Choosing Theo: The Clecanian Series Book 1 Page 2

  Chapter 3

  If Jade had ever wondered whether she’d missed out on a career as an astronaut, she now had her answer. Flying through open space in an egg was terrifying. Her fear had caused her to somehow experience both intense claustrophobia and agoraphobia at the same time.

  When a large planet came into view, her panic attack had intensified. She’d been able to breathe on the ship, and her common sense told her they wouldn’t have kept her alive this long only to send her to a planet where she couldn’t breathe, or one whose gravity was so strong, she’d be crushed like a pancake.

  Logically she knew this. Unfortunately, at this moment, logic wasn’t at the steering wheel. The closer the pod drew to the planet, the quicker her breaths became until she began hyperventilating. When the pod hit the atmosphere, her vision faded to black.

  ***

  Insects chirped all around Jade and a cold breeze blew, making her shiver. When her eyes cracked open, she saw she was still in her pod, but the door was opened.

  Eyes widening, she sucked in a sharp breath and held it. A moment passed before she chided herself. Don’t be an idiot, Jade. You would’ve already died if you couldn’t breathe. She released her breath and peered out of the pod.

  She was in a clearing with dense forest all around her. It was night, but moonlight illuminated her surroundings. When she stepped out of the pod, she understood why it was so bright. Two friggin’ moons.

  Jade gazed around the clearing, marveling at how everything was both familiar and astonishingly foreign. The bright light of two moons, rather than one, shone down on a dark forest of trees. The forest, as a whole, was unremarkable. The tree trunks looked like wood, and the height of the trees was very tall but nothing out of the ordinary. The leaves, however, were unlike any she’d ever seen. They were very large and round like a giant lily pad. The thick, round leaves spread out and created an unnaturally dense canopy that caused almost all light to be blocked out.

  The sounds of insects buzzed around her, but the noise just wasn’t right. Something about the unfamiliar pattern of humming and clicking that surrounded her made fear creep through her.

  At least it’s a normal temperature, Jade recalled the intense heat of the spaceship.

  Shaking her head in disbelief, she circled the pod and tried to take stock of her situation. What to do now? Did I crash or something? Veer off course? Why would Thing 1 and 2 drop me in the middle of the forest?

  She heard a faint rustling to her right and froze. The spray! Where’s the spray? The small cylinder was no longer in her hands. Must’ve dropped it when I passed out.

  As the rustling grew louder, she scrambled back to the pod, feeling around for the small container. Her movements became more desperate when the rustling changed into the sound of soft footsteps against the springy ground.

  There! She found the tube without a second to spare. The steps were behind her, and she could feel a presence at her back. She blindly aimed the spray over her shoulder and dashed into the woods. Before she hit the tree line, she heard the satisfying “thump” of a body hitting the ground.

  Heart racing, she ran. The forest was dense and almost pitch black. She continued to trip over fallen branches and slip in a slimy substance she couldn’t identify, but she kept running.

  Her instincts told her that whoever or whatever was back there had made sure she’d arrived at night, away from civilization and therefore any other people. Whatever their motivation was, Jade doubted it was noble.

  Jade had no idea how long she’d been running for when she noticed the trees start to thin. Her lungs burned with exertion, but she forced them and her shaky legs to keep moving. The trees continued to thin until they cleared completely.

  Jade halted. In the distance she could make out the outline of a city backlit against the large glowing moons. There weren’t any skyscrapers or stark gray warehouses but rather tall, pointed towers that would not have looked out of place on a medieval castle.

  To her right, the ground sloped and leveled out into a large field. On her left was a craggy path littered with bushes and boulders. Traveling in the field would definitely be easier, but she’d have no cover in case whoever was behind her caught up. The hill would take longer to traverse but had plenty of cover.

  To anyone who didn’t know Jade, the field would’ve seemed like the more attractive option. She decided to choose the more difficult terrain, feeling that if her would-be kidnapper followed her, they’d assume she chose the flat field. Keeping the city in view, she began to climb. If she kept going at this pace it might only take her a few hours to get there.

  Eyes riveted to the city skyline, she came to an abrupt stop. What if it’s worse there than here? She could be walking directly into a nightmare.

  One thing was certain. The creature she’d run from had orchestrated her abduction. They’d waited for her to arrive alone. Why? She hoped it was because kidnapping was against the rules even on an alien planet.

  Jade sank to her knees, hot tears running down her cheeks. Aliens, she thought miserably. Jade’s whole universe had shifted.

  This was an alien planet. Even if she could find other beings, who’s to say she could make them understand what had happened to her? She was just one measly human from a world that hadn’t traveled that far into space yet. Why would they even care about her?

  Now that she was alone, Jade allowed the events of the past few weeks to settle over her. Her life back home had been a lonely one. She had no family, very few good friends, and tended to keep to herself.

  She lowered her head in her hands and cried weakly, attempting not to make any sound. No one will care that I’m gone. Will they even notice I was taken?

  Sure, her employer would be put out that she’d just stopped coming in. They’d probably tried to contact her when she’d missed the meeting with that client a few days ago. After not hearing from her for at least a week, she hoped they would’ve called the police.

