Chapter 1: Shadows
I slip through the gate among a swarm of women heading into the city to buy goods. In the crowd, it’s easier to remain unseen.
A year ago, Earth was destroyed, and an alien race rescued us. We boarded their colossal ships and were brought to a planet where everything was foreign, from the language to the customs.
Excited yet nervous, I had nothing left on Earth. It was do or die. I was eager for a new beginning, a chance to start afresh on a new planet, so I ran to that ship as fast as I could, ready to observe new life and planets.
Since then, I’ve managed to learn the basics of their language and have acquired skills that helped me assimilate into their society. Assigned to a village near the city due to my expertise in transforming flowers into medicine, life was pleasant. That is until Zivan noticed me.
A guard assigned to train warrior women, he decided unilaterally that I was to be his mate—an idea I did not reciprocate. Despite my clear refusals, he saw my resistance as a playful hard-to-get game, which escalated to him once forcefully attempting to claim a kiss. Thankfully, I was rescued by a quick-thinking fellow female who tased him. I still can’t understand why he fixated on me.
So, when I saw him heading towards my home this sunrise, I knew it was time to flee. Escaping through the back window, I blended seamlessly with the crowd heading into the city, thankful for the anonymity it provided. The heat of the suns behind me.
As we streamed down the sun-shielded stone streets of the city, excitement was palpable. It was the celebration day marking our arrival a year ago—a day when men actively sought women to mate with.
Some men crawl out of the bars while others set up their merchandise in the streets. We women always cause a stir of excitement when we come to the city. Everyone hopes to find a good wife. I hope to blend in. I don’t want to be the wife of Zivan.
Throughout the day, I helped other village women trade and barter goods, enjoying the city’s bustling energy—a rare break from my usual routine of harvesting in solitude.
The jumbling chaos of the city was thrilling. Bartering with merchants and seeing their tables was exciting. One old man even gifted me some fruit. He could tell I was new around here. I blushed and took it, thanking him.
As dusk approached and the crowd thinned, planning to divert down a side street to avoid returning home, I heard a voice that made my heart sink.
“Miriam!” Zivan’s voice cut through the noise, his hand waving frantically in the crowd trying to reach me.
In panic, I ducked down a side street and stumbled into a dark pub, descending the stairs into its depths. The bar was bustling but offered a momentary refuge. Racing to the end of the bar, I encountered a formidable figure—a large, bald man with piercing blue eyes with depths like sapphires and an aura of quiet authority.
“VIP only, little one,” his voice rumbled, translated smoothly by his device.
“Yeah, don’t care,” I laugh nervously. “I just need a place to hide from a psycho alien who is stalking me. I left my village to avoid him but he found me.”
He stiffened, not saying a word, eyeing me suspiciously. Like I was making this up to get in. I wanted to roll my eyes but the crippling anxiety propelled me forward. Desperate, I blurted out my situation about Zivan’s pursuit. As he processed my plea, Zivan appeared at the entrance, increasing my panic.
“Please, don’t let him take me,” I begged, my green eyes meeting the bouncer’s icy gaze.
With a curt nod, he concealed me in a nearby bathroom, just as Zivan rounded the corner. The door barely shut once I was in. From my cramped hideout, I listened as the bouncer dismissed Zivan with a cold indifference that belied the tension of the moment. I quietly wondered how these large aliens use such a small bathroom. My life is in this guy’s hands. My heart feels as if it will explode as I try distance myself from the commode and the irony that my life may go down the toilet.
“VIP only.” The man growls.
“Have you seen a female?” Zivan speaks up, unphased by the man’s attitude.
The man laughs loudly.
“I’m serious. I’m looking for a tiny female named Miriam. She has shiny black hair and green eyes like gems.”
“Can’t say I know her. What’s she to you?” The man asked.
“My future mate. If the stubborn female would just stop running.” He huffed.
