Dr. Christina Evans (MD)
The room was quiet after Jaize left, and I poked through the pile of boxes he had dropped on the floor beside the long bed. He’d had a handsome smile on his face that made me a little bit nervous. What was it that he was planning?
But he said nothing to me except, “I hope these are to your liking, Yula. Leave your robes outside the door, and I will take care of them.” And then he left, as simply as that.
I finally came across an outfit that I actually liked: a lacy top made with a beautiful deep blue color, accented with black as dark as the night sky. I tried it on and caught a look at myself in the mirror, almost laughing out loud. It was far too big on me, and certainly would fit the gorgeous Verian woman much better. But there were still tags on it, written in a Verian hand that I could barely translate. It was funny how different it was to learn a language in school compared to having to apply it in the land of the people who spoke and wrote it.
“Female?”
My heart panged at the sound of the woman’s voice, and I opened the door nervously to see the Jaize’s wife, ethereally beautiful, standing outside the doorway.
“Welcome,” I said, kneeling as I had been taught in the class. All humans had been forced to learn as much about the Verian’s ways as possible, just in case we were caught unawares one day and had to fend for ourselves. I’d had no idea at the time that I would ever find myself face to face with a Verian, let alone living in one’s home.
“Enough,” she said, pushing into the room. She glanced down at the outfit that hung loosely over my shoulders and let out a bright laugh. “My freg, you look funny!”
My cheeks burned with embarrassment, but I nodded in agreement.
“I know.”
The tall woman strode easily toward me and lifted the top, tightening it toward my back and doing a quick, awe-inspiring mend that made it fit a little better on my body.
“It will do for now,” she said thoughtfully. “Though the skirt is on backward.”
I sighed heavily and began twisting the skirt until it was on properly. “Is there something I can do for you? I am to offer my services to you night and day. Although I’m afraid it’s the first time I’ve ever been somewhere like this.”
“Yes,” she said, her silver eyes cold as they bore into mine. “There is something very important that I would like for you to do, in fact. I’d like you to stay away from my husband.”
“Excuse me?”
The idea that I was even remotely interested in Jaize brought a bubble of laughter to my lips. Sure, he was handsome, but I had never known anyone more infuriating in all of my life. Soon, I was laughing hard enough that tears were streaming down my face and I had to double over to keep from falling over.
“Thank you. I needed that,” I said, standing up finally and wiping my eyes. “I wouldn’t touch your husband if he were the last man on Earth.”
“Good,” his wife said. And then, under her breath, “Neither would I.”
This perplexed me, but I knew better than to ask what she meant by it. If she was going to make claims on a man she couldn’t stand, then it was clearly more of a control issue. It was becoming obvious to me that they didn’t have a very healthy relationship, but considering the state of their planet and the war between us, it was rare for anybody to have a healthy relationship these days. Even my parents had struggled before they had been killed.
“That being said,” Jaize’s wife continued on, turning her back on me and heading to the door. “I also don’t want you touching any of my things. It’s nothing personal, but humans are known to carry diseases. You’re little vectors, really, and I’m not sure just one simple ceremony would disinfect you enough to be traipsing around my house with the possibility of a baby on the way.” She patted her stomach and continued walking. “Do not venture far outside of your rooms. My husband will designate you the east wing, but if I catch you anywhere else, you will live to regret it. Do you understand?”
I furrowed my brow, insulted to be considered a vector of disease, especially as a medical doctor. For the most part, my knowledge of hygiene and ability to prevent disease was why I was even in her home. But perhaps this was just another power play against her husband. He’d thought to bring me to serve his wife, and if she turned down my help and refused him the gift, it would be another way to make him feel terrible about himself and useless in his marriage. It was almost sad, in a way. If I could have tolerated the man, then I would have felt sorry for him.
“Don’t worry,” I said, sinking down onto the bed and watching as the beautiful, cold Verian woman stepped out of the room. “I won’t touch anything in this house that I don’t absolutely have to.”
She raised an eyebrow at me, but nodded firmly and shut the door behind her.
I shook my head. What kind of a desperate man would marry a woman like that? Sure, she was gorgeous, but she was clearly incapable of warmth. Jaize had clearly been more focused on the first thing than the second when he took her to be his wife. That showed what kind of judgment he had. You would think a man like Jaize would be able to attract a better woman to spend his life with. Apparently, though, he liked a challenge.
I suddenly realized that I was exhausted. A lot had happened in the past twenty-four hours, and I fell back onto the soft, cushiony pillows and closed my eyes. I didn’t want to let my guard down in this place, but it was important that I stay alert as well. There was no telling what else might happen to me here. I was on a completely foreign planet, after all. I would have to stay on guard no matter what.
