Tag: sci fi

Etta

Standing on the odd chalky grey surface Etta squinted. Last she remembered she had been sneaking out her window to sit up on the roof after a fight with her mom about coming home for the weekends. It was her first year of college and she wanted her weekends to hang with new friends. Now she didn’t even know where she was. 

As she tried to get her bearing she began to stumble forward. What distracted her most were the puffs of whatever was on the ground that billowed around her feet as she walked. It settled back down quickly but still had her shaking her head. Maybe she wasn’t actually awake. However it sure felt real.

 There was nothing around her but rocks, the dusty ground, and more rocks everywhere. That was it; gigantic boulders and sand.

“Hello?” She called. Her voice thin, sounding out of breath.

With no response, she continued forward more purposefully. Moving forward seemed preferable to standing still doing nothing. Walking meant she was doing something. Briefly the thought crossed her mind what her father had constantly said about getting lost. If you get lost, find a tree and stay there. Let help come to you. She paused for a second before giggling. No chance she was finding a tree without moving.

As more light gathered in the sky Etta mentally made a list of what she knew. While not helpful, it was calming. She was good at lists.

  1. This wasn’t her bedroom or anything remotely similar.
  2. She was far enough away from home to not recognize the landscape.
  3. It must be morning because the sun was coming up.
  4. There were no houses or any signs of anyone nearby.

In the midst of her list she glanced around to figure out what more she could figure out that would help her get home. That’s when she stopped and gaped at the rising sun, or more accurately suns; plural. There were two bright yellow suns rising into the sky. Was she hallucinating or seeing double from dehydration. She shook as she tried to clear the hysteria from her panicked thoughts. What other explanation was there?

She stood there staring, desperately trying to make sense of something that didn’t make any sense. On her mental evaluation of her situation the sun had been a constant that hadn’t even occurred to her to question. Moving forward in the hopes of finding a town was abandoned in favor of trying to wrap her mind around the fact that she apparently wasn’t even on her own planet.

Lost in her frantic scramble to reorder her thoughts, she didn’t hear the whine of a motor getting closer until it was practically on top of her. Whirling in the direction of the first sound she’d heard since waking, she once again dropped her mouth open in shock. Speeding dangerously close to her was a person in what almost looked like a roofless, flying mini cooper. It kept getting closer until Etta realized she shouldn’t just be standing there staring but running as fast and as far as she could. Survival instinct kicked in and she did an abrupt about-face and ran.

Etta dodged and zigzagged in her best attempt at possibly not getting shot, but beyond that she had stopped thinking lucidly. It took several minutes before she realized the odd hovering craft was no longer chasing her. Instantly she blushed, knowing that she must have looked like a complete airhead to be jumping all over the place in an attempt to try and evade imaginary capture. Instead the man she had seen driving the air vehicle was on foot and yelling at her. With concentrated effort she focused on what he was saying but could not understand him.

“Stul! Ges olf ota surre!” He screamed.

She may have felt threatened before when he had surprised her driving pell mell towards her out of nowhere but now that she looked his way, unfettered by overwhelming panic, she didn’t feel like he was out to get her…or kill her.

Incredibly tall, even to her 5’8 frame, he towered over her by nearly a foot. His short black hair almost blended with his nearly equally dark skin. With long angular features and a runner’s build he could almost have fit in with some of the men on earth. Her heart did a little shiver as her brain registered how dashing he looked. The clothes he wore crossed somewhere between warrior and sleek businessman.

“What?” Etta called back, still maintaining her distance. Just because he was handsomely stunning didn’t mean she was going to jump into his sculpted arms.

Yet he still beckoned her to where he was standing beside his contraption.

Drips of sweat rolled down her face as she noticed the rising temperature corresponding to the rise of the suns. In the back of her mind she knew that shelter needed to be her first priority after she managed to get rid of the gorgeous alien yelling at her in a language she couldn’t understand.

“Surre! Hak!” He hollered, pointing up to the suns. Again he motioned her to come to him and she found herself tempted. Looking up at the suns he was pointing to she raised an arm to shield her eyes.

In that moment of inattentiveness he surged forward at a full sprint. He didn’t tackle her into the sand but scooped her up in his strong arms and raced back to his flyer. Setting her down in the side seat with surprising gentleness she watched as he then raced around and got in on his side. A few button presses later and they were speeding away, back in the direction he had first appeared. As he rode he glanced down at her, then pointed at his chest. “Ryk.”

He stared at her expectantly. Etta only stared. He repeated the gesture. “Ryk.” Then he pointed at her and nodded with a soft grin.

“Etta.” She pointed at herself. Etta took a chance and pointed back at him. “Ryk? Is that your name?”

