| |
It was toasty warm, and my body felt relaxed. The mattress was feather soft, my fingertips tracing the crisp sheets. I slowly opened my eyes and was greeted by an unfamiliar environment. Moments later, the bizarre events of New Year’s Day floated through my mind. I had been snatched out of the Banes’ home by two strangers that looked a lot like me.
I slowly sat up and was relieved to discover that my movements were not impeded. Then I glanced around the place. The walls were onyx, the metallic floor was painted off-white. There were three closed doors, and a row of empty full-size beds just like the one I was lying on. I counted six beds, including mine. Were there other captives? Were David and Gwen planning to abduct more unsuspecting teenagers?
I decided to explore the prison. I stepped onto the warm floor and hurried to the door closest to me. I was disappointed to find that it was a closet that held worn gowns of all sizes and colors, along with a variety of shoes. I closed the door, hoping that I hadn’t been snatched by a man that had a thing for young women that played dress up. Then I opened the second door, which was a spacious bathroom complete with a shower, a tub that someone had to step down into, and a double sink. I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and frowned. I was wearing a silk nightgown that went down to my ankles, and my black hair had been French braided. My nails, which were usually ragged, were manicured, along with my toenails, and my eyebrows.
“So you’re the vain type?” an amused female voice asked. I squeaked and spun around to see a short girl with bouncy curls that framed a beautiful face. She, too, had a lot of my features, though her skin was a beautiful shade of olive and her eyes were blue.
“Who are you? Where am I? Did David hurt Tim and Jane?” I demanded, my pulse rising.
“David only said that he would hurt your foster parents in hopes that you would willingly go with him. That’s what David and Lex were talking about at breakfast,” the girl explained. “I’m Amy, by the way. And, oh, you’re on a spaceship heading for our new home.”
“What?” I cried. “That can’t be.”
“It can. For twelve years, our man-whore of a father prowled Earth and impregnated one woman per month. He would keep up with the women, monitor their pregnancies, then once the children were born he would implant them with a Hyndroyl crystal and a tracker. You got neither treatment because your badass of a mother found out, left you in the department store, and attempted to kill your father. She was broke and alone, so had no other place to hide you. Well... Since our, uh, father is an alien, you know that it didn’t go well. One of your father’s guards shot her with a tranquilizer that she had an allergic reaction to. I’m sorry, Jade, she didn’t make it,” Amy said, and a tear ran down my cheek. I had assumed that my mother was a baby dumper, someone not worth looking for. But she gave her life trying to fight for me.
“And our father didn’t realize that I was the baby left at the department store?” I asked.
“She lied, telling him that she murdered you,” Amy explained.
“What was my mother’s name?” I demanded, wanting to put a name to the story.
“Nelly,” she responded. “So, let me sum it up. As soon as the human our father got pregnant gave birth, he injected the women with a drug that made them infertile. They were then told that they belonged to him, and were now a part of his harem,” she revealed.
“And what about us?” I wondered.
“The six of us are motherless. My mother died in a car crash last year. Nina’s mother died two years ago from a drug overdose. And the remaining girls lost their mothers through cancer,” she said.
“Do you have proof of all this?” I asked. “We’re really on a spaceship?”
“Come on,” Amy calmly said. I followed my supposed half-sister out of the bathroom and over to one of the onyx walls. Amy tapped the wall once, and the wall transformed to the view of space. I gawked at the stars, wondering if this glorious view could be fabricated. It was shocking, not being able to spot a landmark in the vastness. My heart rate picked up when I realized that I was now subjected to the whims of a stranger who killed my mother.
“You were asleep for five days. They implanted a tracker and Hyndroyl crystal in you,” Amy explained, which made my eyes widen.
“Surgery? Where?” I cried.
Amy shrugged.
“I think that the Hyndroyl crystal and the tracker are implanted in the spinal chord. You don’t have a scar, since the mender would have taken care of that. The Hyndroyl crystal is supposed to draw out your gift.”
“Gift?” I asked, unsure. “What do you mean?”
“We have a trainer that’s been trying to draw out our abilities. Gwen can mentally communicate with people.”
“Yeah, I noticed,” I grumbled.
“David can walk through walls,” Amy added.
“Can you do anything?” I questioned.
“Not yet,” Amy said.
“Does any of our siblings have children?” I asked, worried that a second generation of aliens would be expected to use earth as a breeding ground.
“Only the married ones have children. We have to stay pure until our wedding night. Apparently, that increases our value.” Amy scowled.
“Okay. Um... The clothes in the closet?” I asked. Amy glanced down at her casual dress.
“All clothes that our seamstress has created for us. You should know that the six of us are Father’s throwaways. We have no mother, no powers, and no charm.”
“How does he know if I have charm? He hasn’t even met me yet,” I challenged.
