Authors: Julia Sexton
It took a lot of will power to leave his bedroom. I was constantly looking back at him. I could swear there was a moment there that I thought I saw a smirk on his face. Was he playing me? Did he know what I had done? If so, then it gave me more incentive to get the hell out of here.
Even as I took the stairs and opened up the hatch for the attic, I just couldn’t stop thinking about him.
I found the window and it was open. The humidity up here was something fierce and it was making my clothes stick to me like a second skin. I had my leg draped over the windowsill and I was about to lower myself down and hope that the fall was not too far.
I had one leg outside the window and then I felt like something was holding my bare toe. I began to pull and apparently I had wedged it in between two boards. It came loose with a start and I went out the window and tumbled down the incline of the roof.
I had no idea how I did it, but I was soon on my feet and literally balancing myself on the edge. I lost my balance and my feet slipped out from underneath me.
There was no way that I was going to be able to hold on. I knew that I shouldn’t have done that to him in his own bedroom. It had only distracted me and if I had not done that, I might have not slipped and was now plummeting in slow motion toward the ground.
Chapter Six
I was falling and it felt like I was moving in slow motion. The ground was getting ever closer and the impact was surely going to break every bone in my body. I think in the back of my mind that I thought this would happen eventually. I would try to escape and he would thwart my efforts, but eventually I would break free of his imprisonment and then have the rug pulled out from underneath me.
My life flashed before my eyes and I suddenly realized that I was living in a bubble. I had allowed William to hold me down and make me feel like I wasn’t worthy of love. Now that I was about to die, I could see that it was my own fault for allowing him to hold the reins.
I was the one that was holding me down and if I really wanted to get away, I could’ve done so at any time. I was strong, but my confidence had waned considerably with his constant verbal abuse.
“I don’t think that was a good idea, Stacy. You are stubborn and I’ve known that from the moment that I met you. I had hoped that you would finally see reason, but now I see that you have a one track mind.”
That thought was injected into my mind and even as I was falling, I was having his voice constantly ringing in my ears.
“I can get you out of that, but only if you promise that you’ll at least entertain the idea of getting to know me better. We don’t have to be constantly at odds against each other. We can talk openly and I can show you a world that you have probably never seen in your life.”
The alternative was to go crashing into the earth and leave this mortal coil behind. I guess he knew my answer, because I suddenly slowed down, until I was no more than a foot away from the ground.
I was hovering in midair and even as I moved my limbs, it felt like I was suspended in some kind of time dilation. I noticed that the trees had come to a complete halt and there was a bird not too far away that had stopped altogether with wings outstretched and its jaws showing the bounty of a worm that he had caught for supper.
“I’m glad that we’ve finally come to a meeting of the minds, Stacy. Trust me; I will always be one step ahead. It doesn’t have to be a bad thing. We can get along, but it means that you’re going to have to trust me. I know that it’s hard for you to do that and you’ve gone down that road with not a lot of success. William was nothing like me and the sooner that you get that through your thick skull, the better off all of us will be.”
I moved my hands and feet back and forth, but it was like I was swimming against the current. I did perceive that I was moving slightly, but it was almost invisible to the naked eye.
“I promise that I will listen. I can’t promise that my fight or flight instinct won’t kick in. I’m sorry about that, but it’s the best that I can do. I will admit that I find you attractive. I will also admit that I’ve thought about you in a less than platonic way. I think you know that and you’ve been fueling that desire, until it has almost become like a second thought to me. I want you, but I’m fighting it, because I don’t think it’s really me that’s feeling these things.”
I could reach down and touch the ground and it was cold to the touch, but at least it made me believe that I was amongst the living.
“Stacy, you’ve got to trust somebody and just because you had a disastrous relationship with William, doesn’t mean that it’s going to be the same with me. I’ve already shown you a small part of what I can bring to the table. I gave you that brief peek into the sexual longing that goes beyond anything that you’ve ever known before. You would be lying, if you said that that orgasm that you had from just touching didn’t affect you. I could see it in your eyes. Even though you want to get away from me, there’s a big part that wants to explore this just a little bit further. I’m glad that you took matters into your own hands.”