  Her home would show that there’d been a break-in. She chuckled humorlessly through her tears. At this moment, she was most likely considered a missing person.

  Jade realized that her work ID would be the only picture of hers that her coworkers had. Oddly, imagining her sad work photo on a missing person’s report, made her cry harder than anything else. How could she have shut herself off to the world so completely?

  Jade batted away her tears. Dammit, her life hadn’t been the best, but it was hers. She had a house and a career, and if she ever got back to Earth, she swore she’d try and make more of an effort to let people in.

  Somehow, she’d make these aliens understand what had happened to her. She would charade her ass off if that was what it took. Whoever abducted her wouldn’t get away with this.

  She started walking toward the city and let her cool anger motivate her. If what they did was illegal, she’d find someone to help her catch them and punish them.

  Chapter 4

  “Is this city a goddamned mirage?” Jade yelled in between panted breaths.

  She’d been walking in the direction of the city’s spires for almost two days and was only slightly nearer. Those spires must be much more massive then she’d thought.

  Jade was exhausted, dehydrated, and had discovered cuts and bruises all over her body from her adrenaline-fueled dash through the forest.

  Yesterday, she’d come across a few streams of water but had refrained from drinking anything she didn’t know for certain was safe. A few hours into her trek this morning, however, had made her realize that in order to keep moving toward the elusive city on the horizon, water was necessary.

  At about midday, when Jade was ready to suck the moisture out of the next dirty puddle she stumbled upon, she came to a small stream running downhill. Without a second thought, she crouched down near the stream and gulped a few handfuls of water. Jade took the momentary break to study small curling plants near the stream’s edge.

  As a child, her aunt would take her out into the woods behind her home and teach her which plants could be eaten, which were poisonous, and which could be used for other things. In South Carolina, Jade would’ve been able to forage and survive in the woods for months if she had to.

  The small plant she was currently examining had fuzzy curling leaves that rolled in on themselves when her hand drew near.

  Jade let out a panicked squeak and snatched her hand back. She watched as the small leaves unfurled themselves once again. This isn’t home. You don’t know what edible plants look like here. Don’t try.

  Her aunt’s voice played through her mind, chanting her favorite phrase to utter while teaching Jade to forage: “If in doubt, leave it out.”

  The phrase reminded Jade that if she didn’t know for sure what a plant was, she shouldn’t be putting it in her mouth. Even on Earth, the very poisonous plant hemlock was often confused with parsley.

  What she wouldn’t give for some green goo right about now.

  A wave of sadness hit her as she thought about her aunt. She would know what to do.

  Moving to the edge of the hillside, Jade sat on a clear flat stone that was lavender in color. With her back to the stream, she gazed down over a beautiful sprawling landscape. Well, at least I have a killer view, she thought as she waited for any negative side effects from the water.

  The hill led down to a flat valley that stretched on for miles before disappearing into another dense forest. A shining river wove through the brightly colored grasses of the valley until it too disappeared into the forest. Jagged narrow mountains rose crookedly from the horizon, jutting into the sky at an unnatural angle.

  The sun that burned brightly above her was slightly smaller and more orange than the sun back home, casting the whole
landscape in warm light.

  “Wow,” was all Jade could manage. Up to this point, she’d been afraid and angry that she had been transported unwillingly to an alien planet.

  Sitting alone and admiring the beautiful scene before her made her stop and think about how wondrous this place was. She may be temporarily stranded on an alien planet, but she had to admit, it was painfully beautiful and surreal.

  Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted movement and rolled behind a large bush.

  About a hundred feet away, a round silver object slowly floated along down a narrow, cleared area of the valley. Her heart leapt. That looks like a road!

  The large silver ball had to be twelve feet tall at least, but the gleaming silver surface was so reflective that she’d almost not seen it. If she was right and that was a road, it would make sense that the ball was a vehicle of some sort.

  Fatigue threatened to overwhelm her as she gazed longingly at the floating object. If she didn’t eat something or drink more, she’d never make it to the city. Hitching a ride would be her best bet at survival.

  Indecision warred within her, and she bounced on her heels, trying to choose whether to chase the moving object down or stay hidden. While it was true the object could be some type of vehicle, it was also true it could be a million other things she’d never even considered.

  Even if it was a vehicle, she had no idea what kind of creature she’d find inside it. What if the alien that had tried to collect her from the forest was in the vehicle now? She hadn’t stuck around long enough to get a good look at her abductor, only heard their footsteps. She’d have no way of recognizing them unless they happened to be the solitary creature on this planet with two feet.

  The vehicle wasn’t coming from the same direction as the forest she’d escaped from, but that didn’t mean much.

  Glancing down at her blistered shoeless feet, she decided she’d have to risk it. Her fear caused the small amount of water she’d consumed to sour in her stomach.

  With the bottle of sleep spray clutched in her hand, she forced herself to jog briskly down the hill to intercept the flying vehicle. As she neared, it started to travel faster. I’m not going to make it, she thought, pleading with her legs to pick up speed. Almost there.