Amy nodded.
“Just know that Father and his wife aren’t going to be kind to you,” she warned, as the door flew open and a teenager wearing a drab blue dress splattered with red paint ran in. She was gorgeous, with red hair and fair skin. She was followed by a beauty with olive skin and dark-brown hair. As soon as the door slammed shut, they both glanced at me.
“Jade, you’re awake,” the redhead said. “I can’t believe that the two-faced ca—” I squealed as a ball of light the size of a grape fell from the ceiling and crashed into the redhead, who began screaming. I rushed forward, intending on helping the flailing woman, but arms wrapped around me from behind.
“Don’t,” Amy hissed. “If you touch her, the pain will increase.” The redhead abruptly relaxed and stripped off her ruined dress and went into the closet. She appeared moments later carrying an armful of clothes, then headed into the bathroom.
“Nina, what happened?” Amy asked, exasperated.
“Karen splashed Molly with her paint. She thinks that she’s all that because Dad has been visiting with Karen and her mother. I don’t think that Lady Valera is too pleased with that. But Karen’s mother, Meg, is a hot personal trainer,” Nina explained.
“Dad? You know him well?” I asked, surprised by how casually Nina had said the word.
“Not really. We haven’t been on the ship long enough for me to talk to him. This ship has orbited Earth for six weeks. Dad had some business on Earth. While I was on earth, Dad only visited me twice a year,” Nina said as the door opened yet again. Gorgeous identical twins strolled into the room and scowled when they saw me.
“So, the princess is finally awake,” the one wearing the blue gown said, her brown eyes shooting sparks.
“I’m sorry. I had surgery. It wasn’t like I chose to be unconscious,” I argued.
“Ignore Hope and Faith; neither of them have accepted that they are trash like us,” Molly shouted from the bathroom. Both brunettes scowled in the direction of the bathroom.
“You have to get dressed for lunch,” Amy said as she dashed into the closet.
“She isn’t wearing any of my dresses,” the twin in green protested.
“None of the dresses are yours,” Amy said as she retrieved a yellow casual dress for me. “You heard Father: the only thing that we don’t share are undergarments.”
The girl in blue scowled but shook her head.
“Princess, we’ll let you slide this time. But watch your back,” the girl in blue threatened before storming out, her twin flipping me off before following behind her sister.
“Do you know where the spare fabric is kept?” I asked Amy when she handed me the dress and a bra to wear. I quickly changed, folding up my nightgown and stashing it under my pillow.
“I know where it is,” Molly said as she came out of the bathroom fully dressed. “What’s it to you?”
“Do you think that Father would mind if I made a few dresses? I love to sew,” I lied. The truth was that I had been forced to make my own clothes growing up, since Mrs. Stephens ordered me to do so.
“Yeah, he wouldn’t care about that sort of thing. Come on, I’ll show you where it is after lunch,” Molly agreed as she linked her arm through mine.
***
The hallway of the ship had the same color scheme of our bedroom. I was startled to see a robot walking past, carrying a heavy box. But by the time we made it up another level, the sight was becoming normal. I had been given a pair of slippers to wear with my dress that were a tad too small. I tried my best not to limp.
“Isn’t this place charming?” Molly asked with exaggerated excitement.
“Where is everyone?” I asked, confused.
“Already sitting in the dining room. We’re late, which is a usual occurrence for us since we don’t care about impressing him,” Molly said, and Amy nodded. Nina, who was walking behind me, spoke up.
“I just want to go home,” she said in a small voice.
“Who doesn’t?” Molly laughed as we turned left. Two tall men wearing green military style uniforms were standing on either side of the hallway. They nodded at us as we headed toward an oak door. Amy pulled the door open and waved us through.
The room was also onyx, the floors painted a brilliant gold instead of off-white. There was a dais where a tall, thin man with tan skin and cropped black hair wearing fine silks sat across from a short, thin woman with brown hair that was up in a complicated updo that was laced with thin gold chains. She wore a gold gown that made me feel underdressed. There was a long table that sat four finely dressed girls, two guys in silk, and five middle-aged women who were all in black. Amy headed to the third table, behind the long table. It was dressed in a simple cloth and held a meager offering of food. The twins were already there, scowling at the four of us for walking in. Before we could sit, a booming voice halted us.
“Jade, good to see you awake,” my supposed father noted. “Next time, work on your walk.” Laughter filled the room, but I ignored the self-righteous people and sat down in a seat. The man knew damn well that the shoes didn’t fit me. He was just being cruel. The twins snickered as they helped themselves to what looked like a week-old loaf of bread. Servers came in with plates of meat for the other people, and cold soup for the throwaways. The injustice of it all caused me to get to my feet.
