Chapter 3

Sophia took a deep breath and slipped the white mating gown over her head. The simple piece of cotton covered from her neck to the top of her ankles, exposing her slim arms. Her honey-blonde hair hung to her jaw, her dark chocolate eyes glowing from sun-kissed skin. She smiled at herself, trying to calm her nerves as she prepared for the night ahead.

Running her hands over the front of the gown, she turned and looked at the bed. The white duvet hung evenly on all sides, the rust-colored sheets matching his SR44 color. It was made to Micah’s liking, and that was important when Micah came to visit.

“Mama!”

Sophia smiled as her three year-old daughter, Megan, ran into the bedroom. Her blonde locks hung in corkscrew curls to her chin, her eyes shining a mix of her SR44 parents: dark brown for Sophia, and a rusty brown for Micah, depending on the light. Megan grinned brightly as she pulled herself up on the bed and jumped around. Sophia laughed as she watched her daughter ruin the bed she had worked so hard to make perfect for tonight.

“Mama, is Micah coming?”

Sophia nodded. Megan had never referred to Micah as her father, and it bother Sophia just a little bit. Micah never came to see them, except when it was time to try to procreate. He wasn’t much of a father figure, but he had very important things to do, and he reminded her of this with each visit.

When the Miladrids released the Colonists and it became apparent the they were going to win the war and SR44 would be destroyed, Sophia had been chosen to board the ship to Earth because of her royal lineage and the fact that she was quite intelligent due to her schooling and heredity. She knew her role on Earth would be to continue their race. When she had been chosen for the escape pod, her fear at the unknown was only parallel to the terror of knowing she would never see her home planet again.

The fiery landing, and then living in the desert with Nico, Titus, and Beth, the other SR44 female, had horrified her. They’d survived for weeks on bugs, roots, and very little water. When they had met up with Micah again, he had taken control and shielded her from the horrors of this earth. He told her about the Colonists running amok, and how the Saviors had failed so miserably at hunting them down that they’d basically given up. It angered her and broke her heart. The people of SR44 had put so much faith and conviction in the Saviors, but it was an ultimate disappointment. It was supposed to be a short assignment for the Saviors, but according to Micah, they had abandoned their mission about a hundred years ago. Micah said if they had continued hunting for the original twelve Colonists, perhaps they would have completed their assignment, returned to SR44, and all would be well in their world again.

She had lost so much: her home planet, her father and mother, her friends and extended family. She would never forget the vivid images of the Colonists slaughtering her family as she watched from the safety of her room in the high, golden tower she called home. She’d never felt more helpless than she had at that moment, and she also realized then and there that her life was going to dramatically change.

Micah had told her of Annis and Liberty’s deaths, and, recently, Micah said Nico had passed on as well. All of her friends had vanished, and the only ones she had to lean on were the Platoon, specifically Micah, as she didn’t see the other members—Jael, Simon, and Titus—very much, which was fine with her. Yes, if the Saviors had done what they were sent to do, she wouldn’t be stuck on Earth, her only joy the beautiful daughter she had birthed.

Micah also spoke of the governments around the world longing to study their species. He told her stories of his capture by the United States government, and how they had poked and prodded him all in the name of science. They drew his blood and studied him to see how he would respond to serums pumping through his veins. They cut him open and penetrated his glowing eyes with long, skinny needles. She didn’t want any part of the chaos outside her small world and was thankful that Micah had shielded her.

Megan and she were left to entertain each other until Micah’s monthly visit where he brought groceries and supplies from a list she had made the month before. They had no television, as Micah said the images were too terrible to witness. Computers would also offer her images of the violence in the cities. Sophia had a phone, but the only person she could call was Micah in case of emergency, and she was okay with that.

As Megan jumped on the bed, Sophia looked out the window into the backyard. A six-foot-high brick wall surrounded the one-acre property, and there was nothing beyond the wall except desert as far as the eye could see. She and Megan cultivated to two vegetable gardens with seeds Micah had brought them when Sophia first moved in two years ago, and they enjoyed the bounty of their labor almost year round—except for the turnips. She wished they had never planted those awful things, yet she couldn’t bring herself to kill the plant simply because it had grown with her loving care.

They also tended to the fruit trees and were blessed with fresh lemons, oranges, and limes a couple of times a year. Sophia had also begun to experiment with some herbs after reading a book about their medicinal properties Micah had given her. She loved the taste of fresh chamomile tea at night, and she had recently soothed Megan’s upset stomach with a bit of peppermint and ginger tea made from their garden.

Although she was truly alone, she felt safe. The small two-bedroom house sometimes felt claustrophobic until Micah told stories of blood running through the streets of Phoenix as the Colonists slaughtered victim after victim, the Saviors nowhere to be found. He and the Platoon fought daily to do the job the Saviors were supposed to do, and for that, she was grateful.

She grinned, thinking about the book on astral travel Micah had brought her two months ago. At first it seemed silly—she didn’t believe anyone could travel outside their body, although it was rumored her moha had been able to do just that, but Sophia had never confirmed it. However, one night about six weeks ago, she hadn’t been able to sleep, so she read the book in one sitting. She found it fascinating, and had experimented with the practice. Oddly, the exercise was very easy for her, and she had begun to travel outside her body on regular intervals, always going a little further than the previous time. Her first excursion had been to the corner of her bedroom. As she stared at her body lying on the bed, a surge of excitement coursed through her. How far could she go? The book had said she would always remain attached to her body through her “silver cord,” which was almost like a leash or an umbilical cord. As she floated over time and space, it scared her, but at the same time it was thrilling. It was her means of escaping her life without leaving the safety her surroundings afforded her.

Her second out-of-body experience pushed her boundaries, where she floated over the desert and saw the city in the far distance. Because of Micah’s warnings, she avoided it, but she felt drawn to it, to see it and its inhabitants.

She decided she would astral travel over the city on her next attempt.

Her life was so different on Earth than on SR44. As a child of royalty, her every need was taken care of before she even realized the need existed. Her mother and father had made sure the staff waited on her hand and foot. Even if her parents weren’t around to make sure she was fed properly, they were there to give her the love she needed, and her heart clenched as she thought of her loss.

Now, her family was Megan.

She checked the clock on the nightstand. Micah would be arriving in a few hours.

“Megan, you must stop your silliness. Micah will be here shortly. Please, go play with your blocks or dolls so I can straighten out the sheets and prepare dinner.”

Megan jumped off the bed and ran into the next room. Sophia pulled on the sheets and the duvet again, mentally preparing herself for the night. Her job was an important one: to keep the SR44 race alive and pure—as much as possible.