He knew that I had touched him and had given into my desire for a moment of ill conceived pleasure. He was obviously awake and was most likely laughing, as I stroked him. He probably knew exactly what I was up to and watched me either through a camera or some kind of alien supernatural ability.
He saw me fall and he decided to intervene on my behalf. I had to be grateful for the assist, but it still didn’t make me completely trust him. I wanted to hate him and I wanted to despise him for being responsible for a possible Armageddon on my planet. I couldn’t and I knew deep down that he was slowly breaking away my defenses. The wall that I had erected was now crumbling and he could do that with just one look.
“I’m going to bring you down to the ground. You can start running and make a break for it by swimming 20 miles, or you can come in here and we can deal with this in a civil manner. I’m getting tired of playing cat and mouse. It’s not a game that I like. I would rather you just listen to what I have to say.”
I knew that I would probably try to escape again, but for now, he had me underneath his thumb. I couldn’t get away and if he wanted to, he could have allowed me to seriously injure myself even further than what I already had. I did not regret running from William. If I didn’t, he would’ve done something that he wouldn’t be able to take back.
“Even if I promised that I’m not going to run, there’s no way that you can possibly believe me after all of this. I guess I’m going to have to earn your trust, but then again, you’re also going to have to earn mine. I think we got off on the wrong foot. You protected me when I needed it the most and I have been ungrateful. Just because you’re an alien doesn’t give me any right to judge you. After all, you did stop your own people from occupying this world.”
I still wasn’t sure about the 10% that he wanted to siphon, as a way to safe face. I had no idea what that would do to the eco structure of this planet. Would it collapse under the strain of whatever they were going to do to it? I guess these were questions that I was going to have to ask of Ash. If anybody would know, then he would be the person to get that information from.
“For the moment, I’m going to take it on face value that you at least want to talk about this. Maybe I was a little shortsighted. I shouldn’t have told you that I would force myself on you. I’m not even sure that I could. I just know that in the next two days, things are going to get a lot harder and I don’t mean that as a euphemism.
Like I told you already, you awakened the mating cycle in my species. The yearning that I feel for you will only grow stronger. I have been fighting it and you don’t know how much will power that has taken. Maybe you don’t think that is your concern, but trust me it’s in your best interest to keep me, as calm as possible.”
I began to lower to the ground, until I was literally kissing the earth.
I got up on my feet and I looked back at the mansion and then down towards the docks. I had two sides fighting for control and at the last moment, I let him convince me that he was not such a bad man.
I turned and with a sigh of regret, I made my way back up to the front door. It opened and Ash was standing there in the same white sleep pants that he had on previously. He moved to the side to allow me to enter. He did not try to grab me or make me feel like I was never going to get out of here.
“I’m glad that you came to your senses. It’s a whole lot better than you fighting me at every turn. You never know, we may find that we like each other. It could be possible that we are supposed to find each other and this is destined to become something very special. I don’t know the answer and I just hope that I don’t scare you.
I can be a little intimidating and maybe I should learn to reel it in a little bit. It’s hard, because I’ve always been the one in control. I’m not used to playing on the same level, as everybody else. I know that might sound conceited or arrogant, but this is who I am and I don’t think that I can change over night. I’m not going to suggest that you sleep with me and if you want, you can always go to your own room. I think it might be a good idea to stretch the intimacy. We can sleep side by side and never have anything sexual between us.”
“Ash, you just told me that you’ve been fighting your feelings. How does staying in the same bed help matters any? Wouldn’t it be a little too tempting for you to take things to the next level? If you can tell me with a straight face that you could act like a gentleman, then I might consider stretching the intimacy, as you put it. I don’t think that I’m afraid of you, but I’m really not sure what I think of you.”
Even now, I was thinking that maybe he had need for rest. If that were so, then I might be able to sneak out and go down to the dock and check things out.
I had no aspirations to swim 20 miles and I don’t think that I had the stamina to pull something like that off. I could conceivably row a boat or some kind of dingy, but that’s only if he had something like that in his possession.