“Where are you going?” Amy cried. I ignored Amy as I followed the servers out of the room, down the hall, and into the kitchen.
The room was teeming with staff that were chopping vegetables, rolling dough, or preparing heaps of meat. I searched until I found the person in charge, a hulking man wearing a brown uniform and a gray hat. I walked over to him, purpose in my steps.
“Excuse me, sir?” I asked in English. It took me a moment to realize that everyone was speaking a foreign language. Hopefully, if I mimed my actions, things would be easier. He turned to face me, his brow arched. He said something in the foreign tongue, and I shook my head, indicating that I didn’t understand a word that he said. Then I walked over to a rack of pots and selected one. I quickly placed the pot on the stove. I walked over to the shelf of cooking utensils that weren’t all that different from earth utensils and selected a spatula, and then I gestured to the spice rack. Thankfully, the guy in the cap followed me around, watching the show. He grinned with excitement and took me to where the food was held.
The room was freezing, but I collected my food wisely. I selected a slab that looked like roast, and green pear-shaped vegetables to start. I rinsed the meat in the sink before placing it in the pot. I sniffed the spices and used them liberally. I gestured to the cooking appliance, and the chef gestured to the knob on the left. I turned it until the meat began to simmer. I then sliced up the strange-looking vegetables and went into the food room to retrieve more. I also toured the pantry and decided to use a can of sauce that smelled all right. After that pan was simmering, I went back to the store room and found the stuff to make dough. I decided to be spiteful and chose a spot on the counter, and proceeded to attempt to make a pie crust. To my surprise, it actually worked. I heard a can of something being placed beside me and turned to see a grinning kitchen worker. She gestured at my dough and I nodded in understanding. I opened the jar and discovered that it was filled with some sort of pastry filling. I quickly poured it into the pie, then another worker placed it beside the roast.
Apparently the alien’s stoves prepared food at a faster rate. In less than fifteen minutes, my pie and my roast were finished. I snatched up a cart and loaded the food onto it and hobbled out of the kitchen. My dress had a bit of flour on it, but I ignored the mess and walked into the dining room.
“Girls, I made us all lunch,” I said to my five roommates before uncovering the dishes. Molly was the first to move, helping me put the roast and the pie on the table. Molly served herself some roast and took a bite. Her face lit up with pleasure, though her eyes began to water.
“Spicy, but delicious!” she exclaimed as I plopped down. Nina, who had been dunking the dried bread into the soup, sliced up some of the meat and added it to her bowl, so I did the same. I took a cautious bite and determined that the food was good, but a bit too spicy. I’d have to watch my measurements in the future. Even the hateful twins partook, seeming excited to be tasting real meat. The lady of the house came over to our table, a scowl on her face.
“What’s this?” she asked in accented English.
“I made some roast and pie,” I said. “Want some?” It was like the idea of me cooking was foreign to her. My father joined her, helping himself to a piece of pie. He took a bite and grinned.
“I haven’t had a pie in a while. Jade, give Cook the recipe,” he demanded.
“Can I have books on how to learn to speak your language?” I asked, which made my father laugh.
“Sure, I’ll give the books to you. But you won’t learn the Nerethian language,” he taunted. So that’s what we were, part Nerethian. I had figured that out without even asking.
“Okay then, we have a trade,” I said, a new plan forming in my head. Valera sliced off a piece of the roast and popped it into her mouth.
“Spicy, but good,” she critiqued, before waltzing back to the dais. We spent two hours eating the meal, me being happy that I had saved my sisters from the horrible soup and dry bread.
Molly led Amy, Nina, and I to the fabric storeroom. A seamstress was in there, conferring with Gwen, who was standing on a pedestal. I was surprised to realize that they were both speaking in the Nerethian language.
“How can she speak Nerethian so well?” I whispered.
“Dad gives the translation chip to his favorites,” Molly said in a loud voice. Gwen glanced at us, arching a brow. The seamstress shot us a venomous glare before gesturing at the door. I shook my head and began walking through the racks of fabric. I selected six bolts of fabric, and took one of the baskets filled with sewing supplies and walked over to the seamstress. Amy gestured to me, the basket, then made an away gesture. She nodded, and I escaped to our room with the supplies.
By the time we returned to the room, there had been a desk added to our abode, along with a stack of books, and a tablet. The twins were sitting on their beds, which were closest to the window that Amy had made appear, and were frowning at us. I cleared my throat, determined to speak my plan.
“it’s obvious that we’re the low of the low,” I said. “So we’ll have to learn the language ourselves.”
“And what about the fabric?” the twin in blue demanded.
“I know how to make my own clothes,” I said.
“Good, then we will no longer have to share with the four of you,” the twin in blue huffed, before leaving the room. I hadn’t even gotten a chance to offer to make them dresses.