He nodded again with pleased twinkling eyes. “Ryk.” He declared. Ryk pointed to what looked like another tall rock in the distance. “Holgen. Ryk tam yi holgen.”

To read part 2 of Etta’s story, click here.

Kiera

Kiera laid her hand up against the cool glass, wishing for the warmth of the sun.  She missed the sparkling shafts of light through the clouds outside her window. Living so high above the clouds, dusk was the only time she could sit in her window seat and daydream into the clouds below, wishing to feel the breeze again. It wasn’t as difficult for her as it had been for her outgoing brother. He was going a little crazy being cooped up. He was an outdoors kind of guy. However, neither Kiera or Mason had been consulted about moving up to the new module in the sky. Supposedly it was a place where you wouldn’t get sick because there wouldn’t be any pollutants in the air.

The module she was in was odd compared to her old house. There was no yard, no visible neighbors, no open windows, no breeze or flowers. It was sterile and clean. Her parents loved it, lost in the academia they could access through their computers. All the walls were essentially glass. You could look out any direction but down and stare out into the open air. 

She would have been curled in a window seat similar to the one she was in no matter where she was. Not much had changed in her sheltered, private world; just a different view out the window.  She snuggled deeper into the pillows of her secluded window seat. 

Through the darkening sky a light flicked and drew her attention away from the book in her lap.  The other houses attached to their central module were supposed to be screened to give a guise of privacy.  Truthfully they weren’t more than a dozen feet or so away. No further than a normal neighbor but completely hidden. 

As she was about to return to reading the light flickered again.

Looking out, she was stunned to see a guy waving his hand at her, as if it was completely normal to be seeing the person in the next module. Still a little shocked, Kiera only stared. He continued to wave. Eventually she raised her hand in his direction. She hadn’t seen anyone other than her family for months. They were still ‘acclimating’. They weren’t allowed to go out and see the central module or the other people connected to them. She had a few months left of quarantine to be sure that none of her family were sick.

As soon as she lifted her hand he stopped and grabbed what looked to be a large pad of paper. Slamming it up against the window she read, PAX.

He began pointing at himself. When she nodded and waved again he dropped the paper down and wrote again.

YOU?

Glancing around to see what was near for her to write on, she had to stand up and move away from the window. In seconds she was back. 

Kiera. How can I see you?

With what looked like a chuckle he went back to his pad. Smarts and curiosity.

She stared. That wasn’t the answer she was expecting or looking for. So she waited.

His warm happy smile was addicting and he wasn’t sparing in his use of it. He flashed her another cheeky grin as he bent back over his paper to write. Putting it up against the window he watched her read.

I programmed the screen to have a glitch for 5 minutes, now I’m wishing I’d programmed it for longer. Even as she finished reading it, he put up another. Are you a hugger? 

Kiera had to stop and think. She didn’t know. She never had been much of a hugger but that was more because no one had ever really offered. I’m not against hugging…

With a look of empathy he gave, Kiera felt as though he knew exactly what she meant. She thought she had been subtle, but obviously not. Her family was more cerebral than physical in their affection.

Pax put his hand up against the glass and held it there. Kiera felt a tug to do the same, almost wishing she could truly reach out and touch his hand. She forced her hand to remain in her lap.

How long till you’re out? I have another month.

3 months. For the first time since walking into her new home she was resentful of being locked in.

That’s a long time to wait for a hug or a date. He pulled the paper down and she watched with rapt attention, aching to know what he would write next. She wasn’t disappointed. Or several of both.

Kiera had to reread that last one several times. Was he implying that he wanted to date her? Or that he was missing them in general. No one had ever paid her even the slightest attention before and now she had this gorgeous guy outside her window talking about dating…well, writing about it.

With me? 

He smirked.

Desperate? She goaded, wanting to see how serious he was or if he was flirting with her while there was nothing better to do and she was his only visible neighbor.

I’d say smart. He smirked again and held up another paper. You are gorgeous and from what I’ve seen so far, smart and funny. Intriguing. If I ask you now, I’ll be the first to take you on a date when you get out, thus upping my chances with you.

If? She questioned.

Pax nodded. You won’t reject me right? Instantly Pax’s smile changed to a pleading look and it was Kiera’s turn to laugh.

You haven’t asked yet.

Kiera watched as he glanced back to the clock on the wall behind him. Will you be here tomorrow?

Confused at the unexpected question she nodded before jotting down. I always come to this window to read, every night.

As he lifted his next message the screen began to flicker and she was unable to read what he had put up. Staring out her window she looked out at where, only seconds ago, she had been talking to the cutest guy to ever pay her such interested attention and now she would have to wait until tomorrow night to see or talk to him again.

Where she had been indifferent about the medical quarantine before, she was definitely not liking it now. Kiera was stuck being patient.