to listen to me. Yes, my world is at war, and yes, the others have been creating an army, but I don’t plan for our daughter to be a part of that. My family is a part of a secret group called the Trinity. There are seven kingdoms of Hark, and they’re on the brink of war. But my kingdom and two others plan to end the wars before they start, return our people to peace. Our daughter will only make this peace come easier. She’s a part of our grand plan, but not as a pawn, but as a peace-making tool. Zacara’s kingdom is allied with my own, but they aren’t part of the Trinity. She wants to obliterate our enemies. I know this doesn’t make any sense right now, but I will explain it all later. Right now, we have to leave.”

“Why didn’t you tell me all of this before?” I say, refusing to let the tears fall again. “And what did she mean that’s why you kept me awake?”

“I didn’t tell you because it’s not an easy thing to hear. What I told isn’t a lie, the hybrids are our teachers and healers, but most of the kingdoms want to use the new generation as warriors.” Zander pauses and grabs my hand. To my surprise, I don’t pull away. “I was supposed to impregnate a human woman and then put her into a deep sleep until she was ready to deliver. After the baby was born, I was instructed to kill her.”

“Deep sleep?”

“They want to prevent this,” Zander says, pointing from himself to me. “No attachments. My people don’t have a very high regard for human life. But like I said, I fell in love with you and I couldn’t do that to you. And now they’re calling us back because conditions are too dangerous. Most of my fleet has already left, their women still frozen in deep sleep.”

“Is she pregnant?” I say, pointing at Zacara.

“Yeah, but she doesn’t really act like it.”

“So what, I fly away with you to your planet and then I give birth only to die after?”

“I won’t let anyone lay a hand on you. I’m the future king of my kingdom, I call the shots. You’ll be safe with me.”

“And the other women?”

“I’ll do what I can to protect them too.”

“Why can’t I help but believe you?” I ask, leaning toward him.

“Like I said,” Zander kisses me. “It’s just my charm.”

He turns, walks over to the nearest stone, and punches it. A square piece of the rock is pressed in, like a button, and a loud crash sounds from underground. The ground on which we stand spits in two, separating us from the other half of the circle. A large hole is uncovered. From that hole, the most intricate craft floats out. It’s about the size of six school buses arranged in a rectangle. It’s covered in a material that looks a lot like chrome, making it almost invisible. It hovers high above our heads, and to my surprise, there aren’t any jets of fire protruding from its belly.

I can’t help but smile. I truly wish my dad were here to see this. “How is it flying?”

“There are so many things that I can tell you on our eight-month trip back, love. But first, to ensure your safety,” Zander gets down on one knee and pulls out the biggest jewel that I’ve ever seen. It’s a blue color, almost as pale as the sky. It’s a ring. “Will you marry me?”

 

THE END