  The silver ball was moving too fast for her to reach it in time on foot. Thinking quickly, she threw her tube of sleep spray as hard as she could.

  Ping! The tube hit the side of the ball as it passed, but the silver object didn’t slow. She sprinted, waving her arms above her head.

  Just when she thought the ball was going to disappear over the crest of a hill, it stopped.

  Jade fell to her knees and almost cried with relief when the large ball began to slowly move toward her. Cold sweat beaded her forehead, and spots danced in front of her eyes. She was going to faint again.

  Please let these aliens be kind, she thought as she fell onto the ground.

  Chapter 5

  Jade was getting really tired of passing out and waking up in unfamiliar places. This time when her eyes cracked open, she found herself lying on a long couch.

  Mentally scanning her body, she didn’t notice any sore spots. Odd. The last thing she remembered was racing after a moving silver ball. She’d been bruised, and her muscles had been strained to their limit at that time. She shouldn’t be able to move without pain, but she felt none. Why? Was she dead?

  Sitting up, she examined the room more thoroughly. There was a large desk in front of a picture window across from her. The desk, combined with the couch, made the room resemble a therapist’s office. She should know. She’d been in and out of enough of them.

  Through the window, glimmering silver spires could be seen stretching into the sky. Crossing to the window, she examined the spires more closely. Floating round balls, like the one she’d chased, congregated near the base of the spire, and she could see very tiny figures leaving and entering the pods.

  Jade stepped back a few feet and studied the wall she’d just been pressed against. She noticed a shallow curve to the wall. I must be in one of those weird skyscrapers.

  Jade felt a momentary surge of happiness and pride that her guesses had been correct. The round ball was a vehicle, and whatever was in it had taken her where she’d wanted to go.

  She jumped about three feet in the air when the door to her left opened. A tall, middle-aged woman entered, sending Jade scrambling back behind the arm of the low couch.

  A woman? Jade straightened, forgetting her fear. The being in front of her looked just like a human woman.

  Jade crouched back down behind the arm of the couch as she studied the woman in more detail. Not exactly human. This alien was taller than most human women and was drop-dead gorgeous. She moved with a supernatural grace Jade had never seen before. A cream-colored flowing jumpsuit that accentuated her waist billowed around her legs and arms elegantly as she moved.

  The woman glanced over at her as she entered the small room. “Oh good, you’re awake.” She gave Jade a brief smile, and then went to sit at the small desk.

  Jade blinked, trying to force her brain to catch up. Was she having a stroke, or could this woman speak English? How was that possible?

  “Can you understand me?” she asked Jade calmly.

  Still crouched behind the arm of the couch, Jade nodded.

  The woman had a kind face—alien, but kind. Her eyes were just slightly too big to be human, but they made her appear sweet and sympathetic. Long black hair trailed down her back, and when she tucked it behind her ear, Jade noticed the ear was pointed on both the top and bottom. “Good!” she exclaimed, exposing elongated canines. “Would you mind speaking so I can see if I understand you?”

  Jade opened her mouth to speak but couldn’t for the life of her think of something to say. This was all so surreal.

  “Just say ‘hello’ and tell me your name,” the woman offered helpfully.

  In a croaky voice, Jade said, “Hello, my name is Jade.”

  “Damn, that didn’t translate.” The woman frowned, clearly disappointed. “We hoped that because you had a translator installed in your ear that your language would be common.”

  Jade’s eyes widened and she touched her ear. So that must’ve been what the lizard aliens had done. Implanted a translator. If so, it was incredible. When the woman spoke, Jade heard the words instantly. Her mouth even looked like it was forming the words.

  “I can see from your expression—you didn’t know this had happened.” She said this as more of a question than a statement.

  If I have a translator, why couldn’t I understand the lizard people?

  “I’m going to ask you some questions and try to explain a few things if I can. I’d like you to nod for yes.” The woman nodded to illustrate. “And shake your head for no.” She shook her head.

  Jade nodded briefly to show she understood. The woman seemed pleased.

  “You’re on another planet.” She paused. “Did you know there was life on any planet but your own?”

  Jade shook her head vigorously.

  “I thought so.” She let out a sigh. “My name is Meya. We’re on a planet called Clecania in a city called Tremanta. I’m Clecanian.” Looking at her seriously, she said, “I’m very sorry for what has happened to you. Your planet is most likely considered a Class 4 planet, and taking you from there is against the law. Not just the law of this world but the law of most worlds in this section of the universe. Do you understand so far?”

  Jade’s head swam.

  “You had some injuries when you were brought to us. I’ve given you a mild injection to help with the pain, but I cannot fully heal you or feed you until we know your species. Did you see who took you?”

  Nod.

  “Are they still here?”

  Jade did not know how to respond. The lizards were gone, but whoever had hired them was still here. She nodded and then also shook her head.

  “Yes and no?” Meya questioned. “Hmm. I need to scan the translator in your ear in order to find out which language it’s translating to.” She held up a small device, similar to a price scanner.