ONE

It started with the night sweats.  That was when Cecelia knew, with certainty, that it had come back.  She hadn’t wanted to believe it, but she’d felt a clawing, choking desperation for some time now.  And she knew.  The ugly disease inside her body was returning.  Or perhaps it had never truly left and her doctors had been a little too reassuring after two years of negative tests.

But after two particularly grueling rounds of chemo, one round of radiation therapy, and months of crying herself to sleep, months of telling herself to be strong when all she wanted to do was curl up into a ball…it had felt good to hope.  It had felt good to believe that she could be a normal woman in her twenties.  It had felt good to go out with her girlfriends and not have to worry about an appointment the next morning.  It had felt good to date a cute guy without imagining the look of pity on his face when her cancer inevitably came up in conversation.  It had felt good to feel normal, healthy.

But Cecelia knew, deep down, that it was back.  And a strange sort of sad acceptance washed over her with that knowledge….because this time she knew that she might not be able to receive treatment.

Why?

Because she’d been captured by aliens…aliens that had imprisoned her and other human women.  They’d caged them like animals in a dark room.  There had been more women, but slowly their numbers had dwindled, considering the aliens used them as prizes in their alien fighting ring.

But then she’d been rescued by another group of aliens and she was currently on their home planet…a planet called Luxiria.

It seemed crazy, but it was her reality.  And she didn’t know what the Luxirians plans were for them, or if she would ever see Earth again.  Six other women—human women—had been rescued with her and then transported to this planet, but only five women were housed in the spacious, brightly lit room that the Luxirians kept them in.  The sixth had been taken by a Luxirian alien and they hadn’t seen her since.  Even though they were treated well by their new captors…the knowledge that the sixth woman had yet to return set them all on edge.  It was like they were waiting for the other shoe to drop.

On top of that all, her night sweats were back…and with a vengeance.

Damn, she thought, looking around the room as the other women slept.  It was morning, or at least, the very beginning of dawn.  Luxiria, much to her amazement, had two suns and Cecelia could see them rising along the black sand horizon of the planet, bathing the light in soft muted pinks and peaches.  There was one massive window that faced the sunrise’s direction and the black sand that littered the ground stretched for miles.  Massive, jagged black and gray mountains rose from the sand in the distance, creating an impressively intimidating landscape, one very…well, alien.  She’d never seen anything quite like it before.

It was quiet in the room since she was the first one awake.  With a quick glance behind her, she saw that she’d soaked her pallet and the fur blankets below her.  The clean tunic that she’d put on just before bed was drenched and despite getting at least four or five hours of sleep—a record for her lately—she felt as if she hadn’t slept in years.

She wiped her forehead, her hand coming away slick, and she wondered, not for the first time, why her body was betraying her like this.  It wasn’t fair, but then again, if the cancer had taught her anything, it was that life wasn’t fair.

As quietly as possible, so as not to wake the other women, who needed their sleep just as much as she did judging from the nightmares she frequently heard among them, she tiptoed to the metal, swooshing door on the far right wall.  They’d all been thrilled to see they had access to a bathroom, albeit a strange one.  There was an enclosed glass tube, which they eventually figured out was a shower, and a toilet, although it resembled something more like a chamber pot, just with more efficient plumbing.  There was no sink, however, and no mirror, but in the reflection of the glass tube, she could see her appearance.  And it was haggard.

Dark bags under her eyes stood out to her.  Her brown hair fell around her shoulders in limp, damp strands and her skin held a sickly sheen that she wanted to scrub off.  She took a deep, experimental breath and while her breathing wasn’t as labored as it had been when she first received her diagnosis, she knew that shortly, it would be.

She needed to get home.  They’d only been on the planet for five days, but she knew that five days was already too long.

Quickly, she turned on the shower with a wave of her hand over the silver keypad.  It only had one temperature setting and while the water was a little cooler than she liked, it helped soothe her heated skin and wash away the salty sweat that had accumulated.  Once she was finished, she pulled open a hidden cabinet, which held a fresh supply of tunics that the Luxirians had supplied for them.

When she emerged from the bathroom, she saw that Lainey was awake, sitting up on her soft pallet.  Every time Cecelia saw her, she couldn’t help but be envious of her beauty.  Thick auburn hair, piercing blue eyes, and flawless, porcelain skin.  She had the kind of stunning beauty that was only seen on runways and magazine covers.  And she was beautiful until she opened her mouth.  Lainey was as cutting and sarcastic as she was pretty.