“If she’s running she clearly isn’t interested. A word of advice, kid. Don’t come back to my section again or I’ll send you out on your face.”
“How dare you speak to me that way! Do you know who I am?”
“No.”
I almost laugh at this mystery bar bouncer. He was successfully under Zivan’s skin.
“I am the son of Zeb, a warrior of old.”
“Never met him. I’m not going to ask again. Remove yourself from this bar.” The curt man replied.
After a few quiet moments the door slid open. I stared up into blue eyes timidly.
“The pest is gone.” He motions for me to leave. My cheeks heat up as I realize I have nowhere to go.
“O-okay. Thank you.” I shuffled out of the small space. He sighs in annoyance.
“Where will you go if you can’t return home?”
“I haven’t gotten that far.” I shrug.
“Do you have some money or at least a friend here in the city? This place is crawling with desperate men tonight. You shouldn’t travel alone.” He warns.
“I have money. Is there a place you recommend?” He just rolls his eyes at my naitivity.
“Come on.”
Overwhelmed by his kindness and still shaken, I followed him back into the heart of the pub and into a world that suddenly seems a little less threatening, thanks to the unexpected kindness of a stranger.
He sits me on a stool at the end of the dark bar and motions for the bartender. I look up awkwardly, feeling out of place.
“She’s with me, Aaron. Feed her and watch over her.” The man states and disappears to take his place at the door. I stare at the back of his slick head in awe. I guess I am a VIP now. A grin creeps up on my face.
The man serves me a meal I don’t recognize but it’s delicious and I’m grateful. I realize I haven’t eaten anything besides a piece of fruit all day. After I finish my meal I sit there debating between leaving or staying. I clearly need to find shelter and I’m beginning to draw attention. These men sniff out females fast.
“Come, little female.” The man says with quiet authority and my legs instantly obey.
He leads me down another dim hallway to a door at the end. He takes a key from his pocket and motions for me to follow him in.
Inside I am surprised to see it’s an apartment. It’s tidy and very bare. Only the necessities seem to be here. Nothing screams home. He opens another door and a huge dog-like creature runs out excitedly. It sniffs at my feet and wiggles its long black tails. I can’t help but laugh when it jumps up to lick my face.
“Hlala phantsi.” The man quietly commands the animal. Its long black and brown ears point straight up and it instantly obeys, tails still thumping across the floor loudly.
“Vic is not used to guests.” The man rolls his eyes before sending the dog away.
“It’s alright. He’s adorable,” I gush.
“This is my home. You can stay here for a few days if you’d like. I am rarely home. I work a lot of hours. There’s an extra room here and you can use the kitchen anytime.”
His frankness stuns me. He wants me to stay in his home? I can’t stay here, I don’t know this alien. I don’t trust any of them at this point. Well, maybe I do. This one did protect me from Zivan when he had every reason not to. They need to repopulate and I’m sure he knows that’s exactly what Zivan had in mind. I shudder at the thought.
“Oh, I don’t know. I appreciate everything you did for me today but I don’t really want to impose.”
“Zivan will not give up. He will search this city for you. You are not safe out there alone. You can stay here tonight while I send for someone to watch over you. There’s a female deeper in the city with a doctor named Jonathan. They will take you in. ”
I know deep down that he’s right so I weigh my options. Am I safer here with a strange alien I don’t even have a name for or out there on my own against multiple aliens? I huff out my frustration.
“Well, if I am staying here I should at least know your name.”
He stifles a grin at my defiant tone.
“I am Leos.”
“I am Miriam. Thank you for helping me, Leos.” I stick out my hand and he reluctantly takes it.
“You’re welcome, little female.”
Grateful yet wary, I accepted his offer, unsure of my next steps but relieved to have escaped Zivan for now. As I settled into the strange yet comforting environment of Leos’s home, I couldn’t help but feel that perhaps, in this vast and unfamiliar world, I had found an unexpected protector.
