Prequel Two: Interrupted
The heat of mid-May was in full swing, but that couldn’t stop the smile on Abby’s face as she stood up from her seat to the sound of thunderous applause and made her way up to the podium. The black cap and gown didn’t help matters, and she could feel the sweat gathering at the small of her back and under her breasts, but her smile didn’t dim. Her head held high, mortarboard affixed perfectly to her head, her chin length red hair arranged just as perfectly under it.
Where most people in the gathered crowd wore simply the black gown, decorated with lapels emblazoned with the school’s logo, Abby had more than her fair share of additions. A cord for being in the chamber choir, the stole that signified her major (Business Administration), a row of pins, one each from the school clubs she’d joined, and of course a cord for making the Dean’s List.
It was the end of the year, graduation, the very last thing she would do at this school (of course with the exception of whatever she contributed as an alumni), and she stood at the podium with her head held high.
Out of all the students in her class, she had been chosen to deliver a speech, and it was a point of pride with her.
Abigail Warren had always been popular. All through middle and high school, she’d had friends and no trouble making new ones. She wasn’t popular like people saw on television, rude to those who weren’t in her friend group and full of herself, rather she gained her popularity from being the exact opposite. She was kind to nearly everyone she met, offering her help when it was needed, and even when it wasn’t. No matter the situation, she managed to do what she could, saving dances and fundraisers, and on one memorable occasion, baking seven dozen cookies in one night to rescue a bake sale that would have otherwise had to be canceled.
Her teachers viewed her as a model student. Always eager to speak up in class, to tutor others or go to tutoring herself if it was something she didn’t understand. She didn’t cause trouble or seek out attention, and her assignments were turned in on time without fail. All of her comments on her report cards through middle and high school said the same sorts of things: “A joy to have in class” and “Abby is a bright girl with amazing potential” and “I expect great things from Abby in the future”.
It was a lot to live up to, but somehow she managed.
Doing well in school was in her best interests because she had things she wanted to accomplish. She had plans for being an entrepreneur, running her own business and using the skills she had to make people happy. When she voiced that to other people, they told her she was too good to be true, or that she was an overachiever, but Abby never saw it like that. In her mind, there was nothing wrong with striving to do her best.
Regardless of what anyone else thought, the plans she had for the future were for herself. Her parents hadn't pressured her into it, and neither had her teachers. Everything she wanted to do was on her list because she wanted to do it. No more, no less.
It made her headstrong and confident, knowing what she wanted, and when counsellors warned her against taking too many classes or signing up for too many extracurriculars, she just smiled and said she appreciated their concern before continuing on her way. Who knew her limits better than she did, after all? Who knew what she could handle better than her?
High school graduation had proved that to them all. She'd graduated second in her class, giving the salutatorian speech with her shoulders weighed down by the sheer number of cords she had from the various clubs and organizations she was a part of. Future Business Leaders of America. The National Honor Society. The glee club. The list went on and on.
Now that she was done with college, it wasn't so much different. She gave her student speech in front of thousands of students, parents, faculty, and staff, smiling the whole time and wishing she didn't have to wear the heavy black gown in the heat. Regardless, it was a proud moment, and when she took the stage again to receive the holder for her diploma (because of course the real thing would be sent to her in the mail later), she beamed and shook hands with everyone on stage before getting a big hug from Professor Straton, her faculty adviser.
In the crowd somewhere was her family: her mother and step-father, and her little sister, and she knew they were pleased for her. It was an amazing feeling.
After this, there would be more hugs, probably some tears, one million pictures to pose for, and then even more hugs. Her family had promised to take her out to her favorite restaurant for lunch, and she was sure her roommate and her family were going to join them. Then it was time for the rest of her life to begin.
Okay. So the rest of her life was going to begin, but first there was a post-graduation party that Abby had to show her face at.
"You have to go!" Kayla had said over the phone while Abby was still drying off from her shower. "Everybody's gonna be there, and if you're not there, it won't be the same."
Abby sighed, flicking the fingers of her free hand through her messy, damp hair. "It's not going to be that exciting," she said. "Just the same people we just saw five hours ago and the same crappy beer we've been drinking for the last four years."
"Justin said he's gonna make his punch," Kayla replied, as if that was some kind of bargaining chip to make her want to come.
"I'll keep 911 on speed dial, then," Abby muttered. She protested, but they both knew she was going to go. Parties were fun sometimes, and this was likely the last one she'd have time to go to. Over the summer and the months that followed it, she had two jobs and an internship lined up, and that was going to take up most of the time she would have for socializing.
"Abby," Kayla whined.
"Okay, okay," Abby said, laughing a little. "I'll be there. I just need to find something to wear first."
Two hours later, she walked into the party, and all eyes were on her. That was something of a feat considering how packed the place was. She wasn't even sure whose house this was, or who was in charge of throwing the party, but it was wall to wall students and friends of students and probably people who had heard the music and come to investigate and had no idea who anyone here was. The bass line of whatever song was playing was heavy and it rattled in Abby's head as they walked in. The main room was dim, and people were dancing, writhing on each other, despite the unseasonable warmth of the air.
"Great speech today, Abs!" called someone she vaguely recognized from one of her math classes.
"Thanks," she called back, waving politely.
