Laurel
Of course it was raining. The porting beam dropped me right where I'd been picked up. Had it only been yesterday? It was hard to believe. So much had happened.
24 hours ago, I'd believed I was about to uncover a human trafficking ring. Now, I knew aliens were real, and that all the women who'd disappeared were not only alive, but living with their alien mates in space.
One thing I didn't have was proper evidence. Not a single measly photo of a Vikingr or even of their spaceship. I'd planned to stay longer until I got the chance to find a phone or camera, but that was before I'd talked to Steff. Before I'd realised that I was out of time.
It had become too hot. I was developing feelings for Rune and that couldn't happen. I'd had to leave before my emotions got in the way of my work. The job came first.
I looked around me, trying to get my bearings. Steff hadn't exactly been happy to let me go, but I'd reassured her that I'd pay for all costs incurred. I supposed dropping me here, far away from the centre of Glasgow, was her way of showing her disapproval. At least she'd given me some shoes, fabricated within seconds by the spaceship. Maybe they could be used as evidence. I'd give them to a lab to see what they were made of. And I still had one trump card left. Steff had mentioned something in passing. It was how I'd get my evidence.
I searched the ground for my phone - and yes, there it was, but that's where Lady Fortune abandoned me. It didn't turn on. Either the battery was dead or the rain had killed it. Either way, I'd have to find another way to contact my boss.
I walked for half an hour until I finally got to a street busy enough that I could flag down a cab. That's when I realised I didn't have my handbag, which contained my wallet. Fuck. I was stranded in rainy Glasgow with no phone, no money and not even a hotel room booked. Great. I supposed this was my punishment for crushing Rune's hopes.
What was I going to do now? Life was so dependent on money and communication. I had neither.
I kept on walking, not quite sure where I was going, but it was better than just standing in the rain. When I passed a busy bus stop, with people huddling together to keep dry, I decided to try my luck. Drawing on my confident journalist persona, I asked whether anyone had a phone I could use. Silence. Then one lady in her fifties handed me hers. I had to look desperate enough in my soaked clothes, without a jacket or umbrella.
Luckily, Exposure Magazine's number was ingrained in my brain. I'd given it to so many people over the years that it was one of the few phone numbers I knew by heart. The receptionist connected me with Nicole right away. I could have jumped with joy when I heard my boss's voice. Not a reaction I usually had when it came to her.
" Nicole, I'm stranded in Glasgow, but I have the information we needed."
I kept it vague, not wanting the people next to me hear about the aliens yet.
"Laurel! I was worried about you. Stranded, you say?"
I explained the situation to her. The lady whose phone I was using shot me a sympathetic glance. I smiled and turned away.
"After I got your text yesterday, I sent Jenna up to Glasgow," Nicole continued. "She can pick you up. Where exactly are you?"
I read out the street name painted on the bus stop shelter.
"Alright, I'll tell her to get there as fast as possible. Call me again once you're at the hotel, I'm itching to know what you discovered."
She had no idea what she was going to learn.
An hour later, I was warm again, dressed in the hotel's white bathrobe and ready to talk to my boss again. Jenna had been very efficient, ordering some food while I was warming up in the shower. I nibbled on some crisps. They tasted bland compared to the food on the spaceship. I'd tried as many of the alien dishes as I'd could, amazed at the intensity of the flavour. Even the human meals Rune had ordered had tasted more intense.
What was Rune doing now? Had someone told him yet that I'd left? Was he upset?
I pushed away the guilt and reached for the phone. Nicole answered at the first ring.
"Finally. Are you at the hotel? And how's your foot? Your text made it sound like it may have been broken."
"Put her on speaker," Jenna whispered. I indulged her; after all, it was thanks to the intern that I was now warm and comfortable.
I took a deep breath before telling them my story. Jenna laughed when I mentioned aliens for the first time, but when I didn't smile, her expression fell.
"Wait a moment," Nicole interrupted me halfway through. "I don't have time for this. It's not April Fool's Day yet, right? So stop making up fairy tales and tell us what actually happened."
"I am. It's all true."
My boss snorted. "Yeah, sure. And Father Christmas is coming for dinner. Are you sure you didn't hit your head? Maybe Jenna should take you to the nearest A&E for a scan."
"My head is fine. So is my ankle. They healed it with their medical coffin."
Alright, even I realised how silly that sounded.
Jenna stared at me as if she wasn't sure what to believe. At least that didn't mean she thought that I was lying.
"I can prove it," I said. "My shoes were made by the spaceship. I'm sure that if we send them to a lab, they'll find some alien elements in it."
Nicole chuckled. "Shoes? You want me to pay for a lab test on shoes? Do you have any idea of how constrained our budget is? If that's all, then-"
"No. There's a place in the Highlands were some of the aliens are staying. If we go there, we can get some photographic evidence."
"Are you saying that they've invaded the planet now? Geez, you really need a CT scan."
"Not invaded. Steff said they were staying there while they only had the one spaceship. They have two now, but some of the aliens liked it so much that they continued to live in the Highlands until their matches are found."
"Do you have any idea how crazy you sound? I should fire you for this. In fact, I might."
I hadn't realised just how difficult it would be to convince my boss of the truth. Jenna stared at me thoughtfully, her hands mindlessly twisting her dark curls.
"Where is it?" the intern asked.
"Near Kingussie in the Cairngorms. According to Steff, it's a huge house that was once used by the military. It shouldn't be hard to find."
Nicole sighed deeply. "I don't know why I'm even considering letting you do this. Alright. Tomorrow, the two of you drive to Kingussie. If you don't send me pictures of aliens by the time I leave the office, you're fired."
She ended the call before I could say anything else. Ugh. Not the triumphant return I'd imagined.
For the rest of the evening, Jenna and I planned our route for tomorrow. We'd have to stop at some shops first since my suitcase was still on the spaceship and I needed a phone, clothes and other essentials. Jenna had come up by train, so we reserved a rental car via the hotel. We used satellite images to pinpoint two potential buildings that the Vikingar might be using. I really hoped we'd find them. If not, my career was over, and I'd dragged Jenna down with me.
The intern was as helpful as I could have hoped for, but it was clear she only half believed my story. I assumed it was mostly curiosity driving her. And if Nicole fired me, she might be able to get my job.
While listening to Jenna's soft snoring - we shared the twin room she'd booked because I highly doubted our boss would be willing to pay for a second room - I wondered what Rune was doing. I tried to get him out of my mind, but it was impossible. The blue alien sat there like a parasite, reminding me of what I'd done.
I'd broken his heart. I knew that. He'd accepted from the start that I was his soulmate. Would he find someone else? More worryingly, would he accept someone else? They'd been quite clear in that intro video that Vikingar mated for life. It wasn't just a fling for him. It wasn't an experiment. It was real. He'd thought he'd get to spend the rest of his life with me. And then I'd run.
I hated myself for it. When I'd accepted this job, I'd thought I'd be saving lives by infiltrating the dating agency. Breaking a heart or two was worth that. But now that I knew the truth, that all the missing women were not only alive, but happy, could I really say the story was worth breaking Rune's heart?
I wanted to say yes. I wanted to believe that it was all part of the job. That I had to be selfish and ruthless. I'd never make it otherwise. But then I saw his face again, the arctic blue eyes that could smoulder like burning embers, the purplish lips turned into a smile, the fear painted across his angular face when he'd thought I was seriously hurt. That comical moment when he'd turned a simple meal into an all-you-can-eat buffet. He'd cradled me in his arms like I was precious. Like I meant something to him, even though we'd only just met.
And I'd thrown it all away.
I curled up into a ball and waited for the nightmares to claim me. I deserved them.