At least to most of the other girls.

For some reason, Lainey had never been unkind to her.  Cecelia figured it was because she knew she was sick.  And despite her ‘mean girl’ nature, there was something about Lainey that Cecelia couldn’t help but like.  She seemed…sad.  Lost.  Hurt.  And she took it out on those around her.

They were quiet as Cecelia made her way past her pallet to sit down in the sunken lounge area, filled with comfy cushions, that surrounded a fire pit.  It was their gathering place in the mornings and evenings and where they ate their meals that the guards brought into them.

Lainey soon joined her, her skin slightly flushed from sleep.  Then she asked, “What do you have?”

The question, while expected, jolted Cecelia.  Still, she found herself answering quietly, as though on autopilot, “Lymphoma.  Hodgkin’s.”

“Were you getting treatment?  Before…we got taken?” Lainey questioned, tilting her head to the side.  Her voice was soft and her signature resting bitch face seemed to be on hold for the moment.

“No,” Cecelia whispered.  “I’d been in remission.  It’s coming back.”

“Shit.”

“My thoughts exactly,” Cecelia replied, unable to help the small twist of her lips.  Her eyelids felt heavy but she knew that sleep would elude her now.  “How did you know?”

Lainey stared at the fire pit even though it wasn’t lit.  Cecelia almost thought she wouldn’t answer until she said, “My best friend had breast cancer.”

“Oh.”

“It was pretty aggressive.  She died last year.”

Cecelia felt her chest tighten.  “I’m—I’m sorry.”

Lainey waved her hand but didn’t say anything else.  They sat in silence until Bianca woke and they exchanged looks when she began to sob quietly.  Eventually, she tapered off, went into the bathroom, and then came out to join them in the pit.

Bianca looked just as worn down as Cecelia felt.  Out of all of them, Bianca was the only one with a family, with a husband and young daughter.  Even though were all roughly the same age, in their mid or late twenties, Bianca had married her high school sweetheart and had been pregnant before she could even legally drink.  Every morning she cried and every night she cried.

“I—I just want to go home.  I want to see my little girl,” Bianca said, her eyes filling with tears anew.  The blonde buried her face into her hands and her body began to shake.  Lainey let out a sigh and Cecelia reached out to rub Bianca’s shoulder.

“And you will,” Cecelia said softly.  “We just need to be patient.”

After Bianca quieted again, the three of them watched the twin suns rise in the sky, slowly painting their room in glorious shades of pink, which woke up the rest of the women.  Crystal, an upbeat blonde, Taylor, a reserved yet kind woman, and Erin, the peacemaker of the group and moderator when Lainey got a little too cranky, soon joined them in the pit.

Cecelia knew that any moment, their guards would bring in their breakfast: a plate of surprisingly good spiced meat and tart, colorful berries that burst with strange flavors they couldn’t identify.  The portions were always large, but Cecelia could hardly eat a fourth of what they offered her.  She tried to force herself, but she felt the weight that she’d proudly gained during remission already starting to melt away.

Like clockwork, two guards came in through the large swishing door that led out to the darkened corridor, just as the suns rose above a far off mountain.  And Cecelia wondered when she’d get used to seeing aliens, when she’d get used to knowing that intelligent life not only existed beyond Earth, but that she was on one of those species’ planet.

Luxirians looked similar, at least the ones she’d seen.  She’d only seen males, never females, and they all had long, dark hair that hung either loose or in braids to the middle of their strong backs.  Black horns jutted from near their temples, curling back towards their crown.  They were either clothed in leather-like material, or shirtless, displaying perfectly sculpted bodies, every muscle expertly chiseled.  All were well over seven-feet-tall, with scars dancing across their skin, as if they constantly brawled for a living.  And their skin…it was like a mirage.  A shimmering mirage that reflected the light around them.  The room they were in now glowed a soft yellow, so their guards’ skin took on a golden hue.  At night, after the suns set, they appeared a grayish-indigo.

As for their eyes, most were a light, electric blue.  Some were darker.  She even thought that one of their rescuers had had gray eyes, like hers, but she couldn’t be sure.

The women in the room went quiet as the guards delivered their meals.  Even though Cecelia didn’t feel any hostility from the aliens, tension filled the room.