Sleep overtook me quickly, and I reluctantly surrendered to it. With any luck, tomorrow would be a better day, and I would find a way to escape back to Earth and find my little brother.
***
Jaize’s cheery voice stirred me from slumber, and I groaned as he pushed open the curtains over the tall, thin windows in the bedroom. The light glared in my eyes, and I scrambled away from it, standing up with my fists clenched, ready to fight.
“What the hell are you doing?” I exclaimed, squinting through the light.
Jaize’s long white hair was braided intricately, and a smile made his pale, handsome face look radiant. I gazed a little too long into his lilac-colored eyes, and his smile widened.
“It is time for your first meal in our home. Of course, Malnia would not allow you to enjoy the meal at our table, but you are allowed to eat in the servants’ quarters.”
“Servants? If you have servants then why do you want me to be a frickin’ housekeeper?” I grumbled, straightening the over-sized Verian clothes over my body and rubbing my eyes.
“Oh, all of the servants were called to the line of duty years ago. We haven’t had any outside help in a very long time, except for one Pelin cook. But it’s not much trouble. Malnia does a decent job of keeping house. She enjoys the control.”
“Ah,” I said, finding that I was barely interested in his answer. All I really wanted to do was go back to sleep. But if I was going to be forced to wake up and eat, it would be even more helpful to brush my teeth.
“I am aware of human hygiene customs,” Jaize said, walking briskly to the door and opening it for me. I stepped through it begrudgingly, knowing that I had no other choice. “I have set up the washing basins for your pleasure.”
I followed Jaize glumly down the hallway, and we turned to a room that was brightly lit. He stepped inside and gestured to a huge room, with a deep tub similar to the basin I had been “cleansed” in and a tall mirror that seemed to reflect the bright light in all directions at once. There was a smaller basin with a crudely made toothbrush and other instruments that vaguely resembled human tools, like a hair brush and a razor, and I gazed at them all, not knowing quite what to say.
“Thanks,” finally popped out of my mouth. “Could I please have some privacy?”
Jaize knelt courteously before walking briskly out the door. He was clearly feeling much more cheerful than he had been the night before, and I wondered what might possibly have caused that change.
“Are you ready?” he asked once I finally emerged from the room, feeling about as refreshed as I could expect to be on this planet.
“Yes,” I said. The truth was that my stomach was rumbling. I hadn’t had a proper meal since I’d begun my search for Luke. Jaize nodded and led me through his house until we were standing in a small kitchen with a table set up in the back. An elaborate meal was set out, and Jaize smiled at me.
“Please eat. You do not have to eat the things that you don’t like. I will come to collect you soon. We are going to go for a little ride.”
I didn’t like the sound of that, but Jaize smiled at me pleasantly before leaving the room. I sighed. I would just have to deal with that situation when I came to it.
The food before me was colorful compared to the rest of the Verian’s world, where it seemed that everything was dead and barren. Even the people were a beautiful pale color that almost made it seem like color in a place like this would be impossible. Still, their clothing was extraordinarily beautiful, and so was the food. I would just have to hope that it tasted as good as it looked. It was also highly possible that it would make me sick, considering I was only used to the rations distributed in the Zone where I lived on Earth.
When I finally talked myself into taking the first bite, I was shocked. The meal was unbelievably delicious. I had never experienced such an explosion of flavors in my mouth, and I ate bite after bite of foreign substances until the entire plate was gone.
The most remarkable part was that the food, although filling, left a light, airy feeling in my stomach, and I stood up feeling more energized and alert than I had been since I was a child.
I became suddenly confident that no matter what this man tried to throw at me, I would be able to make it through. I pushed through the doors of the kitchen feeling like a new person, and immediately caught Jaize’s eye. He smiled and started walking, and I followed him through the house, knowing that wherever we ended up, things were going to turn out fine.
***
“Have you ever ridden in a thuse before?” Jaize asked me once we were out the door. I looked fearfully at the contraption he was pointing to. It looked like a cross between something like a motorcycle and a high-tech hovercraft, and I shook my head.
“It looks like a death trap,” I said. “I’m not getting on that thing.”
Jaize laughed heartily.
“I assure you, nothing bad has ever happened to me on a thuse. I know how to navigate.”
I frowned, but since it didn’t appear that I had much choice, I mounted the bike reluctantly.
“You’re going to be fine,” Jaize assured me, seating himself in front of me.
I was shocked by the sensation of his muscular body pressed so suddenly against mine, and I had to take a deep breath to try to maintain my composure. There was no reason to be acting so ridiculously around this man. Whether he was attractive or not, it wasn’t enough of a motivation to betray my people – even worse, myself – for this stupid man.
I gasped when a loud whirring sound erupted from the motor, startling me and causing me to grip onto Jaize’s waist tightly. I could feel his abdomen rippling with laughter, and wasn’t sure whether to be angry or join him.