"You look great, Abby!" called someone else, and she didn't even see who it was, but she aimed a smile and another wave in that direction.
"It's like walking in with royalty," Kayla muttered under her breath, and Abby glanced at her and then shrugged.
"You're the one who wanted me to come."
"I'm not complaining. You make me more popular by association. Let's go see what the drinks and food are looking like."
As far as college parties went, it was a pretty good one. People seemed torn between trying to seem more grown up now that they were officially college graduates (someone had brought sixteen year old scotch and added it to the drink table, and Abby was pretty sure she'd seen three guys from the football team smoking cigars in the bathroom) and embracing their last chance to be dumb and immature before society told them they needed to find jobs and start being 'real adults' (hence the beer pong and the keg stand that was happening in the garden of whoever's house this was). Abby moved fluidly between the two groups, smiling and talking and nursing the same whiskey and coke she'd started with for the first hour of the party, politely declining other people's offers to get her something more.
"You're like the president," her friend Dana said when she found her in line for the bathroom. "Spend a little time with each group, make them think you're one of them."
Abby snorted, she was weaving a little because she'd somehow acquired two more whiskey and cokes. "Kayla says I'm like the queen."
Dana shook her head, grinning. "No, no, the queen's too...high. Too unapproachable. You've got to be like the president and make people think you're on their side. Like you came to the top from being one of them instead of being born into your power. See how it works?"
She laughed, putting a hand over her mouth. "Not even a little bit."
The two of them giggled in the line until they could go to the bathroom.
Summer passed in a blur after that. Abby filled her time with her two jobs, working in a coffee shop and temping in an office before her internship started in October. She kept busy, going from place to place, saving money, and looking for people in the city who wanted roommates. By the time winter rolled around, she wanted to be well on her way to having a good job and an apartment.
It all seemed to be going her way, so of course it made sense that something had to throw a wrench in the works.
It wasn't what she'd expected, either. Bad hair days, a poor job at work, someone throwing her under the bus: all of that she'd prepared for and would have been able to handle.
Nothing in her entire life had made her ready to walk outside one day and see what looked like a floating city above her head.
"What the..." her mouth dropped open, and she, like everyone else around her, craned her neck to see what was happening.
All she could think of was it being a floating city. Most of what she could see was the perfectly domed bottom of it, seemingly made of shiny chrome that caused her to have to shield her eyes when it caught the sun.
As it moved over the city, though, she could see that there were buildings resting on the top of it, starting low around the outer circumference and then stretching up in ever growing heights as it went towards the center. No one could been seen yet, but it was massive, and as it moved into the line of the sun, an ominous shadow fell over the city and everyone standing in the street watching.
"What is it?" someone whispered, eyes wide and fearful.
"I don't know," someone else chimed in.
"Aliens," muttered a third person, eyes wide as he stepped up and craned his neck back further. "Has to be."
"It could be some kinda publicity stunt," a hopeful voice said. "Like a hot air balloon that's trying to advertise something."
No one seemed to be on board with that. "You ever see a hot air balloon that looks like that?" snapped someone in the crowd. "We're all dead. Nobody comes in a flying city like this and wants something nice."
Apparently she was saying what they were all thinking because for a moment the stunned silence and peace held, and then it shattered all at once. People were screaming and running, tripping over each other in their haste to get away from something they didn't understand.
Abby knew she should be running with them, getting away and finding somewhere safe to go until someone could find out what this thing was and what it wanted here, but she was almost transfixed by the sight of it. In her young life she'd seen very few things that she would classify as extraordinary, but this definitely counted.
She didn't know how she knew, since she was certainly no expert on the subject, but there was no way this had been made by human hands. Nothing so majestic and beautiful could have been done by someone on Earth, and Abby was both terrified and exhilarated to think about where it could be from.
"Look out!" someone screamed, and it jerked her out of her thoughts and made her pay attention. A ladder was unfolding from the side of the structure at the same time as it was getting lower. Something was going to come down from the ship. Abby didn't know how she knew it was a ship, but she did. She knew it, and it got her moving.
She didn't exactly want to see whatever was about to come down and kill them all.
In the end, it was almost anticlimactic. There were no guns, no lasers, no demands. The ladder came down and something was on it, and when the creature got close enough for the humans gathered below to see it, they could all see that it was a man. Probably the most beautiful man any of them had ever seen before. He was tall and slender, and he had a head full of thick, dark hair, that tumbled down his back in inky curls. His skin was like alabaster, pale and perfect, and golden eyes shone out of a heart shaped face with strong cheekbones and a defined jaw. He looked almost elfin, or at least how the media had told them elves would look, and he was just as tall, back straight as he stepped off the ladder and looked around.
No one moved. No one dared to breathe. In the presence of such beauty, they didn't know what they should do. The man was garbed in all white, and someone fell to their knees near Abby where she had stopped.
"An angel," the woman whispered. "It has to be."
Abby wasn't so sure.
Around her, more people were getting to their knees. Prostrating themselves in front of the creature like he was indeed the second coming. Or if he was heralding it.
There were no wings to speak of on the creature, but he did look angelic. At least until he opened his mouth.
The voice was soft and melodious, almost too lovely to belong to a man. "This planet is ours now," he said. "You will all submit."