“I really don’t know how to answer that, Stacy. It’s not the worst that it could be. I’m sure that in two days you’ll see the difference for yourself. I think that I can control myself, but I will respect your decision if you think otherwise.”
I wasn’t sure if he believed anything that he was saying, but it appeared that I had to make a decision one way or the other.
Chapter Seven
I lie here beside him, completely awake and unable to fall into that deep slumber. He was breathing deeply and I looked at him lying beside me and I wasn’t sure what to make of him. He looked human, he acted somewhat human, but there was an alien presence that comes out in the form of supernatural abilities. If he really was responsible for ripping my ex boyfriend into tiny bits, then he was dangerous and it would be better that I stay on his good side.
“I can sense that you’re not sleeping. Maybe I can help with that.”
I was worried that he was thinking about drugging me again. I was going to have to put my foot down and tell him that was an invasion of my privacy and would never happen again.
“I can enter your mind, but only if you are open to it. Allow me to consume you and I can bring you the necessary rest that you need to make a conscious decision about what you’re going to do.”
I still wasn’t sure if I had a choice. He could’ve been just placating me. If I decided to walk away, I doubt that he was going to allow me to do that.
“Ash, I’m not sure that I can trust that you won’t do something when you’re inside my head. You say that I have to allow you entry, but I don’t know if I can do that.”
“It’s up to you, Stacy, but I know from personal experience with your species that lack of sleep can make you act unpredictably. I sleep for only 1 hour and then I wake up refreshed, but I don’t think that I can say the same thing for you. Allow me to help you and maybe that will cement some kind of trust between us. It’s a small step, but a necessary one if you think about it.”
I breathed deeply and I closed my eyes. I allowed my mind to show only darkness and light.
In that moment, I saw things through his eyes. I saw his planet and the way that his people lived in these white almost translucent bubbles. The atmosphere was toxic and I could sense that each time that anybody went outside that it was almost painful to breathe.
I wasn’t even sure that he was aware of what he was showing me. It could be just a byproduct of invading my mind. There were plants, but the trees were brown and were breaking apart due to the toxic environment. It was the reason why they needed our planet. It would be like a transfusion for theirs and would give it new life to sustain their kind for centuries to come.
“Stacy, is it my imagination, or are you able to see my memories? I was going to shut it down, but I think it gives you an idea of what my world is dealing with. I think it might be a good idea for you to see this. It would allow you to understand fully why we have turned to such drastic actions against your planet.”
My eyes were closed and I tried to open them, but it was like trying to pry apart a glued substance.
“I can’t open my eyes.”
“Stacy, there is nothing to worry about. I’m right here with you and as long as you tether yourself to my mind, then you won’t get lost. I didn’t like the sound of that.
“If you can truly hold on to me, as your own personal life line, then nothing bad will happen to you. I’m usually a very private person, but on this instance, I will allow you to be the exception to the rule. I want you to see where I came from. I want you to know just how dire the circumstances really are.”
I’d seen that they were dying and that those that were in contact with their toxic environment would lose their life in less than one of our years.
“I really don’t know what to say. It’s like I’m watching a science fiction movie inside my head. You’re not showing me what you truly look like, unless we are of similar DNA. If that’s true, then why do you have special powers and we don’t?
“I think it goes without saying that we are different. I don’t have these powers on my planet and like your Superman, I think that I get them from your sun or maybe even the moon. That gravitational pull is having some interesting side effects with my physiology. I’ve learned to accept it, but I think that I will miss having these powers when I get back home. They have become, as much a part of me as my life back there. I don’t even know if I want to go back. I know that I should, but I like it here. I don’t have any use for the humans, but you are a different story.”
I felt like I was walking into his world, while at the same time feeling that alertness that comes from entering into that kind of deep sleep.
Appearing beside me was Ash and he was taking me by the hand to give me a tour of where he came from.
“Over there, is where I lived. That little boy standing at the doorway is me at a very young age. We do have similar DNA, but the evolvement of mankind will not reach what we are for several millennia. We’re what you could be, if you are allowed to move forward in the evolutionary scale.”
That was not something that I was expecting to hear and I was little setback by the realization that he was us, but not until my grandchildren had grandchildren and their grandchildren had grandchildren of their own.