Before I had a chance to make up my mind, the thuse spread a pair of impressive wings and began to roll forward, picking up speed until we launched into the air, nothing between my body and the ground except air.
At first, I was terrified. I cursed Jaize with every horrible word and name I knew, but his broad chest just quaked even harder with laughter. Finally, I began to relax. We hadn’t crashed and burned yet, and somehow it seemed that I was safely planted in the seat and the wind wasn’t going to make me fly off the contraption. It wasn’t exactly a vote of confidence, but it was better than nothing.
“You’re doing great, Yula!” Jaize shouted over his shoulder. As much as I didn’t want it to, the compliment felt good to me. I was feeling proud of myself for managing not to shriek in terror every time we rounded a corner and it felt like I was going to slip off of my seat. It helped that Jaize was a good driver. He clearly had experience with the death trap.
“We’re almost there!” he yelled to me. I caught his eye in the mirror, and I felt suddenly trapped in his gaze. He was unbelievably attractive, and no matter how much I hated myself for it, I couldn’t look away.
We eventually slowed to a stop, and Jaize hopped off the thuse, offering his hand to me. I took it, knowing that with my legs shaking so badly, it would be stupid not to. The feeling of his warm hand closing around me sent a thrill down my spine, and I gritted my teeth, swatting away the unwanted desire Jaize stirred up in me.
“So, this is where we keep Verian doctors busy,” Jaize said, leading me across a barren desert wasteland and toward a tall building. It was white, but it looked old, and flecks of the stone structure were coming off, giving it a worn and aged look.
“What are we doing here?” I asked, nervously stepping toward the imposing building. “Am I applying for a job?”
“Not exactly,” Jaize said, his charming smile still lighting his face. He was up to something, that much was obvious, but what was it?
“You might as well tell me what I’m doing here before we go in,” I said. “I’m not a big fan of surprises.”
“Trust me,” Jaize said, his purple eyes sparkling. “All will be revealed.”
He led me through the huge doors and into a clinical looking room. He briefly flashed a card and was allowed clearance into a long, pure-white hallway. We walked through together for what seemed like an eternity, until we came upon a door. He tapped the same card against a panel mounted on the wall, and metallic doors whirred open. We walked through, and a sudden burst of light illuminated us both.
“Jaize Lorna! What an unexpected pleasure.”
“Karan. It’s always nice to see you.”
I felt suddenly nauseated at the sight of the Verian man speaking to us from across the room. He seemed hardened somehow, in a way I had never seen a man before. It was chilling, to be honest, and I was immediately uncomfortable.
“What have you brought me today?” he asked, lifting the round goggles that were perched over his eyes so that they sat on top of his head. “She’s quite a beauty.”
“Yes,” Jaize said matter-of-factly, and I felt a rush of heat involuntarily flood my cheeks. I had never taken compliments well, and frankly rarely received them. I was a woman with a mission, focused on taking over my parents’ work and learning all I could about health and healing. That left little time for love-interests, whether they were few and far between or lining up around the block for me.
“So, what brings the two of you here today?” Karan asked, coming uncomfortably close to me. I shirked away, and thankfully Jaize intercepted us.
“I need to give her room in one of the labs. We will need to talk to her about the…disease.”
I froze. The disease? There had been rumors about a disease to be launched that would put the war in the favor of the humans, but as far as I knew, it was only a rumor. It had never gotten distributed. However, as Jaize and the unnerving scientist led me deeper through the labyrinths and into a vast, white laboratory, I realized that it had, indeed, begun to work its way into the Verian population.
Row after row of Verian man was hooked up to machines and tubes, many of them standing, others moving on exercise machines, and some incapacitated and lying down on hospital-style beds. All of them were being closely monitored by a small team of Verian scientists, the room silent but for the beeping of the machines that the men were hooked up to.
Jaize went to an empty bed and sat down upon it, hooking himself up to one of the monitors and looking at me, his smile still bright on his face.
“You’re going to help me get better.”
The blood drained from my face. “But I don’t know anything about it.”
For the first time that morning, the good nature of Jaize’s face disappeared, and it was quickly replaced by a dark fury.
“Of course you do. You’re from Zone 36. That’s where all of this started. And you’re going to help us get rid of it.”
Jaize stared at me expectantly, and I opened and closed my mouth. There was nothing I could do to get out of this. He was convinced I was the one to help him. I hadn’t even been able to tell that there was anything wrong with him.
Whether I could cure him or not, only time could tell. For now, all I could do was my best. I took a deep breath and nodded. If I didn’t comply, I could be killed, which might mean never escaping to find my brother. I was at this man’s mercy.
“All right,” I said, swallowing hard. “Let’s take your vitals.”