Lainey was the first to speak, as she did every single time the guards entered.  She stood, hands on her hips as they set down the trays of food and silvery liquid that they knew was water.

The redhead scowled and demanded, “When are you going to tell us what your plans are?  We’re all sick of sitting in here, twiddling our goddamn thumbs all day.  We want answers.”

All of the Luxirians they’d come in contact with spoke English, which was mind-blowing in itself.  Briefly, when Crystal had asked one of the guards on the first day how they’d learned their language, he mumbled something about an ‘implant,’ whatever that meant.

Cecelia reached forward to one of the trays and scooped up her water glass.  Her throat felt dry and she knew she’d need to hydrate herself after how much she’d sweated out the night before.  She downed the glass in one go and poured herself another from the pitcher.

The two guards stared at Lainey without surprise.  They knew her nature by now, but they still seemed uncomfortable, like her distress pained them.

“Female,” one started, inclining his head to her.  His accent was thick, but not unpleasant.  “As we told you the last span…the Prime Leader has not given us orders.  We only follow his command to make sure you are cared for.”

“Your leader can go to hell,” Lainey started, an angry flush rising to her cheeks.  “You tell him—”

“Lainey,” Erin, their peacemaker, cut in.  And that was all she needed to say for Lainey to quiet, have a little stare off with the guard that spoke, before plopping back down onto her cushioned pillow, turning her head away.  Erin was always smoothing over the feathers Lainey ruffled, whether it was with the Luxirians or within their own group.  Erin looked up at the guards and gave them a soft, hesitant smile.  “Thank you for the food.”

The Luxirians inclined their heads and backed away, leaving through the swooshing metal door a moment later.  A beeping sound told them that the lock engaged.

“We’re prisoners here,” Lainey started after they left.  “I was just saying what everyone else was thinking.”

“Prisoners or not,” Taylor said, the reserved one, “we are under their control.  We have no choice but to wait and you antagonizing the guards isn’t going to help our position.”

Cecelia held her breath, hoping Lainey would just keep her mouth shut.  She really didn’t want to hear another petty fight amongst them.  She already felt drained.

With a glance at Cecelia, Lainey kept her lips zipped and reached forward for the trays.  She passed them down the row of women and didn’t say another word as they all ate in silence.  Cecelia didn’t have an appetite, but she forced herself to eat, knowing she would need her strength.

Near the end of their meal, however, their morning was interrupted.  All of them looked around in confusion when they heard the door unlocking and then craned their heads to look at their unexpected visitor.

A Luxirian male stepped into the room.  Unlike the guards, he was wearing a white tunic and white pants, his dark hair braided and pulled back away from his angular face.  He also seemed older, more seasoned, than the guards.

“It’s that doctor,” Bianca whispered.

Cecelia remembered him.  When they’d first arrived, they’d been taken to some kind of research lab, which had freaked them all out to say the least.  The doctor had run tests on them and took blood samples, but they hadn’t seen him since then.  Dread pooled in her gut.  When she’d been in those labs, she couldn’t help but think that maybe the Luxirians purpose in bringing them there was to experiment on them.  Maybe she’d seen too many sci-fi movies or maybe her fear was about to come true after all…

With the guards at the door, the doctor approached the fire pit, stopping a few feet away from the ledge, his hands behind his back.  He nodded down to them.  “Females.”

Crystal spoke, “Who are you?”

“I am Privanax,” the doctor replied, his voice calm, his accent much clearer than the guards’, like he’d practiced English more.  It was odd, because he hadn’t said a word to them when he was running his tests a couple days ago.  “I am a…I think you would call me a doctor.  I am a healer here on Luxiria and a researcher.”

“And what do you want with us?” Lainey demanded.  “Is that why we’re here?  So you can run experiments on us?”

“Nix,” he said, jerking his head and frowning.  Cecelia figured—or at least hoped—that nix meant ‘no.’  But then her stomach dropped when he turned his gaze onto her.  His eyes were that piercing shade of blue and they made her feel like she was a specimen pinned underneath a microscope.  “I have come for you.  Not to experiment on you.  To heal you.”

Heal me? she thought, her heartbeat picking up.

Could they—Luxirians—have that kind of medicine?

She felt the women’s eyes on her and she licked her suddenly dry lips.  “Why—why should I believe you?”

Privanax tilted his head to the side.  “Ask yourself this, female…do you have a choice?”