“I’m wondering what happens to our planet when you start to siphon the nutrients? Have you done your research on what will happen? I’m a little worried that you haven’t taken that into consideration.”
He had my hand and then he turned me, so that we were looking at each other.
“To be honest, I really didn’t give it much thought. I suspect that there will be consequences to our actions. You can’t introduce a foreign entity into an ecosystem and not expect something to change. I will say that my intention was to make sure that your planet survived and I think that it will, but I’m just not sure what siphoning off 10% of the natural elements will do to it. I could make a scientific inquiry. I can do a couple of experiments.”
“Why didn’t you think about this before you made your recommendations?”
“I guess I really didn’t care about the people on this planet. That has changed knowing you and they can thank you for making it possible for us to leave your planet in relatively one piece.
“I think it might be a good idea that you do that. I’m not saying that I’m going to try to stop you from taking that 10%. What I am saying is that if it’s going to destroy my planet, then you can expect fierce opposition. I love where I come from and unlike your planet, we haven’t entirely poisoned ours. We have done some considerable damage, but nothing that is going to leave us a barren wasteland. I don’t think that you can say the same thing for your planet.”
“I’m not going to say that we haven’t made our mistakes. We’ve obviously destroyed our planet, but it was decided a long time ago that our government knew what it was doing. We have since learned that the drilling into our core has made it impossible for us to inhabit our world for very much longer.
We have searched a long time for something that will rejuvenate and bring our planet back to the lush paradise that it once was. I was not the only one that was sent out to seek out new civilizations. I was not the only one that was sent out to find a way to make our world live again. There have been two others that have tried without success to bring life back to our planet.
Their failures were lessons to be learned. We have since come up with a way to determine what exactly we need. I’ve found all of the compounds in this planet of yours. There are even a few other compounds that I didn’t even know existed.
It is possible that once your planets ecosystem is introduced to ours that we will have freshwater. Oceans may appear over night and forests lush with oxygen might rise up with a new ozone layer to protect our planet from the toxic air.”
They were banking a lot on this. They should’ve been trying to find a way to fix it, but they had turned towards a planet that was ripe for the picking.
“I understand that this is a dire time for your people, Ash. I don’t know why you expect us to fix what you broke. We had no hand in your world’s destruction. I hope that before you begin this process that you look at every angle. Don’t just think selfishly about yourself and your own people. This affects my people and I want to know what the consequences of your actions are going to be. I think it’s the least that you can do to find out.”
I was putting him on the spot. I didn’t care and I would not just stand idly by and let them do this without knowing how our planet was going to react to such an intrusion.
“I’ve already said that I will make every effort to find out. I don’t like people telling me what to do, Stacy. It makes me a little perturbed. I understand you’re worried, but there’s no reason to get belligerent.”
I didn’t think I was, but maybe my tone was showing something else entirely.
“I don’t appreciate the way that you talk to me. It makes me think that you feel that you’re superior over me. I assure you that it’s the other way around.”
The ugly face of his conceited nature had now shown itself.
“I thought that we were over that, Ash. I’ll even help you in whatever way that you need me to. I’m not talking sexually speaking.”
Even being this close to him inside my head was causing me to squirm. My body was moving and I could feel it like it was a phantom pain. I didn’t want to believe it, but on some level, I was still connected to my own body, even in this deep sleep. I could feel the sexual awakening and I knew that he probably wouldn’t have to force me to do anything.
“I’m glad to hear you say that. I think between the two of us, we can come up with a reasonable idea of what your planet will go through. I don’t know why it matters, because I won’t be able to stop it one way or the other. I’m not even sure that they’re going to take my recommendations to heart. They could decide to invade and take this planet for themselves.
It wouldn’t be above something that they would think about. I tried to make them realize that your people would fight back. I didn’t go into great detail about what that might entail, but I’m hoping that they will think that it would be in their best interest to go with the 10%.”
I was hoping for the same thing and 10% was a whole lot better than 100. I was still worried and it was possible that 10% would be quite destructive to my world. If that were to happen, then I would stand and fight with anyone that was willing to stand with me.